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Tuesday,
December 6th,
2005 |
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We held our
2nd annual
Toys For
Tots drive
on Tuesday
night,
December
6th, 2005.
Once again,
we gathered
at the Tap
Room at
Dubsdread
Country Club
for a fun
evening to
support a
worthy
charity.
Alumni and
active
brothers and
their
families and
friends
stopped by
for anywhere
from a few
minutes to
several
hours.
After
dropping off
the toys and
tasting an
hors
d'oeuvre or
two, it was
time to look
over the
auction
items.
Justice had
secured
multiple
sponsors who
donated
great prizes
for a silent
auction.
Falcon Fire
Golf Club,
Total Golf
Adventures,
Corona
Cigars,
Dubsdread
Golf Club,
the Wine
Warehouse,
Alchemy, The
Marino Dance
Club, Golf
All Mighty,
Tim's Wine
Market,
PlayStation
Sports
Fishing,
Kinkz Salon
& Day Spa,
Celebration
Golf Club,
Art
Services,
and the EO
Inn of
Orlando were
some of the
silent
auction
sponsors.
When the
silent
auction
ended at
8:30, we had
raise almost
$1000 to go
along with
all the
toys!
Justice put
in a ton of
hard work
for this
event and it
paid off.
We literally
had a truck
(well, an
SUV) full of
toys!.
A member of
the USMC was
in
attendance
to collect
the toys,
and we
filled the
back of his
SUV to the
roof.
In addition
to the toys
that were
collected
that night,
Justice had
placed 2
collection
boxes at a
couple of
local
businesses
-- i.d.e.a.s.
and
TEKSystems.
Both
collection
boxes were
overflowing.
This type of
charity
event makes
me "Proud to
be a Phi". |
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Tuesday,
November 1st,
2005 |
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We had a
great
turnout for
our November
luncheon
meeting --
it was
standing
room only!
Our speaker
was Becky
Dedo. Becky
is a former
cheerleader
and Miss UCF
1996. In
2001, she
suffered a
brain injury
during a
competitive
cheerleading
competition.
The doctors
didn't hold
out much
hope for
her.
She
underwent
hours of
surgery,
including
removing
part of her
damaged
brain.
But, Becky
beat the
odds and
survived.
Beck is a
survivor of
a serious
head injury.
Unlike many
survivors,
Becky has
not let this
injury
destroy her
life.
She
continues a
successful
career at
the Walt
Disney
Company.
She believes
God helped
her survive
this injury
for a
reason.
Because of
that deep
belief, she
has started
GiveBack,
Inc.
GiveBack is
a self-help
community
dedicated to
educating,
encouraging,
and
inspiring
survivors of
head
injuries to
commit to
using
compensation
strategies
so that they
can regain
control of
their lives
and build
new futures.
Those who
succeed are
asked to
give back by
reaching out
to survivors
still
finding
their way.
Becky
explained to
us some of
the
challenges
she faces,
including
controlling
her emotions
(that part
of her brain
had been
removed by
the doctors)
and short
term memory
loss.
She
explained
that she has
the short
term memory
of an 80
year old (at
which point
Andy Serros
reminisced
about being
80 again!).
Becky
concluded
her
presentation
with an
emotional
song. |
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Tuesday,
September 6th,
2005 |
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Brothers,
As I begin my third
year as your elected
President I am
reminded of our
organizations
successes and
challenges. I’m
proud to see that
we’re more active in
the community than
we’ve been since I
started coming to
meetings some four
years ago. Donating
to such charities as
The Red Cross, The
Salvation Army,
local Autism
projects and just
last year creating,
what I hope to be a
permanent connection
with The Toys for
Toys of Central
Florida.
We’ve faced change
and loss. Moving our
meetings from here
to there, it seems
like this wild “how
many different ways
can you prepare
chicken” ride that
will never end
(that’s funny if
you’ve come to any
recent meetings).
Nevertheless, it
appears we’re going
to come to rest in
the arms of the
University Club in
downtown Orlando.
It’s my sincere hope
that this
relationship with be
most valuable in its
connections to the
community and its
perceived
exclusivity. I’d
like to thank
Brother Andy Serros
for wisely guiding
us to this place
that I hope we can
finally call home.
It’s still my intent
to use the Banquet
Hall at Dubsdread
for the purpose of
our year-end Toys
For Tots drive as
it’s easier for the
general public to
access.
Contrary, to what
I’ve just written I
feel that we have a
great number of
obstacles yet to
overcome. I want to
connect greater the
actives, and their
community as well.
It was my sincere
intention when I
took office to begin
anew with our local
chapters. I don’t
feel that we as an
organization have
done all we can to
insure the strength
of our own future
which falls now in
the welcome hands of
our soon to be
alumni. This
responsibility lies
in us all, remember
“One Man is No Man”,
these words are as
true today as they
were when we took
our oath to this
fraternal
organization. I ask
not only for you to
step forward with
your support for the
actives when asked,
but for the actives
to play a more
direct role in our
organization, only
in this can we find
the true
Brotherhood.
