SPY's Newsletter 12/27/25

 SPY’s Community Newsletter

#387

(12/27/25)

A New Year’s Blessing

Dear Readers:  As you begin the New Year---

                           May your troubles be less,

                                                                        May your blessings be more, and

                                                                        May nothing but happiness come through your door.

Thank-You---Thank-You---Thank-You

Craig Cappon, Chairman of the SPY’s Texas Hold ‘Em fund-raisers has some pretty fine people that he would like to send our sincere thanks out to for their willingness to volunteer to step up and help on our last Texas Hold ‘Em critical fund-raiser of the year.  This fine crew that consisted of the following:

Rosie Best

Shana Cappon

Craig Mulholland

Bruce Kauffman

Shari Woodman

Alana Cappon

Madisyn Laroche

John Fisher

Buddy Collins

Shari Woodman

Rod, DeAnna, and Ryan Clark

Contributions

·      Ron & Marlene McDiarmid renewed their Platinum Sponsorship.

·      Sheryl Smith Oswalt made a donation of some glassware to the SPY’s Dime Pitch Booth activity.

·      Lauren Paluta made a contribution.

·      John & Sandra Fisher made a donation to the Scholarship Fund in memory of Jean Chase.

          Announcement #1

·      Please be advised that the Sunfield Area Sponsors of Programs for Youth (the SPY’s) Annual Meeting of the Membership will take place on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.  At this meeting the election of officers for 2026 will be held.  Any SPY member that is interested in serving as an officer in the organization, or would like to nominate someone you think might be interested, please contact either Craig Cappon at 517-331-4005, or Renee Strimback at 269-967-5787.

Announcement #2

Stay tuned for details on an exciting new venue for this year’s SPY’s Wild Game Dinner / Sportsman’s Night.  It will be held on Saturday, February 7^th, at a brand new place.

It’s Euchre Time

Parting Comments

·      Deep Thought of the Week:  Look ahead or you won’t get ahead.

·      Notable Quote: “Never grow a wishbone where a backbone ought to be.”

·      That's Puny Department:  What is the difference between a football player and a dog?     (Answer-----A football player has a whole uniform, but a dog only pants.)

·      Did You Know Section:  He was a man of many passions.  To begin with, he was talented enough to become one of the foremost artists of the early 1800’s.  He painted Lafayette, President Monroe, and the halls of Congress..  He was also America’s first camera buff.  He fell in love with photography after meeting Louis Daguerre, and was instrumental in introducing the camera to the United States when it was brand new.  He was also a politician of sorts---although not a very good one.  He ran a spectacularly unsuccessful race for the mayor of New York City, and almost ran again before friends dissuaded him.  And, he had a dark side.  He was a zealous anti-Catholic whose passionate writings helped stir up a hatred for immigrants in the United States that would linger for generations.

However, while painting Lafayette, he got word that his wife was deathly ill.  By the time he reached his home in Massachusetts, she had died, and he had missed her funeral.  This brought home to him in a very personal way the need for a rapid communications technology.  That is the passion we remember him for today---one he labored on for more than a dozen years, suffering ridicule and poverty before it finally captured the attention of the world in 1844 and helped launch an age of instant communication.  Samuel Finley Breese Morse: painter, politician, photographer, fanatic---and inventor of the electric telegraph.  Truly an artist with a message.

Final Notices

1.            If there is any organization or business out there that has something they would like to advertise or promote, please feel free to submit it to this Newsletter and we will help publicize it.  There is no charge.  We are glad to provide this means as a public service to help keep the community informed.

2.             If you are looking for further information about the SPY’s events---Corporate or Platinum Sponsorship information---scholarship forms---youth sports reimbursement forms---past SPY newsletters---etc.---just go to the SPY website at www.sunfieldareaspys.com.

3.            NOTE:  If you know of anyone who would like to receive these SPY’s Community Newsletters, just send me an email at john.sandrafisher@gmail.com with their email address and we will add them to the mailing list.