Present: Cheryl VanVliet, Elijah Canfield, Thad Bogert, Diana Bolton, Bonnie & Dan Mercurio & Maureen Posler
Meeting called to order: 6:43 PM by Elijah Canfield

1. Additions & Corrections: No changes or corrections. 
2. Minutes: Thad motioned to accept the minutes from the August 14, 2025 meeting & Maureen seconded the motion.  All were in favor and motion passed.
3. Treasurer’s Report: Diana reviewed the Treasurer’s report. Please see the Treasurer’s handout for account balances. There were 2 posted transactions and 2 pending transactions for the General Account. There was no activity in the MP account.  Diana reviewed the signers for debit/credit cards for both accounts. Any new signers will need to meet at the bank to sign authorization cards. The new club new treasurer should coordinate signing cards with those individuals and the bank. Elijah revisited the club using a long term CD and if we decide to go with it, perhaps transfer some of the money in the MP account into a long term CD. Diana was going to check the CD requirements.

1. Finance & Budget Committee: Elijah mentioned that in Year 2 of the Finance & Budget Committee, we need to do a better job. Diana mentioned that currently we create a budget & then add new expenses as they come up. She cited YEM as an example. Elijah recommended we keep the committee together and do a better job. Dan was added as a member to the committee. Thad motioned to approve the Treasurer’s report & Dan seconded the motion. All present were in favor and Treasurer’s report was approved.

1. Correspondence: None
2. MRR Committee:  Thad had no updates. Thad talked about “Springly” which is software that can track membership, pay dues, track correspondence, donor management and quite a bit more.  The software price is $45/month and includes web posting. We pay for web postings now and that plus the service fee the bank charges when we pay dues online offsets most of the subscriptions costs. Question on whether to enroll was tabled until next meeting; however Thad encouraged members to check out Springly software online before our next meeting. 
3. Club Officer Elections: New officers will be sworn in by Cheryl at the October meeting. 

 

1. Open Discussion:

1. Club Officer Training: All club officers must go through Civitan International training by November 15, 2025.  Bonnie, Dan, Elijah, Carol & Theresa will need to complete training.
2. Civitan Region 6 Fall Convention: The Fall Convention will be held September 19-21 in Lafayette, Indiana.  Cheryl and Hal will attend and Elijah said he might go.
3. Group Home Good Gestures:  Carol was spearheading this project for January/February 2026. The idea was to partner with a local senior residence/nursing home and send cards for special events (i.e. birthday, Christmas, etc.). Carol was leading this project with a timeframe of January/February to start. Since Carol was not present, the project was tabled until a future meeting. 
4. Desert Angels Packing Event: Diana checked with South Lyon High School about using a room for the packing party. Last month, the club decided to look for a room that was larger and that we could get into earlier to set up. We can use a room at the high school. Diana thought that we should be able to get in to set up shortly after school ends.  Available dates are Nov. 17, 18 & 19. Preference of those in attendance was Tuesday, November 18, 2025. Various members brought Bonnie and Dan up to speed on Desert Angels. Diana will contact South Lyon high school to see if the date and room are still available.

 

1. Project Updates:

1. Music on the Grand: Smaller turnout for the August 20, 2025 event. Perhaps cooler temps and vacations that were right before school started contributed to a low turnout.

 

