The Carmi Kiwanis Club met at noon on Thursday, February 15 at the Farm Bureau Building. President Holly Healy led the meeting. Keith Hoskins won the 50/50 Raffle. Hanan Issawi donated to the Good News Fund by thanking our local Police Department for keeping our schools safe.
Eric Ralphs introduced our speaker, Cheryl Woodham. Cheryl started the Guaradian Center. It is a free=standing nonprofit children’s advocacy center that covers 8 Counties: White, Gallatin, Saline, Edwards, Wabash, Richland, Lawrence and Crawford.
They receive their funding in a variety of ways: State grants from DCFS, victims of violent crime fines through the Attorney General’s Office and Federal funded Victims of Crime Act fines coming through the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois. Community support in the form of fundraising, individual and community donations are a large part of the funding that keeps the Guardian Center doors open.
The Guardian Center’s Annual Banquet is the largest single fundraiser for the work of the CAC and also serves as one of the primary community awareness events of our services for abused children and their non-offending family members.
This year’s event, the 20th Year Celebration, will be held on Friday, March 2nd at the Windsor Oaks Banquet Facility in Grayville, Illinois. The doors will open at 5:15 p.m. Midwest Dueling Pianos will be the entertainment. There are 250 tickets already sold. There are another 50 tickets available. The Annual “Friend of the Children Award” will be awarded. The dinner will be a lovely buffet meal catered by Yesterday’s. Raffle items include tickets to the Evansville Philharmonic, the Southern Illinois Miners and St. Louis Cardinals games the Evansville Zoo, Swonder Ice Rink, Holiday World, Big Splash Park at French Lick and many other items.
The Guardian Center is looking for board member representation from Saline and Wabash Counties.
The Carmi Kiwanis made a donation to the Guardian Center and thanked Cheryl for all her good work.
Pancake Day will be this Saturday, February 17th. The public’s support will be greatly appreciated.
