*** Due to restrictions on gatherings caused by COVID-19, CHENEY KIWANIS meetings are cancelled until further notice.

Contact us at cheneykiwanis@gmail.com

February 27, 2020 - Andy Barthol from Inland Power and Light was our speaker.  Inland was founded in 1937 and is the largest power coop in the state, serving approximately 38,000 members.  They receive 86% of their power from Grand Coulee dam and are close to being carbon free for their power sources.  They have tiered rates for commercial customers and flat rates for residential customers. 

February 20, 2020 - Kristin Monasmith of the Spokane Shriner's Hospital spoke to us.  There are 22 hospitals in their system and the program began when the Shriner's national leader met Levi Hutton and decided that there should be medical care available to all children.  The 2009 recession caused them to start billing any insurance for services provided; currently about 10% of care is for uninsured.  Spokane has a fracture clinic and has treated a record of 273 fractures in one month.  About 80% of surgeries are outpatient and they have the only pediatric orthopedic doctors in the area.

February 13, 2020 - Vicky Dalton, Spokane County Auditor presented information about the March 2020 presidential primary.  It is for the parties to decide how to assign their delegates but the election cost is borne by the taxpayers.  If you vote in this election there is an outer envelope where you must indicate if you are a Democrat or a Republican and then you must vote for a candidate from that party.  The county must report voter name and party to the respective parties.

February 6, 2020 - Chris Cargill of the Washington Policy Center (WPC) updated us on proposals being considered by the state legislature.  The WPC ha a website called washingtonvotes.org where anyone can research information on a bill and check its status.  The WPC is a conservative think tank funded 100% by donations. 

January 30, 2020 - There was no morning meeting; instead and early Sweetheart dinner will be on January 31 at the Marketplace in Cheney.

January 23, 2020 - Emily Grankowski from Cancer Can't spoke about the charity and its need for volunteer drivers.  This is a Spokane based charity that  provides assistance to adults fighting cancer.  Some financial assistance is available and they also provide volunteer drivers to take patients to their treatments.  Drivers are put through a background check, must have clean driving records and receive training before they begin their volunteering.








September 27, 2018 - We had our annual Youth Protection Training presented by Vicki Frucci. 

September 20, 2018 - Don Malisani, the "Jerky Don" presented his product for making a 1 or 2 pound slab of ground meat jerky and gave samples.  He is a local merchant.  Cheney Kiwanis will be at EWU's Neighbor Fest tomorrow to promote re-starting a Circle K chapter at EWU.  Our rest stop fundraiser is approaching on October 5-7; we will be at the westbound Sprague rest stop.

September 13, 2018 - Douglas LeBar, owner of the Mason Jar and president of the Cheney Merchants Association spoke.  This year they are starting a Holiday Hoopla event on Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 1. Friday night will include: tree lighting, Santa's workshop with free treats and entertainment. Sixteen members attended the meeting and we received proceeds from the 2018 Golf Scramble.

September 6, 2018 - Police Chief John Hensley spoke to 15 club members.  He updated us on how the recent levy lift funds have been used to increase staffing, provide more training and improve their vehicle fleet. He also spoke about the recent officer involved shooting in Cheney.

August 30, 2018 - Sixteen members and two guests heard a presentation by Todd Ableman, Cheney Public Works Director.  He talked about recent construction projects in the city, the ongoing water issues when summer irrigation stresses the system and recycling.  We will be wrapping up our Value Village fundraiser in early September.  The Coats for Cheney Kids collection drive will begin soon.

August 23, 2018 - Fourteen members and about 10 guests attended our summer picnic at Sutton Park.

August 16, 2018 - Sixteen members attended.  We did not have a speaker and spent the time discussing our upcoming projects and a new possible fundraiser selling prepaid Brown Bear car washes. 

August 9, 2018 - Dave Reagan spoke about his career in law enforcement.  Thirteen members and one guest attended. We discussed upcoming fundraisers, evening meetings and packaging of pet food for Meals on Wheels.

August 2, 2018 - Aaron Best, EWU head football coach, spoke to fifteen members and two guests. He talked about the team's practice schedule before the season, the complexity of setting the season schedule and information about returning and graduating players.

