Alabama District North Civitan January 18, 2017 Volume 1, Issue 2 ECHO Governor s Corner The first quarter of our Civitan Centennial year is over, the holidays are behind us, and it is now time to turn our thoughts to recruitment. At this time, our district is down in membership from the end of the last Civitan year. Let s share the joy of service and the fun of Civitans by asking our friends, co-workers, neighbors, or anyone that we know to join our clubs. The more of us there are, the more we can do. As I write this, we are actively preparing for the district meeting in Guntersville on January 28th. We will be entertained by a Centennial skit, hear reports from our committee chairs, have a called convention to vote on our Policies and Procedures, the essay contest, and our new Governor Elect, and we will hold our blanket drive for the homeless and other people in need. The deadline for 100 things competition is March 16 th! We will draw the winner on Civitan s birthday on the 17 th. Thus far we have 27 projects from 11 clubs. Please send in a picture and a short explanation to the webmaster. I know that you all are doing many wonderful things in your community, so please let us know. Look at the pictures on the website. There have been some interesting projects submitted. http://alabamanorthdistrict.com/100-things We have a list of members that have requested the ECHO via USPS. This is another reminder that if anyone in your club is not receiving the ECHO, please let our webmaster know ( alnorthwebmaster@gmail.com ) so that we can get it to them via email or the USPS. Our next District meeting will be in April. It will be held in Huntsville at Mayfair Church of Christ located at 1095 Carl T. Jones Drive SE. Please make plans to attend. If I can help you or your club in any way, please do not hesitate to get in touch. donnahg@otelco.net Home Phone: 256-586-0389 4736 Mat Morrow Road Arab, AL 35016 Inside this issue Past Governor s Notes...2 Called District Convention...2 Boston Butts...3 Honor Club...3 Cherokee & Cullman Clubs...4 Vina & Holly Pond Clubs...5 Special points of interest Called Convention is soon Boston Butt Sales Continue Clubs Serve and Celebrate Yours in service, Donna Hill Grice
As Immediate Past President of Alabama District North, my primary responsibility is to serve as your Civitan International Foundation District Liaison. That is a big title but once you pull back the layers, it boils down to keeping the District updated on the various Civitan International fund raising projects. These include: Civitan-at-the-Helm, The President s Council, Legacy Society and the Fellows Programs. International Fund raising Projectors also include Candy and Coin Boxes and Fruitcakes. Michelle Smith is our District Revenue Chair and the Coin and Candy Boxes and Fruitcakes are under her committee. I would like to focus this message on the Civitan-at-the-Helm Program. Civitan-at-the-Helm is a recognition program to acknowledge club and district support of Civitan International and Its commitment to research. All Clubs and Districts are asked to support this great commitment by budgeting an annual gift designated to this: Our Flagship Project. Every dollar we provide for this grant is leveraged with other outside funding sources. Your continued support is critical to the organization s success. Notes from the Immediate Past Governor Banner Patches are presented to all clubs and districts that qualify. Annual Supporting levels are based on the October 1 st membership records and are as follows: Helmsman Navigator Captain Commodore Admiral Admiral of the Fleet $10 per member average $25 per member average $50 per member average $75 per member average $100 per member average $200 per member average Qualifying Contributions: Any donation explicitly directed to support this project The Annual Golf Benefit (held during the Civitan International Convention) Coin Box Proceeds Personal Gifts (may also be provided in the name of a special designee) I encourage all members and Clubs in the District to support this program. Contributions should be made by checks to Civitan International, P. O. Box 130744, Birmingham, AL 35213-0744. Big Dog AWARD Scrappy Puppy AWARD Lots of clubs are bringing groups to the District Meeting. Here s a reminder of the (unofficial) Big Dog and Scrappy Puppy Criteria we will use to determine the winner. The Big Dog Award is awarded to the club with the largest number of club members in attendance. The Scrappy Puppy Award is awarded to the club with the largest percentage of their club members in attendance. To qualify, 1. Members must be registered by 10:00 a.m. (start of meeting) 2. Only Club members count (no Juniors or visitors) 3. Must have registration fee paid if not a first-time attendee 4. Treasurer makes the determination on which club wins the award. 2 January 28, 2017 Guntersville Parks and Recreation Center Guntersville, AL Alabama District North Called Convention MEMBERSHIP MEETING (10:00 AM 11:50 AM) Welcome and Call to Order Donna Hill Grice, Governor Invocation James Fields, Chaplain Pledge of Allegiance James Swords, Guntersville Civitan Creed David Dodd, Boaz Civitan Song Led by John Dean and Decatur Civitans Welcome Hon. Leigh Dollar, Guntersville Mayor District Recognitions Paul Emerson, Governor Elect Organizers Recognitions Janice Moebes, Guntersville Ladies Secretary s Report Joann Walls, Secretary Treasurer s Report Barbara Burhans, Treasurer Growth and Retention Paul Emerson Vidalia Onions Michael Rea Revenue (Fruitcakes, Coin & Candy Boxes) Michelle Smith International Funds Walt Floyd District Fund Raiser Ed Higdon Essay Contest Beverly Blakely Junior Civitans Nancy Horton Presentation of Jr. Club Building Award Donna Grice Seating of Voting Delegates Certification Chair Randy Grice Call to Order of the Alabama District North Called Convention Governor Elect Nominations Policy and Procedures District support of Essay Contest Adjournment of the District Convention Big Dog/ Scrappy Puppy Awards Paul Emerson Door Prizes Bob Bright Announcements Centennial Skit Donna Hill Grice
