12/18/07

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This Week: Christmas Program led by Reverend William Martin

William Martin has been pastor of Cornerstone Bible Church, a new congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg for nine months, having previously pastored locally for 20+ years with Northeast Presbyterian Church.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Reverend Martin grew up in Miami. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton with a B.A. in History and received his Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Reverend Martin is currently a doctoral student working toward the D. Min.at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. Reverend Martin says that after his years in the local pastoral ministry are completed, he intends to enter teaching, preferably at the college or seminary level. 

On Cornerstone’s website, Reverend Martin’s style of ministry is described as “personal and relaxed, as he brings to his pastoral ministry relevance, enthusiasm, and humor.” He has served several local organizations and coalitions in the wider community. Reverend Martin and his wife Sandy have three grown children. He is a sports enthusiast and has traveled extensively, especially to Israel and the Middle East. 

Welcome, Reverend. We will enjoy reflecting on the meaning of Christmas with you. 

Last Week’s Program:  Dr. Ann Steele, Stem Cell Research

Dr. Ann Steele is an internationally known Cardiac Stem Cell Scientist at All Children’s Hospital. She has published over 100 articles and has lectured widely around the world including China.  

Dr. Steele told us that the heart is a unique organ that demands a unique reparative solution, but that we know very little medically about healthy or unhealthy hearts. Dr. Steele saw a lot of children treated successfully for leukemia only to end up needing heart transplants as a result of the treatment. Although traditional wisdom had it that the heart had no stem cells, Dr. Steele set out to prove that claim wrong.  She knew that if she could find and make use of heart stem cells, she could offer her solution of self-repair as a better alternative to waiting for available, compatible organs. It would also mean that other heart problems, whether congenital, traumatic or as a result of plaque build up, could be reversed.  

Stem cell research typically takes place using donor mice. Dr. Steele was the first to keep an “explanted” human heart (from a transplant) alive, traumatize it and coax out the stem cells. She found them, but while they try to repair injured and dead heart cells, the delivery system for getting stem cells to the right location quickly enough is faulty in the human organism. She operated on a mouse heart, injured it and showed that she could harvest stem cells and deliver them to the injured areas so that they could repair the damage. In essence, she can grow stem cells in the casing which covers the heart, put them in cultures, feed them and keep them so each person can heal themselves. It only requires a snip of tissue from the heart and takes twelve weeks to procure sufficient cells. This procedure is unique to All Children’s and is already being tested on humans. Dr. Steele got her first call for help on Thanksgiving to perform this procedure on a child who is now growing his own stem cells. This can also be done with donor stem cells, but self repair is the first line of attack. 

No one knows how the stem cells know to which organ to go, but they do. She injected heart stem cells into a chick’s tail, and ignoring every other organ, they migrated to the heart to begin repairs.  

Dr. Steele said that they will be 18 months in clinical trials. The ramifications are that heart problems are better cured with muscle repairs than with vascularization, pacemakers, and the like and that this method should be able to solve every kind of heart problem. A friend of hers donated his own brain cells and has grown long, healthy stem cell lines which cure Parkinson’s disease in patients over 18 months. This leads scientists to believe that even brain damage may be reversed with the self-repair approach.

Guests and Visitors

Sixty-four members and five visitors joined us for lunch and the truly fascinating program. Guests included Doug Lampe’s parents, Russell and Audrey Lampe and Jaya Kusiransky from ACH.

What’s Happening? 

Ukranian Kiwanians To Visit St. Petersburgian Kiwanians

President Markus informed us that Lora Pavlenko, president of the first Kiwanis Club in the Ukraine, her husband and daughter are coming to St. Petersburg in February. If you can host them, please let Markus know. Their visit to our Club and update on what their Club has accomplished in just a few short months is not to be missed. 

Santa’s Pre-Christmas Run To Sally House

Cyndi Mulligan gave us the scoop on a last-minute community service project she and her fellow committee members planned and executed. Several committee members went to Sally House to bring an early Christmas to the children there. Ron O’Neal “helped” Santa and the Cunningham’s and Cyndi presented $250 worth of toys to the kids. 

