ETC
Kiwanis
Korner
2021 Kiwanis of Ocala Annual Beef Sale
May Meetings
Guest speaker John Robles, senior manager and community engagement for Florida Special Olympics, Dr. David Oliver, and Joe Voge, president
Tom James, auctioneer; Joe Voge, president; Paul Conley, past president ‘93 Diana Williams, director of the beef sale, and Tom James, auctioneer
Corporal Colton Sullivan and his K9 sidekick, Adelm
Andy Spahn, CPA, Purvis & Gray, tracking the bids
Olivia Alderman, student who raised the steer for the sale and Diana Williams, past-president
K
iwanians gathered again on May 14th, as they do every Friday, but this was the day of the annual beef sale. For over 60 years the Kiwanis Club of Ocala has purchased a steer every year at the Southeast Youth Fair. Olivia Alderman raised this year’s steer with tender love and care, and lots of grain! Last year the sale was a little different, due to COVID-19, in that the steer was auctioned in its entirety since the club was not meeting in person. The high bid went to a member of the club, 88-year-old Cathy Vandeven. Cathy sets a great example, as all our members are dedicated to help provide for the needs of children in our community. The proceeds of our steer auction go to support Camp Kiwanis. At age 97, longtime member Doug Oswald stays involved and as per tradition auctioned off the first pound, which drew a generous $400 donation and set the stage for
Doug Oswald ‘Here’s the beef!’
a lively auction. Tom James then proceeded to auction off the remainder of the premium, vacuum packed T-bone and porterhouse steaks, roasts, all the way to the stew and soup bones. Tom knows most of the club members and knows how to encourage participation. He even auctioned a porterhouse steak provided to Tommy Ball (dedicated pianist tickling the ivories for the club’s enjoyment over lunch) to show appreciation for Tommy’s talent. Oswald moved to the Ocala area because of the agriculture industry, was hired by Commercial Bank and Trust Company as an agricultural loan manager and eventually worked his way up to becoming president of Sun Bank. Among his many community service endeavors, Doug was president of the Southeast Youth Fair and through Kiwanis he continues to serve. The Kirk/Oswald Beef Sale, as Beef Sale Chair Diana Williams re-
fers to it, is blessed with leaders that helped build this event to be the club’s longest tradition—leaders like Jim Kirk, Jim Jernigan, Jim Payton (who auctioned our steer for so many years), Bill Griffin and Croswell Branch. Doug made it a point to mention Croswell’s perfect attendance record for over 50 years and how Greg Branch (Croswell’s son, still involved with Seminole Feed Stores) has continued to support the beef sale for many years by donating the cost of the steer. Thank you to Greg for ensuring the success of the sale! Since 1924 the Kiwanis Club of Ocala has served the children of the community with its many projects including book distributions in elementary schools, funding of car seats and cribs, and the Camp Kiwanis summer program, to name only a few. See our website ocalakiwanis.org for more details and contact information if you would like to get involved.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Kiwanis International is a global community of clubs, members, and partners, dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time. Today, with more than 550,000 members in 80 Countries, Kiwanis empowers members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of our children, such as fighting hunger, improving literacy and being a mentor. Kiwanis Clubs host over 150,000 service projects per year.
www.facebook.com/KiwanisClubOfOcala
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| JUN 2021 | OCALAMAGAZINE.COM
