our2019-2020 c ivitan year...
TRANSCRIPT
The Quarterly Newsletter of the heartland civitandistrict
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Our2019-2020 Civitan YearHasBegunBy Patti Manus – Heartland District Governor, 2019-2020
This is Governor Patti sending greetings to every Civitan across the Heartland District. Our 2019-2020
Civitan year has begun and Area Directors are already planning area meetings. The first is tentatively
scheduled for Area V and VI of Texas on January 11, 2020. All Area Meetings should be held between
January and April.
As governor, I have begun to reach out to every Civitan Club in the district on an individual basis
and will continue until every club has had the opportunity to share their triumphs and concerns. It is
truly exciting to learn about the impressive projects and creative ways Civitan Clubs work within their
communities. Our local clubs are the backbone of Civitan International, as well as the avenue for build-
ing new clubs in the future.
Civitan Clubs across the Heartland District are encouraged to
include a generous donation to the Civitan International Research
Center in their annual club budgets each year, in addition to any special fundraisers for CIRC.
Jack Truesdell, our 2020 Convention Chair, is busy completing arrangements for the
Heartland District Convention to be held August 14-16, 2020, at the Wyndham Riverfront
Hotel and Conference Center in Little Rock/North Little Rock. The complex includes two
award-winning restaurants, is close to the Historic Argenta and River Market Entertain-
ment Districts, and next door to the Dickey-Stephens (baseball) Park.
Governor-Elect Harold Connell is hard at work with responsibilities involved with his
new position and doing double-duty by continuing to be District Treasurer. Your Imme-
diate Past Governor Grace is also busy making connections with Civitans who might be
willing to move into leadership roles within the district. You will continue seeing her
often in this final year of her three-year obligation to the Heartland District.
And you will be seeing me — as I travel the five states and seven areas of our great district this
year, getting to know Heartland Civitans, their plans, their hopes, and their dreams for their clubs.
I N T H I S I S S U E
2019-2020 Year Begins 1
Leadership Team 2
Immediate Past 3Governor’s Message
Governor-Elect’s Message 3
District Convention 3Expense Report
Candy/Con Box Report 4
Civitan Social Media 4
Tech Tip: Using Facebook 4
Leadership Academy 5
Little Rock News 6
West Little Rock Fundraising 6
Happy Trails 7
Lawrence Action Wild 7Burros & Horse Auction
Rose City Playground 8
Yes We Can Legacy 8Ceremony
Wichita Club News 9
Coastal Bend Miracle Baby 9
Hope & Topeka Club 10Car Shows
Heartland District 11Convention Big Moments
Wyndham Riverfront Hotel andConference Center in Little Rock/NorthLittle Rock, site of the Heartland District Convention in 2020
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GOVERNOR
Patti [email protected] 870-703-4355Hope, AR
GOVERNOR ELECT
Harold [email protected] 316-204-6202Wichita, KS
IMMEDIATE PAST GOVERNOR
Grace [email protected], OK
FOUNDATION & PHILANTHROPY
Patty [email protected] 785-272-8066Topeka, KS
SECRETARY
Toni [email protected] 918-214-5805Bartlesville, OK
TREASURER
Harold [email protected] 316-204-6202Wichita,KS
JUDGE ADVOCATE
Bill [email protected] 785-817-7494Topeka, KS
AREA 1 DIRECTOR
Terra [email protected] Peacekeepers, Orchids/KCXMen & Lawrence Action
AREA 2 DIRECTOR
Toni [email protected], OK
AREA 3 DIRECTOR
Jilayna [email protected], AR
AREA 4 DIRECTOR
Elaina [email protected] Little Rock, AR
AREA 5 & 6 DIRECTOR
Albert [email protected] Christi, TX
AREA 7 DIRECTOR
Richard [email protected] 580-747-7840Enid, OK
CONVENTION COORDINATOR
Jack [email protected] Rock, AR
JUNIOR CIVITAN CHAIR
Carolyn [email protected] 785-224-6969Topeka, KS
CAMPUS CLUBS
Diane [email protected] 918-740-6039TCC Campus, OK
SERGEANT AT ARMS
Jack [email protected] 501-772-5298Little Rock, AR
PAST GOVERNOR/TRAINING
Debbie Bruce-Juhlke [email protected] of the Rock, TX
GROWTH AND RETENTION
Dale [email protected] 918-381-1945Starlight/Broken Arrow, OK
FINANCIAL CHAIR REVIEW
Marc [email protected] Hutchinson, KS
AWARDS CHAIR
Karla [email protected] 501-772-5298Little Rock, AR
VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION
Mary [email protected] Little Rock, AR
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Twyla [email protected] 870-777-7587Hope, AR
WEBSITE & DESIGN
David [email protected] 214-357-1272Dallas, TX
CLUB BUILDING
Petrice [email protected] 918-806-2582Muskogee, OK/Ft Smith, AR
COIN & CANDY BOX
Eva [email protected] 870-826-6056Hope, AR
The Heartland ExpressGet on board the Heartland Express, thequarterly newsletter of the Heartland District Civitans. It's your source for newsof all activities and plans across the fivestates of the Heartland District. Send your photos and news items for publication inthe newsletter to our editor, Twyla Prudenat [email protected].