1. Upcoming Projects:

1. Youth Entrepreneur Market:
   1. Youth Entrepreneur Market (YEM): The last YEM Market for 2025 was held on September 13, 2025.  38 youths registered for the market and paid their registration fee.  11 of the 38 eventually cancelled.  A discussion was started about whether we should continue to have Civitan bucks. There has been some abuse using the Civitan bucks, however, most of the youths are excited about earning additional money using the bucks.  Dan is willing to create Civitan Bucks for the last youth market and we will revisit whether to continue for next year. Maureen agreed to produce certificates of participation and letters for everyone that participated in at least 1 YEM market.
   2. Generations in Business: The idea was to pair seniors from Abbey Park and YEM or other youths to create a product, develop a marketing plan and get together to make the product and sell the product at next years’ YEM or at other opportunities. This is a 2026 project and we will discuss further at a future meeting.
2. Adopt-A-Highway: The next Adopt-A-Highway will be on September 20, 2025. Meet in the Biggby parking lot at 9:00 AM. Diana will take supplies to volunteers. The club always needs additional volunteers to help.
3. Pumpkinfest: This event will be held on September 27-28, 2025. Like last year, we will have a “Wheel of Fortune” game. Prizes will include three sizes of stuffed animals, LED rings and candy. We have collected about 1,400 stuffed animals! Thanks to Cheryl for examining them, washing/sanitizing the animals and doing “surgery” where necessary. Thad has sent out a Sign-Up Genius for volunteers to sign up. Please open the email and sign up for one or more shifts. The tent will be set up on Saturday morning. Help is needed to set up the tent and the animals, game & prizes. This is the second biggest fundraiser after charity poker, so volunteers are needed. Breaking down the tent will occur on Sunday evening, so we need help for that as well.  Several of the tent pieces are heavy for some of our club members, so please try to come and help. The breakdown should only take about 30 minutes.
4. Focus Hope: Our next Focus Hope will be held on October 18, 2025.  The event is hosted by the Plymouth-Canton Civitan Club; however they always extend an invitation to KVCC. Invite families and friends to participate. It is a busy couple of hours but a lot of fun at the same time. Generally our clubs enjoy a good Polish lunch afterwards. If you wish to carpool, meet in the Costco Parking lot at Middlebelt and I-96 at 8:30 AM. If you drive, plan on arriving by 9:00 sharp.
5. Goodies on the Grand: This event will take place on October 18, 2025 from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM at Inspiration Park (in front of Methodist church on Grand River). Cheryl reviewed a trunk decoration and talked about volunteers showing up in like costumes.  The idea Cheryl proposed was that volunteers are dressed in M&M candy logo decorated t-shirts. Maureen looked at iron-on logos, however they were expensive for larger sizes and there were shipping fees involved (not through Amazon Prime). Cheryl found the clear laminate and Hal will draw the M&M logo to apply to T-Shirts.
6. Charity Poker Dates:
   1. March 19-22, 2026 (Thursday/Friday days)
   2. June 25-28, 2026 (Thursday/Friday nights)
7. Scarecrow Contest: KVCC will participate in the scarecrow contest this year.  Last year the club did an “Uncle Sam” costumed scarecrow. Cheryl ordered a Superman costume. She ordered a ready-made costume because finding everything we need in thrift stores would probably cost as much as the one she ordered, not to mention the time involved looking for items. Theresa has registered for this event.
8. Member Health Update: Cheryl reported that Hal is home from the hospital.  His voice is very hoarse and breathing somewhat labored.  Cheryl also reported that Kris Krzyzanski had shoulder surgery and will face knee surgery in the future.  Vivian VanVliet is doing well and resting at home. Dan took some good-natured ribbing on an injury to his thumb.  He sliced a piece of his thumb off at home.  Not to make light of his injury, but he is doing good. Theresa continues to improve. She used a cane at PT for the first time and hopes to get rid of the cane in the near future.
9. Meeting Agenda: At the next meeting agenda, the Christmas tree the club decorates for Abbey Park will be added.  The Christmas pot luck and the families that the club adopts will also be added to the agenda.

 

1.  The next meeting will be a dinner meeting at Teresita Mexican Grill on September 25, 2025 at 6:30 PM.
   1. If we plan to have a meeting prior to the packing party, we will need to find another location. Our current location will be closed for a Veteran’s Day event.
   
   

 
Minutes taken at the September 11, 2025 Business Meeting and respectfully submitted by Maureen Posler on September 16, 2025.

Present: Cheryl VanVliet, Hal Hultman, Vivian VanVliet, Elijah Canfield,  Thad Bogert, Diana Bolton Julie Pelletier, Dan Mercurio & Maureen Posler
Meeting called to order: 6:30 PM by Elijah Canfield
Additions & Corrections: Elijah added a bullet under “Open Discussion.  7(f): Goodies on the Grand was added.
Minutes: Minutes of last meeting were passed out. Hal made a motion to approve and Thad seconded the motion.  All agreed and minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report: Diana reviewed the Treasurer’s report. Please see the Treasurer’s handout for account balances.  There was no activity in the MP account so the balance remained the same. Diana noted that Krazy Kops increased their fees once the maximum chip amount increased to $20K.  The Treasurer’s report was approved.
Correspondence: Maureen read a thank you letter from the South Lyon Water Guardians Organization expressing their thanks for KVC’s Sponsorship and donation for the 21st Annual South Lyon Creek Clean-up and Earth Day Event. 
MRR Committee:  Carol Sienko was not present. Elijah reported that he sent out emails to 73 families asking them to join us and make a difference. He invited them to come to a monthly meeting.  He did not receive any responses so far.  Cheryl suggested putting the email on the website.
Club Elections: The remaining officer’s position that was open was for Treasurer.  Dan Mercurio & his wife Bonnie have agreed to serve as Co-Treasurers.  Dan will officially be listed since only one officer can be named in each position.
Open Discussion:

1. Civitan International: Elijah & Karissa attended the convention on August 6-9, 2025. He said that convention was good.  He especially liked hearing what other clubs were doing and meeting new people.  One idea that Elijah brought to the table was that since our account balances have remained fairly consistent for several month that perhaps we should transfer some of the money to a CD or high interest account.  This would mean another account and everyone holding a credit/debit card would have to sign the new account paperwork.  There would not be a lot of additional on-going work for the treasurer.  All present seemed in favor of getting more information from the bank and considering this. Not doing something like this is leaving significant interest on the table. Another idea was establishing auto pay for dues. This would eliminate the issue of the club paying dues to International for people who have quit the club
2. Civitan Region & Fall Convention: This will be held on Sept. 19-21 in Lafayette, Indiana. Elijah is going sine he is now on the board in charge of Philanthropy.   Cheryl and Hal are also attending. 
3. Group Home Good Gestures: No report on this.
4. Generations in Business: The was an idea presented by Elijah and involves bringing together two of our community’s  greatest resources, the talented youth from YEM and interested, talented seniors from Abby Park or the Senior Center for an afternoon of collaboration, creativity and connection.  Both groups would spend a Sunday afternoon working side-by-side to design and create a unique product line for the 2026 Youth Entrepreneur Market.  Seniors will share their skills, stories and wisdom, while the students bring fresh ideas, energy and marketing savvy. Examples might include handcrafted jewelry, hand painted mugs or tote bags, or knitted/crocheted items. The proposed timeline would be identifying seniors and students in January and select the product type(s). In February & host a workshop for both groups.  During Spring/Summer, continue product production and refine branding. Then during the 2026 Market, launch the “Generations Collection” with a tag honoring the seniors that helped make each item. Everyone thought this was a great idea with more discussion at future meetings.
5. Desert Angels Packing Event: Everyone present agreed that we do this again, however Hal suggested finding a bigger location and preferably one that would allow us to get in earlier to set up.  Diana was going to check with the high school about use of their gym and if a cost was involved and Thad was going to check with Bartlett Middle School regarding gym availability.
6. Goodies on the Grand:  Elijah brought up whether the club wanted to participant this year.  Every one present thought we should. The date is Oct. 18 at Inspiration Park.

Project Updates:

1. Music on the Grand: Last event for this year will be on August 20.  Several members who are our biggest volunteers are not available for this event.  We need club members to volunteer!  This simply means handling a bean bag type toss for kids and putting on temporary tattoo stickers.  If you have not volunteered much this year, or, even if you have volunteered, this is a good opportunity to help the club.  The location is Inspiration Park (in front of the New Hudson Methodist church at 56730 Grand River in New Hudson).  Volunteers are needed to be there at 5:30 to set up.  Concert runs from 6:00-8:00.  Bring a chair, wear your club t-shirt and name tag.  While you are volunteering, you get to hear some great music from a live band.
2. Youth Entrepreneur Market: In July, 20 students attended and $63 in Civitan Cash was refunded (100% of vouchers were redeemed). In August, 29 students participated.  This was the biggest market to date!  The inflatable was a big hit. Next market is Sept. 13 and everyone present thought we should continue the vouchers. There was a lot of discussion because Pontiac Trail will be under construction next year. Some members suggested moving the market, however for return visitors; we lose the convenience of being in the same location year after year.  The Farmer’s Market will remain open so perhaps best option is to stay where we are.  A Southbound lane will be open.
3. Adopt-a-Highway: Next clean-up will be on September 20.  Meet in the Biggby New Hudson parking lot at 9:00 am.
4. Pumpkinfest: This event will be held on Sept. 27-28.  Volunteers will be needed to staff the tent.  The game is a simple- spin the wheel, like “Wheel of Fortune”, and pick a prize. Thad will send out a “Sign-Up Genius” to sign up for a shift.  Please sign up!
5. Focus Hope: This event is spearheaded by the Plymouth Canton Civitan Club; however they always invite our club and need the help. Everyone has a great time followed by a great lunch and bakery visit in Hamtramck.
6. Wellness: Cheryl gave an update on Theresa’s knee surgery and also mentioned that Kris Krzyzanski will be out of commission for 3 months.  He injured his knee and is waiting to see an orthopedic doctor.  He is also having surgery on his shoulder.

Motion to Adjourn made at 7:47 pm Vivian made a motion to adjourn and Diana seconded the motion.
 
Minutes taken at the August 14, 2025 Business Meeting and respectfully submitted by Maureen Posler on August 17, 2025.
​