AMARILLO, Tex. – Bill McCartney, legendary Colorado football coach and Promise Keepers founder, will be keynote speaker at the T-O Convention Prayer Breakfast on Aug. 8 at the Amarillo Civic Center.The breakfast is just one of many Aug. 7-10 events the 90th Annual T-O Convention has to offer Kiwanians all the way from Brownsville in the Lower Rio Grande Valley to Bartlesville in northern Oklahoma.
Joyce Southern, co-convention chair from Amarillo, says the breakfast will be at 7 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Civic Center Grand Plaza. Following the breakfast, the traditional Memorial Service will be held across the street at the Globe News Center for the Performing Arts. It will honor those Kiwanians who passed away the past year. “We are honored to have Bill McCartney as keynote speaker at our convention Prayer Breakfast,” says Southern. “He has been an inspiration to hundreds of young men who played for him at the University of Colorado, as well as hundreds of thousands of others who have followed his lead in the Promise Keepers program.” During his time as coach at Colorado, college football fans from across Oklahoma and Texas can remember how he transformed a losing program into winning the national championship in 1990. In 1996, he was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame and in 1999 he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. He was Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year in 1985, 1989 and 1990 and also won National Coach of the Year Honors in 1989. He co-founded Promise Keepers in 1990 and helped lead a march in Washington, D.C. of an estimated 1 million men in support of the Christian organization’s values. Currently he is the founder and chairman of The Road to Jerusalem ministry. He has authored four books, Ashes to Glory, Sold Out, Sold Out Two-gether with Lyndi McCartney, and Blind Spots. Stan Steinkruger of Amarillo, also co-chair, says McCartney’s presentation should be an inspiration to all in attendance.
“Kiwanians from across our division have devoted much time and effort in making the 90th annual convention one you will remember,” says Southern. “We encourage Kiwanians across the Texas-Oklahoma District and other Kiwanis International members to get registered by filling out the form inside Ki-Notes, or by going to the convention Web site at http://www.ktxokconvention08.org/.”
Convention Activities
There will be numerous Kiwanis business related events during the convention, the third one to be held in Amarillo. There will also a full slate of fun entertaining activities. There’s not a prettier place in Texas then Palo Duro Canyon State Park just outside Amarillo. The outdoor musical “TEXAS” will be a treat that all Kiwanians will enjoy. A special early-bird excursion to TEXAS is being planned. At 7 a.m Thursday, Aug. 7, golf at Tascosa Country Club will feature a four-person scrambles tournament. The $52.00 entry fee includes green fees, cart and range balls. Teams will be formed by the club pro according to handicaps of individual players. Following golf, Kiwanians can join other conventioneers to check out Amarillo’s many restaurants and the host hotel, The Ambassador. The Amarillo Convention & Visitors Council will be assisting with transportation to and from the hotel and the Amarillo Civic Center. Following the Prayer Breakfast and Memorial Service on Friday, Aug. 8, a noon luncheon is tentatively scheduled to feature John Erickson of Perryton, known worldwide as the creator of the "Hank the Cow Dog" books and tapes. His cow-dog and ranch tales will be a treat for all. Getting down the business, Aug. 8 forums will address various subjects important to the success of Kiwanis. Forums will be held on Key Leaders, Actions Clubs, Membership, New Clubs, Record Keeping, Retention and many more. Friday evening’s entertainment will feature Fun Night with Ed Montana, a country and western singer and cowboy poet who is a favorite at rodeos, horse shows and many other events. On Saturday, Aug. 9th, several key issues – including the question on two-year-terms for governors and two-year-terms for club presidents – will be on the agenda. The controversial question on criminal background checks will also be a hot item at the convention. “Every club in the T-O District and every Kiwanian in the district will benefit from information presented at the convention,” says Steinkruger. “There will be an enormous amount of information presented that you can use to improve your clubs and enhance the services you provide our area youth and communities.” T-O First Lady Anne Ward discusses the many spouses’ activities in her column scheduled for this issue of Ki-Notes. These actitivities include: Friday, Aug. 8th, 11:30 a.m. for a luncheon/fashion show, Chase Tower downtown, shopping at Wolflin Village, transportation provided; Saturday, Aug. 9th, shopping at Lizzie Mae's, lunch at the Country Barn Steak House, bus ride by the Cadillac Ranch, and visit to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon – the largest historical museum in Texas – and its limited-time exhibit on Samuel Colt, Arms-Art-Inventions. Youth activities include a journey to the Don Harrington Discovery Center at 9 a.m. Aug. 8. The center features a Digital Space Theater and dozens of hand-on exhibits, where the youth can explore, tinker, create and play. Lunch will be at Amarillo’s Medi-Park picnic areas. A bus will then depart for the movies at one of Amarillo’s multiplex theaters. On Aug. 9, kids can enjoy Wonderland Amusement Park, featuring one of Texas’ most thrilling double-loop roller coasters and a host of other thrill rides. The Amarillo zoo will also be explored.