20 19 - 2020 HEART LAND D I S T R I C T L EADER SH I P T EAM
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I want to thank everyone for a great 2018-2019 year as your Heart-
land District Governor. Great things were accomplished in your local
clubs and in your communities. We had a great District Convention
with great speakers and a record number in attendance. Thank you
to all who helped put this together with Dale deReign as Convention
Coordinator; it was a great weekend.
A big thank you goes to all who served on the leadership team this last
year. Each and everyone did a great job in serving the Heartland District.
As Civitans, we are all Champions of Service. It will be my job, as Immediate
Past Governor, to find people to step into leadership. If you have the desire
to step out of the box and move forward, please let me know.
Congratulations to Patti Manus as Governor and Harold Connell as Gov-
ernor Elect as we move forward to more great things in Civitan.
Grace Farmer, Immediate Past Governor, 2019-2020
Summary of Heartland District ConventionIncome/ExpensesFinalized 9/30/2019
By Heartland Treasurer and President-Elect Harold Connell
Income*Registration Fees Received $ 9,025.00
**Grant coming from Chamber of Commerce 500.00
$ 9,525.00
*48 registration fees were at the discounted $45 rate. If the discount had notbeen given, an additional $2,160 would have been received.
** Grant has been approved and will be distributed in October.
ExpensesInternational Officers’ Lodging $ 779.03
Sound/Meeting Room Fees 1,881.83
Saturday evening meal and drinks all day 6,805.41
Programs, name badges, printing, and gifts 542.89
Citizenship Lunch (including awards) 4,527.94
Hospitality Room 419.36
Friday evening Trolley 396.00
$15,352.46
Net Cost to District ($5,827.46)
Note:
In addition $250.00 was raised from insurance policies against “fines”
sold by Sergeant at Arms Steve Cowan and $357.50 was our share of
the Campus Civitan 50/50 fundraiser, making a total of $607.50 which
was donated to our Civitan International Research Center.
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I MMED I AT E PA ST GOVERNOR ’ S M E S SAGE
As we begin a new Civitan Year, I am pleased to become a member
of the leadership team for our Heartland District. I look forward to
working with Governor Patti Manus and Immediate Past Governor
Grace Farmer.
It is the responsibility of each member of the district to
make a positive outcome of everything we do. By working
together, great things may be accomplished. Make your plans now to partic-
ipate in every opportunity offered -- such as attending your Area Meeting,
the Civitan International Convention to be held in Milwaukee July 26-29, and
our Heartland District Convention to be held in Little Rock August 14-16.
Financially, our district is strong. We began the year with $15,801.90 in
the bank, and ended with $18,014.58 as of 9/30/2019.
Harold Connell, Treasurer and Governor Elect, 2019-2020
NOTE S F ROM GOVERNOR - E L EC T AND T R EA SURER HAROLD CONNE L L
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The Heartland Dis-
trict ended the fiscal year with total
candy box collections remitted in
the amount of $5,699.25, down from
the previous year of $6,102.83. Con-
gratulations to the following clubs
who recorded an income over the
previous year: El Dorado, Hot
Springs, Hutchinson, and Wichita.
Overall, a total of nine clubs partic-
ipated in the program.
