Sunfield Area Spy's Report - 2006, The Year in Review

The following is a simple compilation of what the SPY organization has managed to accomplish in the year 2006. We did not do this alone. We are but one thread in the cloth that makes up the diverse tapestry of the community at large. It takes the right, prevailing attitude, along with many willing hands to truly build and sustain a community. We are proud to continue to be; along with our corporate sponsors and supporters; a viable part of the endeavor to make the Sunfield area a better place to live.

• Some fine folks joined the Sunfield Area Sponsors of Programs for Youth in 2006. Our newest members are: Craig & Sheri Cooper; Barry & Julie Day; Chris Duits; Jeff & Greta McKinney; and Mark & Shari Woodman. As we closed the year, we had over 80 members.

• In 2006 we contributed $500 to help underwrite the Senior Citizen Nutrition Program.

• We once again paid all of the fees and expenses connected with the Sunfield girls participating in the Pee-Wee Basketball program this past season. This amounted to a $600 expenditure.

• Through our Hurricane Katrina Relief program, $1,600 was raised and sent to Habitat For Humanity to help with the rebuilding efforts.

• Buddy "The Road Kill Grill Meister" Collins once again headed up our Wild Game Dinner. We had a fantastic tenth year hosting this event. It was once again a tremendous success! This immensely popular activity, founded by Mark Huyck, has evolved into one of our largest fundraisers. This year it was moved to a larger facility at the American Legion hall in Charlotte to accommodate the growing crowd.

• Craig "Black Jack" Cappon took over as the driving force with our Las Vegas Night this year. Craig, aided by his wife Shana, did a wonderful job with this long-standing winter cabin fever fighting fundraiser. This year, we ran an additional Vegas Night during the Charlotte Frontier Days at the request of their committee.

• Perhaps the biggest and most beneficial partnership we spearheaded this past year concerned the continuation of the UAW / General Motors JOBS Bank program; which, by the way, ended in December with our last volunteer returning to work. Through this program many hundreds of hours of volunteer labor have been provided to a number of community improvement and maintenance activities ranging from park maintenance, to sidewalk edging, to shoveling snow for senior citizens, to expanding the recycling center hours of operation, as well as improvements to the center itself, to work at the fire station, to work at the library, to work in the cemeteries, to assisting the village and township with files, research, and mailings, to work on the Habitat For Humanity house, to general maintenance in the village, to a number of painting projects, and the list goes on and on. This has proven to be the ultimate win / win situation for everyone involved.

• Dave "Top Dog" Beach ran the twenty-fourth annual SPY's Euchre Tournament, or "The Showdown On Main Street", as it has become to be known. This year the winners were Barry "The Lone Hand Legend" Vezino, (men's champion), and Katie "The REAL Card Player In The Family" Terpstra (women's champion).

• We once again provided both the team and individual funding for the Sunfield area boys playing in the Pee Wee Basketball program. This totaled $610.

• We also provided $450 in funding for the Sunfield Elementary teacher’s individual classroom needs.

• We donated a total of $500 to help support the annual Farmer's Picnic fireworks show and other picnic activities.

• The 1,402nd "Sunfield Area SPY Report" column was published in the Sunfield Sentinel this year. The "Dirt Sheet", the region’s #1 source for accurate news reporting, is now in its 32nd year of publication.

• We donated $100 to help with the Sunfield Elementary "Curtain Project".

• Yet another partnership we were involved with this year was with Greg Grosshans in the "Junk For Kids" project. This is where people could donate their old junk vehicles - Greg would pick them up and do the necessary work so the salvage yard would accept them - and haul them over. The net proceeds were then set aside to help our various youth programs.

• 2006 saw the complete overhaul of the SPY’s website. Many new features were added to make the site much more user friendly and functional. The costs involved were underwritten by one of our Corporate Sponsors.

• We once again donated $250 to Lakewood's Project Graduation. We have been a sponsor of this fine program since its inception 21 years ago.

• We again underwrote the costs of the Sunfield Elementary School's "March Is Reading Month", which provides books for kids. This totaled $1,186.25 this year.

• Scott "Don't Be A Litter Bug" McWhorter completed his eleventh year of chairing our Adopt-A-Highway project. He coordinated the three roadside trash pick-ups this spring and summer along the 2-mile stretch of M-43 from Shaytown Road to Round Lake Road.

• This year's funding allocation for support of the entire summer sports programs totaled $4,830. The funding covered all of the expenses for the over 160 Sunfield area kids playing on the 14 to 16 different baseball and softball teams.

