SPY’s Community Newsletter
(8/22/23)
Sunfield Community Foundation
Names 2023 Scholarship and Award Winners
This past Friday, August 19th., the Sunfield Community Foundation made their annual scholarship and award presentations at a special ceremony during the Sunfield Farmer’s Picnic. This year’s winners pictured below left to right are:

Zachary Underwood
Son of Scott Underwood and Jamie Trommater
Scott received a $4,000 scholarship.
He will be attending MSU where he will be studying chemistry.
Emily Root
Daughter of Jodi Root and the late Mark Root
Emily received a $5,000 scholarship.
She will be attending Kellogg Community College.
Averie Steward
Daughter of Matt & Marissa Steward
Averie received a $2,500 scholarship.
She will be attending Davenport where she will be studying marketing.
Also, at the awards ceremony it was announced that Averie was this year’s recipient of the Richard Lenon Community Service Award. This award is given to the graduating Senior that has demonstrated the greatest degree of community service. That is the only criteria for the award. Along with the engraved plaque, Averie received a check for $500.
This marked the 37th year that the SPY’s and the Community Foundation have made scholarship awards. Over that time there have been 201student recipients.
2023 Farmer’s Picnic Prince & Princess Crowned

Pictured in the crown (left) is Prince Kyler Pruden, son of Chad & Jade Pruden. On the right is Princess Leta Hoffman, daughter of Cole & Kelsey Hoffman.
Their Royal Court included Kooper Ketchum, Malakai Vasquez, Amelia Mull, Calla Shepard, Braylee Pruden, River Bowen, Ava Stambaugh and Sage Mitchell.
Each child was all smiles when they received a big bag of surprises and a T-shirt commemorating the event.
Peddle Pull Winners
Children of all ages had fun with Cook’s Family Farm Peddle Pull event where the winners were Addilynn Brummette (1st), Jayce Nurenberg (2nd) and Dixie Gibbs (3rd), in the 3 – 4 year old group. Lucas Coffman (1st), Kinsley Shaw (2nd) and Leta Hoffman (3rd) in the 5 – 6 year old group. Luki Poll (1st), Braelyn Gibbs (2nd) and Wesley Brummette (3rd), in the 7 – 8 year old group. Aaron Poll (1st), Reagan Grables (2nd) and Brian Schultz (3rd), in the 9 – 10 year old group. Each participant received a participation ribbon and an individual bottle of Mooville milk donated by Nutrien Ag Solutions.
Looking For A Little Help Here
The Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament events are a MAJOR source of revenue for the SPY’s, and the youth and community projects and activities we support.
We work Texas Hold ‘Em events usually three times a year. The work involved here is simply selling chips to the players. The next event we are scheduled to work is Monday, September 18th. thru Thursday, September 21st. This will be the last Texas Hold “Em we are scheduled to work this year.
These events usually run from about 2 PM until Closing. Consequently, we put together a schedule of 2-person shifts to cover the hours of operation of the event.
We usually are required by the operators of the Hold ‘Ems to split an event with another charity. However, for this event, we have been given the opportunity to run the total event, which will double our profits.
If you have never worked a Texas Hold ‘Em event there absolutely is nothing to fear. There is no experience necessary! It is easy, simple tasks that are involved. We are not “The House”, so we don’t deal cards, or gamble in any way against the players. The players compete against each other. The work we do simply amounts to selling and redeeming chips for the players at one end of the room.
This Texas Hold ‘Em will be held in the “Event Spot “room that is located behind the Heavenly Ham store on the South side of Saginaw Street in Lansing, which is across from the Lansing Mall.
If you can help out and could pull a shift or two, please give our Texas Hold ‘Em Chairperson Jeff Gibbs a call at 517-930-6989.
Adopt-A-Highway Trash Pick-Up Coming!
The final Adopt-A-Highway trash pick-up of the season will take place on Saturday, September 23rd. The SPY's pick-up trash along M-43 from Round Lake Road on the west side of town to Shaytown Road on the east side of town, three times a year in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation program. Anyone interested in lending a hand, just show up at 9 AM in the Best Tax Service parking lot just West of the Sunfield blinker light. If you need more information please call our project chairman Derek Desgranges at 269-838-7686.
Derek says if for any reason you can’t make it on the 23rd. but would still like to help out by doing some picking up on a different day, just give him a call and get some bags and he will give you a small section to take care of.
Contributions
· Richard Van Gilder made a donation to the Scholarship Fund in memory of Kate Mapes.
· Both Brenda Bowers and Peg Heinze donated glassware to the Dime Pitch Booth activity.
· Lewis Trowbridge made a MEGA contribution to the Dime Pitch Booth.
Thank you all for your thoughtfulness and caring!
Parting Comments
· Deep Thought-Of-The-Week: Logic is dead.
Excellence is punished.
Mediocrity is rewarded.
And dependency is to be revered.
This is present-day North America.
When crooks rob banks they go to prison.When they rob the taxpayer they get re-elected.
· Notable Quote: " If your path is more difficult it is because of your high calling.”
· That’s Puny Department: Did you hear about the kid who ate eight toy horses? He was hospitalized and is now in stable condition.
· Did You Know Section: The song “Dixie”, the anthem of the South, was actually written in a New York hotel room by a man from Ohio. The year was 1859, and composer Daniel Decatur Emmett wrote the song on a rainy Sunday afternoon for Bryant’s Minstrels, one of the black-faced minstrel shows popular at the time. It proved to be such a hit that other minstrel shows around the country started using it too.
In 1861, it was played at the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederate States of America. Soon it became the marching song for the Confederate Army. This was an outrage to Emmett, a staunch Union supporter. “If I’s known to what use they were going to put my song,” he reportedly said, “I’ll be damned if I had written it.”
After the Civil War he came to cherish the South’s love of “Dixie”. In 1895, at the age of eighty, he made a farewell tour and sang the song to standing ovations across the region.
A contemporary of Stephen Foster, Dan Emmett wrote two other minstrel songs that became American classics---“Jimmy Crack Corn” and “Old Dan Tucker
General 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 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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