SOUTHWEST DISTRICT KIWANIS FOUNDATION
Minutes for Board of Directors Meeting Friday, October 14, 2011
Ponderosa Lodge, Kamp Kiwanis, NM
1. Call to Order:
The Board Meeting was called to order by President Jim Sowers at 7:06 PM on Friday, October 14,
2011. President Sowers presented an invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Bob
Kay. A silent roll call was taken by Foundation Board Secretary, Burt Snipes.
Board members present: Jim Sowers (President and Director at Large); Garson Salas (VicePresident and Director, Division 3); Bob Kay (Immediate Past-President); Bobby Davis (Governor);
Bruce Knappenberger (Immediate Past-Governor); Burt Snipes (Secretary); Bob Morrell (Director,
Division 2); Mike Robinson (Director, Division 4); Paul Vordermann (Director, Division 5); Marge
Carrithers (Director, Division 8); Ray Devine (Director, Division 10); Chung-Kai Liu (Director,
Division 11); Jim Day (Director, Division 12); Paul Gonnerman (Director, Division 17); Lew
Bradley (Director, Division 18); Alan Payne (Director at Large); and Jan Smeal (Director at Large).
Board members absent: Stephen Kurtz (President-Elect); Jim Courtright (Governor-Elect);
Eastburn Bennett (Treasurer); Bob Carson (Director, Division 7); Betty Misch (Director, Division
9); Joe DeBlasi (Director, Division 13); Ray Williams (Director, Division 14); Debbie Des Chene
(Director, Division 15); Bob Bussing (Director, Division 16); Lew Bradley (Director, Division 18);
Phil Fargotstein (Special Advisor); and Scott Wede (Risk Manager).
Visitors present: Chris and Sarah Mortensen.
2. Notes from the President:
a. Introductory Remarks: President Sowers asked everyone present at the Board Meeting to
introduce themself and indicate their role in the Foundation. A quorum was present.
b. New Directors: Paul Vordermann is a new Director on the Foundation Board representing
Division 5; Jim Day is a new Director on the Foundation Board representing Division 12.
3. Officer Reports:
a. Secretary’s Report: Secretary Burt Snipes noted that he had sent Board Members draft
versions of Minutes for the August 5, 2011 Foundation Board of Directors Annual Meeting
and the August 6, 2011 Foundation Membership Annual Meeting, both in Tucson, AZ. Burt
requested comments for changes or corrections in the drafts. Marge Carrithers noted a
wording error in the draft minutes for the August 6th Annual Meeting of the Foundation,
which Burt corrected. No additional comments or corrections were offered. Bob Morrell
MOVED and Jan Smeal SECONDED to approve the Minutes for the Annual Meeting of
the Foundation as amended. The motion passed by a voice vote of the Board. The draft
Minutes for the Annual Foundation Board Meeting were modified to more concisely state
that Stephen Kurtz resigned his position as a member of the Foundation Finance Committee.
Bob Kay MOVED and Ray Devine SECONDED to approve the Minutes for the Annual
Meeting of the Board as amended. The motion passed by a voice vote of the Board.
b. Financial Reports: Neither Stephen Kurtz nor Eastburn Bennett were present but had made
their financial reports available for this Board Meeting. Stephen’s report was current as of
August 31, 2011; Eastburn’s was current as of October 1, 2011. Alan Payne, who assumed
responsibility for Foundation bookkeeping effective October 1, 2011, briefly discussed these
reports. Alan will work with Stephen Kurtz over the next couple of months to complete this
transfer of bookkeeping responsibilities. (Copies of the financial reports from Stephen Kurtz
and Eastburn Bennett are included in the Secretary’s records for this Board Meeting).