July 26, 2018 - Helen Miller, President of the West Plains Beekeepers spoke to 15 members and told us how bees, yellow jackets, etc. pollinate flowers and crops.  They are responsible for pollinating about 35% of the world's crops and are responsible for increasing the production of about 87 different crops.  She also showed us characteristics of different bees and wasps.

July 19, 2018 - Sixteen members heard a presentation by Eric Pettit, the manager of the Cheney Lofts at the former Fisher Building.  There are 118 beds in the building; units are studio apartments or either 3 or 4 bedrooms with shared bathrooms and living areas.  All furnishings, utilities and Wi-Fi are included in the rent. Where ever possible original building features such as a basketball court and lockers have been retained.

July 12, 2019 - Dr. Charles Mutschler, president of the Save the Station organization updated 16 members and one guest on the progress in buying and developing a new location for the railroad station. 

July 5, 2018 - John McCallum, editor of the Cheney Free Press spoke to 11 members about changes at the paper and what they do to validate information before it is published.  He shared websites he considers to be worthwhile and also books about the role of newspapers both in the US and foreign countries.

June 28, 2018 - We had an evening meeting and Tom Jenkins, Cheney Fire Chief was our speaker.  Eleven members and 6 guests attended.  Chief Jenkins talked about the challenges presented by the new West plains developments including the Amazon fulfillment center, additional apartments and a motel. He also talked about steps he is taking to provide better emergency medical service to Cheney.

June 21, 2018 - We did not have a speaker.  The 15members who  attended discussed upcoming fundraisers and service projects.

June 14, 2018 - Fourteen members attended and met Anna Arnsmeyer, our 2018 scholarship recipient.  She will attend Western Washington University and plans to study environmental science.

June 7, 2018 - Robert Roettger, Cheney School District superintendent, was our speaker.  He updated us on the progress on the remodels of the various schools and spoke about how school threats are evaluated and concepts they are considering for improved security.

May 31, 2018 - Bridie Rittick, Betz K-Kids advisor attended along with 6 K-Kids.  She told 17 club members and one guest about their projects and had the kids talk about what they liked about being in K-Kids.

May 24, 2018 - Twelve members attended and heard a presentation by Terrance Nelson from Pacific Northwest Adult and Teen Challenge. They have treatment and recovery programs for various types of addiction and also arrange work options for their clients.

May 17, 2018 - We id not have a speaker; the 15 members who attended discussed upcoming service projects, our evening membership event and upcoming K-Kids activities.

May 10, 2018 - Tami Chapman from the Spokane County Library District was our speaker.  She and another district employee surveyed our members to find out what we thought needed improvement in Cheney and what goals we had for the community.

May 3, 2018 - Sixteen members heard a presentation by Cylee Scott from Rescare, a company that provides services to allow elderly to stay in their homes as their capabilities decrease.

April 26, 2018 – Tom Jenkins, the new fire chief for the city spoke to 14 club members. The department has 9 employees plus 18 volunteers.  It takes 9 people to have 2 firefighters on duty 24 hours a day; with the volunteers, 4 firefighters are available. They need to have 4 fighters to send fighters into a fire: two to go in and two to stay out.  The majority of their calls are for medical emergencies and about 30% of the medical calls are to EWU.

We will plant flowers and have the pizza party at the care center on May 19 at 10am.  Betz K-Kids are planning a car wash on June 9 to benefit Ronald McDonald House.  Medical Lake Kiwanis are joining others to host a bike rodeo on April 28 – maybe it will give us some ideas for creating one for Cheney.


April 19, 2018 – Member Dave Daugharty told usabout his exchange professor experience in Soviet Russia.  The Blackhawk/Kiwanis golf event will be in the afternoon of June 12; it will be a 9 hole event with dinner.  We will pack Special Olympics lunches on Saturday, May 5 at 8am at the wren Pierson building.

April 12, 2018 – Four guests from Spokane Valley Kiwanis and 15 Cheney Kiwanis members heard Mayor Chris Grover talk about the benefits and challenges of living in Cheney.  Benefits include safety and having a city light department that is in the top 25% of similar sized departments in the US. Challenges include draw down of city water reservoirs in summer due to irrigation and the heavy traffic volume on two-lane highway 904.

