Kiwanis hands out $6,000 in donations, honors Montgomery

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May 4, 2009

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Daily Sun photo/Raymond Linex II The Kiwanis Club handed six $1,000 checks Monday, and honored it Sophomore of the Year. Front row, from left to right, are Candace Heisserman of Child Advocates of Navarro County, Eula Linicomn of the Boys &Girls Club (and a Kiwanis member), Club President Bonnie Stover, Samantha Daviss of the Corsicana Education Foundation, and Club member Julie Teel. Back, left to right, are Club Vice President Mark Hill, Sophomore of the Year Kyle Montgomery of Frost, Club member Tim Stites, Dr. Tommy Stringer of the Opening Doors to Success scholarship committee, John Goodnight of VOICE, Club member Dwayne Gragg, Club member Ken Havener, and James Stipe of the Frost Community Center.

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Kiwanis Club members know most people associate the small service club with its annual basketball tournament. Monday was a bit of an off-season highlight reel.

The Club announced six $1,000 grants to local charitable organizations, and honored Kyle Montgomery of Frost, its Sophomore of the Year.

“We wanted to share,” club President Bonnie Stover said. “The community has been so good to support the basketball tournament, and we wanted to get some money back into the community to help children.”

Kiwanis also honored Corsicana firefighter Doug Boyce for being the Firefighter of the Quarter.

Montgomery submitted an essay last fall and was named the local club’s Sophomore of the Year at the tournament, one in which he played for the Polar Bears. He was presented to the club Monday by Kiwanis Vice President Mark Hill.

Montgomery advanced to win Kiwanis district and regional Sophomore honors, and picked up a $600 scholarship from the local club, and another $600 scholarship from the district level.

After Montgomery, Tim Stites presented John Goodnight of VOICE, Inc. with the first $1,000 donation of the afternoon. VOICE now reaches five counties with its anti-drug, tobacco and alcohol campaign.

Ken Havener then presented a $1,000 check to Candace Heisserman with the Child Advocates of Navarro County. The organization assists victims of child abuse.

Corsicana Education Foundation’s Samantha Daviss was on hand to accept a $1,000 donation presented by club member Julie Teel. The organization has awarded 142 grants to CISD educators, Daviss said, and has its annual Top 10 percent banquet upcoming.

The Opening Doors to Success Scholarship program at Navarro College was the next $1,000 recipient, with Dr. Tommy Stringer accepting from club member Dwayne Gragg. The program targets high school students that may otherwise not attend college without financial assistance.

Stover presented the Boys and Girls Club’s $1,000 check to its director, Eula Linicomn, who is also a member of Kiwanis. Stover said the Boys and Girls Club is touching lives.

To end the string of donations, Hill presented Jim Stipe with a $1,000 check on behalf of the Frost Community Center, which is helping children and adults there. Stipe was also the guest speaker at the meeting, and said the center is providing more than 500 pounds of food to area children each week.

“We work with over 300 children,” Stipe said.

He was accompanied by a number of Frost volunteers, including the “Old Dixie Hens,” who have videos available on YouTube. Hill and Stipe’s insistence for club members to search for the videos drew a laugh from the Hens.

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