The Dirt Sheet News - 2005, The Year in Review

The following is a simple compilation of what the SPY organization has managed to accomplish in the year 2005. 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 2005. Our newest members are: Mary Kate Bosworth, Tyler Harms, Jeff & Sarah Jameson, Denis & Nancy Kissane, Betsy Louthan, Ward & Pam MacCready, Steve & Patti Ray, Tracy & Michelle Smith, Roy & Bonnie VanHouten, Uwe & Sandy Walleczek, Phil & Bobbi Weller, and Jeff & Amy Wills. As we closed the year, we had over 80 members.

• In 2005 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 $550 expenditure.

• Buddy "The Road Kill Grill Meister” Collins took over heading up our Wild Game Dinner. We had a fantastic ninth 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 to accommodate the growing crowd.

• One of our many partnership projects last year involved the Eaton County Sheriff’s Department Mounted Division and the students at Sunfield Elementary School. Through the Pony Express project, the kids wrote letters to our service men and women stationed overseas and the mounted division handled them “pony express style”. The SPY’s donated $500 to underwrite this project, which also helped with the medical expenses of 5 year old Allison Lounds suffering with neurofibromatosis.

• Another partnership we participated in was with Housing Services of Eaton County. We appropriated $500 to help them get a $25,000 challenge grant. There were a number of families here in our community that benefited from this involvement.

• Perhaps the biggest and most beneficial partnership we spearheaded this past year concerned the UAW/General Motors JOBS Bank program. 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.

• In 2005, we took over the chartering and funding responsibilities for the local Cub Scouts program.

• Rodger “Black Jack” Hillard continued as the driving force with our Las Vegas Night this year. Rodger, aided by his wife Marie, did a wonderful job with this long-standing winter cabin fever fighting fund raiser.

• Dave "Top Dog" Beach ran the twenty-third annual SPY's Euchre Tournament, or "The Showdown On Main Street", as it has become to be known. This year the winners were Casey Shettler, (men's champion), and Beth (Stambaugh) Shettler, (women's champion). Beth’s card playing ability so impressed Casey that they ended up getting married later in the year.

• We once again provided both the team and individual funding for the Sunfield area boys playing in the Pee Wee Basketball program. This totaled $890.

• We also provided $400 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 1,350th "Sunfield Area SPY Report" column was published in the Sunfield Sentinel this year. The "Dirt Sheet" is now in its 31st year of publication.

• Yet another partnership we were involved with this year was with Greg Grosshans in the “Junk To Aid” 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 the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

• Beth Shettler & Ramona Stambaugh, our cyber-space managers, continued to oversee and keep our website updated. You can check out their work at www.sunfieldspys.org.

• We once again donated $250 to Lakewood's Project Graduation. We have been a sponsor of this fine program since its inception 20 years ago.

• We again underwrote the costs of the Sunfield Elementary School's "March Is Reading Month", which provides books for kids. This totaled $779.25 this year.

• We helped promote a methamphetamine awareness session put on by the Eaton County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police.

• A complete revamping of the scholarship application process was completed in 2005.

• Scott "Don't Be A Litter Bug" McWhorter completed his tenth 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 $4,873. 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, Bradley Elliott, Brock Elliott, and Kevin Hatch.

• Rosie Best continued her role of running the SPY's annual Celebration Calendar project this year. Changes and enhancements continue to be made that have improved this project greatly. The Community Celebration Calendar celebrated its 36th year of being a part of the community.

• We provided material and labor for some maintenance work done on Foltz Field.

• This past summer we launched our newest venture - the SPY’s Summer Celebration. Initially, this was the brainchild of Phil Smith, who has long wanted to do a barbecue cookoff. He teamed up with Bob Bumgardner, who has long wanted to do a car show, and the rest, as they say, is history. This turned out to be a fantastic inaugural event. The SPY’s Summer Celebration promises to be a great annual community extravaganza. Rick Van Flossen was the overall barbecue cookoff champion, and Larry Nevills won the People’s Choice Award in the car show.

• We had 16 wonderful people sign up to have their United Way contributions designated to come to the SPY's in 2005. 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.

• $300 was allocated in 2005 to assist the Lakewood boys and girls golf teams.

