Meeting News

Our club strives to have a speaker at every club meeting to inform our members on various aspects of our local community and the government, businesses and charities therein.  Below are some samples of recent meetings. 

Our Guest Speaker was MS Dana Hodges, CEO of Early Learning Coalition (ELC) for Okaloosa and Walton Counties. 

Guest Speaker was Mrs. Brittney Swager, Programs Director for the Resting Tree Day Program for Adults. 

Guest Speaker was Sherry Olney, Community and Public Relations Director for One Hopeful Place. One Hopeful Place is a homeless shelter built on the property of FWB’s abandoned sewer plant. Their mission is to provide transitional housing and emergency shelter services while guiding unhoused individuals towards stability, self sufficiency and independence.  They also provide a cold weather shelter when the overnight temperature is predicted to be less than 40 degrees F (with 48 beds)  and a safe car park (at any time).  However, they are primarily a place for the homeless to transition back into self sufficiency. They accept individuals off the street, clean them up, connect them to public assistance. They give them a bed (they have beds for 50 men and 17 women), food, provide shower and laundry facilities. In the last year 73% were employed within 60 days. The average stay is 131 days. They have an average of 54% leaving to permanent housing (National average is 32% and Florida average is 43%). Veterans are never turned away. You can learn more at their website: https://onehopefulplace.org/

Our Guest speaker was Marcus Chambers, Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools.  We had a large turnout for the meeting. He delivered an honest, fact filled assessment of the challenges to our school system and his actions to meet them.  Mr. Chambers contrasted our school districts revenue with that of Walton County.  Walton County receives far more tax money per student than Okaloosa, primarily because they have a much bigger property tax base.  Much of Okaloosa County is occupied by the Air Force and Army bases, which do not pay property taxes.  He discussed how the half-cent sales tax referendum has been a much needed source of revenue for capital improvements in our district.  He also discussed the changing demographics in the student population which is resulting in the closure of underutilized schools and the building of the new Pinewood K-8 school in the Crestview area. This is the first new school in the district since 2008.  Despite the obstacles, we have an excellent education system that continues to improve. The district has maintained an A rating from the state every year since 2014.  All 37 schools in the district have earned the Purple Star designation honoring their support for military-connected families.  Superintendent Chambers was able to spend an hour with us and answer numerous questions from our members.

Guest Speaker Adam Morris, Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS). So many blessings to families facing hard times. Adam Morris is the CHS Development Manager for the Florida Panhandle from Pensacola to Panama City. CHS began 125 years ago in Jacksonville. Times were hard and parents in the Northeast were putting children they couldn’t provide for on trains bound for Florida. At stations along the way adoptive parents would pick children and take them home. Since the rail lines ended in Jacksonville, so did the chances for the children still on the trains. From that heartbreaking need came the first Children’s Home Society. Today they have numerous programs to provide immediate help to troubled families and to disrupt cycles of generational poverty and child maltreatment. One that caught our attention was Healthy Families West Florida. It is open to anyone and provides home visit training for mothers who are pregnant to having a 3 month old infant. Their abuse / neglect training has a 98% success rate. Functional Family Therapy deals with unruly children and has a record of 100% documented improvement. Their Adoption Support has an equally impressive record; 100% of families thinking about backing out, stay. Adam says he has a few clients in the Niceville-Valparaiso area but is looking for a toe hold in the community. We may be that anchor. At the very least CHS may be a great partner to help develop our Soft Skills project. CHS website is www.chsfl.org

Guest Speaker Jill Breslawski, Extension Agent, Family & Consumer Sciences, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Okaloosa and Walton County  

Guest Speaker was Dr. Michael Mosley, Superintendent of Rocky Bayou Christian School.

Dr. Mosley is always an engaging and informative speaker. He has been Superintendent for 16 years and is only the third to hold that position. He told us that charter schools are flourishing in Florida and poised to grow now that school choice is state law. He acknowledges that there needs to be guardrails to prevent abuses such as scam charter schools, students school hopping, and private schools raising tuition by the voucher amount. Dr. Mosley spoke at length about the education system’s change of focus away from preparing every student for college to providing a path for those who want a trade career. Rocky Bayou partners with private industry to train students in nursing, the building trades, automotive, and even an aviation program. The school has had full enrollment for three years. The plan in progress is to construct a new building every two years. They currently have two satellite facilities and are looking for acreage in the Crestview area to establish a campus with space to grow.

Our guest speaker was Peggy Brockman, Executive Director of Bring Hope Now.  Their mission is to Save Lives and to educate and advocate for mental health and sustainable support in our community.

