Tag Archives: service organization

Best Place to Get in Touch with Nature

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Monday Morning

There were 19 members at our Monday meeting plus one guest. Our guest speaker was Tracy McDermott.  Happy bucks came from no one. Everyone was unhappy.  Special thanks to our greeters, Marlin and Chris. Dan handled the invocation and our guest speaker, Tracy did the humor. For the second week in a row, we have a Dr. Waffle Award winner. John was the ticket winner. He drew the eight of clubs for no money. Next Monday’s 50/50 Raffle will have 42 cards in the game including the six pay cards with a pot of about $105.

Tracy McDermott, Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum

Tracy is the executive director of Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum. It is a non-profit entity with no funding from either UW Campus or Fond du Lac County. The project began in 1990 when a group of student and staff approached Dean Bradley Gottfried with an idea to establish a prairie on campus. The majority of land surrounding the campus was open lawn. In 1992, the first 20 acres of native grasses and wildflowers were planted by volunteers. Since then, the prairie has grown to an additional 22 acres. It includes a formal arboretum; interpretive hiking trails a bike trail, a shelter, two native display gardens and a wildlife pool. All projects have been funded with private donations and grants. They have added 4.5 acres representing eight types of Wisconsin forest communities. At one time, most of Fond du Lac County was covered by prairie – native grasslands that were home to bison, prairie chickens, bobolinks and other wildlife. Arboretum is named for Bradley Gottfried, former dean of UW Fond du Lac and a major force behind the project. The arboretum is a public park that is open to the public. The luminary holiday walk is Sunday December 13 from 4:30 to7:30 pm. The annual snowshoe hike is the 3rd week of January. For more information go to their web page.

A Man Worthy of Honor

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Monday Morning

There were 17 members at our Monday meeting plus five guests. In addition to our guest speaker, Thomas Ramirez, we had an interclub from the Noon Club.  They were Don Kurki, Ray Farr, Dick Talley and Joan Pinch. Happy buck came from Charlene for a great trip to Washington D.C. Remember – Marlin needs your ticket sales money as soon as possible. Pastor Dan supplied both invocation for Jan and also the humor of the day. Chris Serres was the ticket winner. Unfortunately, she drew the two of hearts, no winner. Next Monday’s 50/50 Raffle will have 46 cards in the game including the eight pay cards with a pot of $70. We had an interclub to Key Club today. Joining our interclub chairperson Dawn were Gary Miller, Gary Ring, Donna Freund, Jackie, Harry and John. We presented a check for #350 for their help at Pork dinner.

Thomas Ramirez – Local Veteran and Author

Tom was born on February 5, 1926 in Fond du Lac. His father was Latino and his mother was Caucasian. He started his writing itch in sixth grade. After returning from the service, Tom attended Oshkosh Teachers College. He taught in both Campbellsport and the Franklin School in Fond du Lac. He resigned in 1961 to write full time He authored over 150 novels. In 1971, he moved to Florida for sixteen years. He returned home to write articles for the National Enquirer. In between, he wrote another four novels.  He is now sharing his autobiography in a column for the Fond du lac Reporter. His column on his mother is called “Wisdom at the Ironing Board.”  Ma was a stickler for routine. Monday was wash day. Tuesday was she would iron. She was only thirteen when she married Tom’s dad. They grew up very poor and one of the first Latino families in Fond du Lac. To learn more, read Thomas’ columns in the Reporter.

Fondy Key Club Update

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Monday Morning

There were 19 members at our Monday meeting plus one guest. Our guest speaker was a no show. Key Club Officer, Alyssa Weiorka joined us for breakfast. “Happy Bucks” were offered by Jim Freiberg, Del Waldschmidt, Gary Miller and Jan Krug. Marlin needs your ticket sales money as soon as possible.

Dan Leeds was the winner of the 50/50 raffle drawing and he drew the five of clubs for $5.00 dollars Next Monday’s 50/50 Raffle will have 49 cards in the game including the eight pay cards.

Alyssa Weiorka, Fondy High Key Club President

Alyssa filled in for our missing speaker. She is a senior and transferred from WLA. She joined the Key Club to get more involved in helping others. Her first choice for college is Northwestern. She thanked our club for all our support. One of the officer’s goals is to increase the number of events. They are working harder to get better attendance from the Key Club to our club. Some of their events are ARC Christmas bingo party, books to the hospital, Halloween events and the Pink Pumpkin Race. They sold candy for their first fund raiser of the year. They have ninety paid members.

Hixson Award Winners

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The board of Directors awarded two Hixsons this year. A $1,000 donation has been made to Kiwanis International Foundation in of the name of Sharon Kollman and Pastor Dan Leeds. This is to recognize these individuals for their hard work for Kiwanis. Congratulation to both Sharon and Dan.