Janesville Blackhawk Golden Kiwanis

Blackhawk Golden ‘K’ General Meeting
Minutes
May 14^th, 2025

Roger Willeford presiding, called the meeting to order with a ring of the bell at 9:30 AM.
34 members were in attendance today.

The meeting was led with the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of America, the National Anthem.

Invocation: Ron Shuler, mentioning the children.

Raffle: Ryan Lewis oversaw the ticket sales and drawing this week.
The weekly pot was $12 and the big (Joker) pot was $201.
Tom Neumann drew a ticket from the bucket, ticket number 466.  Congratulations to the winner, Jenny Turco.
The deck of cards has 37/53 cards remaining.  Jenny drew the 10♣.

Roger Willeford thanks greeters Dave Peterson and Bob Knudson, invocator Ron Shuler, rafflemaster Ryan Lewis and server Maury Frey.

Happy Box: Jenny Turco announced she is happy because she won the raffle, and is donating the proceeds to Kiwanis!

Roger Willeford announced that Ryan Lewis brought a guest today, Charles Kohls.
Roger Willeford announced that John Janes brought a guest today, his neighbor April Wright.

Jokes: Steve Skelly had a good joke today.

Member Health: Maury Frey had a status update on Dick Peck, his health is he is on oxygen and morphine.
Luci Cramer had a status update on Jim Hay, his health is he had fallen, and will take time to heal.

Committee Reports: John Janes announced benches are selling, and custom engraving is available.
John Janes announced the Renaissance Fair is this weekend!

Ryan Lewis introduced the day’s speaker, Stephen Jeter.  Stephen has been a beekeeper for years and was a past president of the Rock County Beekeepers’ Association.  A daughter took a trip to Kenya, and ending up working with non-profit there for orphaned children.  While helping with the childrens’ home, Stephen teaches local to keep honeybees, which are Africanized (“killer”) in Kenya.

Stephen presented, including many interesting slides and answers to questions about Kenya.  It is equatorial, on the Eastern coast of Africa.
Kenyans live in abject poverty.  A standard item of apparel for a man are keys or watches.  The keys are traded by foreigners, and the watches are generally non-functional.

Kenya’s economy is due partly to lack of structured and reliable government.  Professionals including teachers will at times go months without pay in hopes it is worked out at a different level.  If asking favors of citizens, an ‘donation’ is generally expected.

Kenyans have little to no access to feminine hygiene products.  It results in many women leaving school around the 7^th grade.  Another way to support Stephen and others’ efforts is the Pad Project.  To date, people including some local to Rock County have provided over 80,000 pads to Kenyan women, and made a difference in the lives of over 40,000 people.  The Pad Project will consult volunteers, collect thread and fabrics, and send a pattern, sewing instructions and a starter kit to anyone interested.

Houses, made of a combination of elements including mud, are a lifelong goal.  They contain a kitchen, another dirt floored room of mud, around the back of the main home.  The front entrances have a large wall at the foot to keep animals from easily entering.  A narrow front hallway to the side always exists so that the man of the house can defend his family in the event a large cat should enter.

Stephen taught some Kiswahili.  One first tourist word, choo (pronounced cho with a long ‘o’), is for the facilities.  They are squat only (no toilets).
Kenyans have community.  If a lion threatens their community, they leave as a group to find and eliminate it with spears.  Kenya is home to cobras, and “two-step” black mambas.

Many elements of beekeeping, Kenyan commerce, and parts of day-to-day life were covered.  It was enjoyed by all.

Ryan Lewis thanked Stephen Jeter for speaking and presented him with a Kiwanis Parker pen.

Roger Willeford adjourned the meeting with a ring of the bell at 11AM.

Minutes by Ryan Lewis.
Credit: Dave Figi, and Ryan Lewis, photographs.

Note: Kiwanis and its members are not responsible for errors or omissions.  We are open to discussion if you would like to request an alteration.