Peggy spoke on mental health, suicide prevention, prevention and posting prevention for the youth and military. She shared her personal experience of her family and also talked about the annual Bring Hope Dragon Festival & Race that benefits youth mental health treatment facilities in Okaloosa County, and supports schools and military peer suicide prevention programs.  https://bringhopenow.com

Our guest speaker was Jenny Joy Ramnath, Founder Joy Chi Consulting

Jenny Joy Ramnath is a faith-led educator, strategist, and catalyst for change with over 17 years of experience in education, specializing in special education and life-skills development. Alongside her husband, she is preparing for a long-term move from Tulsa OK, with Niceville-Destin at the top of their list. Jenny contacted Annie Cameron to assist in looking for a house. As they got to know each other Annie discovered Miss Joy had expertise she needed to implement her life skills Kiwanis project. Coincidence or providence? Jenny spoke to us about life skills training her company conducts in public schools. Her students are special needs but the methodology is applicable to the Life Skills project we would like to start. Joy is only in town for a week this trip but graciously offered to facilitate a short planning session before our meeting. Jenny, Annie, Les, JD, Vern, David Fauth, Bo and Hu discussed who are our target audience and what subjects we should include. Hu Ross raised the most salient point; A new Florida law requires students to have life skills training to graduate high school. Since we don’t want to duplicate material, he recommended we find out what is mandated and concentrate on the remaining life skills. We will keep the club informed as we progress from concept to program.

Guest Speaker Leanne Schutt, Secretary, Crisis Aid for Littles and Moms (CALM).   Ms. Schutt has been the secretary of CALM for three years. She came to our meeting to receive a $1000 grant from us and to update us on CALM Village. CALM fits right into our wheelhouse of serving local children in need. They are located at 201 Redwood Ave Niceville. Their mission is both noble and effective. Since their beginning in 2018 CALM has served 83 children and 63 adults. They take moms with small children who, for what ever reason, are unable to support their family and give them temporary support to get their lives on track. As soon as a mom is accepted, CALM staff get her documentation in place; identification cards, social security, drivers license, finding and filing for assistance that is available. The support they provide consists of a place to live for up to 9 months, training in personal finance, life skills, and bible study. Once they graduate the program they may move into one of the small houses at CALM for up to one year. In the end they will leave with the skills and income to get their own place to continue building their life. Krista Howard is the CALM House Director. She has a background which makes her uniquely qualified to manage the residence. Krista was once in a similar program. After graduation she stayed on as a part time employee. She has worked part time for other programs until finally landing a full time job with CALM. As a Christ centered charity many government grants are closed to them. Their financial support comes from fundraising events, churches, the military , private donations and from the CALM resale furniture store. CALM accepts gently used furniture to stock their store. From there the furniture either is used to furnish clients’ residence or is sold to the public on Saturdays 9AM to 1PM. Volunteers are needed to babysit while moms attend classes, driving moms and littles to appointments, assisting with fundraisers, teaching, and at the furniture store. For more information see nicevillecalm.com. They would love to show you around the village but please call first; (850) 279-6419.  Shown in the Check photograph form left to right; Kiwanis President Bo Arnold, CALM Secretary Leanne Schutt, and CALM House Director Krista Howard.

Guest Speaker Damien McNeil
Regional Director, Special Olympics of Florida, Northwest and Northeast Florida Regions

Mr. Damien McNeil directs both the northwest and northeast regions for Special Olympics. That means he is responsible for Pensacola to Jacksonville and down to Daytona Beach. He is based in Shalimar. Special Olympics of Florida started right here in Okaloosa County in 1968. It was officially chartered in 1972, making it just a few years older than our club! Today it serves 85,000 athletes and is growing fast. Special Olympics is available to all ages. Ann James is a competitive swimmer who began her career in 1972 at the age of 11. She is 67 now and just captured a double gold! In 2010 the minimum age was lowered from 8 to 2 years old. They found that if training doesn’t begin early, an athlete’s development skills could be lost forever. Damien recalled a heartbreaking call from a mother of a 25 year old with disabilities who said she had wanted her child to be involved in activities but didn’t know they existed. “We’ve been here the whole time. We could have greatly improved his quality of life”. Special Olympics partners with schools to integrate special needs students into the main  athletic teams. They are called Unified Champion Schools. There are 45 in the panhandle and Crestview HS is one. The Crestview Key Club is integral to the program which has a positive impact on all who participate.
Mr. McNeil brought a second speaker, Patrick (in the red shirt). Patrick is a Special Olympian in several sports but his emphasis is cheerleading.  At Silver Sands School he is a speaker, leader and teacher. He also acts and is playing the lead character in the NWFSC performance of Shrek.
Mr. McNeil talked about sponsors and volunteers. Jersey Mike’s Subs has an annual “Day of Caring” where 100% of their GROSS income for that day goes to the Special Olympics! He is always looking for coaches of all kinds of sports. If you would like to know more, their web site is specialolympicsflorida.org

