Guest Speaker Series
Our guest speaker on May 22nd was Bill Boike from Shiloh Youth Ranch. Shiloh Youth Ranch has been in operation for 54 years and is a faith-based, non-profit foster home for troubled boys who are uncontrollable at home but they do begin to conform when they realize the Shiloh leaders are there to help them. The operation is solely funded by donations and there is no charge to the parents of these boys.
Shiloh Youth Ranch is a 56-acre multi-ministry facility including a church, the boys’ school, and adult missionary outreach. The home can house up to 14 boys ages 9-14. Boys are taught to work with their hands and arrive with different levels of education, so are given personalized tutoring. Bill lived at Shiloh in his youth and has now been leading the boys for 38 years.
Current needs are to remodel their dorms with new tile flooring, bunk beds and replacement of washers and dryers. In closing, Bill thanked us for our support and invited our club to plan a luncheon meeting at the facility.
Other Club News
On May 17 several of our members participated in the RADwomen Class taught by Sebastian Police Department and Indian River County Sheriff’s Department. We learned lots of helpful things, made some new friends and had a great time with these officers. Taking this class when offered again is highly recommended!
Many thanks to Jason Gillette and Donald Hart from Sebastian Police Department and Cliff Labbe from Indian River County Sherrif’s Department.
Junior Excel, Sebastian Charter Junior High School, Sebastian, Florida
Principal William Dodds and Assistant Principal Chet Devarney have been very supportive of our effort to start this club. the school advisors are Skye Devarney and Tammy Cruz. Parents and students alike are excited about our mission and the opportunity for earning their required volunteer hours through club activities in a fun way. Meetings will resume in the 2019-2020 school year. We will plan to have information and membership applications during student orientations for next year.
If you are interested in assisting with this Junior Excel Program please contact Bill Middleton mhrepair116@gmail.com.
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On April 10th Bill Middleton, Kathy Burns and Margie Duffell met with Florida District Director Kim Prado and Sebastian River High School IB Advisor Jaime Sturgeon to discuss starting an Excel Club at SRHS. Jaime’s enthusiasm is infectious and with Kim’s guidance, we met with current and incoming IB students on April 30th. We held a follow-up planning meeting on May 20th and have a total of 18 student applications! The students elected their officers for 2019-2020 and are anxious to begin their community service and fund-raising activities. A Permanent Organizational Meeting (POM) will be held on Tuesday, June 4th at SRHS Sharkey’s Café at 6:00 p.m. with light refreshments following. Our National Exchange Club Installation Representative, David Ledbetter will conduct the meeting and installation of officers and charter members. All of our club members are encouraged to attend and support this new SRHS Excel Club.
Contact Bill Middleton, Kathy Burns or Margie Duffell if you are interested in assisting.
Margie Duffell