THE EXCHANGE CLUB OF SEBASTIAN, FL
~~~ NEWSLETTER ~~~
Meeting 12 Noon, 2nd – last Wednesdays of the Month
Captain Hiram’s Tiffany Room, Sebastian, Florida
January 31, 2022
Students of the Month

OUR YOUTH OF THE MONTH AWARD recognizes hard-working pre-high school and high school students who attain high levels of scholastic achievement, community involvement and leadership, and daily demonstrate good citizenship both at school and at home. Students recognized for the month of January were Andrea Cantor from Sebastian River Middle School, Brikya Spann from Storm Grove Middle School, Melody Rivera from Sebastian Charter Junior High School, and Remington Monnett and Nicholas Jackman from Sebastian River High School.
Andrea Cantor demonstrates the qualities and character we all want to see in the future leaders of our city, nation, and our world. She is an open-minded individual, who is always eager to learn about others and shows genuine interests in exploring new ideas, while at the same time maintaining a clear sense of who she is and not compromising her values. Andrea is responsible, always ready for class, and she is caring towards her peers as well as adults. Andrea has a love for learning and for sharing her knowledge with others. This is a young lady who takes pride in her work and doesn’t cut corners to just get things done. She is always striving for excellence. Andrea displays the motivation, drive, determination that is needed to not just be successful in school, but also in life. She is a role model who shows respect to her peers and to all adults on campus. In accepting her award Andrea thanked our club, her family and teachers saying, “I am very honored.”
Brikya Spann is a perfectly blended student. She is a creative arts and chorus student and a leader in the summer science program. She is well spoken and fantastic in the classroom. Brikya is respectful, kind, and hardworking – an all-around wonderful person. She hopes to continue her studies after high school at SMU and become a medical mal-practice attorney. In accepting her award Brikya thanked our club for the recognition and her teachers for nominating her.
Melody Rivera defines humbled leadership, as she demonstrates daily citizenship, honesty, and caring for those around her. Melody has a 4.0 GPA and is ranked at the top of her class. Through both her academics and extracurricular activities, Melody strives for excellence as a master of teamwork and positivity. She always puts forth 100% effort and pays attention to detail. Melody is an active member of National Junior Honor Society and captain of the basketball team. She always has a great and positive attitude, works hard, and displays outstanding sportsmanship. She is a great example for all of the younger girls on the team. She has the same great character around school every day. Melody wants to be a 6th grade social studies teacher. She exhibits the resolve and willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. In accepting her award Melody thanked our club, her teachers, and “my family for everything they do for me.”
Remington Monnett is an IB Diploma Candidate with a Weighted GPA of 4.659 and ranked 2nd in her class. She is Treasurer of the National Honor Society, a National Merit Scholar Commended Student and AP Scholar with Honor. She has received the Shark Award (for Athletes with a 3.5 unweighted GPA) with a 4.0 GPA all 4 years for lacrosse and weightlifting. She has also been in the SRHS Band Wind Ensemble for 4 years, a section leader of the alto saxophones, Marching Pride Band, and 4-county Honor Band.. Remington is Senior Class President and a FBLA state qualifier. She is also a member of the Chess Club and Masterminds Club. She volunteers as a Peer Forward Leader mentoring students thinking about applying to college—especially first-time college students, is a member of the Chick-Fil-A Leadership Academy, and organized the Color Run to raise funds for the March of Dimes. She also helped create an IB website for current and future students to help prepare for exams. In accepting her award “Remy” thanked our club for honoring her and her parents and teachers who have all encouraged her. She has applied and been accepted to UCF, Auburn University and University of Alabama for the pre-med scholars program. She plans to become a fertility specialist and help families achieve their goals.
Nicholas Jackman is and IB Diploma Candidate with a Weighted GPA of 4.302 and ranked in the top 10% of his class. He is a National Honor Society Member. He has been on the Swim Team all 4 years and advanced to state competition 2 times for 100 yard back stroke and 500 yard freestyle where he placed 15th. He is also a member of the Treasure Coast Swimming Conquistadors (TCSC), a year-round competition team, since 1st grade. Nicholas volunteers as a swim meets timer, as an Acolyte for Christ Church of Vero Beach, helps with Kettle Collection for the Salvation Army, and helps move computer equipment around SRHS. He fixes computers, switching out parts and general repairs. He loves astronomy and golf. He has applied and been accepted to FIT, Florida Southern, UNF, as well as out of state universities in Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Nicholas hopes to study mechanical engineering and possibly bio-technology. In accepting his award “Nick” thanked our club saying, “It truly means a lot to me, and was quite unexpected.”
Community Events
The Boys & Girls Club of Indian River County’s Sebastian location officially re-opened on January 17th. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate this event with several of our Sebastian City Councilmen attending. Ribbon Cutting by City Councilman Fred Jones
This and That
Please contact Ali Qizilbash or Kimball Stadler with ideas for future speakers. Suggestions are appreciated!
Eva Chapman needs to know of any volunteer work a member has done outside of Exchange Club. This counts toward credit we get from national toward year end awards. Please use her log or send her the name of the organization and number of hours you spent volunteering.
