HUTCHINSON AMBUCS
Guests: Aaron Powers, guest of his Dad, Tony; Kristine McKoewn, guest of Reta Joy Campbell; Kristine is ready to join, if we can just get President Mitchell back to do his thing; Natalie Bright, guest of Jerry Regier, his daughter and our speaker for today.
Sergeants Playground: Ward and Colby were back with a new list of victims. Apparently Brad T snubbed one of the sgts during the week, so a search got underway for him. Not finding him present, they once again collected from Ryan T. Good luck to Ryan in trying to get his money back. Doc Powers won last weeks 50/50 pot, so paid his winners tax. Dwight Wiehl chose not to attend last weeks meeting and missed his chance to answer the newsletter question, costing him a dollar. Dane Power, 2nd VP, conducted the meeting, so Colby fined him for being disorganized. Fred Conner must have done something, because he got hit again. Jeff Roberts just returned from a cruise, and put his last remaining $1 in the pot. Larry Sloan was fined for a cell phone interruption last week. Eric S, Bob B, and Reta Joy were all on the list and paid graciously as usual.
Announcements: Jerry Regier gave us an update on the Veteran Amtryke Project he is spearheading for this falls Rod Run. He has broken the ice with the Wichita office of the VA, which had been a bottleneck in the past. They are on board now, and have identified Kansas disabled veterans. Jerry is now narrowing this list down to those who can be aided in their rehabilitation by an Amryke. All recipients will be approved through the normal therapist testing. He is also having success in approaching businesses to sponsor an Amtryke, with much interest coming out of Wichita. He now feels confident that he will be able to provide at least 6, maybe 10, to veterans this fall. Great job Jerry!!
Dont forget the Board of Directors meeting this Friday @ 6:15AM
Program: Jerry Regier introduced his daughter, Natalie Bright, of Bright & Carpenter Consulting of Topeka, KS. She and her partner are registered lobbyists with the Kansas Legislature and one of her largest clients in the Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK). Her presentation looked at the effect that tourism has on our state and local economy. Tourism pumped $7.2 million into the Kansas economy in 2009 and is the third largest industry in the state (based on jobs). The South Central Kansas is second only to the Kansas City/Johnson County in attracting tourist dollars, and Reno County is second only to Wichita in attracting tourists to this region. The 2009 impact study of the Reno County showed $105 million flowing into our local economy. The story her firm is selling to the legislature is that tourism is a significant industry in the state and that it is worth investing in for the future. If you desire more information, google TIAK to locate their website.
Drawings: The 50/50 pot contained $29 and went to Fred Conner, who Im sure took it directly home to wife Barbara. For the second week in a row, Dwight Wiehls name was drawn for the newsletter pot and this time he had no idea what the question was, let alone the answer. Since he paid $1 for being gone last week, no telling what blowing it a second time may cost. Bring money!!.
Next Fridays question is Who is the director of the Greater Hutchinson Convention and Tourism Bureau? This is the local agency that coordinates tourism for Hutchinson and Reno County and works closely with Natalie Bright in her efforts. Its worth $40, so come prepared.