April 5, 2018 – Twelve members heard Spokane Airports CEO Larry Krauter speak about Felts Field.  It is a historic field and is known worldwide to antique aircraft owners and enthusiasts.  Also, people from around the world come to Felts to learn to operate Kodiak aircraft.  When he became CEO the field had not been properly maintained.  Since then the turf landing area has been redone and new concrete airplane parking has been built.  Every June Felts Field hosts an annual Neighbor day for the public.

March 29, 2018 – Eric Dotson from Children’s Home Society of Washington spoke to 18 club members.  The organization was created in 1896 to deal with orphan train children who were left unselected in Seattle.  Their goal is to place children in forever homes and to help families through counseling, early learning programs, etc.  Their funding comes from state and federal grants and private donations.

March 22, 2018 – Jim Patterson shared West Plains history with 15 club members and one guest.  In the 1920’s large apple orchards were created near Hayford but their irrigation drew down drew down Silver Lake by 50 feet and lead to peat fires that burned for several years.  A lawsuit ended the irrigation and the orchards.  There was also a large dairy in the area. He also told us about the interurban and other train service between Spokane and the West Plains.

March 15, 2018 – Kelly Neumann from the Hutton Settlement spoke to 12 club members.  The settlement will be 100 years old in 2019 and is in need of some major upgrades.  Originally it was a true orphanage but now residents have a family but need a better home.  2007 all seniors have gone on to some form of higher education which Hutton can fully fund.  Hutton alumni can also receive counseling, tutoring and some temporary housing.  The Settlement does not receive any government funding; they own 25 commercial properties and also fundraise for their programs.

March 8, 2018 – Melissa Luna from Ronald McDonald House Spokane spoke to 16 club members.  The house has 22 overnight rooms and also provides 2 family rooms at Sacred Heart and they hope to add more rooms at other medical facilities in the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area.  She said they can use donations of paper goods and toiletries.  They hold 3 major fundraisers each year in addition to receiving donations made at area McDonalds. 

March 1, 2018 – Club member Bob Quinn spoke about weather and snow pack.  Our mountain snow pack is strong (about 100 – 120% of normal).  Global warming is a reality and major ocean temperatures are 1-2degrees Celsius above normal. 

 

February 22, 2018 – Thirteen club members plus  5 members of Spokane Valley Kiwanis heard a presentation by Joe Lachnit from Freedom Has a Face.  This is a local organization that focuses on honoring fallen military members and providing financial assistance to families of fallen military personnel.  In 2017 they issued 10 grants to families and their goal is to issue 30 grants in 2018.  Most of their financial support comes from businesses.

 

 February 15, 2018 – Twelve members attended and the speaker was Chris Cargill from the Washington Policy Center, a conservative think tank.  He spoke about various tax proposals before the legislature ( carbon tax, changes in state taxes for school funding and pay by the mile tax).  He also talked about the proposed Seattle income tax and whether it is legal. 

Clara reported that Betz K-Kids delivered 400 valentines to the Veterans’ Home in Spokane.

 February 8, 2018 – Instead of a morning meeting, we met for our annual Sweetheart dinner.  Eleven members, 9 spouses and the Lieutenant Governor and his wife attended.  Our speaker was Ron Seibold from Stem Cell Solutions Northwest.  He explained how a stem cell transplant resolved constant pain he had for many years and explained that stem cells are  not subject to being rejected by the recipient’s body. 

 
February 1, 2018 – Rob Roettger, Sean Dotson and Kassidy Probert from Cheney School district spoke to our club about the upcoming replacement educational programs and operation levy election.  They explained that this levy would replace an expiring levy and the new tax rate per thousand (starting in 2019) would be lower than the current levy rate.

January 25, 2018 – Delane Titus of Soldier’s Angels spoke to 12 club members.  Soldier’s Angels is a national organization which provides assistance to deployed soldiers, wounded soldiers, soldiers’ families and veterans.  The local chapter partners with various organizations to provide a monthly lunch and entertainment to 30-40 veteran residents of the community living center at the VA hospital complex in Spokane.  They also visit the residents and organize monthly bingo nights.