Eva Chapman says the first Blue Water Open committee meeting was held on Tuesday January 18th at 5:30 in Captain Hiram’s conference room. Please attend future meetings if you can serve on the committee. Volunteers are needed to chair the VIP Event, chair the Cheer Cooler effort and chair the Trip Tickets effort. Sponsor Packet has been sent out to members to send to their sponsors. We need to get our requests out to them soon. Thank you Kimball for sending this Save-The-Date reminder out to all of our previous sponsors and fishermen:

Terry Gardner is chairing the Community Involvement Committee. Karen McElveen will serve with her. They encourage members to give them ideas.
Kathy Burns and Margie Duffell are working with both Sebastian Charter Junior High School and Sebastian River High School to rebuild their Excel Club programs. Club meetings are held immediately after school at each school. Volunteers to assist with these meetings are needed! For more information please contact Kathy or Margie.
Adam Preuss reminds us that on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, our luncheon will be held at SRHS (rather than Captain Hiram’s) to recognize the Male & Female Youth of the Year students and the ACE student. Lunch will consist of: Salad, Chicken, Veggie, Dessert & Drink and will be paid for by the club. We will need to provide the culinary school a firm and final count of members wishing to participate by April 4th.
Phil Barnes says the Youth Guidance King of the Hill Tennis Events will begin on Thursday January 20th and continue each Thursday through March 3rd. The Sebastian Exchange Club is a $5,000 sponsor, so the Club will receive 8 tickets to the each event, which runs seven weeks. The Schedule of events was sent by separate email. All sponsors must provide the names of their guests who will be attending ahead of time in order to make sure they are on the guest list. Sponsors should inform Development Associate Tiara Weethee of guests’ names by calling her at 772-492-3933 or by email at Tweethe@youthguidanceprogram.org.
Phil Barnes says the date for our Junior Blue Water Open has been confirmed for Saturday October 29th.
And speaking of Phil….here are excerpts from a recent article published by Vero Beach Flash featuring him . . . . Congratulations, Phil! Visit verobeachflash@mail.com. For the full article:
“Phil Barnes is our Positive Person for January!
One of his greatest accomplishments at Youth Guidance was opening a Learning Center for students during the height of COVID-19. “We provided a safe place where children in need could access the internet and tutoring to complete their virtual school. We collaborated with other organizations in the community to make this happen, and 100% of our kids ended up advancing to the next grade level on time. This was a team effort that I was proud to be a part of leading.”
He is motivated when he witnesses kids in Indian River County learn new skills, giving them the confidence to go out and make a difference in the world. He is awed by the fact that he gets to do this every day at Youth Guidance, whether it’s watching one of the students fix a boat engine or seeing the smiles on their faces when they land their first job. Phil’s two main passions are youth development and caring for the environment. When asked what advice would you give to others? Phil replied, “Try to be better than you were yesterday – and never be afraid to try something new!”
Thank you Phil for making our community a better place! You are a cherished piece of this community and we are honored to feature you as a FLASH Positive Person!”
1st Qtr. Visitors – Please Come Again!
01/12 – Diane Croteau, potential member (Eva Chapman)
01/12 – Cathy Topping, Sebastian Director & Robert Ulrich,
Program Director B&G Club (Laura Luettger)
01/19 – Dr. Zoey Gutierrez-Nickel, DDS, MS (Kathy Gutierrez)
Sebastian Police Department Community Outreach
Save the dates! The following C.O.P.E. involved events will take place during the month of February. We could definitely use some extra help on our outreach trailer ones so if you would like to come out and volunteer let me know. See attached flyers.
- Thursday, February 10th – Operation New Hope – Community Outreach Trailer – Riverview Park – 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. – Serving snowcones and popcorn. This is to support the Wounded Waters Program described below:
GETTING VETERANS OUT ON THE WATER
Kevin and the Wounded Waters Team are just starting out on this adventure to build an organization and make a real difference. The goal of Wounded Waters is to get Veterans and Military Members out fishing so they stop worrying about all the stressors of daily life and know they are not alone. Kevin has already taken numerous Vets, Military personnel and First Responders fishing and had great success. Visit our News section to see highlights from past trips, and learn from our Veterans what WW means to them. https://woundedwaters.org/About-us.html.
- Friday, February 11th – Tim Tebow Night to Shine Event – Calvary Chapel of Sebastian, 1251 Sebastian Blvd. – 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. – Due to COVID this will be a drive-through celebration. If any Officers would like to come out and be part of this let me know.
- Thursday, February 17th – First night of our Citizen’s Academy. (through May 5th – every Thursday evening 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.) at Sebastian Police Department
- Sunday February 20th – Elks’ Lodge Car Show Event – Elks’ Lodge, 731 South Fleming Street – 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. – Community Outreach Trailer – Serving snowcones and popcorn.
- Saturday, February 26th – SAFIR Coalition Family Fun Day – IG Center 1590 Oslo Road (9th Street SW) Vero Beach – 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. – Community Outreach Trailer – Serving snowcones and popcorn.
