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Kiwanis honors students

Erin Birkenholtz and Katrina (Kat) Cummings were recognized by our Monroe Kiwanis Club on November 27 for their accomplishments. Their parents are David and Elizabeth Birkenholtz and Robert and the late Nancy Cummings. Kat was named the "Most Improved Actress" this year and she won three Division I ratings for flute at the Solo/Ensemble contest.

She also received a Division I rating for Ensemble Acting at the State Speech contest.  Kat is already a Kiwanian as a member of the PCM Key Club and is serving as secretary - and she is also Thespian treasurer.  Her proudest moment was being accepted into the National Honor Society. Her dream job is to be First Chair flutist for the Washington, D.C. Symphony Orchestra.

Erin has won letters in volleyball, golf and academics. She has been Big Student/Little Student representative and is the yearbook editor.  Erin's proudest moment was breaking the school volleyball record for 25 digs during a match. In her dream job, she would be an Orthopedic Surgical Assistant.

Kiwanis honors students

March Students of the Month, Levi Clark and Mandy Riggle, were guests at the Tuesday morning Kiwanis meeting. Kiwanis honors the Students of the Month by inviting the students and their parents to breakfast and presenting a certificate. Mr. Fred Lorensen, PCM High School Principal, introduces the students and presents their awards.

Some interesting things about Amanda (Mandy) are: She plans to be a medic in the army. She describes herself as “Tall, Compassionate and Outgoing.” After completing her military career, she wants to do missionary work. 

Levi (Leroy) Clark, Amanda (Mandy) Riggle, 
and Mr. Lorensen

Levi tells this about himself: They call him Leroy. He plans to attend Iowa State and major in computer science. He is “Friendly, Funny and Outgoing.” His dream job would be to be a professional golfer on the PGA tour.

Our clothes and toys were 
a big hit in Iraq 

SPC Tony Woestman, on leave from duty in Iraq, spoke and showed pictures at the Monroe Kiwanis Club meeting Tuesday morning, February 20. He talked about his experiences as a medic and then keyed in on a project completed with help from the Monroe Kiwanis Club and other members of our community.

In early December, the Monroe Kiwanis Club, at Tony’s request in an e-mail to his parents John and Nancy, collected new and gently used warm clothing for children in Iraq. Their weather this time of year, Tony described, is 40 to 60 degrees in the daytime and 30 to 40 at night. Many of the children do not have warm clothing or even shoes due to the circumstances in their country. 

The PCM High School Key Club (part of the Kiwanis family) also participated in this project. They and Kiwanians thought beyond the children’s physical needs and purchased and included other things like soccer balls, coloring books and crayons and sunglasses (one of their favorite things, according to Woestman). 

SPC Woestman told of his living conditions (not bad), the country of Iraq and the war from his perspective. One of the interesting but frightening photos was of a tank Tony was riding in last Christmas night that drove over a mine. The multi-ton tank was raised quite high in the air on the side where it was hit, the fuel tanks were ruptured and the tank was on fire as Tony and his fellow soldiers escaped.

The children in Iraq were very excited to receive the warm clothing and other gifts from the Monroe Kiwanis Club and the Monroe community. More than 20 large boxes of clothing and gifts were donated. The Kiwanis club paid the shipping costs from money raised in fundraising projects. 

Soccer balls are especially prized by 
children who don’t have a lot of toys 
to enjoy. More than 20 of them were 
included in the boxes sent to Iraq – 
along with a few pumps to inflate them.

Coloring books, dolls and a few other 
toys were also included in the 
shipment of clothes to Iraq. 
The Kiwanis motto is “Serving the 
Children of the World.”

Kay Van Ryswyk was a guest 
at Kiwanis on Tuesday morning. 
After watching Tony grow up as a 
boy, she wanted to hear about 
his experiences as a man 
serving his country in Iraq.

Kiwanis honors students

At their weekly meeting on January 30, the Monroe Kiwanis Club honored January Students of the Month Brittany Knutson and Kayla Donahue.

Brittany is pictured with her dad and step-mom Jeff and Jan Knutson and Kayla with her parents David and Linda Donahue.

Each month, PCM High School principal, Fred Lorensen, presents the Students of the Month at a Kiwanis meeting where they receive a plaque and certificate. These are students who exhibit outstanding qualities and accomplishments. The Monroe Kiwanis Club is proud to honor them.

Kiwanis is a service club with the motto: Serving the Children of the World. Each year, the Monroe Kiwanis Club raises and donates from $12,000 to $20,000 (and sometimes even more) to projects that help children and communities. Most of the money is spent right here in Monroe.

All adults are welcome to join Kiwanis. If you are interested and just want to take a look at who we are and what we do, contact any Kiwanian, call Bob at 641 259 2391 or just come to City Hall in Monroe any Tuesday morning between 6 and 6:30.