??What is HONOR CLUB?? Boston Butts Sale The Alabama District North Civitan Board voted to hold a Boston Butt Sale, with clubs selling 10 lbs. butts for $35.00 each. The club would keep $5.00 per item for their club treasurer or expenses on picking up to butts in Somerville. The profit from the sales will go toward the restoration of the International headquarters and the Welcome party that will occur for Civitans attending The International Convention in Birmingham. We have picked Super Bowl week for the smoking and delivery. Each butt will be smoked to perfection by The Somerville Civitan Club members. They will do 150 per day, starting on Thursday and 150 on Friday. The clubs designated pick up person will come with coolers to keep the aluminum foil wrapped butts warm. The club will be responsible for the distribution in their area. With all the activities of Christmas and the New Year everyone has been way to busy the think in terms of selling Boston Butts. Sales have been slow but now is the time concentrate on either purchasing one for you and your family or selling to the public. To help the sales we have extended the closing date for sales to Jan. 18, 2017. Remember, collect the $35.00 with checks made out to the club, have your treasurer submit the check to the district for the total number, less the $5.00 sales fee. The butts will be smoked at Somerville and picked up there on either the 2nd or 3rd of February by the area director or designated person. Originally, we had set the 4th as pick up but that might not give time to distribute to the customers. Your club may be one that regularly achieves HONOR CLUB or you may not even know what the term HON- OR CLUB means. Civitan International has developed this program to recognize and reward club who are doing the things that make a club successful. The Honor Club Application is available on the Civitan International web page and can be downloaded. Many clubs use the application as a blueprint to plan their club s activities during the year. It lists four Categories of Club progress: 1. Club Recruitment and Retention 2. Service and Fund Raising Projects 3. Knowledge, Fellowship and Club Administration 4. Civitan International Charitable Support Activities There is still time to ensure that your club is on the track to success by using the Honor Club Application as a checklist. If you fill it out as you go along during the year, it can mean Honor Club award for your club and your club President will be recognized as an Honor President at our Annual Convention next Fall. You can make your club better!! Please check with your area club presidents for their sales so far. Let's make our district proud and help International in their efforts make our convention a success. Ed Higdon C # 256-565-5207 3
Cherokee Civitan Club Swings Cherokee County Civitan Club Provide Funds for Handicapped Swings in City Parks Written by John Hyatt, President The Cherokee County Civitan Club, working in conjunction with the Cedar Bluff Town Council recently installed handicapped swings in Cedar Bluff s downtown park. Civitans provided the funding to acquire the swings, while the Cedar Bluff staff installed the equipment and the handicap access ways. Because the swings in Cedar Bluff s park have been so actively utilized by our county s special needs children, Cherokee Civitans have committed to also provide funds for the same type swings to be installed in Centre s City Park. The Centre City Council will support the installation of that equipment, which will be done in 2017. The Cherokee County Civitan Club has several annual fund raising activities to general the funds which are almost exclusively dedicated to Cherokee County. Those activities include a Chili Supper, sale of Vidalia Onions, installation of U.S. flags on all major holidays and Christmas fruitcake sales. Cherokee County Civitans John Hyatt, President; Frankie Trammell, Secretary; Tom Joiner, Member; Jack Crane, Treasurer present swings to Cedar Bluff s downtown park. CULLMAN CIVITANS Cullman Civitan members shared 100 Thanksgiving cards at Woodland Village Health Care. The residents welcomed our visits and loved seeing our future Jr. Civitans. 4
Vina Civitans prepared fruit baskets for elderly Shut in patients and nursing home patients on Thanksgiving. Vina Christmas Parade Vina Civitans Christmas parade float the city Christmas Parade on December 6, 2016. The theme was "A Candy Cane Christmas". We won 1st place and a check for $100.00. Shown in the photo are some of our members. From left to right, Carole DeLong, Sanni Kirk, Danni Leigh Osbirn and our Area 4 Director, Bryan Moomaw, who is also a member of our club. Holly Pond Christmas Parade Holly Pond Civitans Julia Floyd, Sharon Oliver, Lyndall House, Tammy Baker, Patricia McGriff, Janice Murphree, Lynn Jetton and Walt Floyd celebrate 100 years of Civitan with Christmas float. 5