Sunday, October 23, 2016

On August 18, 2016 new Cheney District Superintendent Robert Roettger spoke to 17 club members.  He was at St. John Endicott district for about 5 years then became superintendent of the Lind-Ritzville district for 5 years before becoming Cheney superintendent.  He told us about his 10 educational beliefs and talked about the growing student population and that the administration will be looking at how to deal with increases in elementary enrollment, enhancing security features at the schools and how to deal with the overcrowding at Cheney HS.
At our August 11, 2016 meeting we did not have a speaker. Tom gave an estimate of our proceeds from the Kiwanis/Blackhawk golf tournament and Margie presented information about the upcoming Cheney Coat drive.
Sixteen members were at our August 4, 2016 meeting and heard Aaron Best, offensive lineman football coach at EWU.  He talked about coaching and said his biggest accomplishment was helping a player work through tough circumstances and eventually complete his masters' degree in five and a half years.  He characterized offensive linemen as "most trusted but least recognized " because they support the offense but don't "make" the plays.  He said that EWU does more with less resources than any other school in the Big Sky and talked about the 2016 schedule. 

Saturday, October 22, 2016

On July 28, 2016 fourteen members heard a presentation from Charity Rotinski regarding 4-H and her home-schooled 4-H Club, West Plains Kidz and Chickz.  She explained that 4-H stands for Head, Heart, Health and Hands.  Clubs focus on STEM education, political awareness and arts as well as livestock and other activities.  There have been 4-H clubs in Spokane County since 1902 and 81% of the kids who stay in 4-H through high school go on to post-secondary education.  She explained that project management is one of the skills that 4-H members learn:  they keep records, do budgets, give presentations about their projects and learn goal setting and develop confidence through their activities.  She also spoke about her own special needs kids and how she worked to have the Spokane Interstate Fair modify its rules so special needs kids could participate in livestock showing.  She also talked about the Junior Livestock show and how its sale provides funds for 4-H members; unfortunately it is struggling financially and its future is uncertain.

July 21, 2016 - Eighteen members heard a presentation by Tom Davis, who was a telegrapher for a brief time at the Northern Pacific railroad station in Cheney.  He spent two years learning Morse code and other telegrapher duties but only worked about 6 months because telephones and computers were eliminating the telegrapher's role. Amongst other duties, the telegrapher was responsible for taking and delivering train orders, selling tickets and changing switches and he demonstrated how train orders were 'handed' to the engineer as the train slowed down while passing the station.

Members were told that the plan is to move the station to another location along First Street and near the downtown.  They envision using the station for some small businesses.  
On July 14, 2016 nineteen members heard a presentation by Charles Mutschler, President of the Cheney Depot Society.  He explained that the current station was an upgrade requested by Clarence Martin, who owned the flour mill and also was Governor of Washington.  It is one of about 3 mission style stations in the Northwest.  He also talked about the types of service available in the past:  package delivery by Railway Express Agency, first class mail service via mail cars and passenger service.    He explained how train orders and time tables worked and said that Cheney once had a 24 hour station agent who handled all items at the station. 

The most notable visitor to Cheney by train was President Truman who stopped in 1950 to see Mr. Martin who had campaigned for the building of Grand Coulee Dam. 
At our July 7, 2016 meeting 19 members heard presentations by Miss Rodeo Washington and Miss Rodeo Florida.  They explained that Florida has more rodeos than Washington and is number 5 in the nation for number of PRCA rodeos.  They  explained that the Miss Rodeo USA pageant is a week long event and includes public speaking about current events, extemporaneous speaking, interviews and testing on horsemanship and horse health.

We also heard that eh Golf tourney donations are going well; the event will be July 17.

Sunday, September 11, 2016


June 30, 2016 - Our guest speaker was Gerald Ray, who has survived 3 bouts of skin cancer and speaks to people about how to avoid and detect these cancers and what to do to reduce the risk of developing them.  He said that one person dies every hour of every day from skin cancer.  We can develop it in places that are not exposed to the sun so it is important to have our entire skin checked at least semi-annually for signs of cancer. 

Seventeen club members,  current Lt. Governor, Teresa Venne and Lt. Gov. Elect Marty Phanco  attended the meeting.  We discussed volunteer scheduling for the upcoming rodeo parade cotton candy sale and getting volunteers and sponsors for the Blackhawk/Kiwanis golf tournament.

