Committees
CLUB ADMINISTRATION
The committee on club administration oversees the club meeting arrangements by providing the most effective club meetings possible. Areas of specific responsibility include arranging for the club meeting program(s), house arrangements, reception, fellowship, and inter-club relations, as well as other administrative areas which the committee may deem pertinent. The quality of club meetings has a significant impact on membership retention, the ability to attract new members, the level of active member involvement in club service and fund-raising projects, and the overall energy of the club.
Committee Chairperson: Mike Jones - Quarterly Chairpersons: Dusty Gres, Jay Warthen, Pat Warnock, Bob Dixon
MEMBERSHIP GR0WTH AND EDUCATION
The Membership Growth and Education Committee oversees all aspects of membership development: annual assessment of club quality as outlined in the Club President's Guidebook; ongoing recruitment of members; review of membership proposals and submission of recommendations to the club's Board of Directors. The committee devises effective plans for the new-member orientation and induction and recommends changes in club operations to keep all members involved in club activities.
The lifeline of our Kiwanis Club is membership growth. Each Kiwanian is one because someone asked. The committee establishes membership goals, enlists entire membership's support on a membership campaign, identifies persons interested in community service, trains members to sell Kiwanis, holds a membership campaign throughout the year, educates new members about Kiwanis, and recognizes new members' sponsors.
Committee Chairpersons: Charles Andrew - Committee Members: Billy Clark, Dusty Gres, Rick Jordan, Darren McClellan, Dent Temples
INTER-CLUB
An inter-club meeting is one which is jointly planned and held by two or more Kiwanis clubs (including clubs in formation), or by a Kiwanis club and any Key Club, and duly announced as such in advance through club notices. No fewer than four members of the visiting club, or no fewer than a visiting group of four composed of a minimum of two Kiwanians plus two members of Key Clubs, must be in attendance.
Members of the Inter-Club Committee plan to arrange inter-club meetings with every other club in our division and encourage every member of our club to participate in at least one inter-club meeting during the year.
Our club should strive to sponsor at least one inter-club every month. Committee members will promote visits, with a special purpose, to other clubs-plan parallel committee exchange and other types of exchanges. Members should encourage new clubs by visiting them frequently and planning to have our club present at their charter presentation. The committee chairperson will present a report to our club on inter-club meetings held and encourage others to participate.
Committee Chairperson: Dennis Donahue - Committee Members: Donald Estroff, Hyman Estroff, Richard Herring, Winston Ivey, Dave Johnson, Mac McGowan, George Massey, Tom Meredith, Joe Palmer, Emson Smith, Edward Tyson, Bill Warthen, Bob White, Rhett Zorn
PUBLIC RELATIONS
The committee on public relations works to ensure adequate recognition for each member's contributions to the club (internal public relations) and to obtain public recognition for the club's service activities, elections, anniversaries, and annual Kiwanis observances by providing the news media with news releases and story suggestions throughout the year (external public relations). The committee ensures that the club and its members utilize Kiwanis road signs, insignia, posters, billboards, and public service announcements available from Kiwanis International to enhance the club's visibility in the community.
Such widespread public recognition of Kiwanis will benefit our club in a variety of ways. Within the club it will help to build pride in membership that leads to better meeting attendance, greater participation by members in fund-raising and service projects, and stronger retention. In the community, it will help to recruit prospective members and make it easier to solicit public support for Kiwanis service work.
Committee Chairperson: Wright Gres - Committee Members: Patricia Dixon, Bill Ledford, Wesley Luhn, George Massey, Marvin McIntyre
COMMUNITY SERVICES
The Committee on Community Services analyzes needs and implements projects to improve the community. Projects that improve the environment, conservation, public and business affairs, and community safety fall under this committee. This wide range of responsibilities include, but is not limited to, the following:
1. Assisting handicapped
persons
2. Supporting cultural activities and institutions
3. Safety education and crime prevention
4. Health education
5. Community beautification, conservation, and work
against pollution
6. Helping elderly citizens
7. Supporting agriculture
8. Encouraging citizenship and civic involvement
Our Community Services Committee initiated discussion about a community project to build a park at Southeastern Technical Institute. The park would serve the entire community with a pavilion, a lake, and a jogging trail. This project would involve the Kiwanis Club with several other clubs and agencies in Vidalia and Toombs County.
In 1996, our Board of Directors made a long term commitment to establishing an annual agricultural fair, in cooperation with the City of Vidalia and the Sweet Onion Classic Committee. The Committee on Community Services should be significantly involved in the Fair project.
Committee Chairperson: Travis DeLoach - Committee Co-Chairperson: Pat Warnock Committee Members: Brian Bishop, Jimmy Dixon, Romanous Dotson, Marion Forrest, Brian Frost, Bill Greening, Rick Kimbrel, Don Mays, Wayne McMichael, Kevin Mobley, Greg Morris, Karl Rollins, Terry Whigham
HUMAN AND SPIRITUAL VALUES
The Human and Spiritual Values Committee focuses on issues involving ethics, values, and family. Projects may involve planning a community Sabbath for children and families, conducting ethics seminars for businesses and students, or sponsoring values-development convocations for schools. Fellowship breakfasts featuring speakers of various faiths are popular projects,
Any project that encourages the human and spiritual rather than the material values of life is appropriate for support of spiritual aims. Activities can be as diverse as birthday parties at nursing homes and support of counseling centers for bereaved parents.
The service projects traditionally developed for support of spiritual aims encourage church or temple attendance and other religious activity in the community. These projects should be nondenominational. For example, while a church would promote attendance at its own worship services, our Kiwanis club would encourage people to attend a religious service of their choice.
The Spiritual Aims committee has a tradition of hosting a Christmas party at the Bethany Home each year as well as sponsoring the home's annual beauty contest.
Committee Chairperson: Lynn Moore - Committee Members: Lee Arnold, Lynette Berry, Chris Carroll, Paul Cook, Craig Floyd, Joe Rogers, John Talton, Murray Ward
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE
Recognizing fellow Kiwanians for the events that occur in our lives is a special assignment for the Sunshine Committee. Their purpose is to keep the club informed of special Kiwanian events, i.e., births, weddings, illnesses, job promotions, unique accomplishments.
Committee Chairperson: Steve Brown - Committee Members: Cheryl Gay, Ronald Hall, June Hunter, Vickie Ryals, Frances Tucker
LONG RANGE FAIR PLANNING COMMITTEE
In order to provide for the future of the Kiwanis Annual Agricultural Fair, this committeee was formed in 2001 to facilitate acquisition and funding for a permanent Kiwanis owned fairground complex. As the fair continues to grow, space limitations will present a future problem. This committee is composed of members who have a long history of working with the fair and are highly interested in its continued success.
Committee Chairperson: Dan Murray - Committee Members: Marion Forrest, Wesley Luhn, William McLain, Karl Owens, Tom Peterson, Randy Templin
CLUB SHERIFF - Marvin McIntyre
The Club Sheriff promotes fun and fellowship by providing light hearted humor at club meetings. Small fines are levied against members for trivial transgressions and other "Kiwanis crimes". The fines support our scholarship fund.
The Club Sheriff not only determines what constitutes a Kiwanis violation but also how much to fine the violator. The Club Sheriff can only be fined by unanimous vote of the club or by a District or National Kiwanis officer.