KAY Klips
April 2011

Almena-Northern Valley KAY Club held their annual Veteran’s Day program.  The club provided breakfast for the veterans & their guests before the program began.  The ceremony started with the posting of the colors by the senior club members. The president welcomed the audience & the HS & JH bands played the National Anthem & the vice president led the flag salute.  The K-4 choir sang Thank you, Soldiers. Following the song, the band played the service songs & the veterans stood to be recognized for their branch.  Then the high school choir sang God Bless America.  Gale Hayes, the featured speaker gave a moving speech, dedicated to his father, about his father’s service during WWII.  The 5-8 choir sang American Tears & the club treasurer asked the veterans or each war to stand & be recognized for the time they served.  The lights were dimmed as the names were read of the local fallen soldiers & a candle was lit in each soldier’s honor.  Taps was played as the colors were retired. The KAY Club is very honored to have this program every year & thanks the soldiers for their service.

El Dorado HS KAY Club sponsors the local blood drive.  The High School has been hosting the community blood drive for over fourteen years.  Many of the first timers saw that donating blood can be a very positive & wonderful experience.  The fact knowing that you helped save a life in a great feeling.   Many of the students have donated for a couple years.  To donate, students have to be seventeen or sixteen with parent consent.  The students have found that donating blood is really not that bad of an ordeal, that fact that you know that you are “making a difference” makes the prick of the needle seem minimal.

Girard HS Kayette Club had a great turn out for this year’s Easter Egg hunt.  More than 1,000 parents and children gathered on the county courthouse lawn in Girard Saturday morning to continue a long-standing Easter tradition. People began lining the sidewalks before 9 a.m., jockeying to get a good position for the annual Easter egg hunt. Nearly 1,500 people turned out for the event, said Christy Vulgamore, coordinator of the Celebrate Girard Events Committee.  "It's been going on for more than 40 years," Vulgamore said. Typically more people would show up, but the threat of rain kept some of them home, she said.  Community members donate the eggs and money for candy each year, Vulgamore continued. Kids had the chance to pose for pictures with the Easter bunny and get their faces painted.  Kelly Burnick, co-sponsor for the Kayettes, who packed the eggs, said she wasn't sure exactly how many eggs were hidden on the courthouse lawn, but that it was "a lot."  "They filled five tubs at least," Burnick said. When one of the engines of the Girard Fire Department blasted its air horn, the scrambling began. And just as quickly as the event started, it was over. The humor of the situation - the hunt took at least two months to plan - wasn't lost on Vulgamore.  "You wouldn't believe how long this two minutes takes," Vulgamore said. "But it's a good memory. A lot of the parents remember doing it themselves.  "Ron Peak brought his family out to the event. His son, Dawson, found two eggs with prize tickets inside.  "He likes it," Peak said. "It's a fun thing for him to do.  "Dawson couldn't decide between a stuffed duck or a frog, so his mom, Jill Peak, selected the frog.  "Mommy picked," she laughed. "We hit the jackpot.  "Dan and April Wilkes came to Girard from Pittsburg with their three-year-old son, Blake. He also found a prize egg, and selected a stuffed blue rabbit.  "It's the biggest thing they had," April said. "And it's his favorite color.  "The Wilkes come the egg hunt each year, April continued.  "This is always the best one," she said.  Abbey Jones went to the hunt with her mom, Penny Vogts, and three-year-old daughter, Rylee. She now lives in Lawrence, but attended the hunts when she was younger.  "You get to see all the people you haven't seen in a long time," she said.

GIRARD Kayette members worked three nights making chocolate heart-shaped or vanilla pink-ribbon suckers which resulted in $363 in proceeds going to the Girard Cancer Support Group.

Kayette members who sold the most suckers included sophomore Stephanie Moutz, 101; freshman Leah Bridgewater, 68; junior Kasie Elder, 50; and sophomore Madison Smith, 40.
Approximately 200 suckers remained after sales and were given to Early Detection Works in Pittsburg who continued selling the suckers to promote the Kayettes’ work.

“We are so grateful for all of their hard work,” said Stephanie M. Thompson, southeast Kansas regional nurse administrator for Early Detection Works.
The Kayettes’ donation resulted in a first-time opportunity for Girard Cancer Support Group members to take a trip to Wichita for the Race for the Cure in September or to the Relay for Life.
The Girard Cancer Support Group meets in the Girard Medical Center meeting room at 6:30 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month.
Anyone who would like to be on the group mailing list may contact Janis Carter at GMC or Stephanie Thompson and Kelly York at the Crawford County Health Department.
Community members involved in the support group are USD 248 cafeteria worker Pat Moore and GHS paraeducator Cindy Owen.
The Kayettes will also make suckers for the Breast Cancer Candlelight Vigil taking place at Gorilla Village in September.