June 23, 2016 - Dr. DaBell, a new orthodontist in town, spoke about the developments in orthodontia including digital x-rays, paperless charts and scanning teeth to make a virtual model.  He explained that first molars and some permanent teeth start coming in as early as age 7 and by age 12 all permanent teeth are usually in place.

June 16, 2016 - Doug LaBar, owner of The Mason Jar, spoke about sustainable food to eighteen club members.  Sustainability looks at how to maintain our lives with a growing population and expanding food needs and how food production impacts the environment and water.  Modern farming has focused on single crops and this doesn't provide soil replenishment that can be accomplished by rotating different crops.  In the US about 40% of food that is produced is thrown out in the garbage.  Some of this is done by grocery stores that are currently required to throw out food past expiration date even if the food is still safe to eat.  He also talked about the difference between natural and organic items and briefly discussed GMO issues. 
June 9, 2016 - Eighteen members heard a presentation from State Representative Jeff Holy who is running for re-election.  He talked about the long term impacts from the future medical school in Spokane and the completion of the North-South freeway.  He also spoke about the industrial development prospects in the West Plains and the money being earmarked at state level for improvements to the Medical Lake and Geiger freeway interchanges. 

Our scholarship recipient, Callie Hollingsworth, and her parents attended our meeting.  She will be attending a university near family in California and plans to study social work and minor in Spanish.

June 2, 2016 - Seventeen members heard a presentation on time shares by Woody Latoor.  He explained that timeshares began in the 1940s in Europe where people returned to the same location year after year.  When timeshares started a bit later in the US, people wanted to go to different places and that led to timeshare exchanges.  Originally the timeshare was a right to use a location for a specified number of years but now they are deeded.  Timeshare maintenance fees can exceed what the resort owner may charge a 3rd party user to rent a unit, so getting rid of a timeshare can be difficult.

May 26, 2016 - Our scheduled speaker was unable to attend.  We had 15 club members present and discussed our Cheney High scholarship and the plans for the summer Blackhawk/Kiwanis golf tournament.
May 19, 2016 - We had three people from the Alzheimer's Association speak to us. 
May 12, 2016 - Our speaker was from Lutheran Foster Services and told us about their program to help unaccompanied minors come to the US, become self sufficient and gain US citizenship.  Prospective participants go through security and medical screenings before being accepted into the program.  US foster parents receive some financial help and there are regularly scheduled meetings with program case managers. 

We had several guests:  Carol Beason from Cheney Outreach and Betz K-Kids and their school advisor were our guests.   The K-Kids will be having a car wash fund raiser at Banner Bank on June 4. 

Saturday, September 10, 2016

May 5, 2016 - Our Speaker was Joe Dumalo from the Spokane Veterans Center.  It is separate from the VA Hospital and provides counseling for combat vets, military sexual trauma survivors and bereavement counseling for family members of deceased veterans.  They have 11 full time employees and 1 part time employee.

Tony asked club members to consider volunteering to be the Food Bank Manager; the current manager has done it for many years and would like to turn it over to someone else.

Members planned the flower planting at the Care Center and reported on the Special Olympics lunch packing.

Saturday, July 16, 2016


April 28, 2016 - Twenty-one members heard a presentation by EWU math professor Dr. Dale Garaway.  He spoke about the FIRST robotics competition that is held every year at EWU.  FIRST is an acronym: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.  It is a worldwide program and the US portion is linked to $30 million in scholarships.  There are several different levels of competition for kids from under age 9 to high school seniors.  It is a sports themed competition that focuses on STEM concepts (science, technology, engineering and math).  Themes include gracious professionalism and 'coopertition' - competing and cooperating.  Coopertition examples include teams that compete in one event later combining their efforts in another event or teams sharing ideas and materials even when competing.

April 21, 2016 - Our speaker was ill and could not attend.  In place of the speaker, the twenty-one attending members were asked to share what was on their 'bucket list'.  We also discussed our plans for April 30 Special Olympics lunch packing and the May 7 flower planting at the Cheney Care Center. 

April 14, 2016 - Twenty -two members were present.  Our speaker was Debbie Anderson, who owns Against the Grain gift/craft store and the Holiday Inn Express in Cheney.  The Holiday Inn is adding 46 guest rooms, a 2000 square foot meeting area and a catering kitchen.  They've been sold out 150 times a year; busiest times are March through September and Thursdays through Sundays.  One unique thing they have is a special hockey locker room for teams to store their gear.

