The MisprintThe Kiwanis Club of Springfield -South

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August 18, 2020Meetings every Thursday at noon at Jimmy’s Egg,3738 S. Campbell

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CASA of Southwest Missouri Our guest speaker at the August 13 club meeting was Laura Farmer, Execu-tive Director of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Southwest Mis-souri. CASA trains volunteers to advocate with the courts for abused and neglected children in the foster care system. The Southwest Missouri chapter serves Greene and Christian counties, which have the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the state. CASA volunteers receive 30 hours of training; typically 15 hours in the classroom (now done via Zoom because of the Covid-19 pandemic) and 15 hours online. A volunteer advocate will work with only one child or sibling group at a time, meet with them at least twice per month to determine their needs, appear at court hearings to speak on their behalf, and act as mentor/roll model and constant positive in the child’s life. Ms. Farmer said there are currently 744 children in foster care in Greene County, and 145 in Christian County. The average stay in foster care is two years, during which time a child will live in 3-5 different foster homes and often attend a different school every time they change foster homes, so a CASA volunteer provides a sense of consistency in a very unsettled world. A child with a CASA volunteer usually performs better in school, has an easier time adjusting to change, and is much less likely to return to foster care after exiting. Ms. Farmer told us that, in May, CASA of Southwest Missouri received a grant to work with older youth (ages 12 and up) in the foster care system. She said these youth are less likely to graduate from high school and it is more difficult to find a permanent home for them. CASA is using this money to provide new train-ing for volunteers to help empower these youth to succeed when they exit the foster care system. If you’d like to learn more about CASA of Southwest Missouri, you can visit their website at www.casaswmo.org.

Misprint Editor:David Bohnenkamper

For more information aboutKiwanis and it’s mission visit the Kiwanis International website atwww.kiwanis.org

Club Service Projects

Club Business

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School Supply Drive for Boys & Girls ClubFor the next few weeks, the club will be holding a school supply drive for the Boys and Girls Club. Items needed include pencils, pens, crayons, erasers, and notebook paper. So the next time you’re out shopping, pick up a few of the supplies listed above and bring them to the next club meeting.

Gift Card Board Drawing PostponedThe drawing date for our Gift Card Board fundraiser has been postponed indefinitely, but you can still sell tickets. Remember, this fundraiser is to replace the Kiwanis Cup Mini-Golf Tournament which has been cancelled this year due to concerns about Covid-19. Proceeds from the Gift Card Board Raffle will help offset the costs of our annual Boys and Girls Club Christmas Party, so get out there and sell those tickets.

Membership Drive Underway

Upcoming Meeting Programs

Now is a great time to bring in new members for the club. Kiwanis International and the Missouri Arkansas District have agreed to waive dues and new member fees for anyone joining Kiwanis through September 20 of this year, and our club has a standing policy of waiving club dues for the first year when a new member joins. So if you know someone you think would be a great Kiwanian, let them know they can join through Sept. 20 for free.

August 21 - Jeff King, Missouri Baptist Children’s HomeAugust 28 - Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks

Sept. 3 - Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

Lippelman Golf TournamentThe annual Lippelman Golf Tournament is scheduled for Sept. 28, and it’s not too early to start recruiting golfers and hole sponsors for the event. The tournament will be held at Millwood golf course starting at 8:00 a.m. Registration is $100 per player with teams of 2, and hole sponsorships are $125 per hole.

Weekly 50/50 DrawingNobody won the 50/50 drawing at our last weekly meeting, so the cumulative pot stands at $88.50 for this week.

65th Club Anniversary CelebrationMark your calendars! The club will be having a special celebration of our 65th Anniversary as part of our annual Officer Installation and Awards Banquet on Sept. 24. Our special guest for the celebration will be Missouri Arkansas District Governor-Elect A.C. Paxton and officers will be installed by 2020-21 Division 13 Lt. Governor Shane Strahl. The event will be held at Archie’s Italian Eatery, 1410 E. Republic Road, at 6:00 p.m.