Janesville Blackhawk Golden Kiwanis

Blackhawk Golden ‘K’ General Meeting
Minutes
November 19^th, 2025

Richard Johnson presided, and called the meeting to order with a ring of the bell at 9:30AM.

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

Invocation: Bob Knudson, mentioning the weather, and the children.

Raffle: John Janes oversaw the ticket sales and drawing this week.
The weekly pot was $13 and the big (Joker) pot was $89.
Linda Bontly drew a ticket from the bucket, ticket number 1595.  Congratulations to the winner, Mel Lemirande.
The deck of cards has 46/53 cards remaining.  Mel Lemirande drew the 10♥.
An additional ticket 1622 was drawn by Dave Peterson for a pair of Holiday Light Show tickets!

Richard Johnson thanks greeters Tom Neumann and Dave Caverley, invocator Bob Knudson, rafflemaster John Janes, and server Bob Knudson.

A collection was passed for the Parker and Craig Community Closet.

Happy Box: Linda Bontly announced she is happy because she had water therapy this week.
Ray Szczepaniak announced he is happy because the charter for Rock University’s Key Club arrived!
Dick Peck announced he is happy because five years ago he was diagnosed cancer free.

Jokes: Joker Steve Skelly had a good joke about a guy who walks into a bar and tastes and then spits out drinks.

Member Health: Linda Bontly had a status update on Luci and Carl Cramer’s daughter, who is improving.
Ron Shuler had a status update on his own health.  He is diagnosed with trigger finger, which has been a problem.
Tom Neumann had a status update on Bruce Jorenby’s health, who is slowly recovering.  On December 2^nd, he can drive.
Ryan Lewis had a status update on Dave Thill’s health, who is having trouble with balance and mobility.

Other Announcements: Gregg Dickinson spoke upon shirts, which are available to take for those that ordered.

Committee Reports: John Janes announced sponsorships are in.  Three more were added, for a total of “over $9,000.”  An anonymous donor provided the entire $5,000 for the prizes!  No new banner is needed.

Jim Farrell introduced the day’s speaker, Melissa Wilbanks.  Melissa is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison.  Originally from Kentucky, she earned her BBA in Marketing before moving to Waunakee in 2018 – a place she and her family now proudly call home.  She joined RMHC-Madison in November 2023 and is genuinely grateful for the chance to connect with families, volunteers, and community partners each day.  Building relationships and bringing people together to support the families that RMHC-Madison serves has truly become her favorite part of the job.  Outside of work, Melissa is a busy mom to three sports-active children, spending most weekends on a sports field and loving the chance to travel in between seasons.
The RMHC-Madison is 15% funded by the local McDonald’s stores.  Other income sources include charitable donations from, for example, ‘Parking with a Purpose,’ wherein Badger game parking spots are paid, or round up (your tab, at McDonald’s).
The Ronald McDonald House Charities programs are global.  Each is operated locally.
Madison is one of the few that have all three components: House, Family Room (at the hospital) and Care Mobile.

Currently, the house is operating at 125% of its capacity.
In Rock County, from 1993 until now, over 1,200 families have been served.
The RMHC-Madison has three criteria for assistance: under 18 years old, treatment in a Madison hospital, and residence greater than 35 miles away.
In 2019, the house was expanded from 18 to 31 rooms, funded by a one million dollar donation that came from local McDonalds’ 100% income from cookie sales.
It is generally around $135 per night per guest in expense to the charity.
Kiwanis member Jim Farrell asked, “What are the house rules?”  Melissa responds, “There are 12 staff members present during the day, and one plus a new security guard at night.  No pets are allowed without a state certification.
Jim then asked, “Do families have opportunities to contribute to the house in other ways?”  Melissa, “Some families stay with it for life, even if they eventually lose a child (which can happen).”
Kiwanian Tom Neumann asked, “Where is the house located?”  Melissa responded, “The address is 2716 Marshall Court, one block from University Avenue.”
Kiwanian Greg Turco asked, “How would Kiwanis cooperate with RMCH-Madison?”  Melissa, “The charity’s funding comes largely from the greater area, because of the >35 miles’ distance rule.”
Kiwanis member Bob Wilcox asked, “Does another charity do similar?”  Melissa, “No.  We are unique.”
Kiwanian John Janes asked, “How does ‘round up’ work?”  Melissa, “Just launched, round up is now automatically asked of everyone purchasing on kiosks and apps.  Another option is the fold together coin slotted houses, which are collected from all area stores.”

Tom Neumann asked, “What is the operating budget?”  Melissa replied, “Around 2.2 million.  There are no federal grants.”