- Sunday, February 27th – Literacy Services of Indian River County Family Fun Day – 21 Cypress Street, Fellsmere – Next to Fellsmere City Hall – 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. – Community Outreach Trailer – Serving snowcones and popcorn.
If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to Todd Finnegan at 772-473-2091. Thank you!
Calendar of Events
February
02/02 – No Meeting (Board Only)
02/09 – Dr. Moore, IRC School District Superintendent
Birthday Cake
02/16 – Students
02/23 – Amanda Smalley, SkyDive Sebastian
March
03/02 – No Meeting (Board Only)
03/09 – Corey Maxwell, Vet Dive Therapy
Birthday Cake
03/16 – Students
03/23 – TBD
03/30 – TBD
April
04/06 – No Meeting (Board Only)
04/13 – TBD
Birthday Cake
04/20 – Students of Year and Ace Awards
Sharky’s Café – Sebastian River High School
04/27 – TBD
On January 12th we celebrated those members who have January birthdays:
Ali Qizilbash 01/04
Sean Prescott 01/09
Kathy Falzone 01/11
Fred Jones 01/28
January Anniversaries
Kathy Burns 4 Years
Eric Flowers 7 Years
Margie Duffell 29 Years
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February Birthdays
Johnathan Rhodeback 02/04
Terry Gardner 02/06
Eric Flowers 02/17
Bill Kriener 02/24
February Anniversaries
Janey Franklin 2 Years
Jeff Kagan 2 Years
Terry Gardner 6 Years
Paul Williamson 9 Years
Mike Natale 12 Years
Warren Dill 32 Years
Excel Club of Sebastian River High School
An election of officers was held on September 13th. Approximately 25 students attended for the election!

New club officers are:
President Ray Temino
President-Elect Desiree White
Secretary Sawyer Held
Treasurer Adam Chester
Historian Dylan Weragoda
2021-22 Club Members
Club meetings will be held on Wednesdays immediately after school at 2:00 p.m. Club members are working on a school-wide book drive collection during January to benefit students at Fellsmere Elementary. (Pillars – Youth and Community). A beach cleanup is scheduled for February (Pillar – Community). The club has already completed at least one event in three of the four pillars of Exchange. Plans are being made for a March event and in April the Child Prevention flag will be displayed on campus.
Club Advisor Jaime Sturgeon is very supportive of our efforts and is enthusiastic about having members get underway with activities which support the ideals of Exchange.
Volunteers are needed to assist with these meetings!
Jr Excel Club Sebastian Middle School
An election officers was held on October 13th. New club officers are:
Back Row L-R: President Elect Shayne Corley, President Amber Fuller, Treasurer Teagan Keefe, and Advisor Dr. William Dodds
Front Row L-R members Marley McCain and Ethan Gates
President Amber Fuller
President Elect Shane Corley
Secretary Teagan Keefe
Treasurer Teagan Keefe
Meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month immediately after school. The club is learning/practicing Roberts Rules of Order protocol. This club has also completed at least one event in three of the four pillars of Exchange. At the February meeting, in honor of Black History Month, they will be hearing our member Officer Donald Hart from Sebastian Police Department about the legacy of his dad, Victor Hart in the Gifford Community. (Pillars – Community & Americanism). In April the Child Prevention flag will be displayed on campus and students will distribute fliers to each home room class.
Volunteers are needed to assist with helping the students achieve activities which represent the four pillars of Exchange. Any member willing to assist should contact Margie Duffell or Kathy Burns.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND |
COVID-19 Attendance Guidelines
Our New Guidelines Effective August 1, 2021. These guidelines shall apply to all members and guests that attend our Club meetings in person in the Tiffany Room at Capt. Hiram’s restaurant:
- There shall be no more than 6 people at each table.
- Facemasks are optional.
- If any member/guest has tested positive for COVID-19, has experienced symptoms of COVID-19, or has been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, he/she shall not attend any meetings in person until they become symptom-free or test negative. Additionally, he/she shall notify the Club President of their condition, so that we can determine if any other members/guests may have been exposed.
District Director Rene’s Corner
Indian River Club: The 5th Annual Toss Out Child Abuse Charity Cornhole Tournament was held on October 16th at Walking Tree Brewery. This year’s event was very successful with 33 teams participating. Over $11,000 was raised! Congratulations Indian River Club for your continued successes!
Fellsmere Club: The 2021 Shrimpfest & Craft Brew Hullabaloo was held Friday, March 19th through Sunday March 21st, 2021. This was a joint effort with the Rotary Club of Sebastian and roughly $55,000 was raised support youth sports and organizations throughout north Indian River County.
South Brevard County Club: Club members have recently packed and distributed another 25 Blue Bags with children’s items for donation to the Melbourne Police. These bags are for use when police are working with children in stressful situations.
Ron Smith a car show is planned for the future – location and date to be determined. The Junior Fishing Tournament is planned for next spring, probably in late April. Contact Ron for more information at ronlsmith45@gmail.com.
Margie Duffell