We will lead the Special Olympics lunch packing on April 30; we elected our 2016-17 club officers.    
April 7, 2016 - Eighteen members heard a presentation from Mike Forness, executive director of the Spokane Ronald McDonald house.  It is designed to provide lodging for families of children receiving ongoing active hospital care when the families live over 40 miles or 40 minutes from Spokane.  They can accommodate up to 22 families at a time and usually have a waiting list of 15-20 families.  About 5-6% of their funding comes from McDonalds franchisees in the area ($1.3 million) and 9-10% of funding comes from customer donations at the canisters at McDonalds.  About 25% of canister donations go to McDonalds corporation to help fund $50,000 per house for expansion/creation.

The egg hunt was a success; Betz K-Kids are planning a car wash and the club set a date and time to plant flowers at the Care Center.

Thursday, June 2, 2016


March 31, 2016 - Seventeen members attended.  We heard performances by some members of the Lilac City Home Schooled Band program and a presentation by the lady who started the program.  Currently there are 39 students in the program.  It is for children ages 9 and up and no musical experience is needed.  Musical instruments and supplies are donated.   She also shared the benefits of teaching music to children:  it facilitates learning math and language; develops team building and socializing, promotes muscle activity and listening; leads to more balanced right and left brain development; promotes creative thinking, develops memory recall, helps overcome performance fear and helps develop discipline in practicing and developing a skill.



March 24, 2016 - Kasidy Probert, the Finance Officer for Cheney School district, spoke to 18 club members.  He presented statistics on the annual budget and what expense categories are funded by local levies and fees; how much is funded by the state and what programs are funded by federal funds.  Snowdon elementary is already filled to capacity and the district will seek public input regarding any additional schools.  The student-teacher ratio average for the district was discussed; he noted that state regulations stipulate a 17 to 1 average for K-4th grades and larger ratios are allowed in the higher grades. 

March 17, 2016 - Kathy Sleeth, the new Admissions Director at EWU gave a presentation to 16 club members.  She had a career in Navy recruiting, taught Navy ROTC at Perdue and worked in the Perdue admissions program before coming to EWU in July 2015.  EWU hosts about 4,000-5,000 visitors each year.  Current enrollment is 90-95% in- state students and there are about 28 international students (mostly from Saudi Arabia).  She supervises a staff of 11 recruiters and 6 operations staff.  They visit over 200 high schools and attend over 200 college fairs each year. 

March 10,  2016 - Club member Mark Eckerich gave a fascinating presentation on shop safety.  He brought examples and explained the features of various safety goggles, safety gloves and hearing protection.  The nineteen members also discussed plans for the March 26th egg hunt.

March 3, 2016 - Eighteen members heard a presentation by Amy Knapton, Executive Director of the Vanessa Behan Crisis Center.  The center is open 24/7 and receives no government funding.  Their annual budget is about $1.7 million and is enhanced by volunteer help valued at $5 million per year.  In 2015 4,877 children were served but 2,500 had to be turned away.  Currently they have a capacity of 22 children at a time; the average stay is 24 hours; stays are usually limited to 72 hours be can be extended if home conditions are still bad. 


A Kiwanis advisor for Aktion Club also told the club about their upcoming projects:  polishing the brass on the  Riverfront park carousel, volunteering at Meals on Wheels every month and plangent flowers by the gondola in Riverfront Park.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

February 25 2016 - We did not have a speaker today.  Members discussed plans for the Egg Hunt on March 26 and information was presented about the Paint-A-Helmet district event on April 23 and a March 2 organizational meeting for the West Plains Support Network.

February 18, 2016 - Lindsey Ruivivar of CHAS health clinic spoke to us.  The CHAS clinic was originally started to provide health care for the homeless and has expanded to provide health care to anyone on a sliding fee basis.  They operate 12 sites - 2 in Idaho and most of the rest are in Spokane County.  They serve slightly over 50,000 patients per year and about 1,600 Cheney residents were traveling to CHAS clinics in Spokane for dental care.  The Cheney clinic opened in December 2015 and currently is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm.  They plan to expand those hours and will add pharmacy and dental services in 2016.