• This past summer, Vikki Spitzley once again headed up the golf event she created in 2002. She calls it the "Sue Lade Memorial Golf Scramble", and it raises money for Sue’s memorial fund that benefits various youth golf activities. This year’s winning team consisted of Aaron Hargett, Patrick Spitzley, Liz Nagel, and Kevin Hatch.

• Rosie Best continued her role of running the SPY's annual Celebration Calendar project this year. The Community Celebration Calendar celebrated its 37th. year of being a part of the community.

• We provided labor for some of the phases of work done on the Foltz Field major renovation project. We also donated $1,000 to help with expenses.

• We allocated $162 to fund a special Girl Scouts project.

• This past summer our newest venture---the SPY’s Summer Celebration---roared into its second year. This event was the brainchild of Phil Smith, who has long wanted to do a barbecue cook off. He teamed up with Bob Bumgardner, who has long wanted to do a car show, and the rest, as they say, is history. This has turned out to be a fantastic event and grew over last year’s. We even had an appearance from the Blues Brothers this year---complete with a car chase. The SPY’s Summer Celebration promises to be a great annual community extravaganza. Toad Logan and his "Down Home BBQ" team was the overall barbecue cook off champion. Mark Woodman won the Participant’s Choice Award in the car show.

• We had 17 wonderful people sign up to have their United Way contributions designated to come to the SPY's in 2006. People don't realize how big a difference doing this makes in our ability to meet the many needs of youth in the community. We appreciate everyone that takes the time to make their United Way designation go to work here in our community.

• $765 was allocated in 2006 to assist kids participating in the two local youth golf programs.

• Oren Best continued to serve as our school liaison and John Fisher served as our liaison to the Sunfield Summer Athletic Association (SSAA) as well as the Farmer’s Picnic board this year.

• The Dime Pitch Booth that we run at the Farmer's Picnic is a major source of funding for us. Barry "Glass Consumes My Life" Vezino heads this up and does a tremendous job. Barry and his family continually make the Dime Pitch Booth activity better and better.

• Our twenty-eighth annual Bike-A-Thon was coordinated by Wendel "The Pedal Pusher" Peabody. He headed up a fine crew of helpers.

* Brandon Smith was the Bike-A-Thon fastest lap champion.

* Zeke Cappon was the top money raiser. This is his eighth year in a row as the "Big Dollar Man".

* Zeke Cappon & Kaleb Rogers each cranked out 24 miles and were the top mile riders.

• 2006 SPY Scholarship and Recognition Award winners were seniors Jennifer Arnold, Danielle Blanchard, Theresa Cramer, Vanessa Doak, Aaron Hargett, Kristen Haskin, and Wesley Jackson. A total of $10,000 was awarded this year. A special salute goes out to the eight members of this year’s "Scholarship Review Committee" that put in a lot of time and effort in the grueling selection process.

• This year the recipient of the SPY's "Richard Lenon Community Service Award", that goes to the graduating high school senior from the Sunfield area that has demonstrated the greatest involvement in the community, was Aaron Hargett. He received a recognition plaque and a $1,000 U.S. savings bond for his efforts.

• We once again paid all expenses associated with the running the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby. This amounted to $279.40. We were also asked to pick-up the sponsorship of their "Rain-gutter Regatta" this year. The total for the "Regatta" was $283.70. We also continue to be the chartering organization for the Cub Scouts.

• With the help of Joann Van Orman and Cassel Ice Company, we again covered the costs for supplying free on-site ice for use by local groups during the August Farmer's Picnic activity. Craig Mulholland handles the logistics for us on this.

• We continued our support of local kids involved in the various soccer programs offered. This year's soccer costs totaled $845.

• The SPY’s third annual "3 on 3 Soccer Tournament" was held in June this year. The tournament is the brainchild of Alan Bosworth, who does a lot of work pulling everything together. Division winners were the "White Roosters"; "Haskin Farms"; and "Eggland’s Best".

• Thanks to the General Motors Foundation program, "GM Volunteer PLU$", and GM employees, Marv Hengesbach, Mike Hopkins, Tim Rumfield, and David Thompson II, we received a grant for $1,000. By individual request, $250 went to the Scholarship Fund; and $500 went to the Sunfield Volunteer Fire Department. The remainder of the grant money went to help fund our various local kid's programs.