Guest Speaker Lt Gov Ruth Sykes speaking about
Emerald Coast Orphan Care

Our very active Lt Governor, Ruth Sykes, blessed us with yet another visit. She intended to bring Ashley Pepe of Emerald Coast Orphan Care (ECOC) as our guest speaker but she was too busy helping foster children to make it. Ruth filled in and showed a video about ECOC. Emerald Coast Orphan Care serves foster children and their families from her Crestview Foster and Adoption Closet. There they can get clothes, car seats, beds, and supplies needed for a new family member. ECOC provides training and support to foster and adoptive families and even intervention help to intact families so their children can be spared separation. You can help through prayer, supporting a foster family, becoming a foster parent or giving to ECOC. Amazon has hosted a wish list for ECOC at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2DLWEZ6MKYKFD?ref_=wl_share.

Today's guest speaker was Kate McDougall, Community Engagement Manager, Children’s Advocacy Center

Ms. McDougall came to receive our $500 donation and to speak about the work Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) does. The Niceville center is located behind the Pavillion at 401 McEwen Drive. They also have a DeFuniak Springs center and are trying to build a center in Crestview. CAC is a one stop location to assist children in difficult situations. From 8 am to 5 pm the center is continuously staffed with; medical and therapy assistance, Florida Department of Children and Families, police, advocates and leadership. After hours an advocate answers the phone and will be at the center within 30 minutes. In the past year they assisted 1480 children. 70% are physically abused, 15% sexually abused and 14% abandoned. Kate talked about many of their programs. One is the CARES program. The CARES program team works to prevent abuse. They provide training, counseling, help in navigating the assistance programs and provide for some material needs. This year they have helped more than 400 families. Another is their Safe Sleep training. It is a 1.5 hour class to inform mothers about the dangers of sleeping with their baby. In four years Okaloosa County has seen 53 infant deaths from co-sleeping, fourth highest in the state. If you would like to volunteer to help or to donate, their web site is eccac.org.

Our guest speakers came to talk about their Kiwanis Service Leadership Project; Edge Elementary K-Kids. Melissa Kearly is the principal at Edge. She was a Key Clubber at Niceville High School. Her best high school memory was helping cook pancakes at the annual Kiwanis fund raiser. She is especially appreciative of the “soft skills” Kiwanis programs instill in her students. She emphasized they are critical to their confidence, ability to communicate and their assurance that they have the support of their community. Michele Massy also spoke. She is a teacher and the Faculty Advisor for the Edge K-Kids. Her son was the very first K-Kids president at Edge. The students and their parents make a significant sacrifice to arrive at school an hour early to participate. Their favorite activity is stuffing the trauma dolls. The dolls will be used by small children to communicate their pain to doctors, and to comfort them in their recovery. Jean Pulley initiated the project and prepares the dolls. The students also love beating the Kiwanis Club each year when we both collect food for Sharing and Caring. Cards for Troops is a Christmas season favorite. K-Kids take the unused Christmas cards the Kiwanis Club members donate and writes personal notes to deployed servicemen. Gloria Mayo expressed her wonder at the hearts of the K-Kids. Rather than have a big party with cookies and candy at year’s end they opted to donate excess club funds to Alaqua Animal Refuge and Sharing and Caring. Michele said the children really love the Advisors from Niceville-Valparaiso Kiwanis Club. Whenever Jean Pulley, Les Chambers or Gloria Mayo miss a meeting the kids always ask where they are. The accompanying photo shows from left to right; Kiwanis advisors Les Chambers and Jean Pully, Faculty Advisor Michele Massy, Principal Melissa Kearly and Kiwanis advisor Gloria Mayo.

Today's meeting had special guests from Florida Power and Light (FPL).   Mr. Bernard Johnson, Regional External Affairs Manager, Ms. Alea Williams, Principal Business Analyst External Affairs and Corporate Philanthropy, and Ms. Kimberly Blair, Senior Communication Strategist for Northwest Florida Marketing and Communications represented FPL for a photo opportunity to celebrate the NextEra Energy Foundation $3,000 grant to our Foundation to help fund our "Bags of Hope" project for 2025. NextEra Energy is the parent company of FPL. The Bags of Hope program provides duffel bags filled with essential items — such as toiletries, blankets, comfort items and personal care products — to children entering the foster care system in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. These bags offer not only practical support but also a sense of comfort and dignity during what is often a traumatic transition.

Lots of news from our June 5 meeting.  First, we had a change of venue.  Since the closure of Landshark Pizza we will now have our lunch meetings at Wharf 850 restaurant at 821 Bayshore Dr in Niceville (picture right).  Its a great room but we still need to work on the acoustics.  We will continue to meet there for lunch the first and third Thursdays of each month at noon.