In the coin box category, with 17
clubs participating, a total of
$6,838.45 was remitted for the fiscal
year, down from the $7,559.81 remit-
ted in the previous year. Congratu-
lations to the following clubs who
had an increase in their collections:
Jonesboro, Metro Tulsa, Siloam
Springs, Topeka and Wichita.
Civitan launches new social media campaignCivitan International has launched a brand new socialmedia campaign for leaders in the organization, accord-ing to Membership Specialist Meredith Binkley. In thepast, a newsletter would go out each month from your
Membership Specialist, but now a transition to monthly newsletters from interna-tional is taking place. The newsletters are designed specifically for each individual’soffice. For example, if you’re serving as an Area Director, your newsletter will be tai-lored to fit what you need to know that month. If you’re a President or President-elect, the same concept applies. Civitan also has Facebook groups that are set asidefor discussing ideas with other members who serve in the same position throughoutthe organization. Links to each of these are in the newsletter, which is linked below.
The first newsletter of the year is for all members, so please share this withyour club. In order to receive updates, everyone will need to make sure to havethe correct contact information on file with Headquarters, so please be sure tosend Meredith any updates. If you didn’t receive the first newsletter, you canview it at this link: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/October-All-Mem-ber-Update.html?soid=1102142668469&aid=D4S612T1fdo.
Join Civitan International Facebook groups and encourage your members to jointhe Civitan All Members group as well. “We’re looking forward to building up our on-line community and sharing the incredible things your clubs are doing,” said Meredith.
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2018-2019 Candy & Coin Box Report
By Harold Connell, 2018-2019 Candy/Coin Box Chair
M A R Y ’S T E C H T I P S
UsingFacebookA “tech tip” from Mary Henthorn, HeartlandDistrict PR/Virtual Communications
Recently I was asked how a Heartland District Civi-
tan Club can use Facebook to help get the word out to the
public about their organization. Here are a few suggestions:
n Post on Facebook frequently: every public meeting, every event,
every service project, every award or recognition related to Civitan.
n Use Civitan related hashtags like #ChampionsOfService, #Civitan.
n Share from others: @Civitan.International, @HeartlandCivitan, and
the organizations you serve, i.e. @SpecialOlympicsArkansas.
n “Like” and “Follow” Civitan pages.
n Invite club members, other friends, guest speakers, others in service to
“Like” and “Follow” your page.
n Engage with Civitan posts.
n Consider boosting public events.
n Consider fundraising.
Always be respectful of others in your posts. Only use your Civitan
page for Civitan news. Save postings of funny pet videos and items for sale
for your personal social media sites.
Contact me with ideas, questions or concerns any time. Mary Henthorn, Heartland District PR/Virtual Communications, [email protected], 501 680-2397.
Mary is a member of the West Little Rock, Arkansas, Civitan Club
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– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – A P P L I C A T I O N F O R M – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I wish to enroll in the Heartland District Civitan Leadership Academy (HDCLA) and pledge to make a diligent effort to complete the program curriculum.
Candidate Name _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City _________________________________________________________________________________ State ______________________________________________ Zip ______________________________________________
Phone Number(s) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Email _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please answer the following questions in the space provided (use additional page if needed).
1. Why are you applying to take the HD CLA program? 2. What leadership qualities do you feel you possess at this time?
3. Where do you see yourself in Civitan in 2 years ? 5 years ? 4. What is (are) your goal(s) for applying for the Academy program?
f a l l 2 0 1 9HEA
RTLAN
D CIVITAN
A
C A D E MYLeadership
A Pathway to Civitan Leadership
Opportunities
What if Civitan had no leaders?Let’s talk about leaders and the importance they play in getting things accomplished. Leaders get things done
whether it be at work, school, or as members of Civitan. They play critical roles in keeping and delivering the prom-ise made to a new Civitan when he or she joins a club. That promise is to offer a variety of ways to serve his or hercommunity through activities that provide service, knowledge, and fellowship as well as opportunities that developand challenge his or her leadership skills.
Civitan clubs and even our District continue to have difficulty in identifying, electing, and training members tostep up to serve in leadership positions throughout the organization. There are a number of symptoms that indicatethat we have issues — individuals who repeat in their positions, officers who flip-flop back and forth each year, un-opposed elections, and decreasing membership.
