The 60th Annual Macomb Kiwanis Club Pancake Day is Thursday, April 23, at the American Legion. More booster sponsor checks have been received and the deadline has passed to be added to the placemats.
Work day signup sheets have been distributed and will again at the April 21 meeting. Look and listen for Pancake Day advertising and promotion in the newspaper and on local radio. Special thanks to Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity for being our co-sponsor, helping with ticket sales and during the day itself.
Official Macomb Kiwanis Club Pancake Day Countdown Clock
Peggy Jones, Director of Education at McDonough District Hospital, spoke about cancer education at this weeks meeting.
Peggy said there will be a Cancer Expo Wednesday, April 22, from 5-8 PM at Macomb High School Fellheimer Auditorium. It will include guest speakers and information about cancer. There will also be a free colon cancer screening offered as well as screenings for sun damage and bone density . Our own Dr. Ted Pawlias will be participating.
Peggy also offered a slide presentation on "Understanding Cancer." She said "it's a renegade system of growth inside the body with unlimited growth potential if not stopped." Peggy told members that scientists are constantly studying cancer. It can occur in different parts of the body. Lung, breast (women), colon, bladder, prostate (men) and are all cardinomas. Leukemias are in the blood stream and lymph nodes. Some common sarcomas are fat, bone and muscle. Malignant cells invade neighboring tissues, enter blood vessels and metastasize to different sites. Benign tumors grown only locally. She says "cancer is dangerous because cells can travel through the blood stream and be carried into the liver and other locations. Peggy told us that "detecting it early can make a big difference in treating it." Screenings are important along with seeing your doctor. Peggy offered these tips: Protect yourself from excessive sunlight to help prevent skin cancer and avoid tobacco as lung cancer increases with cigarette consumption. Be sure to have a good diet and exercise, consume fruits and vegatables, limit fats and calories.
Next week, April program chairman Sue Dexter will introduce Jerry Lindsay, Director of Pharmacy at MDH.
Jeremy Benson introduced guests Justin and Matt from Delta Tau Delta. They will be helping us out on Pancake Day.
We need help Wednesday evening at 8:00, at the old Stites Building across from Clugston-Tibbitts, to pick up the freshly cleaned grills. Tim thanked Jane Morrow who has been working behind the scenes to get sausage from Bob Evans. This year the sausage links are pre-cooked which will make it easier for us. Mike Pritchard will pickup and store for us until Pancake Day. Remember Thursday we start serving bright and early at 5:30 and go all the way until 7:00 PM.
Kiwanis members aren't afraid to get their hands dirty! That was proven during "Kiwanis One Day of Service" projects last Saturday morning at the Macomb Salvation Army and cleaning the pancake grills Saturday afternoon. Check here and here for proof! Thanks to Tim, Debbie and Joe Vandemark, Owen Thompson, Don Mathis, Jerry Carlson, Herb Butler and Rick Bulger for helping out.
Rick was appointed to fill the term of Susan Thompson on the club Board of Directors for the remainder of this year. Jay Carter made the motion, it was seconded by Joe Vandemark and then passed on unanimous voice vote.
Tim reminds us that "we're coming up on a deadline to nominate officers and directors for next year." If you're interested in serving, be sure to let Tim know.
IMPORTANT MEETING REMINDER! We will hold our May 12 and May 19 meetings at the Ponderosa on East Jackson Street. No meetings at St. George's Church those two weeks. Members will pay for their own meals and what the club would have billed members for meals will instead be donated to Kiwanis International as part of their "Skip A Meal" project. It was also suggested that the clubs House Committee make contacts with the Days Inn as we research other possible meeting locations.
Tim reported that during the April board meeting, the Youth Services committee recommended donating $200 to Boy Scouts, $200 to Junior Olympics, $350 to Little League, $150 to send a high school student to the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Seminar, $100 to the Alzheimer's Association Macomb "Memory Walk", $400 to the Macomb Public Library and $125 to the Nature Quilt project. Another $750 is being spent to fund the Picture Book of the Month program at Lincoln and Edison Schools for another year. That's where club members read books to school children and then those books are donated to the school library. We will also be requesting that organizations which receive money from our club attending a meeting to update us on their activities. These are just some of the examples of where funds from our Pancake Day go. Right back into the community!
In answer to a question, Tim said we are making progress on improvements at the Chandler Park playground project that would include swings. We're still awaiting final approval from the city before anything can be done.
Jeremy Benson - had $2 for our two guests and said "we appreciate their help."
Tim Moss - $5, one for each of the griddles we cleaned Saturday.
He said he was "pleased with how things turned out."
Jay Carter - Happy to remind members that the Senior Olympics will be the weekend of April 24-25, right after our Pancake Day. Those over the age of 50 can participate in golf, horseshoes, swimming and other events.
Ken Harp - Happy to hear the presentation last week from Jim
Morel centering around membership and club assessment.
Joe Vandemark - Happy for everyone that helped clean grills
Saturday. Joe said "the grills look good and let's keep them that way."
Owen Thompson - Happy for our speaker Peggy Jones and had another $5 for
the Kiwanis One Day of Service at the Salvation Army. Owen says the area around the headquarters building "looks great."
A number of Kiwanis members raked up the yard and Debbie was in charge of planting flowers.
The 50/50 Drawing was won by Ken Harp and he donated his share to spastic paralysis!
The latest edition of the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District "Illeiowan" newsletter is now online.
Have you ever gotten stuck when trying to answer the question "what is Kiwanis?" Here's a quick 30 second response direct from Kiwanis International.
"Kiwanis International is an international organization of member-volunteers who give more than 6 million hours and more than $100 million each year to help change the world one child and one community at a time. Any community need can become a Kiwanis service project, especially if the need involves children, who should have the help and the right to lead healthy, successful lives. We believe that helping a child helps the world."
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