• Bill Weller again led a fine crew in putting on the eighteenth annual Centennial Acres / SPY Shootout golf tournament. Thanks to Bill's eye for continuous improvement, the tournament is getting better and smoother running each year. This year's division winners were: the Aaron Hargett team (overall champions); the Gary Elliott team; the Sandy Fisher team; the Larry Terpstra team; and the Diane Delaney team. The "Corporate Challenge Cup" was won by the Marko’s Marathon team. Our tournament putting contest champion was John Fisher, and Adam Collins was the first ever winner of the skills competition.

• Our sixteenth annual "Barnyard Classic" 3 on 3 basketball tournament division winners were: Lake Show; The Ninjas; Jer’s Jocks; 2 Tall & 2 Small; and Portland Fire. Darin "Dribble King" Weller once again did a fine job as the leader of the Classic.

• Jake Bosworth took over the reins of the "SPY’s Charities Softball Tournament", that is held during Farmer’s Picnic week. This year marked the 35th. year the tournament has been held. The Brodbeck Farms team was this year’s champion.

• The SPY’s were honored to be chosen to be the Grand Marshals of this year’s Farmer’s Picnic.

• We appropriated $675 to cover expenses associated with the kids participating in the newly formatted Pee Wee football program.

• The 30th annual fun-filled 50's/60's, (and now 70's too), Dance was another smashing success. It was again held at the American Legion Hall in Charlotte. The crowd came from all over. The between sets acts were again the epitome of both entertainment and unparalleled artistic achievement. Juaise Peabody served as the chairperson of the committee that puts the dance together. They do a super job.

• Again in 2006, the SPY's were called upon at various times to handle "special needs projects" within the community that were brought to our attention. We feel privileged that we are in a position where we are able to make a difference in this particular way. It seems that these types of needs are increasing every year. Funds allocated for these "quiet" needs totaled approximately $2,500. We are aided in much of this work through donations from people who wish to remain anonymous. This is yet another example of a community working together.

• The Scholarship Fund continued to grow in 2006, through the generous contributions from many individuals; special projects; and especially memorial gifts. We are indeed gratified by the community's support of the Scholarship Fund. Thus far, $105,500 has been awarded to graduating seniors. The Scholarship Fund is now being administered by the SPY’s Community Foundation.

• This year saw the successful continuation of our "Corporate Sponsor" program. This is a specially designed program that allows us to form a more effective partnership with community and youth concerned businesses and individuals that provide benefits for all.

• This year's "Corporate Sponsor" participants were:

Centennial Acres Golf Course
Mapes Furniture Company
Mark Woodman Plumbing and Heating
H.S.V. Redi-Mix
Marko's Marathon
Great Lakes Treatment
Rosier Funeral Home
American Collegiate Marketing
Fish’s Card Room
Tico Duckett Distributing
Mason Ornamental Iron
Smithfield Properties
Mike Davis Construction
ICNB
Quality Hardwoods
Best Tax Service
Charlotte Wal-Mart
Union Bank
Polly Products
Hazel Brothers Drainage

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to these fine community minded people.

• We again participated in the Lakewood Community Council's Christmas Basket program which helps nearly 200 families in the Lakewood area, including a number locally, with food and gifts. This year we contributed $300, as well as facilitated an additional $1,000 in funding to help this fine program. We also provided a crew to handle all of the deliveries in the Sunfield area.

• We took official action this year in taking the Sunfield Elementary Parents Group "under our wing" so to speak, in order to help them out in meeting some new fundraising guidelines imposed on them.

• We began a new program this year of providing a paid subscription to the Sunfield Sentinel to each member of the Lakewood School Board in order that they may be kept appraised of local activities.

• Adrian Salas won the twenty-seventh annual Bill "Moose" Fisher Memorial All World International Poker Championship. A.J. and his father Mingo became the first father/son duo to win championships in this storied event.

• The "Youth Activities Trust Fund", which was started in 1996 with designated gifts, and is set-up to function like the "Scholarship Fund", in that it is intended to serve as a perpetual source of funding for some of our youth programs, continued to grow.

COMMENT

As you can see, the Sunfield Area Sponsors of Programs for Youth (S.P.Y.'s) are an active, vital organization. Our prime purpose is community betterment through helping kids. There are three main ingredients to our success.

First, there is the drive and dedication of our members.

Second, is the ever-present support and assistance of the S.P.Y.'s spouses and significant others.

Third, and perhaps most important, is the acceptance and backing from you folks out there for our projects, programs, and other activities.

To all of you S.P.Y.'s - to your helpmates - our Corporate Sponsors - and to everyone that supported us in 2006 and years past - THANK YOU!!

Thank you for your help, support, contributions of any kind, hard work, dedication, and acceptance. The school, community, and this area in general is a better place because of all of us working and pulling together. We are indeed blessed.