Membership and leadership are vitally important to the future of our Civitan organization. Membership andleadership skills work hand-in-hand to ensure an exceptional experience for each Civitan. If the Civitan’s expecta-tions and/or desires are not met, then that member will leave to find those things in a competing organization.
The Heartland District Civitan Leadership Academy can help! The Academy is a free, facilitated, self-directedprogram with five courses of six modules that establish a foundation of knowledge required of a successful leader.An Academy participant will complete coursework on Civitan-related subjects as well as Leadership topics such as
Communication, Meeting Management, Budget and Finance, Ethics, Public Speaking, Goal Setting, and so many more. Enrollment is open for a limited time; to enroll, just complete the Academy application included in this newsletter and email it to hdcivitanleadershipacad-
[email protected]. You will receive an acknowledgement from Academy staff and further instruction on how you can get started right away. And it is free —what do you have to lose? You will be a better leader, we promise!!! – Frank Kelley, Director
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West Little Rock FundraisingThe West Little Rock Civitan Club
enjoyed loads of fun with this year’s
FUNdraising! The annual spaghetti
dinner and silent auction was held on
October 5th and brought in close to
$2,500 to support projects for the
Arkansas School for the Deaf. Go Deaf
Leopards!
On October 11th and 12th Civitans
lent a hand – and the club’s own Oz
Richie provided sound equipment – to
the Arkansas Sensory Organization’s
festival supporting
a sensory garden
for children with
autism at the Civi-
tan Services’ Ben-
ton location.
Then a great time was had by all on October 17 at the
Charity Olive Hour benefiting Special Olympics Arkansas.
West Little Rock is proud of the work done by Civitans, es-
pecially Special Olympics
swimming coach Casey Brown, and Special
Olympics Arkansas Board members John and
Karla Fournier, who helped plan the event.
New Champions of ServiceVideo Available on VimeoGo to: https://tinyurl.com/ChampionsService
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Lawrence Action Club Kicks in Concessions for Wild Horse and Burro Auction
The Lawrence ACTION Civi-
tan Club, of Lawrence, Kansas
recently had the opportunity
to work a very unique event.
The Bureau of Land Management
held a wild horse and burro
auction at the Douglas County
Fairgrounds in Lawrence.
Lawrence ACTION club mem-
bers provided the concessions
for this event. Members who
worked are Jennifer Schmit-
tendorf, Rebekah Holbert,
Karla Hesse and Marcia Dechand. “It was so neat to see the wild horses and
burros up close,” said Dechand, Region 7 representative on the Civitan In-
ternational Board of Directors. “It's amazing the opportunities that are pre-
sented to you through Civitan!” she said.
A Message from the DaleRogers Training Center
Fellow Civitan Leaders – thefolks at Dale Rogers TrainingCenter would love to help makeyour tee shirts, hoodies, totebags, and other logoitems. Please goto DRTC.org to see what weoffer.
Each year, the folks at DRTCdesign a custom holiday cardthat we will imprint with yourlogo and even include your of-fice staff signatures, if you sodesire.
Please remember that eachorder provides jobs for individ-uals with disabilities in Okla-homa. Thank you for yourconsideration and continuedsupport of the folks at DRTC.
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Members of the Happy Trails Civitan Club of Oklahoma City recently participated in the 2019Down Syndrome Association of Cen-tral Oklahoma (DSACO) festival.They participated in an AwarenessWalk and raised $1,285 through do-nations and by selling raffle tickets.Pictured in the group photo are (fromleft) LaToya Frederick, Treasurer San-dra Ketner, Chaplain Bubba Green-howard, Secretary Kathy Hair,Director Michael Jones, Johnny
Vannest, and Past President Kristin Bowles; seated is Director Debbie Ladd.Michael Jones is carrying the Happy Trails Civitan Club banner and walkingwith Johnny Vannest in the Awareness Walk.
Happy Trails Civitans Raise $1,285 for Down Syndrome Association
Little Rock Civitan NewsThe Little Rock Civitan Club
sponsored the annual
Pulaski County Sheriff’s
Awards Luncheon on
August 22. Sheriff Eric
Higgins presented awards
to over 20 recipients in a number of
law enforcement categories.
Monetary awards to recipients,
provided by a local bank, accompa-
nied the Sheriff’s Awards; and local
TV personality Donna Terrell of Fox
16 news emceed the program.
