SPY’s Community Newsletter
(4/22/23)
Thank You Trash Pickers!
The SPY’s Adopt-A-Highway Project Chairman Derek “Captain Highway” Desgranges would like to send out a BIG Sunfield Area SPY thanks to the following great people who showed up to help spiff-up our area. We had a nice turn-out this past Saturday, as well as some of the folks that took advantage of the option of participating earlier in the week. There were 13 big bags of trash picked-up, as well as numerous car parts and other large items too big to bag up.
Thank you:
Buddy Collins
John & Sandy Fisher
Mark & Mary Hanna
Chris Haskin
Jeff & Betsy Gibbs
Dewie Miller
Job well done pickers!
Contributions
We are pleased to announce that long-time SPY’s Corporate and Platinum sponsors, Roy & Judy Harris of Mason, have renewed their Platinum Sponsorship for 2023.
SPY’s Sunfield Community Foundation News
Thirty-eight years ago the Sunfield Area Sponsors of Programs for Youth (the SPY’s) started a Scholarship Fund. They made the first awards in 1987 to graduating seniors. Since that time, the fund has grown through individual donations and memorial contributions by many fine folks. As the fund continued to increase, the SPY leadership began exploring ways and means to make sure that higher education financial support could continue to be offered to area youth even if the SPY organization should, at some point in time, cease to exist. That, of course, is nowhere on the horizon, but fifty years down the road, who knows.
So, back in April of 2003, the SPY.’s began the long arduous trail of endless paperwork with Federal and State agencies, a struggle that took almost two years to complete. That effort eventually brought about the formation of the “Sunfield Community Foundation.”
Once the framework of the Foundation was set, the SPY’s transferred all of the monies previously held in their Scholarship Fund to the Sunfield Community Foundation. The Foundation’s function is to serve as caretakers of the fund and to determine the amount of money that can be used from the fund each year for scholarship awards. These awards are based on the amount of interest and dividends the fund’s portfolio has generated the previous year. After this year’s awards are presented, a total of well over $300,000 will have been awarded from the fund.
The SPY organization continues to oversee the annual scholarship application and selection process. In the last few years the overall scholarship program has been expanded to include scholarships or tool allowances for someone entering a trade; the awarding of the “Lade Military Service Medal” and a cash honorarium for someone entering the military service right out of High School; and the “Lenon Award” which is a cash award based solely on community service in the Sunfield Area.
In the beginning, in addition to the SPY’s, long-standing viable community entities were approached to see if they would like to name a representative to be part of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Those entities were the Sunfield Village Council, the Sunfield Township Board, the Sunfield United Methodist Church, and the Sunfield United Brethren Church. They all embraced the concept and agreed to provide a representative. The Foundation Board of Directors was officially formed in 2003,
The current members of the Sunfield Community Foundation’s Board of Directors are the following:
John Fisher, President (representing the SPY’s)
Lavon Hamp, Vice President (representing the United Brethren Church)
Shana Cappon, Treasurer (representing the SPY’s)
Walker Collins, Jr, Secretary (representing the SPY’s)
Robert Sandborn, Director (representing the United Methodist Church)
Robert Overholt, Director (representing the Sunfield Township Board)
Thomas Wacha, Director (representing the Sunfield Village Council)
Parting Comments
• Deep Thought of the Week: People who do things that count never stop to count them.
· Notable Quote: “"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." --- George Bernard Shaw
· That’s Puny Department: Did you hear about the man who walked into a doctor’s office? He has a cucumber up his nose---a carrot in his left ear---and a banana in his right ear. “What’s the matter with me?”, he asked. “You’re not eating properly”, replied the Doctor.
· Did You Know Section: North Korean exists because Taiwan exists: China was prevented by the US 7th Fleet from invading Taiwan in June 1950, so Mao Zedong announced China would enter the Korean war with the invasion force originally intended for Taiwan, and by October this force saved North Korea from imminent defeat.
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
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 distribution list.
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