Division 33 Southern and Steinkruger are members of the Downtown Amarillo Kiwanis Club, part of T-O Division 33, which has 15 member clubs. More than 28,000 square miles in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles are served by Division 33. Along with the 15 Kiwanis clubs, there are two Circle K Clubs, numerous Key Clubs, Builders Clubs and K Kids. “We are proud to be the home division of the 2007-2008 Texas-Oklahoma Key Club Governor Will Walker,” says Southern. “We have watched this young man ove< the last few years and are honored and privileged to work with him.” The division’s clubs include: Downtown Amarillo, Amarillo South, Amarillo Southwest, Amarillo Hi-Plains, North Amarillo, Borger, Canyon, Dimmitt, Guymon, Okla., Hereford, Pampa, Perryton, Tulia, Vega and Xcel Energy. Division 33’s 2007-2008 Lt Governor is Burwell Southern, a Kiwanian known district-wide for his devotion to what Kiwanis stands for in serving youth and communities. He has nearly 54 years of perfect attendance and is hailed as the "Flag Czar" of the Downtown Amarillo club. He has helped his club and others earn over $1 million in the Amarillo area’s flag project. If you have any questions or comments about Kiwanis or our Division please email Lt Governor Burwell bsouthern2@suddenlink.net.
Remember to visit the T-O Convention Web site at www.ktxokconvention08.org to stay updated on convention activities. The latest information will be posted to “In The News.” For more on Amarillo area attractions, go to www.visitamarillotx.com, or the convention site.
“We look forward to seeing you in Amarillo,” says Steinkruger, “where you can Step Into The Real Texas.”
(Larry Stalcup, a free lance journalist and photographer, is a member of the Downtown Amarillo Kiwanis Club.)
T-O Convention Committee members, L-R, Debbie Bippus of Amarillo, Youth Programs Chair, Megan Walker of Canyon, Circle K T-O District Event Chair, and Dr. Sam Reeves of Amarillo, Convention Registration Co-Chair, encourage Kiwanians to register early for the convention, Aug. 7-10, in Amarillo
Update on Plans for the Convention
Bill McCartney is our speaker at the Friday Morning Prayer Breakfast. More on Bill McCartney
John Erickson author of "Hank the Cow Dog" will be our Friday noon Speaker.
Ed Montana is our Friday Evening entertainer.
If you have time and plan to come early to spend time in Amarillo Area, make plans to see the Musical Drama "Texas" produced with the Palo Duro Canyon as the back drop. It is truly breathtaking and inspiring to see. Mention the convention for a group discount on an individual basis. Texas Musical Drama
We are going to have a grand time in Amarillo! Make your plans to attend your Convention.
Words from the Convention Co-Chairpersons:
The new year is upon us and the Texas Oklahoma Conventions is just a few short months from us. As Co-Chair of the contention, I want everyone to mark their calendars for August 8th and 9th, This convention will be like no other convention. The Amarillo convention will go down in history as the most profitable convention for the division. What I mean by profitable is that you, as attendees, will leave this convention with so many good ideas to help make your clubs grow and inturn make more money for all the youth we serve. The forums will be up to date on issues that are happening now in our clubs and how to solve them, making our clubs grow stronger in the process.
I will give you a little teaser that we are bringing in some top name entertainment, There will be a very special singing star that is coming out of retirement to get us all shook up! Do not forget to bring your children and your grandchildren, there will be plenty of activities to keep those little munchins busy.
Joyce and I would like you and your club to come to Amarillo and STEP INTO THE REAL TEXAS.
Joyce Southern and Stan Steinkruger
Convention 2008 Co-Chairs
Charter Ceremony for the WTAMU Circle K held November 11th, 2007
The new year is upon us and the Texas Oklahoma Conventions is just a few short months from us. As Co-Chair of the contention, I want everyone to mark their calendars for August 8th and 9th, This convention will be like no other convention. The Amarillo convention will go down in history as the most profitable convention for the division. What I mean by profitable is that you, as attendees, will leave this convention with so many good ideas to help make your clubs grow and inturn make more money for all the youth we serve. The forums will be up to date on issues that are happening now in our clubs and how to solve them, making our clubs grow stronger in the process.
I will give you a little teaser that we are bringing in some top name entertainment, There will be a very special singing star that is coming out of retirement to get us all shook up! Do not forget to bring your children and your grandchildren, there will be plenty of activities to keep those little munchins busy.
Joyce and I would like you and your club to come to Amarillo and STEP INTO THE REAL TEXAS.
Joyce Southern and Stan Steinkruger Convention 2008 Co-Chairs
Charter Ceremony for the WTAMU Circle K held November 11th, 2007
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