Our guest speaker today was Hartley Spaulding, 4H Agent for the  University of Florida Institute for Food and Agriculture Sciences (UF/IFAS), Okaloosa County Extension .

Ms Spaulding told us about her background and how she came to her current position.  She also told us she is currently Miss West Florida and will be competing soon for the Miss Florida title.  Hartley spoke about the activities of the 4-H (Head, Heart, Hands, and Health) clubs in Okaloosa County.  4-H helps youth succeed in life by building skills like responsibility, resiliency, and hard work through hands-on learning and education. The Okaloosa County Extension Office strives to inspire and empower youth to create change through youth leadership and development.  Hartley is committed to advocating for more "Women in Ag."

Our guest speakers today were Michaela McCarthy, Children’s Miracle Network Coordinator and Stephanie Barber, Development Analyst from Sacred Heart Foundation.

Michaela gave us an update on the latest news regarding the Studer Family Children's Hospital and the Bear Family Pediatric Oncology Center for Hope at Ascension Sacred Heart.  The Kiwanis Foundation of Niceville-Valparaiso then presented them with a check for $7,000 as a donation in honor of Phinley Huisken.  Also presented were 90 trauma dolls.  Details and photos of this presentation can be found on our Events News Page.

Toady was our annual meeting for electing club officers and directors for next fiscal year starting October 1, 2025.  The following Slate of officers were elected:

Guest Speaker Donna Tashik, Executive Director of Fresh Start for Children and Families

Fresh Start began as Okaloosa Coalition for Homelessness. They served the homeless community with bath and laundry facilities. They soon realized that nothing was being done for the homeless with children. They developed a transition program consisting of temporary housing (one year), education and mentoring. Their philosophy is a hand up not a hand out. They have very strict acceptance criteria; US citizens only and no violent charges-ever. Once in residence they have a 10PM curfew, no visitors, must get a job, give 20% of their income for rent, 10% towards savings, keep the apartment clean, set goals with their life skills managers, and attend life skills classes. The classes are mostly financial but include organization and nutritional training. Once the residents graduate the one year program they can transition to the long term residence for another two years. There, curfew and visitor restrictions are reduced. They must contribute 50% of their income towards rent. They are also eligible for educational scholarships. Currently there are 21 families with 37 children in residence. Fresh Start’s office and apartments are at 8 Bobolink St NE in FWB. One street over, across from the post office is the Repeat Street Thrift Store. It provides 60% of their budget. The remaining 40% is from private donations and churches. Donna invites anyone to knock on her office door to see her operation. You can also help by donating lightly used items or shopping at their very nice thrift store.

Our guest speaker was Kassie Garfield, owner of Max Strength Gym Bluewater Bay

Those who were at our Kiwanis meeting learned where to find the fountain of youth. Well...almost. Kassie Garfield enlightened us on the importance of strength training in delaying the effects of aging. Kassie is a professor at NWF State College, PhD in teaching, graduate of Ithaca College in Athletic Training and Physical Therapy. She is also a veteran and reservist at Joint Base Andrews. As a personal trainer she can get you the benefits of complete workouts in just two 20 minute workouts a week. Increased bone density, more muscle mass, fewer aches and pains, better memory, more energy and a healthier heart. A couple of awesome statistics: Cancer outcomes are 50% better with good muscle mass and heart attacks and strokes are reduced 40-70%. If you would like to be fit but don’t have the time, or if for you time is running out, talk to Kassie about a personalized program for you. 

Dr. Nohemi Moffatt, founder and board chair of the Panhandle Book Club, Inc, was our speaker today.  Panhandle Book Club is the local extension for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Library sends personalized books to pre-kindergarten children who otherwise might not have a single book in their house. The legendary singer began Imagination library in 1995 as a tribute to her father who was very wise but illiterate. Studies have shown that the availability of books in the home is a greater predictor of future reading skills than the parent’s education level. 60% of children in poor schools have zero books in their homes. Shared reading exposes a child to a diversified vocabulary and forms the foundation to later learning. The Panhandle Book Club is centered in Santa Rosa County. Dr. Moffatt would like to expand their reach to the entire panhandle. She is currently serving 450 children, with 481 on her waiting list. In the Q&A session Nohemi said that serving each child cost about $35 per year. The manpower required was minimal. She supports her organization after work. When asked what it would take for us to create a club she estimated we would need $65,000 to fully serve Okaloosa County. However, the Imagination Library will extend its program down to a single zip code. So for just Niceville-Valparaiso we could be looking at less than $6500. All of Niceville and Valparaiso zip codes could cost about $10,000. More information on the Panhandle Book Club is available at panhandlebookclub.org.
LtGov Ruth Sykes joined us and had arranged our guest speaker. She also announced that on June 14 next year she will be leading a Kiwanis Family Fun Day at Ferry Park Fort Walton Beach. She has challenged us to come up with a fun event and make it happen. 

