Silver Bow Kiwanis Kiwanis Club Meeting, Jul 16, '13

12:00-1:00 Tuesday, July 16, 2013

This week we had the old switch-aroo! We expected Keith and Kristi to show a TED Talk on fundraising and charitable giving, but Linda from Big Brothers/Big Sisters was here, so she took the program!

First we had a couple of announcements. First, we have three fund raising events coming up.

First is ice cream sales Saturday, July 27 during Evel Kneivel days. We need volunteers to sell ice cream treats and talk about Kiwanis and the EliMiNaTe project - and to work on sales for the big Schwanz fund raiser (I'll get to that in a moment).

Second is ice cream sales during AnRiRa. We again need help on Saturday, August 10 to sell ice cream and tell people about Kiwanis and the EliMiNaTe project. - And to help distribute people's orders from the big Schwanz fund raiser.

So, the big Schwanz fund raiser is starting now - we're pre-selling Schwanz products to raise money for the EliMiNaTe project. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about pre-ordering Schwanz products to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. People can pre-order and pick items up August 10 in Uptown Butte during AnRiRa!

For more information on any of these fund raisers, or to get Schwanz catalogs or order forms, contact Tim.

We also had a shirt drawing, and both Kristi and Cathy are going to get new Silver Bow Kiwanis wear! Congratulations.

Also, on the note of free clothes, the Salvation Army is raising funds for their Back to School and Dress a Child efforts for the beginning of the school year. If you need more information, contact Clair.

So, finally, Lee got to introduce Linda Pelagi and Phyllis Costello from Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Linda explained how her own experience as a single mother helped her understand the benefit that Big Brothers/Big Sisters can be to a family and how much a good mentor helps in raising children.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters has three major programs. The best knows is the Community Mentoring program, where "bigs" - whether they're big brothers, big sisters, or big couples get matched up to a "little," and they work with this little, sometimes for several years being a friend, mentor, and positive influence. All "bigs" go through extensive background checks and training, and any matches are regularly monitored for safety of all the parties involved.

The second program is the In-School Mentoring program. This is a one hour a week during school hours program. Again, "bigs" are matched one-on-one with "littles," but the commitment is not as great, and the environment is more structured.

The third program is the youth protection program, "Talk About Touching." This program starts with basic safety issues like fire safety, walking safety, stranger danger, and gun safety, and eventually leads to talk about uncomfortable touches, while maintaining a safe and comfortable environment and building on the earlier topics.

Linda then turned the lectern over to Phylis, who has been with Big Brothers for 30 years. Phylis talked about the benefits of early intervention and mentoring. One of the biggest benefits is that mentored children are much less likely to get themselves into trouble with the law or get expelled from school. The cost of mentoring a child in need is far smaller than the cost of incarcerating a child or an adult. Phylis reminded us that we have all been there - everyone used to be a kid or is a kid now.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters has two major events coming up. First is the celebration for Phylis's 30 years with the organization. This is being held August 21. The second is the annual Bowling for Kids Sake fund raiser November 2, 9, and 10.

Presentation

Linda Pelagi, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Menu

French Dip and Fries

Attendees

24

Event Updated

6:51 Tuesday, July 16, 2013