Kiwanis member Nikki Bennett asked, “How do people bring items in?”  Melissa said, “Recently, Mt. Horeb High School seniors organized a wish list and asked Wal-Mart shoppers for assistance.  In one day, only six hours, they raised $6,000.  It will soon be on the Facebook page.  Please do bring items in!  An Amazon wish list exists!”
Melissa went on to explain people bring groups into the community kitchen, older than fourteen, and they cook for the residents.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Melissa had pairs of red and white striped socks, coin slotted houses, and other items to give away.
Other topics were discussed.  The presentation was enjoyed by everyone.

Jim Farrell thanked Melissa Wilbanks for speaking and presented her with a Kiwanis Parker pen.

Richard Johnson adjourned the meeting with a ring of the bell at 10:50AM.

Reminders: There is an executive board meeting next week.

On this day:
1493 Christopher Columbus first reaches Puerto Rico, inhabited by the Taíno on his 2nd voyage to the Caribbean
1620 The Mayflower reaches Cape Cod and explores the coast
1805 Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reaches the Pacific Ocean, the first European Americans to cross the West
1849 Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 4, “The Tragic”, premieres in Leipzig, more than 20 years after the composer’s death
1850 Alfred Tennyson becomes British Poet Laureate, succeeding William Wordsworth
1861 The first petroleum shipment (1,329 barrels) from the U.S. to Europe leaves Philadelphia, USA, for London, England on the Elizabeth Watts
1863 US President Abraham Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address, starts with “Four score and seven years ago…”
1872 E. D. Barbour of Boston is awarded the U.S. patent for a “calculator,” the first adding machine with keys capable of printing totals and subtotals
1906 London is selected to host the 1908 Olympics
1916 Samuel Goldfish, Edgar and Archibald Selwyn establish Hollywood’s Goldwyn Pictures; Goldfish later changes his name to Goldwyn
1939 Comic superheroes Flash (as Jay Garrick) and Hawkman (Carter Hall) first appear in “Flash Comics No. 1” published by DC
1947 200″ mirror arrives at Mt Palomar Observatory, California
1952 The North American F-86D Sabre sets a world speed record of 1,124 km/h (698.5 mph)
1953 US Supreme Court rules (7-2) that baseball is a sport, not a business
1959 1st episode of Jay Ward’s cartoon series Rocky and His Friends”, featuring Rocket J. (“Rocky”) Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose. airs on ABC; voice talents of June Foray, Paul Frees, and William Conrad
1959 Ford Motors cancels its poorly received Edsel model
1969 Apollo 12’s Charles Conrad and Alan Bean become the 3rd and 4th humans on the Moon
1975 Film adaptation of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” based stage adaptation of novel by Ken Kesey, directed by Miloš Forman and starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1976)
1984 NY Met Dwight Gooden, aged 20, is the youngest to be named NL Rookie of the Year
1985 In the largest civil verdict in US history, Pennzoil wins $10.53 billion judgement against Texaco
1985 US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time
1996 Space Shuttle STS 80 (Columbia 21), launches into space
1996 The 12.9 km Confederation Bridge, joining Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick, is completed and becomes the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world
1997 McCaughey septuplets (all 7 of them!) are born to Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey in Des Moines, Iowa, as the first set of septuplets to survive infancy
1997 STS 87 (Columbia 24) launches into orbit
1998 Vincent van Gogh’s “Portrait of the Artist Without Beard” sells at auction for $71.5 million
1999 China launches its first Shenzhou spacecraft, Shenzhou 1, in an uncrewed flight
2002 As had the House of Representatives the previous week, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved the creation of a new cabinet department, the Department of Homeland Security, to have a workforce of 170,000.
Since 1956, Equal Opportunity Day – The Gettysburg Address is celebrated today by various groups in different ways, and the holiday is given a few different names. It is informally named Gettysburg Address Day simply because it marks the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s reading of the Gettysburg Address. It is also known as Equal Opportunity Day. This day was created by the National Urban League in 1956 and continues to be celebrated as such by the league and others, being proclaimed by politicians on multiple occasions. The third name given to the day is Dedication Day, having been formally named as such by a joint resolution of Congress in 1946. It continues to be celebrated as Dedication Day at the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
Since 2001, World Toilet Day is about more than just toilets; it is about sanitation as a whole, which includes components such as hygiene and the management and treatment of wastewater. The day’s goal is to inspire action to address the global sanitation crisis. Jack Sim founded the World Toilet Organization on November 19, 2001, and then declared that day to be World Toilet Day. After its founding, various organizations around the world marked the day, and it gained a new level of legitimacy in 2013 when it was formally recognized by the United Nations.

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.

rev. 10-21-2025