The Club was honored by Niceville’s Mayor, Daniel Henkel, spending some time with us. He began by telling us about his background. He grew up in Phoenix AZ. His father was Army Airborne and had two combat jumps during the Korean War. Daniel and his wife just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They married in their teens a few weeks after meeting. They now have four successful sons and 11 grandchildren. Mayor Henkel was an electronic warfare officer on AC-130s with many tours in “the sandbox”. His career called for several moves around the country and the world. His family dutifully followed without complaint. But after retirement his wife was given total control over where they settled down. She chose Niceville for the natural beauty and the warm people.
Mayor Henkel spent a lot of his time praising the people who work for the City. He spoke about how difficult it is to make every resident happy. He does solicit citizen input but would like more than just a list of what someone doesn’t like. Some problems are really hard or beyond his control. John Sims Pkwy is totally controlled by the State. If land is zoned for commercial he can’t prevent the land owner from building a gas station, chicken restaurant, or storage units. He tries to do the most good for the most people. Annexing Bluewater Bay and Valparaiso might make them happy but the baggage they bring to Niceville would not be worth it. The median Niceville house price is $500K. Creating affordable housing will be extremely tough as we are surrounded by Eglin AFB. He is working very hard to get orphaned land (land owned by Eglin but not used and surrounded by development), but it will come at a steep price. A bright spot is working towards making Niceville a walkable community. A multi-use trail is in the works that will run along Palm from Bayshore to College, then along College to Forest and along Forest to Rocky Bayou.

Today's speaker was Tricia Keffer from Food Trucks for Birds.  Tricia is a graduate of the University of West Florida who worked as a dolphin trainer at the Gulfarium. Later she used her artistic talent to found a beach wedding portrait business. That led to her getting her master's degree in landscape architecture. Her present business is Summertime Landscape Design which focuses on location appropriate plants and layout; “Right Plant, Right Place”.
Her talk introduced us to the need for, and creation of, food islands for migrating birds. Development has stripped away native plants and replaced them with exotics. Even if they produce fruit birds can eat, they likely do not have all the nutrients the birds need. It can take 5-14 generations for native birds to adapt to eating introduced plants. Tricia proposes we create food islands to support migrating flocks. Not only will these plants benefit native birds but, being adapted to our soil and weather, require MUCH less work to maintain. She has provided a wealth of free information online at foodtrucksforbirds.com.

Also, at this meeting President Bo Arnold presented two Kiwanis pins to Tim Parsons. One was for his tremendous work in coordinating and leading the pancake breakfast. The second was for his wife Belinda Parsons for her face painting that brought so many smiles to the children at the event.

 Our speaker today was Paul A Lux, Okaloosa County Supervisor of elections.  Between the 2024 Election, special primaries /elections and municipal elections Paul Lux has been very busy. Early voting for Niceville Municipal seats is going on now until 1630 Friday at the Shalimar elections office. Election Day will be March 11th at Niceville City Hall. Special election to fill Matt Gaetz vacated seat will be April 1. Paul informed us about the rigors of voting integrity. Every machine must pass a logic and accuracy test. They are tested with multiple completed ballots so that every ballot version with every candidate is verified. If more than one in one million ballots are in error the machine is rejected. The Supervisor invited anyone who would like to be a poll watcher to visit voteokaloosa.gov to learn more and to apply.

We had a record number of guests. Les Chambers brought a former student Tara Thomson. Kathy Moore brought her daughter Emily. Charlotte Arnold brought a couple who helped her at the auction; Gary and Patti Overholt. Mike Chesser brought Don Hall. And Cana O’Brien was sponsored by our club president, Bo Arnold.

 Our speaker today was Chris Stowers, Executive Director of the Northwest Florida State College Foundation.  The Northwest Florida State College Foundation supports the needs of the College with scholarships and help as needed. Mr. Stowers is certainly an enthusiastic supporter of the College and its accomplishments. The first half of his talk was about the NWF State College itself. If I can paraphrase the College’s combined mission and vision; Transform the lives of the students to meet the workforce demands. They offer a wide breadth of degrees and certifications, from nursing, culinary, welding to Bachelors degrees in project management. In total; 8 Bachelor’s degrees, 25 Associates, and 44 Certifications. Because they prepare graduates for the real world they have an astounding placement rate. 100% for welders (at $120k per year no less), hospitality, teachers and nursing. The last two have a 100% first try pass rate on their certification tests.  The on campus  Collegiate High School is #1 in the state. The Raider sports program also excels. The Women’s Basketball and Girl’s Softball Teams are #2 in the nation. And the College is growing. They have partnered with Jay Odom to build and run Raider Village. Phase one was dedicated last week. It houses 192 students in 2-4 bedroom suites and looks great! Phase two will begin soon. South Walton campus is getting a major expansion that will include a new charter high school; Seacoast Collegiate High. It is located at the intersection of SR 331 and US 98. The Foundation manages $71,000,000 in assets spread between 279 scholarship endowments and 59 support programs. Chris explained how and endowment works. You donate a principal amount, say $25,000. The Foundation invests the money so that it grows. The interest can then provide $1,000 per year for a scholarship with the excess money going to grow the principal. In this way the funding available for the scholarship continues to grow throughout its life.

