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THE KIWANIAN

Bulletin of the Herm= osa Beach Kiwanis Club

November 24, 2004

Carol Lawson, Editor – Howard Seeb, Photographer

BLESSING OF= THE TREES: Rev. Paul Lawson presided over the Blessing of the Trees. In case you missed it, here is t= he text.

“We g= ive you thanks most gracious God for the beauty of the earth and the sky, for the mountains and plains which surround us and for the ocean next to which we live. We give you thanks O = Father for the fruits of the season and for the labors of those who harvest them. We beseech you O Lord= to safe guard all those who work here in this tree lot. Those who set up and take down, = those who prepare the trees for sale and those who sell them. Make this work you have given th= em to do an occasion for celebration as they give to each home the opportunity = for a happy and blessed holiday.

“Holy= creator of Trees, Bless with your abundant grace all the trees in this lot as sym= bols of joy. May their evergreen branches be a sign of your never fading promises. May the colorful lights and decorations with which they will be adorned call us to decorate with love= our homes and our world. May the gifts that will surround these trees be symbols of the gifts we have rece= ived from you O God. May holy da= y joy come to rest in the branches of these trees and in our hearts this holiday season. Amen.”

MISC FYI:

Claude Ston= ier is in the hospital for quadruple by-pass surgery. Dallas is home again.=

Tree Lot si= gn-up sheet can be viewed on our website if you want to check it out. You still have to contact Mike M= iller to make any changes or get on the list.

Fabulous PR= for the tree lot by Jane Walker. Di= d you see how may different times it was mentioned in the Breeze, Reporter & Easy Reader?

UPCOMING= KIWANIS EVENTS - MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

· 1= 1/25 – TREE LOT OPENS!!!

· 1= 2/9 – BOARD MEETING – Caterers are Carol, Rick K, Alicia and Debo= rah.

· 1= 2/15 – EASTER SEALS CHRISTMAS PARTY.

(NOTE CHANGE OF DATE FOR EASTER SEALS PARTY)

UP-COMING PROGRAMS:

· 12/1 – Janice Wheeler, So Bay Genealogical Society

· 12/8 – Shawna Thorp, Torrance Librar= y

· 12/15 – Easter Seals Christmas Party:

· 12/22 - ?

· 12/29 – Probable Roundtable at Ocean Diner

TREE LOT SALES 101: Presented by Yvonne Amarillas.

We had 300 trees delivered today. A total of 1700-1800 are ordered= and will be delivered approximately weekly.&= nbsp; The trees are grown in Oregon.&nb= sp; We will have Noble Firs and Plantation Douglas Firs. The 6’/7’ are the mo= st popular size. Our tree pric= es will be the same as last year (even though our shipping costs are up), but tree stand prices will be raised to $17.50 for regular stands and $10.00 = for the small ones. We will als= o have wreaths, garlands, door swags, rosemary trees, and living trees. Delivery prices range from $20 t= o $45 depending on distance (see map in Sales Shack). We do flame retard trees for commercial establishments, but we do not flock. We take Master Card and Visa cre= dit cards. Bruno and his crew are back as is Bruno’s wife Adriana. This wonderful crew does the hard work of setting up the trees and other heavy labor. Our job is to sell, sometimes work the register, schmooze the public, get the trees to the ca= rs and tied on if necessary. H= elp is available from the paid crew and our sponsored youth. Work schedules are being coordin= ated by Mike Miller. Be sure to = get on the schedule early and often. Shifts are 10:00 to 2:00, 2:00 to 6:00 and 6:00 to 10:00. Morning shifts on weekends start= at 9:00.

WHY ARE OUR TREES MORE EXPENSIVE THAN HOME DEPOT?? Ours are generally better quality trees. There are fresh cut = and kept in water. They were sh= ipped in an enclosed truck. All o= f our profits go to local charities. Half the cost is tax deductible.&= nbsp; You are supporting your community when you buy here, not just a corporation.