4. Committee Reports:
a. Scholarships: Bob Kay reported that all scholarships for last year have been awarded. This
consisted of one scholarship for $1,000.00 and three scholarships for $500.00 each. Details
about these scholarships are in the August 5, 2011 Board Minutes.
b. Kiwanis Across Borders: Joe DeBlasi was not present but sent information to Bob Kay to
present at this Board Meeting. The Kiwanis Club of Phoenix was awarded $1,000.00 as
matching funds for an excellent project that helps support a school in Cambodia.
c. Blazers, Kachinas, Sustaining Members & Legacy Society: Illene Harrison was not
present, but gave a current summary of Sustaining Members to President Sowers to
distribute at this Board Meeting, which he did. Bruce Knappenberger reminded us that we
agreed to change the first column title of Illene’s summaries from “Billing Month” to
“Reminder Month.” President Sowers will remind Illene to make this change. Bob Kay
encouraged the Board Members to work harder on the Blazer, Kachina, and Legacy Society
programs. Ray Devine suggested that we get commitments from Board Members, as well as
Lt. Governors relative to goals for getting new contributors for these important Foundation
programs. President Sowers reminded the Board that the Foundation has pamphlets
available that describe these programs. Marge Carrithers has a Power Point presentation
available that describes Kamp Kiwanis and Foundation programs that she will make
available to anyone who wants a copy of it. This was developed for Division 8 but can be
edited to be directly relevant to any Division.
d. Student Recognition Program: Paul Gonnerman gave a brief report indicating that this
program is going well and he is working on the program for the 2011-2012 school year.
5. Old Business:
a. Kamp Water System: President Sowers summarized progress to date. The 76,000 gallon
water storage tank has been installed, but not yet connected to the water wells or distribution
facilities. We are still working with the State of New Mexico on application materials for
the water system. President Sowers and other Board Members met today with
representatives from plumbing and electrical contractors from Gallup to discuss details
relevant to finalizing this project. We hope to complete the plumbing and electrical work
during the next few months. The water system booster pump equipment is on order and
should be arriving at Kamp Kiwanis sometime in November 2011. We hope to have the
new system completely operational sometime during the early part of 2012.
b. Kamp Kitchen Renovation: Bob Kay presented an update on this project. The room to
house the new refrigerator and freezer has been renovated and the new refrigerator and
freezer are in place. We are working on kitchen lighting this weekend. The next step will
be some cleaning and painting. The project is going well and we will meet the one year time
requirement of the Kiwanis Club of the Superstitions to use their $10,000.00 donation for
this Kamp kitchen renovation work. Our next inspection by the State of New Mexico
Health Department will probably be during June 2012.
c. Kamp Bunk Beds and Mattresses: Bob Kay reminded the Board that each Division in
Southwest District Kiwanis has been asked to donate $325.00 to the Foundation to purchase
one bunk bed each. This will allow completing our project of replacing all of the old
wooden bunk beds with new steel bunk beds. Bob, Alan Payne, and Bruce Knappenberger
delivered a total of ten new bunk beds to Kamp Kiwanis this weekend. Assembly of these
ten bunks is on the list of Activity Weekend projects. We have also purchased 51 new
2
mattresses as a start to replacing all of the old mattresses, which have deteriorated to
different degrees over the years. We currently have 196 bunk beds, with 51 new mattresses.
d. Kamp Sidewalk Replacement: President Sowers reminded the Board that Kamp sidewalks
are in terrible shape and need to be replaced. This is estimated to cost about $30,000.00 to
$40,000.00. Bob Kay noted that in the recent past he received a quote for this work from a
company in Phoenix indicating that they would do the work for $23,000.00 plus the Kamp
Bobcat and flatbed trailer. President Sowers suggested that the Southwest District
Governors might help raise the money necessary for this project when they visit Kiwanis
clubs throughout the District. Lighting for nighttime recreational activities is another issue
that could be addressed along with sidewalk renovation. Bob Kay said that we need 5,680
square feet of concrete to replace specific areas of deteriorating sidewalks and patios. Scott
Wede (Foundation Risk Manager) also expressed concerns about sidewalk safety and
liability issues. The renovated sidewalks must be ADA compliant.
e. Web Site: President Sowers reported that progress is being made to completely replace our
existing website with a new one. The new website will include calendars, pictures, and
other information to help people understand what is happening at Kamp Kiwanis. Lew
Bradley agreed to pay for this effort. This new website may be in place when we meet in
Las Cruces for the Mid-Year Conference.
f. Money From Silent Auction: Bob Kay reported that the Foundation received $5,156.00
from the silent auction in Tucson last August. One hundred seventeen items were donated
for the auction. We received $300.00 additional from auctioning a poster. This was our
third best result ever from auctions. Individuals who organized this auction did a great job.