 Guest Speaker General (Ret) Francis Hendricks President NWF Military Officers Association.  In his 33 years of military service Gen Hendricks has been the commander of the 96th ABW here on Eglin and the commander of the Air Force Exchange Service. He is an honorary Chief and First Sergeant. But Thursday morning he came to speak as the President of the North West Florida Military Officers Association. This organization is the local subordinate to the Military Officers Association of America. It is dedicated to helping active, retired, veterans and their families through community engagement, advocacy and protecting benefits. Here are a few of their projects: NWFMOA worked with the children of Longwood Elementary to create 200 handmade Valentine cards. The students delivered the cards and hugs to residents at Bob Hope Village. They sponsor the Military Family Appreciation Day at the Landing. There they gave out 400, $20 commissary gift cards to needy junior enlisted families identified by the 1st Sergeants. The cards were accompanied with a letter from Gen Hendricks that included places where they could get help. They work with local Junior ROTC cadets and have $6,000 scholarships for graduates going on to college ROTC. Their cadets have a 70% commissioning rate. And NWFMOA participates in the Veteran Stand Down. This year they provided Jeans, shoes, and cold weather gear for 65 homeless vets. If you want to learn more or become a member, go to NWFMOA.org.

 Today's speaker was Gregory Jenkins and he posed the provocative questions: What do you do when the power grid is out? No lights, no A/C, no computer, no phone, no TV. How would you find out what was happening? Reach a doctor? Policeman? Relatives? A group of locals formed a group to address these questions; Common Sense Florida Health and Welfare. They number over 300 now in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties. Their members are organized into neighborhood teams to collect and disseminate information and work to meet community needs in a crisis. Today's presentation focused on communication. CSFL maintains radio repeaters which allow people to communicate throughout the tri-county area with hand held radios. Their network HAM radio operators can be used to communicate world wide. Mr. Jenkins demonstrated a $100 radio which cost as little as a single band walkie-talkie but has more power and 1000 bands. If you would like to join the group or just learn more; call Gregory Jenkins at 850-499-5871 or meet him at JoJo’s Coffee any Tuesday 0800-0900.

 Dr. Sandy Arteaga has been the principal of Collegiate HS for four years. Collegiate is the oldest charter school in Florida; 25 years this fall. They are ranked #1 in the state. Fall enrollment is 535 students, grades 9-12. When a student graduates high school at Collegiate they also get an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science Degree. Dr. Arteaga emphasized “Success does not require a college degree. The AS can prepare graduates for high paying jobs ($72K minimum) in Programming, Computer Diagnostics, Ethical Cyber Hacking and other IT related fields. Sandy is a big proponent of school choice. Not everyone learns best in a traditional school setting. Choice gives the opportunity for diverse learning models to flourish and be available. She also talked about challenges to the students. There is a social media crisis for students. 97% of their news they get is from Tik Tok. Virtually all have encountered sexual predators online. Fortunately in Florida schools, social media is banned and social media training is required. When asked what changes would make the most impact on students she replied; better parenting, specifically not rescuing children from consequences.

 Kiwanis members were treated to an inside look of Mid Bay News, an online news site covering Niceville, Valparaiso, Bluewater Bay, Freeport and occasionally DeFuniak Springs. The owner and editor, Chris Saul began his journey to Niceville by majoring in journalism at SMU. He escaped his first reporting job in the wild oil town of Odessa Texas to the laid back beaches of Fort Walton, reporting for Channel 3 News. Chris spoke about how the demise of newspapers is creating news deserts. He believes passionately that a vibrant representative republic requires an informed electorate. Although national news is entertaining and can be highly consequential, local events make the biggest impact on your life. Someone has to cover the city council meetings, high school sports, bridge building, or even falling aircraft fuel tanks. In response to a member’s question he told us he has no interest in politics. His job is to be apolitical; serving us with unbiased information so we can make the decisions that are best for us. To do that he has to have credibility. He is very careful to get his information from the source and only to report on what he knows to be true. He includes hyperlinks to his sources whenever he can. The Mid Bay News is available for free online. If you would like to ensure it continues, go to https://midbaynews.com/, get the app. You can click “donate” to support the site.