February  11, 2016 - Carol Kreigh spoke to us about "Feed Cheney".  They provide a free dinner each month, usually on the last Monday.  Free groceries are also available and sometimes clothing is also available.  The meal is available to everyone  - no financial criteria has to be met.  The food is provided and prepared by the Spokane County Women's and Children's free restaurant and Second Harvest.    It costs about $6,000 per year to operate the program.  All money comes from fundraising and they operate under the 501(c)(3) license of the United Church of Christ.  They have an average of 50 volunteers each month; they come from church congregations, EWU student organizations and Cheney High student organizations.
February 4, 2016 - Greg Hare, Vice Principal and Athletic Director at Cheney High School spoke.  He told us about the new Girl's gymnastics program which is competing in the Greater Spokane League since there are no other teams in the usual sports league.  He also discussed the changes that are being made to protect athletes from concussions.  He explained that the district provides funding for team travel, officials and coaches but uniform and equipment costs are funded by fundraising, ASB fees and money from admissions.


He will work with us to organize the Blackhawk/Kiwanis golf tournament which will be in mid-July.

January 28, 2016 - Club member Sean Dotson told us about his family's travel experience in China when going to adopt children.  There was dramatic economic development accompanied by a lot of pollution and the destruction of some historical sites.

January 21, 2016 - Dr. Charles Mutschler, President of the Cheney Depot Society talked about the depot's history and the efforts to save and relocate it.  The unusual Southwest style depot was built by the Northern Pacific after Clarence Martin of Martin flour milling requested a station upgrade.  There are two other Southwest style depots in the northwest and one has been successfully moved.   A former Cheney resident has pledged to match all donations up to $500,000. 


Nineteen members attended the meeting.  K-Kids liaisons reported that both clubs have received their supplies from Kiwanis International.
January 14, 2016 - Fourteen members and 5 guests heard a presentation from Dr. Charles Mutschler, EWU archivist.  He gave a brief history of EWU focusing on the history of  its library facilities and major changes in how libraries organize, catalog and provide access to materials. 
January7, 2016 - Our members heard a presentation from Chris Cargill of the Washington Policy Center.  It is an independent think tank and he spoke about several issues including meeting the funding requirements for K-12 schools and the upcoming vote for funding to expand STA service.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

December 24 and December 31, 2015:  There will not be Kiwanis meetings on these dates.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

December 17, 2015 meeting notes:  Eighteen members were present and our speakers were the Moberleys who spoke about the Just Serve organization. It is sponsored by the local LDS church and is designed to connect service organizations with volunteers.  Organizations have to promise that volunteers will not be used on political, fund raising or  profit making projects.


Our club has been invited to a Cheney Gardners' potluck on January 11 at 6:30pm.  This is to thank us for our service in the community.


Clara reported that Betz K-Kids have raised $450 for new playground equipment.  This amount has been matched by someone and the K-Kids will be selecting the new items.




December 10, 2015:  Eighteen members attended and heard a presentation on dental health by member Andy Martinssen.  He explained that healthy gums have tooth pockets of less than 3mm; pockets are measured at several places on inside and outside of each tooth.  Plaque is a bacterial infection that can be disturbed by brushing and flossing.  If plaque hardens it is called tartar and has to be scraped to be removed.  Tartar leads to bone loss.  He said the best cavity filling material is gold; a white composite is frequently used and silver amalgam is seldom used now.  For crowns, the best material is also gold but a tooth colored material is usually used.


We also had an update on the process for toy distribution by Cheney Outreach.
December 3, 2015 meeting notes:  Nineteen members attended and tried their skill at trivia and identifying Christmas carols from picture clues.  Maggie Crabtree from the Downtown Spokane club talked about the Chili Challenge at Luigi's on January 15.

Monday, February 15, 2016

November 19, 2015:  Our speakers were Michael and Linda McCollum.  They are both geologists and described the process they used to survey Eastern Washington geologic formations.  They described the changes made by the flood from glacial Lake Missoula and talked about the hypothesis that mima mounds are the result of subduction earthquakes. 


There will be no meeting next week -- Happy Thanksgiving!
November 12, 2015 meeting:  Lt. Col. Pape from EWU Army ROTC was our speaker.  He explained that ROTC is voluntary, about 50% of the students are female and it provides a way to cover some college costs and graduates enter the Army as officers.  There is emphasis on academic success and by their junior year over half of the students are on a scholarship.  ROTC participants sign a contract in their junior year and then receive a monthly stipend even when in school.  He was asked about physical condition requirements:  they vary according to function the cadet is expected to perform; both male and female cadets performing the same function have to meet the same physical condition standards. 


