Club members were in fine spirits at their last meeting of the year as President Mike Boland called the meeting to order at 12:00p.m. Monica Ball led the invocation which reminded everyone of the season we are in and the benefits of a grateful spirit. To keep everyone in good humor Club member Lauren Cook sang a new version of a traditional classic with the 12 Days of COVID with members robustly joining in….at least on the choruses!

President Mike Boland was thrilled to welcome guest speaker and Club fan favorite Andy Carey from the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership (BPP).

Andy Carey was named Executive Director of the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership (BPP) in September 2008. The BPP is a binational membership organization that strengthens individuals and institutions that serve border communities so that they can achieve their individual missions in the region. BPP works to grow community philanthropy, leadership, and cross-border collaboration to increase the human and financial capital needed to address the complex issues facing the region. Since 2008, the BPP has grown to nearly 300 institutional members from across the U.S. and Mexico, training hundreds of civic leaders and dispersing over $150,000 in technical assistance. Additionally, BPP has engaged numerous national and international agencies to educate them about the actual realities and assets of the border region. He also serves as Adjunct Faculty member in the University of San Diego’s School on Leadership and Education Sciences, where he teaches a graduate level course in binational nonprofit management. Prior to joining the BPP, Andy served for 15 years at Kiwanis International. Andy served as a member of the Executive Management Team and was responsible for leading growth initiatives throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the South Pacific and led Kiwanis’ Worldwide Service Project initiative in Latin America to virtually eliminate Iodine Deficiency Disorders. He completed his baccalaureate degree in Political Science and Foreign Language, and his master’s degree in Latin American Studies at Purdue University. Andy is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

After Andy’s update the Club was challenged by member Monica Ball to keep the spirit of Bill Gibb’s alive with the annual Kiwanis Bill Gibbs Virtual Red Kettle Challenge which honors his 80 years of fundraising for the Salvation Army! You can link to the challenge and donate here:

RED KETTLE CHALLENGE

Club Member Karina Sousa put together some memories from previous seasons when the Club was able to meet in person. We are all looking forward to seeing each other sometime soon in the New Year.

Happy Holidays to everyone and a great New Year!