Seventeen Civitans and over 50
guests were in attendance
For the fifth year, the Little Rock
Civitan Club will be making Christ-
mas wishes come true for children in
the care of Methodist Family Health.
MFH started in 1899 as an orphanage
and today helps children and families
struggling with psychiatric, behav-
ioral, emotional and spiritual issues.
The 2019 Christmas drive for the
club was kicked off in a big way with
a $750 donation from Little Rock Civ-
itan Ed Harpole, who challenged
other members to contribute an-
other $750 for a total of $1,500. The
funds collected will be used to fulfill
the wish lists of up to 15 children
who depend on the love and generos-
ity of groups like Civitan to make
their Christmas wishes come true.
Pulaski County
sheriff’s
awards
Children’sPlayground HonorsRose City’s OldestCivitan
The Rose City Civitan Club of Tyler,
Texas, constructed a playground for
the Redland Community, a small com-
munity outside of Tyler, this past sum-
mer. Before the construction, children
of that area did not have a place to
play, according to Lexie Johnson, sec-
retary of the Rose City club.
The members of the Rose City Civ-
itan Club decided to honor their oldest
member, Mr. Jessie Caldwell, Jr., by
naming the playground for him. Mr.
Caldwell, who is 95 years of age, has
been a Civitan for over 42 years and is
a founding member of the Rose City
club. The Jessie Caldwell, Jr., Chil-
dren’s Playground was dedicated dur-
ing a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June.
The Yes We Can Civitan Club
of Enid, Oklahoma, is an annual
sponsor of the Legacy Award Cer-
emony, commemorating Veterans
Day, in Enid. This year’s event
was November 11, according to
Civitan Elaine W. Johns, a mem-
ber of the Yes We Can Club and
also Executive Director of the
Woodring Wall of Honor and
Veterans Park, Inc., in Enid.
The ceremony included a USO
Tribute tour, she said. “Last year we
had the Oklahoma Baptist Singing
Churchwomen, Churchmen and
Symphony as entertainment. This
year we had impersonators portray-
ing Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe,
Raquel Welch, Elvis, the Andrews
Sisters and a 40’s era mixed quartet.
The multigenerational event also in-
cluded elementary and high school
choirs and orchestra,” she continued.
Johns coordinates and organizes
the event with assistance from club
members and the community. “The
group has helped to organize annual
Memorial Day ceremonies to honor
the fallen since the inception of the
club, and has honored more than 195
families who have lost their sons or
daughters to war or to stateside
deaths,” she continued.
The USO Tribute Tour also hon-
ored several area veterans, one from
each branch of service, according to
Johns. “These veterans served in
World War II — in the European and
Pacific Theaters — and in Korea and
Vietnam,” she said. “Their names re-
mained anonymous until the event
at the families’ request to surprise the
nominees.” During the concert and
award ceremony, an Ambassador
from the Country of France was in
attendance to present the prestigious
Order of the French Legion of Honor
to WWII veterans, according to
Johns.
“This year, we placed 3000 flags
in the chairs of the event center in
preparation for the upcoming con-
cert. We expected to have more
than 2000 people in attendance,”
said Johns. The USO Tribute Tour
was a free event, she said. “We also
asked that attendees bring an un-
wrapped toy or non-perishable food
to benefit a wounded warrior dur-
ing the Christmas season.” Toys will
benefit both the Wounded Veterans
of Oklahoma Christmas Mission and
Toys for Tots, she said.
“As Civitans, we adhere to
our creed; it is what motivates us
to service,” said Johns. “So as our
hands do the work of the world
for others, I was asked to serve as
the volunteer executive director
of the park. And the park itself
would not have ever been estab-
lished were it not for the volun-
teerism that our creed teaches us.”
For more information, call the
Education Center at 582-233-4530 or go
to www.woodringwallofhonor.com or
www.facebook/woodringwall.
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Yes We Can Civitans Sponsor Legacy Award Ceremony and “USO” Show for Veterans Day
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The Civitan Club of Wichita ended
its 98th year of existence with an in-
crease in membership, thereby meet-
ing all the requirements to qualify as
an Honor Club, according to Harold
Connell, club president-elect and
treasurer. The Wichita Civi-
tans held their 98th Annual
Awards and Installation
Banquet at the offices of
The Arc of Sedgwick
County on Monday, Sep-
tember 23rd, with the fol-
lowing awards presented:
Citizen of the Year—Deborah Gdi-
sis; Civitans of the Year—Larry and
Maryann White; and Candy Box Ap-
preciation Award—Mr. and Mrs. Ray
Chan of Ming’s Chinese Restaurant.
