The Zoom Room was abuzz on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, as the Club got ready to welcome Gina Jacobs, the Associate Vice President for the SDSU Mission Valley Development. President Mike Boland rang the bell and members took part in the pledge of allegiance.
After Mike reminded everyone that May is MEMBERSHIP month for us, Club member Lauren Cook read the invocation:
With are friends beside us and no person beneath us, with the bonds of Kiwanis between us and our worries behind us, with our goals before us, and no task beyond us, with a thirst for knowledge, and a dream of a disease-free world, we are thankful for our Kiwanis friends and the meeting we are about to have. Let us offer thanks for our circumstances and blessings for one another and for absent friends.
Jay Jeffcoat was appointed the chairperson of the day and there was no one more suitable to introduce Ms. Jacobs. While Mr. Jeffcoat thanked her for her efforts on the behalf of the University he took the moment to sneak in some SDSU sports references as well. Gina’s full bio can be found in full HERE.
Ms. Jacobs thanked everyone for their well wishes upon her return to speak to the club. She noted that SDSU is in the process of tearing down the old MV stadium will working simultaneously on a smaller (35,000 person) venue. The University is hopeful that it will be completed in time for the 2022 football season in the fall of next year. Gina noted that the site is more than a stadium and will also include residential units, office and research space, shops space, parks and recreational areas and an Innovation Center.
The club was excited to find they were seeing the new slide show before most others and had a lot of questions about how things would ultimately look. One thing is clear, everyone is eagerly awaiting the grand opening.
After noting the May Birthdays, members took a moment to give happy or sad dollars (Bill$ Buck$) in honor of feted Club member Bill Gibbs who attended meetings until shortly before his death at 106 and always gave money to the Club because he was still ALIVE!
Club Engagement Director Karina Sousa contributed $100 considering her upcoming birthday and time spent in the Club while other where thankful for trips, acts of service, and even their own organizations. After collecting funds, we welcomed Connor Leone from ECOLIFE who thanked the Club for its recent gift that allows them to continue their work with aquaponic indoor fish tanks that provide food for children. More info HERE
After member news and a review of upcoming events Mr. Boland rang the bell to end the meeting. Everyone is encouraged to register for the Tuesday, May 18th event which will feature the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art and their traveling exhibit, Say Their Names which will be coming to the Martin Luther King Promenade in July 2021.