6. New Business:
a. Budget for 2011-2012: President Sowers suggested that we use last year’s budget as a
budget to start with for this year. A revised budget for 2011-2012 will be presented for
consideration at our Board Meeting in Las Cruces during the Mid-Year Conference. Ray
Devine MOVED and Bob Kay SECONDED to use the 2010-2011 Foundation budget as a
starting budget for 2011-2012. The motion passed by a voice vote of the Board.
Note: Issues that will be addressed in revising the budget in Las Cruces will include: 1) a
request by Bob Carson “…for $6000 for scholarships to match a like amount from Kiwanis
International Foundation, $1,000.00 to partially pay to send students to the LSSP and
$500.00 to partially pay to send two students to Leadership Academy,“ and 2) a request by
Susan Poland for the Foundation to provide $500.00 to help purchase breakfasts for 55 Key
Club members and adults at the July 2012 Key Club International Convention in Orland,
Florida.
b. Weekends of a Lifetime:
 Friday, November 11 – Sunday, November 13, 2011. We are anticipating about 100
Key Club members to attend.
 Saturday, February 18 – Monday, February 20, 2012. We are anticipating about 200
Key Club members to attend.
c. Lighting for Outdoor Recreational Facilities: Discussed earlier in this meeting.
d. Accounting Changes: President Sowers noted that we currently have two ways of paying
bills. Most of the bills for Kamp Kiwanis are paid by Eastburn Bennett, Foundation
Treasurer and Officer on this Board. There are other bills that come to Kamp Kiwanis that
require immediate payment, such as propane deliveries, that must be paid C.O.D. The
Kamp Manager has an account for paying for things that are immediately due. Over the
3
years we may have caused more items to be paid for by the Kamp Manager than we should
have. For example, there is no reason that expenses for Activity Weekends should be
handled by the Kamp Manager. These expenses should be directed to Eastburn Bennett for
posting and payment. The Kamp Manager’s account should be basically a petty cash
account, with a limited balance that is adequate for the immediately payable items. Eastburn
can send money to the Kamp Manager as necessary. President Sowers wants to direct every
payment possible to be handled by Eastburn Bennett. This should result in simplifying
budgetary issues for the Kamp Manager and consistent postings to Foundation budget
categories. We also want to emphasize the use of electronic banking to improve access to
information by individuals who need access, such as Alan Payne.
President Sowers reviewed the Foundation’s sources of funding for Kamp Kiwanis. We
have Blazers, Kachinas, Sustaining Memberships, and Legacy Society as primary income
sources. We sell items and are involved with auctions at the Southwest District Conventions
and Mid-Year Conferences. We have rental income from Kamp operations, primarily in the
summer months, but also and annual income of more than $12,000.00 for lease of the
property used by Cellular One Communications for their cell tower. Another source relates
to going directly to the Foundation membership for money to purchase bunk beds, etc. The
Kamp is now as much as 36 years old and we now have a lot of maintenance problems,
which requires more money. We need to do a better selling job to our Foundation members,
increasing revenues, and reduce expenses to the extent that we can. Source of money that
we should look at seriously include grants for specific purposes, such as educational
activities, renovation of key facilities, etc.
We probably need to revisit our “mission”. What should we be doing? Everything that we
do should relate to our mission. We need to evaluate the various activities that the
Foundation is currently involved with and determine what we are currently doing versus
what we should be doing in the future.
President Sowers asked the Board to do their part to help resolve these issues. Marge
Carrithers volunteered to develop a grant application for specific project, sidewalk and patio
renovation. Ray Devine will take the lead in developing a Foundation marketing strategy.
Marge Carrithers stated that we need a “capital improvements” list for Kamp Kiwanis and
the Board needs to prioritize the list. Bob Kay presented a list to Marge.
7. Future Meeting Dates and Locations:


March 11, 2012. Board Meeting during Mid-Year Convention, Las Cruces, NM.
May 4, 2012. Board Meeting during Kamp Kiwanis Activity Weekend, 7:00 PM.
8. Adjourn
There being no further business, President Sowers adjourned the Board Meeting at 9:10 PM.
Burt Snipes, Secretary
4