The following officers for the 2019-
20 Civitan Year were installed by Mar-
cia Dechand of Topeka, Kansas, Region
7 International Director of Civitan In-
ternational:
Gavin Busey, PresidentHarold Connell, President-Elect andTreasurerLarry White, SecretaryVirginia Soyez, DirectorStan Webb, DirectorColin Busey, Immediate Past President
“Gavin Busey will be succeeding his
brother, Colin Busey, as our 2019-20
club president,” said Connell. “The
Busey brothers’ father and grandfather
were both members and past presi-
dents of our club.”
The Civitan Club of Wichita re-
cently made its last delivery of food
commodities to a couple of low
income housing projects. For
the past several years, the
club had worked with the
local Salvation Army,
who provided the com-
modities, to provide the
transportation of the items
to the end users. The program
has changed and deliveries will no
longer be made, according to Con-
nell.
He said the Wichita Club continues
to make its Civitan Community House
available as a venue for other groups to
use for meetings and parties, such as the
Porter Street Artists who used it recently
for their semi-annual art show and sale.
Some members of the club also vol-
unteered at the Down Syndrome Soci-
ety of Wichita’s Parade of Stars on
October 12.
“We posted U.S. Flags to those par-
ticipating in our Flag Program on Labor
Day and will also do so on Veterans
Day,” said Connell. “We post the flags
on five national holidays for a nominal
fee of $25 per year.”
Civitan Wichita– 98 Years and Going Strong! Coastal Bend Club’s Miracle ToddlerCoastal Bend Civitan Club in Kingsville, Texas, is an active club doing many
things in the community, according to Sam Gonzalez, Jr., president-elect of
the club. “However we would like to share the miracle story of Coastal Bend
Civitan Club member Melissa Saenz and her now 3-year- old daughter Eyla
Saenz,” he said.
Melissa was 16 weeks pregnant with Eyla when
her water broke. She was rushed to an emergency
room, where she was told that her unborn daughter
would most likely not survive. But survive she did.
Eyla was born by c-section at 26 weeks gestation
and faced many challenges. She spent one night in
the hospital where she was born and was then ad-
mitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of
Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas,
with bilateral brain bleeds, two holes in her heart,
and premature lungs leading to chronic lung disease.
She required multiple blood transfusions, breathing
assistance, and was fed with a feeding tube.
Melissa and her husband Rick could not hold
Eyla for the first month because her skin was
thin and sensitive. She spent 81 days in the NICU. When she was released,
one of the holes in her heart had closed, the other was smaller, and her brain
bleed had gone from a level 3 to a level 1. After much consultation and work
with doctors, therapists and dieticians, she advanced from being fed by tube
into her intestines, then by tube into her stomach, and now is able to eat by
mouth. She has learned to walk, plays with her two sisters, and captures
everyone’s heart.
“Eyla has faced many major medical challenges in her young life, yet she
just keeps smiling,” said Gonzalez. “We recently celebrated her third birthday
at our Civitan Club meeting in October.” Eyla’s full name is Eyla Valyn Saenz.
Eyla means “life” and Valyn means “strong,” and she is described as “full of cu-
riosity and sparkle.” What a Civitan Club meeting that must have been!
To learn more about Eyla, go to bit.ly/3news-elya or bit.ly/driscoll-life-
winter-2019
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The Hope CivitanClub and the CivitanClub of Topeka bothused the allure ofclassic cars – show-cased through theever-popular “carshow” – to raise fundsfor their clubs andcauses. The Hopeevent was in con-junction with theannual Hope Wa-termelon Festival onAugust 10th; and the
Topeka car show was September 21st at Shawnee Heights High School in Topeka.Hope Civitans registered entrants, gave out dash plaques to the first 50 cars,
manned a concession stand, sold 50/50 tickets for a cash prize,
and awarded door-prizes throughout the day.
Trophies, provided by sponsors,
were given in 17 categories.
Funds from the event go to-
ward many community efforts
by Hope Civitans.