A Kiwanian saw a need…and 
made things happen

PCM High School now has an Outdoor or Environmental Classroom equipped with free furnishings. The building is south of the PCM High School adjacent to a pond. It was funded by grants and donations. No tax dollars have been used. 

On election day in November, the Monroe Kiwanis Club held their regular Tuesday morning at the high school. Then the approximately 25 members in attendance that morning were given a tour of the new building by Agriculture and Environment Tech teacher Ed Ricks. 

When asked why the building wasn’t in use yet, Ricks commented that it still needed cabinets, furniture and equipment. Plans are to use this building to educate young people about DNA testing, Bio Diesel/Ethanol generation and electrical wiring skills.

Kiwanian Howard Van Der Pol mentioned that there is a lot of equipment at the Maytag facility now owned by Whirlpool. He asked Ricks to make a list of what they needed. It immediately became a Kiwanis project to see that the facility was well equipped so it could be used. 

Ricks followed through. Howard Van Der Pol did, too. 

Howard contacted Whirlpool and they generously donated laboratory furniture and equipment, a flammable cabinet, other cabinets and a refrigerator to the new Outdoor Environmental Classroom.

In early December, 2006, three teachers, four students and Howard and Betty Van Der Pol (also a Kiwanian) ascended on Maytag/Whirlpool with three pickups, two cattle trailers and a car trailer. They hauled home to PCM furnishings and equipment estimated at a value of $15,000 - $20,000.

Pictures by Betty Van Der Pol

Mastersmith Clark at Kiwanis meeting

Student of the Month

Kristi Boner and Jill Birkenholtz were honored at the Kiwanis breakfast meeting this week (December 19) as the December Students of the Month. Their mothers, Dana Boner and Teresa Birkenholtz attended the meeting with them.

Left to right in photo: Dana Boner, Kristi Boner (Student of the Month), 
High School Principal Fred Lorensen, Jill Birkenholtz (Student of the Month) 
and Teresa Birkenholtz.

	November Students October Students September Students

Kiwanis Christmas Dinner for Monroe Senior Citizens

(Posted 12/03/06) Approximately 120 Monroe Senior Citizens and Kiwanians shared in fellowship and a Christmas style dinner last Saturday evening at the High School.

Kiwanis has a "Happy Dollars" offering at each meeting and someone suggested it be offered at this one, too. For a $1 contribution, anyone can tell of something happy happening in their lives. This one ranged from new grandchildren to anniversaries to one person saying he is very happy to be 88 years old and still able to come to the dinner!

Entertainment was provided by the Living Water Gospel Quartet. This group donates much to the New Life International, Inc., Water Purification System for Christian Mission Fields in Third World countries. The Monroe Kiwanis Club donated to that humanitarian cause in appreciation of their entertainment.    

More pictures

Kiwanians Spearhead
Clothes for Iraq Kids Project

On Saturday, December 2, more than 20 boxes of clothing and other supplies for kids were packed at City Hall in Monroe. They are now on their way to Iraq where, as SPC Tony Woestman describes: "It's starting to get really cold out now here in Iraq and most of the kids don't have shoes or warm clothing."

Brooke Woody sorting and packing.

His message continued: "Is there is any way you could collect some sweaters, jackets and shoes for children ages 1 to 15 and send a couple of boxes? It would be greatly appreciated."
In typical midwest fashion, Monroe folks started buying new and collecting slightly used clothes, shoes, socks, pens, pencils, crayons, coloring books, notebooks, sunglasses and soccer balls as gifts to the children affected by war. Probably more than 10 times as much was sent as was first requested. But, checking with Tony, he assured his Monroe friends that there were enough soldiers to get it all distributed.

 
Nancy Woestman was part of originating the Iraq project. Nancy and John's son, SPC Anthony (Tony) Woestman is a medic with the Army's 1-12 Cavalry in Iraq. Tony, a 2002 graduate of PCM High School, sent an e-mail request for warm clothing for children in Iraq as the weather is turning colder now. The area has been hard hit by the war and many of the families cannot afford warm weather clothing this year. He noted that the children also like sunglasses and soccer balls.

Some stayed here

As supplies were being collected for kids in Iraq, those working with the project learned of a need for warm coats among some of our own middle school students. A number of coats were then set aside to fill that need.

The Woestman's and the Monroe Kiwanis and Key Clubs thank all who participated in any way in this humanitarian project. Not only will kids here and in Iraq be physically warmer, many hearts here were warmed by the generosity.

Brooke Woody packing a box of clothes.

Bob Dunaway deflating soccer balls. Requests from other countries often include soccer balls for kids. Last year, the Kiwanis Club sent a dozen soccer balls with Howard Van Der Pol when he made a trip to Russia.

Eric Woestman, another Kiwanis Key Club member, was part of the packing and boxing team.

Brooke Woody (Kiwanis Key Club member) and Kathy Van Veen sorting and packing.