January 18, 2018 – Our speaker was from Wishing Star, a regional charity that fills wishes for children with possible terminal medical conditions.  They also go beyond the wish to establish and maintain contact with the children’s families to provide support and help to family members.  They have 2 paid staff and their primary fund raiser is Taste of Spokane.  Fourteen members were present.

January 11, 2018 – Chuck Richardson spoke about Paint-a-Helmet, a Kiwanis District program.  The program started in 1997 and is organized by the East Spokane Kiwanis Club.  They give away up to 900 helmets a year – the helmets are plain white and the kids decorate them.  This year it will be on April 21 at the Fairgrounds.    Other organizations including SCOPE and Ronald McDonald house are there to offer information and services. 

Fourteen members attended.  We got information on dinner options for our sweetheart dinner on February 8 at the Marketplace at 5:30pm.  We also learned that Betz K-Kids are preparing valentines to for veteran’s home on the lower south hill. 

January 4, 2018 – Seventeen members were at the meeting.  We did not have a speaker so each person wrote down something we thought other club members did not know about us and we then guessed which member went with which statement.

December 28, 2017 – There was no club meeting.

December 21, 2017 – Thirteen members attended; we didn’t have a speaker so we tried solving some Christmas puzzles.  Several members helped setup the Gifts for Cheney Kids last week.  A community member emailed our club to ask if we did a Christmas yard of the month.  We didn’t have time to organize and promote it for this year but the club and the Cheney Gardeners will consider having a competition next year.

December 14, 2017 – Member Bob Quinn told us about the recent trip he and his wife made to Australia.  Bob also updated us on current weather patterns and forecast for our area.  Betz K-Kids are working on recess buddies and classroom helpers.

December 7, 2017 -  Fifteen members heard a presentation from Mary Reinbold of Transitions in Spokane.  She talked about their current program to build 24 cottages for homeless women and children.  The site will also have a playground and they received a $5,000 grant from Pacific Northwest Kiwanis to help pay for it.  She explained that their program is very structured and seeks to help women with job skills and education and ultimately get them into their own housing. 

November 30, 2017 – Fifteen members heard a presentation by Chad Karthauser, EWU Associate Athletic  Director for business and finance.  He explained the major financing sources for EWU athletics ( about 30% comes from ticket sales and donations) and said that Roos Field has an official capacity of 8,600 but usual attendance is about 10,000.  Typical media game rights bring in about $40,000 compared to up to $20 million for Pac-12 games. “Money games” bring in larger amounts. Playoff game money goes to NCAA with shares to the teams. 

November 23, 2017 – Thanksgiving Day; no club meeting.

November 16, 2017 – Lori Musgrave of the Marketplace, spoke to 16 members about the upcoming Christmas tree gala.  The Gala will take place at the Marketplace and will feature 7 decorated trees, each with at least several hundred dollars of gifts or certificates.  Raffle tickets can be purchased for $1.00 each and purchasers can place their tickets in the collection boxes for the trees they would like to win.  Tickets can be purchased from December 1- December 23.  On December 23 there will be a prime rib dinner at the Marketplace and winning tickets will be drawn by Mayor Trulove.

   We also had reports on activities by Betz K-Kids and Cheney High Key Club.

November 9, 2017 – Fifteen members attended along with 6 visitors from the Northeast Kiwanis Club.  Our speakers were Tami Chapman and Catherine Nero Lowery from the Spokane County Library District.  They talked about the various programs at Cheney for kids:  story time for small children; Camp Kaslo during the summer for older kids' partnering with Cheney schools for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning and reading buddies programs done with the elementary schools.  Other community programs include:  a seed library (take and plant seeds then harvest seeds at the end of the season to replenish the seed library); promoting small business Saturday at the end of November; access to data bases for business use and grant directories. 

 

November 2, 2017 – Eighteen members and one guest heard a youth protection guidelines presentation.  This is an annual training that every club should have.  We also discussed issues related to our rest stop fundraising. 

We had a report on our participation in the EWU Harvest Festival: 10 club members, several Key Club members and one former Salnave K-Kids member helped at the event.

We selected Cheney Outreach and Feed Cheney to receive our Quarter Cup donations; Jeri recommended giving the first 7 months to one organization and then 5 months to the second since we have 3 evening meetings in the first 7 months and don’t collect money at them.