At the Topeka club’s car
show, Shawnee Heights High
School Junior Civitans provided
concessions for the day; it was a
great collaboration between the
Senior club and the Juniors. Topeka
Civitans also had two tables full of
silent auction items such as car
washes, oil changes, electronics, buckets of cleaning products, etc. Proceeds from
the Topeka Civitan car show go to the SHHS Junior Civitans and to SLI, Inc. - a
non-profit in Topeka that provides residential services for persons with intel-
lectual/developmental disabilities.
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Big Moments at Broken Arrow•••••••••• HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2019 CIVITAN HEARTLAND CONVENTION • BROKEN ARROW, OK ••••••••••
Say Cheese!Sharing a lighter moment at the Districtconvention are Immediate Past GovernorGrace Farmer and Civitan InternationalMembership Specialist Meredith Binkley.Meredith addressed the attendeesduring the Saturday morning session andalso presented a break-out session onmembership.
No Potent Potables?Contestants in Civitan Jeopardy (from left) Eva Moreheadof Hope, Arkansas; Linda deReign of Broken Arrow,Oklahoma; and Toni Harjo of Bartlesville, Oklahoma,displayed their knowledge of our organization during theDistrict Convention in Broken Arrow, while CivitanInternational President Bob Jones observes. The threecontestants were selected through a drawing of namesand each had a team of Civitan attendees to help withanswers. Toni Harjo and her team were the winners of thecontest, which was put together by Jack Fournier withhelp from Mary Henthorn and Karla Fournier.
I’d Adore a Door Prize
Convention Coordinator Dale deReignpulls a name from a jar held by Sergeantat Arms Steve Cowan for one of many doorprizes provided by Civitan Clubsthroughout the Heartland District.Congratulations to Dale for his hard workand success in the planning of theHeartland District Convention at StoneyCreek Hotel and Convention Center inBroken Arrow, Oklahoma. And thanks toSteve for providing comic reliefthroughout the weekend as he distributed"fines" for alleged infractions and for themessage at the Sunday morning worshipservice.
Pin PalsHeartland District Governor PattiManus of Hope, Arkansas, receivesher Governor's pin from FredMatthies, the 2018-19 seniordirector on the CivitanInternational Board of Directors,during her installation at theHeartland District Convention onAugust 24. Mr. Matthies is fromFranktown, Colorado, and is amember of the Rocky MountainCivitan Club in the GreatSouthwest District. He served as aCivitan Director from Region 7 inyears 2017-19. He also served theHeartland District as master ofceremonies during the convention.
Passing the gavelHeartland District Immediate Past Governor GraceFarmer of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, symbolically passes thegavel to new Governor Patti Manus of Hope, Arkansas, atthe close of ceremonies Saturday night of the Districtconvention in Broken Arrow.
Big Momentsat Broken Arrow
(continued)
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For she’s a jolly good fellowInternational President-Elect FrankKelley congratulates outgoingGovernor Grace Farmer on hersuccessful year at the helm of theHeartland District beforepresenting her with a CivitanInternational Research Fellow. Theplaque presented reads "ThisCivitan Research Center Fellow isHereby Presented to Grace Farmerin Recognition of ExtraordinaryLeadership and Community ServiceThrough Civitan International."
Honor Key recipients
Honor Keys were presented to TerraMorehead (left) and Immediate PastGovernor Grace Farmer at the districtconvention. Terra received a DistrictHonor Key, presented by Governor-ElectHarold Connell, for her service to theDistrict as Area 1 Director and service toher four clubs – Peace Keepers, Orchids,KC X-men and Lawrence Action. Gracereceived the Governor's District Honor Key,presented by International President-ElectFrank Kelley, for her service as 2018-19Governor of the Heartland District.
Some Installation RequiredImmediate Past International President BobJones installed Heartland District GovernorPatti Manus and Governor-Elect HaroldConnell, as well as all District officers, Saturdayevening of the District Convention, heldAugust 23-25 at the Stoney Creek Hotel andConvention Center in Broken Arrow,Oklahoma. He also addressed the gathering ofCivitans during the morning session Saturday,giving an update on Civitan Internationalprogress and changes, including the potentialsale of Civitan International Headquarters.