The EWU Circle K club met last week with 13 students attending.
November 5, 2015 meeting:  Our speaker was Bill Chaves, Athletic Director at EWU.  He is very proud of EWU winning the Big Sky President's Trophy for the second time in 5 years.  The trophy is awarded based on both athletic and academic performance and reflects the emphasis that is placed on athletes performing well academically, graduating and being leaders.  He was asked about the proposed Gateway project - it is being funded entirely by donations and is being worked on daily. 


The Harvest Festival at EWU was a success - about 450 kids participated and Kirk, our club organizer, thanked club volunteers for their help.

October 29, 2015:  Member Dave Daugharty presented our annual Child Protect training.  The main thing to remember is to not be alone with one child.  This avoids creating a situation that could lead to a claim of abuse.  Members can get their criminal background checks done for free at Keith Walker's business and the printouts should be given to the club secretary.

October 22, 2015:  Our speaker was Dave Meany, Director of Media Relations at EWU.  He discussed his role in university and emergency communications.  He also discussed the impact of the Rachel Dolezal controversy on the university. 


Members mentioned that there will be a Christmas breakfast fundraiser on Dec. 4 at the Spokane Club and also fundraising is happening for Wreaths Across America which will happen on Dec. 12.  We also need volunteers to help with Coats 4 Kids distribution this month.

October 15, 2015:  Our speaker was Megan Ford, Student Services Coordinator for Communities in Schools at Cheney High School.  Communities in Schools works with students at risk of dropping out to help them improve academic performance, attendance and behavior.  They also work with students after graduation if they are college bound. They are in need of community mentors and are funded thru Americorp grants and other donations.  Their fundraiser is this Saturday at the Red Lion at the Park.


We also made plans for an interclub visit on October 27 to the Hillyard Kiwanis club

October 8, 2015 meeting:  Our speaker was from the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency.  This is a government sponsored organization that was formed in the late 1960's to administer federal, state and local clean air regulations.  They have a staff of 18 and issue about 40-50 permits a year for new businesses.  The staff includes 5 inspectors who inspect over 600 facilities and 200 gas stations.  There are also 2 staff member who do the air monitoring and when we had poor air quality due to the wildfires in the state, the agency's web site was accessed by over 62,000 people.


We also discussed the schedule for Kiwanis participation at the EWU Harvest Festival and asked for club liaisons to our Key Club and K-Kids groups.
October 2, 2015 annual meeting:  Twenty one members and some spouses attended the annual meeting and installation of 2015-16 officers.  Our new President is Bob Mostek, Vice President is Carl Schwenn, Secretary is Jeri Morgan and Treasurer is Duane Isaac.

Friday, January 1, 2016

September 24, 2015 meeting notes:  Member Mark Eckerich engaged our eighteen members in a game of Cheney history trivia.  Tom Whitfield was the winner but many members answered at least one question correctly.

September 17, 2015 meeting notes:  Eighteen members heard a presentation from Cheney Police Chief Hensley.  City of Cheney residents will be voting soon on a levy lift to provide additional funding to help upgrade police cars and computer equipment. He discussed the dilemma of being close to Spokane and having EWU in the city:  the increased student population leads to more service calls but being close to Spokane leads to lower retail sales and tax revenue for the city.  He told us about the officer staffing situation and how the department has changed how they handle complaints about loud/disorderly parties.
September 10, 2015:  Twenty-three members and one guest heard a dynamic weather analysis and winter forecast by meteorologist Bob Quinn.  He expects  a stronger El Nino weather pattern this year, expects more precipitation in the mountains and expects local weather to be wetter and warmer than last winter.  He also explained how the oceans affect our weather. We'll see if his forecasts are right!

September 3, 2015 meeting notes:  Sixteen members attended and heard a presentation by Carol Beason from Cheney Outreach and John Matthews from the Cheney Food Bank.  Carol explained how the Cheney Community Service Council, local churches and Salvation Army support Outreach and how Outreach determine who qualifies for assistance.  They served 2000 people last year and supplied such things as sports scholarships, school supplies, Christmas gifts and small cash awards to help with utilities.  The food bank receives support from Second Harvest and has recently received an endowment from a former volunteer.