• 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-seventh annual Bike-A-Thon was coordinated by Wendel “The Pedal Pusher” Peabody. He headed up a fine crew of helpers.

* Emie Louthan was the Bike-A-Thon fastest lap champion.

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

* Aaron Senters, who cranked out 28 miles, was the top mile rider.

• The “Judged Trail Ride” roared into its fifth year under the guidance of event chairman Beth (Stambaugh) Shettler. This is an event for horses and riders that is held at the Ionia State Recreational Area. We had 64 riders from all over the state participating. It was a great success. This year’s high point champion of the “Judged Trail Ride” was Chuck Teague and his horse Windwalkers Cash from Fenton. The various division winners were Kendall Mallory, Chuck Teague, and Annette Neumann.

• 2005 SPY Scholarship and Recognition Award winners were seniors Rebecca Thompson, Jessica Dorsky, Addie Stadel, Mary-Kate Bosworth, Kyle Spitzley, Rebecca Walter, Danielle Abbott, Patrick Morris, Tessa Robles, Stephanie Hynes, and Sarah Duits. 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, we had co-recipients 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. The co-winners were Rebecca Thompson and Kyle Spitzley. Both received a recognition plaque and a $1,000 U.S. savings bond for their efforts.

• We once again paid all expenses associated with the running the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby. This amounted to $175. We also provided a panel of judges for the event.

• 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 $780.

• The SPY’s second annual 3 on 3 Soccer Tournament” was moved to June this year. The tournament is the brainchild of Alan Bosworth, who does a lot of work pulling everything together. Division winners were Wall Hanger Taxidermy and the Has Beens.

• Thanks to the General Motors Foundation program, "GM Volunteer PLU$", and GM employees Alan Bosworth, David Brace, Buddy Collins, Marv Hengesbach, Mike Hopkins, Danny McDiarmid, Tim Rumfield, Greg Thelen, and David Thompson II, we received a grant for $2,250. By individual request, $250 went to the Scholarship Fund; and $750 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 seventeenth 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 Nate Golembeske team (overall champions); the Rod Lake team; the Arni Klingbiel team; the Ed Reiser team; and the Jeff & Cheryl Bosworth team. The "Corporate Challenge Cup" was won by the Hardwoods of Michigan team. Our tournament putting contest champion was John Fisher.

• Our fifteenth annual “Barnyard Classic" 3 on 3 basketball tournament division winners were: Lake Show; The Ninjas; The Hot Shots; and In It To Win It. Darin “The Dribble Czar” Weller once again did a fine job as the leader of the Classic.

• Kelly Cross once again headed up the “SPY’s Charities Softball Tournament”, that is held during Farmer’s Picnic week. This year marked the 34th year the tournament has been held. The Farm Bureau team from Portland won the tournament for the second year in a row.

• We appropriated $1,425 to cover expenses associated with the kids participating in the newly formatted Pee Wee football program.

• The 29th 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 2005, 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 2005, 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, $95,500 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
- Fall Industries
- Rosier Funeral Home
- American Collegiate Marketing
- Tico Duckett Distributing
- Mason Ornamental Iron
- Smith Field Properties
- Mike Davis Construction
- ICNB
- Quality Hardwoods
- Best Tax Service
- Charlotte Wal-Mart
- Hardwoods of Michigan
- Union Bank
- Polly Products
- Hazel Brothers Drainage
- CenturyTel

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

• Three years ago we began our support of a new after school youth floor hockey program here in Sunfield that is headed up by member Scott Powelson. This year we appropriated the requested $368 to help continue the program.

• Our annual event video project was again handled by our very own “Beach Boys” - namely Michael and Dave Beach. Michael does a great job in putting together this great promotional tool for us. In fact, this year we appropriated $375 to assist Michael in pulling together an archival DVD project for us.

• 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 once again contributed $500 to this fine program, as well as provided a crew to handle all of the deliveries in the Sunfield area.

• Greg Thelen won the twenty-sixth annual Bill "Moose" Fisher Memorial All World International Poker Championship. Greg became the event’s third person to win more than one championship.

• We also had involvement with a couple of community Hurricane Relief projects - supplying both supplies and labor. In conjunction with these efforts we sponsored a Hurricane Katrina Matching Funds activity that has generated approximately $1,000 to help that great need.

• 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 2005 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.