Our Lt Governor, Ruth Sykes, honored us with a visit and brought a present... Guest speaker Michael Rogers, who is the foster care coordinator for the NWF Health Network. Mr. Rogers spoke to us about the organization’s support to foster families and his role for the past two years. Michael has been a foster parent for 12 years and was a pastor for 22 before joining NWF Health Network.  The support begins immediately after the children are removed from a home and doesn’t end until they are returned to their families, adopted, or age out of the system. Their task is coordinating supportive care and education for foster parents, foster children, and the often overlooked needs of the biological children in foster homes. The focus of the support is the child:  trying to make their difficult situation as free from trauma as possible. Florida’s standard is for a child to be in a permanent, stable family within 12 months of removal. He gave credit to the Florida judges for doing the difficult work of holding the biological parents feet to the fire, either by making the permanent changes necessary for the children to be returned to them, or releasing their children for adoption. Club President-elect JD Cameron has set up a meeting with Mr. Rogers to learn what he knows about unmet needs in Niceville and Valparaiso. The information will go into a growing database which will be used to: 

 Our guest speaker coordinator, Les Chambers, brought us an educational speaker this week. Dr. Elvira Chiccarelli is a champion for the history of women in our military. Something she has personally experienced with 27 years of active and AF Reserve duty. She volunteers at the Heritage Museum and presents occasionally at the Armament Museum. Her presentations cover the entire history of the United States to the present. Because of time constraints Dr. Chiccarelli confined her talk to the WWII period, although even then she could only scratch the surface. Women aviators comprised the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). You probably knew they delivered aircraft from the factories in the US to the bases in Europe and the Pacific, but they did much more. They were also instructors, towed targets for fighters and antiaircraft training, performed aircraft maintenance, and conducted flight tests. In the workup to the nuclear attack on Japan they conducted the B-29 tests because that male test pilots refused to because of the perceived danger. Elvira said; “women know how to talk and teach”. In one instance WASPs conducted hands on use of every component in the new integrated radar anti aircraft battery. From there they developed the procedures, wrote the course ware, and trained the instructors to bring the system into the war effort. Be sure to watch “Six Triple Eight” on NETFLIX, about a WWII black women Army battalion.

Today's guest speakers were our own Clarence and Gloria Mayo who spoke on their recient trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. The photos of their hotels were jaw dropping gorgeous! Gloria assured us that at no time did they sleep under canvas. Camping (no mater how posh) is not her thing. In Capetown they visited historical sites related to the overthrow of the apartheid government and natural wonders. There were many monuments dedicated to Nelson Mandela and his 27 years spent in prison for his non- violent fight for equality. Though the early spring was cold and very windy it didn’t stop them from venturing to the top of Table Mountain for its vistas or the Cape of Good Hope to see the penguins. Further north they experienced the grandeur of Victoria Falls and some VERY up close encounters with African wildlife. On safari n a small, open bush mobile, the pair came mere feet from large and dangerous animals; lions, leopards, elephants, hippopotamus, crocodile, hernias and buffalo. Gloria promised to share her booking contacts to anyone who wants to go on a similar adventure.

 Perian and Eddie Herring spoke at our December lunch meeting. They are the founders and current CEO/CFO for Niceville Strong, which is a faith based 501c3, partnering with The Church on Bayshore, Crosspoint and Manna Churches. Their organization addresses the hidden problems of drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness, violence and suicide through awareness events and uniting those in need with resources. Americans are more likely to die of a drug overdose than in a car accident. Opioids kill 17 Floridians a day, second only to Ohio. The Herring’s path began with discovery that their 10th grade son was addicted. After being expelled, Rocky Bayou Christian accepted him but he continued to decline. In 2012 they met other families at an event in Arkansas where they shared their experiences and prayed. This was the model for Niceville Strong. They held their first Niceville rally in 2017. Within 48 hours of an overdose Niceville Strong visits the victim and family. They have found this is the point where they are most open to help. At Niceville High School they partner with the Hope Squad, a peer to peer suicide prevention team. Student staff are trained to be the conduit between a student and professional help. The Herring’s hope to expand their successful model to other cities.    Visit their website

Guest speakers for our November 14th breakfast were from One Hopeful Place homeless shelter. Donna Morgan (left side of photos) is the Director of Homeless Services and Housing. Elizabeth Qualiana is the shelter supervisor. Donna talked to us about all the upgrades happening at their facility. Thanks to Representative Maney’s influence they have removed the massive concrete storage tanks and have funding to transform the old sewer system control building into an office and in-processing center. With only three full time staff they manage living space for up to 67 homeless men and women. In addition they have secure parking for people living out of their cars., plus apartments for group living including six units in Niceville. Our own Les Chambers consulted them concerning the poor performance of their new raised bed gardens. The soil will be improved and healthy vegetables should follow. Homeless veterans have priority but no one has a free ride. Residents are required to pay $100 per week, obey the rules and help maintain the facility. You can see their facility (1 LBJ Sr. Drive, FWB) and learn more this Saturday, 1000-noon, at their open house and color run. If you would like to donate, they are always in need of fitted and flat twin bed sheets, toilet paper and paper towel rolls.