Good work, you guys! We’re proud of the work you and your committee members do to increase the joy in our midst. 

Ring The Bell For Charity

J. C. Russell reminds us that last year we won our “friendly competition” last year with the Rotary Club to raise the most money for The Salvation Army. We’ll do the same this year with your help. Visit the Publix at North East Shopping Center tomorrow and drop a few bucks in the kettle.  Your fellow club members will be there to accept your contribution. 

InterClub This Week

Have you participated in an InterClub yet this Kiwanis year? This Thursday,say Harvey and Hunter, you can visit the Pinellas Park Club for lunch at noon at 5851 Park Blvd. and “earn your horns” in recognition of the InterClub exchange.  

Christmas Angels Gifts Due Today

The Foster Parents’ Association of South Pinellas will visit us today to pick up our gifts for the foster children we chose several weeks ago. If you did not bring your gift(s), please apologize to Ron Scoggins or Kathy Condon for ruining a child’s Christmas. Just kidding. 

Al Muter Scholarship Fund Grows By $500

Charles Stuart announced that Jane Block, one of his clients, gave her annual gift of $500 to the Al Muter Fund. Our thanks to you, Jane. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. 

And Our Club Grows By Three

Three new members were inducted last Tuesday. Karen Van De Putte of the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast was introduced by Biff Baker, Vicky Viebrooks of VR Mergers and Acquisitions was presented to us by Al Karnavicius and Blake Atchley of Cathy Shadwick State Farm Insurance was introduced by J. C. Russell. Welcome, newest members! We look forward to signing your aprons. Did Membership tell you about the initiation next week? First, you put the apron over your head and dance for each table – oh, we’ll explain it later when your official Kiwanis lederhosen come in. 

Bowling For Dollars

Paul Renker bowled a 280 at last Monday night’s Kiwanis league play! If that wasn’t an announcement, it should’ve been. Interested in bowling for Kiwanis? Talk to Paul, Jim Beach, Lou Averbeck or any of our fine bowlers about joining the fun. 

Kiwanian Of The Week

We’re including a new feature to help members new and old get to know each other better. A short biographical “portrait” and a picture of a fellow Kiwanian will appear in each issue. 

Name: Ron Braun 

Company and Title: McCormick, Braun & Seaman 

Joined  Kiwanis because?  Fellowship and Programs 

Your single favorite Kiwanis experience/event?  Boat ride  

Tell us about your family, including pets. Wife: Bonnie, professor at USF St. Pete, Son: Ryan (26) will get a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May of 2008 from UF, Daughter: Robyn (23) will get her masters in Sports Psychology in May of 2009 from Barry University in Miami, Cat: Ginger, Dog: Misty  

Perfect day away from work?  SCUBA diving on a wreck 

Best vacation ever?  Australia 

Last book you read or favorite movie?  Movie: Casablanca, Book: Gone, by Jonathan Kellerman

Sports or art walks?  Sports 

Beach or mountains? Beach 

One thing most people don’t know about you? I did my first keg stand last year. 

Quote to live by?  “Life is not a straight line!” 

If you were on Kiwanis Survivor, who would you vote off the island?  I would volunteer to go.  I would never vote one of my fellow Kiwanians off of the Island.

TODAY’S QUIZ:

1. Politicians, women’s groups, and seniors’organizations protested this Christmas song written in 1979 and popularized by Elmo and Patsy. What song was it?

2. Which have more chromosomes, humans, peas, or crayfish?

3. Who said “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”

4. The Apollo 11 plaque left on the Moon says what?

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ:

1. Most stem cell research to date has taken place on mouse cells.

2. Hanukkah was celebrated during the time of Jesus. As a Jew, Jesus would have celebrated Hanukkah. He would have observed the Hanukkah festival according to the laws and customs of his community. The festival would have been celebrated, at least, with the lighting of a Hanukkah lamp (menorah).

3. Another name for Advent is Winter Lent – true.

4. The Ohio River forms at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.

5. (bonus question)  McDonalds and Burger King coat their fries with sugar to make them turn golden brown.

PRAYER OF THE DAY  

A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson  

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.   Amen.

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