Heartland DistrictCitizen of the YearAward Recipients of the HeartlandDistrict Citizen of the YearAward are all smiles afterreceiving the award from AaronMorris, awards chair for theHeartland District Conventionin Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.Lori Frederick, center, isexecutive director of The GriffinPromise Autism Clinic in BrokenArrow and Stephanie Barton isdirector of therapy services.The clinic was developedfollowing Lori ’s search fordiagnosis and treatment for herson, Griffin. According to TheGriffin Promise Autism Clinicwebsite, the clinic’s mission is toprovide HOPE to individualswith social developmentaldisorders and their caregiversthrough therapy, training,summer camps, and communityoutreach. For more informationon The Griffin Promise AutismClinic, go tothegriffinpromise.com.
Heartland District leaders elected and installed during the annualconvention in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, are (from left) Governor-Elect andTreasurer Harold Connell, Area 2 Director and Secretary Toni Harjo, Area5/6 Director Albert Cox, Governor Patti Manus, Area 4 Director ElainaAllen, and Past Governor/Training Debbie Bruce-Juhlke.
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Junior Civitans at Heartland District ConventionJunior Civitan ChairCarolyn Edwards (left)introduced HeartlandJunior CivitanGovernor NathanDouthitt and JuniorCivitan PublicRelations OfficerEmma Steffen duringthe Saturday morninggathering at the
District Convention. Both Junior Civitans attend Shawnee Heights High School inTopeka and are members of the Shawnee Heights Junior Civitan Club.
Nathan gave a report on Junior Civitan activities. He and Emma are bothfundraising online for separate events.
Nathan has a goal of $2,000 for the first-ever All in Summit for Junior Civitan, to beheld in February 2020 in Birmingham, Alabama. The summit will be a weekend offellowship, education and service in the birthplace of Civitan. The direct link to Nathan'sAll In page is https://tinyurl.com/NathanCivitan. Click the "donate now" button to makea donation directly to his efforts.
Emma also has a $2,000 goal – for the 47th Annual Dance-A-Thon to be held at theJunior Civitan International Convention. The dance marathon fundraiser benefits theCivitan International Research Center. The link for Emma's page ishttps://tinyurl.com/EmmasCivitan. Follow the same procedure as for Nathan's link andthe donation will go directly to Emma's efforts.
Campus Civitans raise funds and awareness at ConventionTulsa Community College CampusCivitan and Heartland DistrictCampus Civitan members providedactivities to raise awareness ofCampus Civitan at the Districtconvention in Broken Arrow,Oklahoma. District Civitans wereinvited to make banners representingcolleges in their areas as a pledge towork towards building clubs on theirlocal college campuses.
Campus Civitans also ran a 50/50 fundraiser with college-themed or Civitan-themedbaskets and items raffled. The $715 proceeds of the raffle tickets were split between adonation to the Civitan International Research Center and Campus Civitan clubs. Fundsto the campus clubs are helping the newly formed Heartland Campus Civitan Onlineestablish projects for the coming year.
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Honor Clubs Honorably Honored Awards were given at the District Convention to the Distinguished Presidents of twoHonor Clubs of Excellence and five Honor Clubs. International President-Elect FrankKelley (second from left) presented the banner patches and trophies to (from left) AbeDavenport of the Yes We Can Club, Twyla Pruden of the Hope Civitan Club, MarcTrent of the Hutchinson Club, Terra Morehead of the Civitan Orchids, Zeta Bates ofLancaster-Melton Peace Keepers (Honor Club of Excellence), Kristin Bowles of HappyTrails (Honor Club of Excellence) and Richard Shepard of the Enid Civitan Club
Big Moments at Broken Arrow (continued)
District Awards Presented at Heartland ConventionAwards Committee Chairman Aaron Morris announced winners of the Heart-land District Awards on Saturday, August 24, during the district convention inBroken Arrow, Oklahoma. Categories and winning clubs were:Project of the Year – Little RockService to Persons with Developmental Disabilities – Civitan OrchidsService to Veterans – Lancaster-Melton Peace KeepersService to Community – HopeService to Youth – Little RockOutstanding Speakers and Programs – Little RockService to the Elderly – WichitaOutstanding Web/Facebook Page – WichitaService to the Homeless – Little RockOutstanding Club Bulletin or Newsletter – Happy TrailsOutstanding Club Scrapbook – Happy Trails