May 11, 2010
Today’s Program Al Muter Scholarship Program Today’s Speaker J.C. Russell
Today marks the twentieth annual presentation of the Al Muter Scholarship Award, the signature award of our club. J.C. Russell chairs the Youth Services/Vocational Guidance Committee that selects the winner. In 1989, member Al Muter and his wife Ruth created two trusts. One of the trusts was used to partially fund college scholarships for high school seniors in need of financial assistance. Our club has a committee which selects the recipients from applicants with an address within St. Petersburg. Annually one student receives a monetary grant for each of the four years of their undergraduate studies. Each year as one college senior finishes receiving the fourth guaranteed payment, a new college freshman is about to begin their Kiwanis-assisted education.
The winner of the 2010 scholarship is Rachel B. Rachel, enrolled in International Baccalaureate program at St. Petersburg High School, plans to attend Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rachel will receive checks of $3,000.00 per year for four years as long as she maintains good academic standards.
This year’s runners up are:
- Riasat A., St. Petersburg High School, attending the University of Florida, Gainesville
- Jasmine C., Shorecrest Preparatory School, attending Rollins College, Winter Park
- Amber H., Keswick Christian School, attending the University of South Florida
- Mark P., Boca Ciega High School, attending the University of South Florida
Riasat, Jasmine, Amber, and Mark are receiving checks for $1,000.00.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!
What’s Happening
More Scholarship Letters
We received the following letter from Damir R. who is a Seventh Grader at Tyrone Middle.
Dear Mr. Byelick,
My name is Damir and I am a 7th grader at Tyrone Middle School. I have 6 people in my family. My mom is proud of me. My dad and all my family would like to thank you for letting me have this opportunity of being a Doorways Scholar.
I want to finish dream. My dream is to be a lawyer. I also like to play a lot of sports. Like soccer, football, basketball and I know a lot of tricks in all those sports. Like in soccer I can dribble the ball a lot of time, maybe about 50 times and in basketball I can spin the ball on my finger and hit it with my other hand so I can make it go faster, and in football I can trick a lot of people with my spinning move.
Your generosity is helping make my dreams come true.
Sincerely,
Damir R.
Letter from Boys and Girls Club
Dear Kiwanians,
On behalf of the children at Boys & Girls Clubs of Suncoast thank you for your generous donation of $1,000.00 for Summer Camp scholarships. These scholarships will provide youth with a safe place to spend their summer days while their parents remain gainfully employed. During their camp experience every child receiving a scholarship will participate in Boys & Girls Clubs’ research-based curriculum Triple Play which includes a Double Dutch component. This is an active program to build strong bodies, minds, and souls.
As you know Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast traditionally serves youth who come from disadvantaged situations. It is community members like you that give boys and girls opportunities to see what is beyond their own neighborhoods and allows our members to dream and set healthy goals for themselves. Through your generous donation, our members will have the privilege to participate in experiences they otherwise would be unable to afford.
Thank you again for supporting our youth in their pursuit of growing into responsible citizens and making Boys & Girls Clubs “The Positive Place for Kids”.
Sincerely,
Tammy Hillier
Director of Grants
Saturday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Country Club is the annual Fischer/Carr Scholarship Banquet.
Last Week at Kiwanis
Kiwanian of the Day, Paul Misiewicz, introduced Mr. James MacDougald, President of Free Enterprise Nation (FEN), a pro-business advocacy organization headquartered in Tampa. Mr. MacDougald is the former CEO of the Ceridian Corporation located in St. Petersburg. To quote Mr. MacDougald, “Never before has free enterprise in America been more threatened. The combination of unbridled and unsustainable levels of government spending, increased taxation and regulation, and governmental interference into fundamental individual rights, has created a ‘perfect storm’ that threatens every worker and every business in the private sector.”
According to Mr. MacDougald the top five threats to American business are:
1. Hidden Cost of Government
The massive cost of government entitlement programs and the cost of their own employee compensation and benefits are hidden from taxpayers. Currently, individual citizens must rely on investigative reporters and/or the Freedom of Information Act to discover the level of pay and benefits they provide to public sector employees, and what the true costs and liabilities of these entitlements, pay, and benefits are.
2. Social Security Crisis
In the next 15 years, an estimated 77 million baby boomers will become eligible for Social Security. Unless immediate changes are made, Social Security will become essentially bankrupt, while most public sector workers retire with a government guaranteed pension plan.
3. Government-Coerced Unionization
In 2009, President Barack Obama issued Executive Orders that can require unionization of service or construction contractors in order to receive government contracts. The federal government has also enabled the forced “unionization” of independent contractors under artificially contrived “employer/employee” arrangements.
4. Pending Health Care “Reform” Legislation
The costs of the current health care reform would place an unprecedented financial burden on individual taxpayers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. If enacted, the current legislation would add another level of unsustainable debt while programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are nearly bankrupt.
5. Unrestrained Spending, Debt and Taxes
Unrestrained and unsustainable levels of government spending have created historic levels of government debt. To cope with the new levels of debt, governments are raising existing taxes and seeking revenue from new taxes, including proposed “Cap and Trade” tax policies.
FEN is lobbying the government for full disclosure, to control spending and reduce taxes, allow non-union companies to compete for government projects, insurance reforms to not penalize business, and to guarantee the private sector social security.
Mr. MacDougald, thanks for spreading the word within the private sector to enable us to face these issues better educated.
Attendance Last Week
We had 57 members and 4 guests.
Jake Holehouse, guest and son of Ron Holehouse
Anita Holehouse, guest and mother of Ron Holehouse
Dan Calabria, guest of James MacDougald, speaker
This Week’s Quiz
- In what country did the peanut originate?
- The Rays minor league teams are located in what cities?
- What is the capital of Australia?
- What are the Maritime provinces of Canada
- Who were the lead actors in the Lethal Weapons movies?
Last Week’s Quiz
- What is the first four letter word in the Star Spangled Banner.
- Forty is the only number in the English language that is spelled in alphabetical order.
- The first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- Kevin Carr is a graduate of UNC – Wilmington. The school’s nickname is the Seahawks.
- The official language of Trinidad and Tobago is English.
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