At today's noon meeting at Landshark Pizza our speaker was the new Chief of Police for the City of Niceville, Mark Hayse.  Chief Hayse has been in his position since August 30, 2024.  He has over 33 years of law enforcement experience, including a lengthy period with the Ft Walton Beach police department.  Chief Hayse explained his background and his approach in his role as Chief.  He answered many questions regarding crime in Niceville, the drug use situation and policy dealing with the homeless.  The chief has appointed a special community affairs officer to foster a good relationship with the public.

Guest speakers for today's meeting were from the Niceville-Valparaiso Fire Department. Chief Tommy Mayville and Chief in training Matt Webster shared their thoughts on Fire Protection month. The club members were amazed at all the tasks the 28 firefighters accomplish. Fires are only a small part of their job, just 7-8 times a month. Most responses are for car crashes and medical emergencies. They educate about 8,000 children a year on fire safety. Just this month they have made presentations to every school and day care in Niceville / Valparaiso. What you might not know is that their responsibilities include; Hazardous materials, unexploded ordnance, boating accidents, environmental protection and even removing sunken vessels that hinder navigation in our bayous.

Our Guest Speaker was Mrs. Laura Beeman, Community Relations/HR Clerk for the Salvation Army of Okaloosa and Walton Counties.  Mrs. Beeman showed two short videos: one on the origins of the Salvation Army and one on the services provided by the Salvation Army.  She also discussed the facilities and services provided in our local area.  She answered questions about the local programs as well.  She outlined our local Christmas bell ringing campaign and how one can volunteer to "ring the bell."

Meeting Guest Speakers were Adrienne Maygarden, President Sacred Heart Foundation, and Michaela McCarthy, Children's Miracle Network Coordinator for Sacred Heart Foundation. Sacred Heart Foundation is dedicated to advancing Sacred Heart's mission of providing healthcare services that prioritize compassion, quality, and innovation for every patient, every day. From helping the hospital purchase the most technologically advanced medical equipment to funding education that enables their caregivers to perform the most advanced medical procedures, Sacred Heart Foundation provides critical resources that support Sacred Heart’s award-winning care for their patients, their families, and our community.  Adrienne and Michaela gave a presentation about the capabilities and services available at the Studer Family Children's Hospital at Sacred Heart, Bear Family Foundation Pediatric Oncology Center for Hope. They pointed out that our Kiwanis Club of Niceville Valparaiso has been contributing to Sacred Heart Studer Family Children's Hospital since 1987 and since then has contributed more than $129,000.  Our club has a room named for it in the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Meeting Guest Speakers were Niceville High School students; Isabela C. (left) and Lilly S. (center). They presented their work with NaGISA (Natural Geography of In-Shore Areas). NaGISA is a worldwide marine biology research program. Niceville’s 100+ program members collect samples from from the shore of Henderson Beach and SCUBA dives offshore. Back at their laboratory they conduct graduate level analysis with advanced equipment such as DNA bar-coding. Locally they share their work and results with middle school students and the public through presentations such as the one for us. Once every two years they travel internationally to conduct shoreline research. Niceville HS has been a part of NaGISA for 20 of the 24 years of its existence. Niceville students developed the Sandy Beach protocols. 8 students have been invited to the second World Congress of Marine Stations to be held in Shizuoka Japan, November 22d—December 1st. They are soliciting donations to help with travel expenses.

Todays speaker was Hillary Glenn, Executive Director and Co-founder of the Point Washington Medical Clinic, a non-profit clinic that serves the medical needs of 2,500 patients a year. Hillary is a Doctor of Nursing Practice. The clinic was given birth by Hillary and Co-founder Dr. Patsy Vargo. Its mission is to build a healthier community.  The clinic serves primarily the working poor of South Walton County.  The cost to build and equip the clinic was $2.8 million. Funding comes from where ever it can be found. There are 150+ volunteers, 30 of them are licensed professionals including doctors and nurses. Lab work is provided at a deep discount by the testing company. Dealers have provided discounted medical equipment. Medications and supplies are provided through various sources, some free some discounted. Point Washington Medical Clinic is a member of the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.   Learn More