Gravette Kiwanis Club installs new officers
GRAVETTE — Members of the Gravette Kiwanis Club held their annual banquet Monday evening, Sept. 23, at the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center and installed new officers for the coming year. New officers are Dr. Nancy Jones, president; Dennis Kurczek, president-elect; Lavon Stark and Brenda Yates, secretaries; and Dan Yates, treasurer. Richard Page and Zane Vanderpool, members of the board of directors, were also recognized.
The meeting was opened with an invocation by Malcolm Winters, followed by the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Dr. Nancy Jones, club president, welcomed everyone present. She thanked Melissa Provence, center director, and her staff who served the banquet meal of mixed green salad, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, rolls and blackberry cobbler.
After dinner, Lavon Stark presented a potted purple mum to Betty Howard, who has made and donated quilts to the club for several years. The Kiwanis Club raised more than $800 in its quilt raffle on Gravette Day this year. Betty introduced her guests, her daughter Jody Pritchard from Tulsa, Okla., and her niece and husband, Sandi and Joe Burnal of Rogers.
Richard Page gave a humorous reading about the Potato Family and the difficulties they encountered in marrying off their daughter. Following his presentation, Dr. Jones presented pins to new members Gayla McKenzie and Dennis Kurczek and gave a gift and pin to Malcolm Winters, who has served as club treasurer for more than 15 years. She also gave violets to Lavon Stark and Brenda Yates for their help during the year.
New officers were installed by Sue Storey, of Rogers, lieutenant governor of Mo-Ark Division 19, Kiwanis. Storey is a member of the Rogers Noon Kiwanis Club, chartered in 1924, and spoke to the group about the importance of tradition. Despite her young son’s quote from Reddit that “tradition is peer pressure from dead people,” Storey said tradition helps a club have a strong purpose.
Storey recognized board members Richard Page and Zane Vanderpool, saying board members are a club’s strength, helping formulate and carry out policies. Board members Bob Kelley, Jeff Gravette and Colt Moorman were not present.
Storey outlined the duties of each officer as she conducted the installation ceremony. The secretary is an important recorder of the club’s activities. The treasurer is the “financial brains” of the club, she said, and performs a job that demands integrity. The president-elect is the “right and left hand” of the president and carries out the president’s duties when the president is absent. The president is the heart of the club and success depends on his or her leadership. The president should inspire fellow officers to be their best.
Following the installation, Storey asked the remaining Kiwanis members to stand. She explained that Kiwanis Club can never be a oneperson club. The president is only a facilitator and the members are the lifeblood of the organization. “You make the world a better place just by joining,” she said, and praised those standing for joining together to give their time, talents and service to benefit the community.
Songleader Kim Hendren concluded the meeting by leading the singing of “Amazing Grace,” accompanied by Gayla McKenzie on the piano.