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August 21, 2007 No. 46 Vol. 85
This Week’s Program: Gary Carnes, CEO,
All Children’s Hospital
Mr. Carnes has served All Children's Health System
as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2002. He was President
and Chief Executive of All Children's Hospital from October 2001 until
being named to his current position. From 1997 until 2001 he was
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and served
concurrently as Chief Financial Officer for sixteen months.
Mr. Carnes began his professional career at The
Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio as the Director of Medical
Records and Medical Staff Services. He later served as Assistant
Administrator, and left in 1983 as Associate Administrator.
From 1983 until 1985, Gary worked for Charter
Medical Corporation at the corporate headquarters as Director of
Development. He became Regional Vice President and a corporate officer
of Ramsay Healthcare Corporation at their U.S. headquarters in New
Orleans in 1985. His division led the company in financial performance
each of the last four years of his tenure.
From 1991 to 1994, Gary served as Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer of St. Anthony's Health Care in
St. Petersburg, and for six months he also held the position of Chief
Financial Officer. Responsibilities focused on financial turnaround
efforts, and operation of the hospital and corporate subsidiaries.
Mr. Carnes worked as an independent consultant from
1994 to 1997, primarily in the areas of mergers, acquisitions,
divestitures, financial and operational turnarounds, interim executive
management, and strategic planning. Clients included All Children's
Health System, Tampa General Healthcare, Columbia Healthcare
Corporation, Sisters of Charity, and The Hunter Group.
A permanent resident of St. Petersburg since 1990,
Gary has two children ages 22 and 18, both of whom are in college. He
serves on the Board of Directors of the Girls and Boys Clubs of the
Suncoast, Great Explorations, The Children’s Museum, the Tampa Bay
Partnership and the National Association of Children’s Hospitals. He is
a member of the Exchange Club of Northeast St. Petersburg and
Suncoasters. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Professions
and a Master of Business Administration in Finance. He is a military
veteran.
Last Week’s Program: John Zucker,
Guardian Ad Litem Program
Markus Mittermyer, Kiwanian-of-the-Day,
introduced us to the Area Representative of the Guardian ad Litem
program, Mr. John Zucker. Mr. Zucker is an advocate for both the
children in custody and the GAL program as he recognizes the vital need
for representation of the child’s interests in court proceedings.
The GAL program currently serves nearly 2,000
children a year in Pinellas County. In Pinellas alone, 50-65 children a
week are removed from their homes by the court because of abuse and
neglect. 3,000 children are in the court’s care in Pinellas County right
now. Of those, less than 2,000 have GALs to represent them in court.
Courts are generally in favor of reuniting the family, but without a
Guardian, children have no voice and no one to represent their best
interest. Some parents do go through training to become a better parent,
manage anger, deal with substance abuse issues and the like and will be
reunited with their children. Some parents will have to relinquish
parental rights, because the child’s health and safety continue to be at
risk if left in the home.
Mr. Zucker said to think of GALs as “guardian
angels.” Typically, they spend 4-6 hours a month working on behalf of a
child. They’ll meet with the child, the child’s foster family, social
worker, teacher and any other appropriate person to determine the
child’s level of emotional health and to ensure that an individualized
plan is developed to help the child deal with any issues interfering
with school or the foster home. GALs may help children get glasses or
other things the foster parents can’t provide. They are also expert
witnesses who can be called to testify. They may also expedite
adoptions, help teens aging out of foster care, 50% of whom will wind up
homeless, by connecting them with resources to help them finish school,
find a job, open a bank account and get an apartment.
Mr. Zucker explained that becoming a Guardian ad
Litem is rewarding and critical to the welfare of these children, but is
not a Big Brother/Big Sister experience. More time is spent with people
involved in the child’s current situation and at no time are GALS left
alone with a child or allowed to take a child somewhere in a car. The
nature of their circumstances requires careful supervision of both the
child and the adults in their lives. Zucker needs to recruit 165 more
Guardians this year and encourages Kiwanians to consider getting
involved. Nearly 60% of Guardians are working adults and the monthly
commitment needn’t be excessive. Excellent training is provided.
We appreciate the work that Mr. Zucker and the
Guardian ad Litems do and his informing us of the extent of the need for
GALs in Pinellas County. To learn more, go to www.guardianadlitem.org.
Guests and Visitors
52 members and 7 guests graced us with their
presence Tuesday. Dick Koch brought his grandson, Jeremy,
to our luncheon Tuesday and Tom Nelson’s daughter, Taylor Anne,
also joined us again. We think she likes the programs, but maybe it’s
the Orange Blossom desserts! Tom also introduced us to his guests,
Ryan Halsted, the local Key Club advisor, as well as Gayle
Bronsed and Tyler Payne, also from Key Club. Good work, Tom
and Dick! Keep bringing us interesting folks who are potentially new
members!
The Boys and Girls Committee Does It Again
Susan Doll presented a $1,000 check to
Tamika Coley, Assistant Housing Director for the YWCA. Ms. Tamika
was most appreciative and spoke movingly about the plight of “working
poor” families. She told us that our grant will go to arrange for
healthy food for infants and children who wind up in the Y’s emergency
housing and transitional care housing.
The Boys and Girls Committee Does It Again
Susan Doll presented a $1,000 check to
Tamika Coley, Assistant Housing Director for the YWCA. Ms. Tamika was
most appreciative and spoke movingly about the plight of ‘working poor’
families. She told us that our grant will go to arrange for healthy food
for infants and children who wind up in the Y’s emergency housing and
transitional care housing.
What’s Happening?
Omission Correction
In our reporting last week, we inadvertently left
out Dick Koch, who also received a Ruby K award for his success
in bringing in new members to our Club. We apologize for the omission.
Four Members Represent Our Club at District
Convention
Our Club’s “Men About Town” Mitch Cochran,
Markus Mittermayr, Biff Baker and Charles Stuart will
be attending the Florida District Convention in Marco Island this
weekend. We expect a great report when you return, fellas.
New Membership Brochure Available
When you bring a guest or talk to friends and
colleagues about Kiwanis, hand them a brochure with an application right
in it! See Charles Stuart or anyone on the Membership Committee
to get brochures to accompany your Kiwanis “elevator speech.”
We Want YOU
…to sign in when you attend our Tuesday luncheons.
Our tracking system is useless if only some members check in. If you
don’t see Trent Shadwick and the sign-in sheet at the lobby
table, please look for him in the dining room and let him know you’re
there.
TODAY’S QUIZ:
- From what poet did All Children’s Hospital get its name?
- What is the only inanimate symbol in the zodiac?
- What determines the color of egg shells?
- Why do we have fingerprints?
LAST WEEK’S QUIZ:
1.
The fastest growing homeless population is young adults aging
out of foster care.
2.
Dustin Hoffman’s character in The Graduate was named
Benjamin Braddock.
3.
The tallest building in the world is the
Taipei 101 in Taiwan at 1,671 feet tall.
4.
Only vampire bats can use their small-boned legs to sprint
across the ground if necessary to avoid being crushed by a dozing cow,
for instance. Evolution favored the bat’s wings and so bats of other
kinds have leg bones too weak to stand on.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
As I go from health
to illness, God,
I am fearful that I will not be able to withstand
the journey.
Help me to trust in you completely,
and be my support as I let go of all denial and
accept my
situation.
Help me muster the strength to move toward healing
and be restored to
health and to vigor. Amen.
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