I’ve asked Brother
Bill Barto (with
Iota housing corp)
to play a more
active roll in
getting what we hope
to be bi-monthly
evening events,
where actives and
alumni can associate
and quite simply -
bond. We are
‘Brothers of the
Bond’ after all and
we need to make sure
that we live up to
the pledges that we
made so long ago
when WE were
actives. We need
more people to come
to meetings in
general, I do
understand that it’s
difficult for some
but I ask that you
try and make the
time as so many do,
and simply show up
and bond at any
future event. Last
issue to this point,
there are also
hundreds of brothers
that may not even
know there’s an
organization in town
for them, be proud
of what you’ve made
and spread the word.
In closing it’s my
sincerest hope that
we can rekindle lost
connections, while
extending a hand to
those locally and
globally through the
use of charitable
offerings and
general
volunteerism. This
is one way that we
as Brothers of Phi
Delta Theta can give
back. I’m proud to
be a Phi, I’m proud
to serve our group
as your elected
representative, and
I pray we all can
motivate one another
to take the next
steps for our
organization’s
longevity and
societal impact. I
look forward to
seeing you at the
next meeting.
Yours in the bond.
Justice Mitchell
(FL, Lambda 93’ -
Founding Father)
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Thursday,
April 28th,
2005 |
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On Thursday, April
28th, 36 brothers
and their guests
celebrated Founder's
Day. The event
was a huge success,
with 4 brothers
receiving pins for
reaching various
milestones with
their affiliation
with Phi Delta
Theta.
The evening began
with a social hour.
Then president
Justice Mitchell
gave a recap of the
years events before
dinner was served.
Following dinner,
Tom Mickle, the
Executive Director
of
Florida Citrus
Sports gave an
entertaining and
informative talk on
what Florida Citrus
Sports is all about,
including some
insights on the
college bowl process
and what may lie in
it's future.
Florida Citrus
Sports is
celebrating it's
60th year this year.
Next came the
milestone
recognition. 6
actives from the UCF
chapter attended the
dinner and helped
with the candlelight
ceremony. The
following brothers
received pins:
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Brother |
School |
Initiation |
Years |
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Frank Drane, Jr. |
Alabama Alpha |
03/02/1955 |
50 |
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Fred Gallagher |
Indiana Beta |
02/19/1950 |
55 |
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Bud Roberts |
Ohio Gamma |
03/20/1949 |
55 |
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Tom Wuichet |
Ohio Iota |
03/01/1940 |
65 |
Following the
ceremony, brother
Christopher Merritt,
the alumni secretary
for the UCF chapter,
gave a house report
on the state of the
UCF chapter.
The UCF chapter now
has almost 90
brothers. They
have excelled in
both athletics and
academics. The
chapter is
sponsoring a golf
tournament on May
15th. For
information,
click here.
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Tuesday,
April 5th,
2005 |
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On Tuesday, April 5th, Allen Kupetz, Executive in Residence at Rollins College
Crummer Graduate School of Business spoke on "The Revolution in Wireless
Technology Around the World.".
Allen's company, Kpartnerz, specializes in helping US and Asian companies work
together.
As part of his business, Allen spends a lot of time overseas. His travels,
combined with his fascination with technology provided us with one of the best
talks this year.
Allen provided us with an overview of how Asian consumers are using technology,
and how they are probably 5 years ahead of America in some regards. For
instance, in Korea today, Koreans are using their cell phones to:
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watch closed circuit TV
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get real time updated traffic reports with alternate routes to avoid traffic
jams
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perform banking. 50% of ATM transactions occur via their cell phones
instead of an ATM terminal
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watch on demand movies
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use the cell phone as a credit card
You can download Allen's presentation here.
For more information on Allen's company, visit
www.kpartnerz.com.
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Tuesday,
March 1st,
2005 |
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On Tuesday, March 1st, Jo-Anne Houwers and Alan Moss were our guest speakers.
Jo-Anne is the founder of The Autism & Related Disabilities Gym Program, Inc.
Jo-Anne is the mother of an autistic son and was looking for a place for other
parents with autistic children to meet, share experiences and advice, and have a
good time with their kids.
Not finding one, she approached the Jim Beech Recreation Center in Ocoee. She
asked if they would let her group meet there once a week. They agreed. They now
meet at the gym on Tuesday evenings from 6-7PM.
Jo-Anne has some grand plans for her program, although she’s just getting
started. She is in fund raising mode, and their first major event is a golf
tournament on Saturday, May 7th. You can find information about the golf
tournament on the web at autismgym.org. At
the luncheon, the club voted to give her organization a $100 donation.
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Tuesday,
February 1st,
2005 |
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On Tuesday, February 1st, 14 brothers and their guests met at the Tap Room at Dubsdread
Golf Course. Our guest speaker was Chief Timothy Ryan from the Orange County
Corrections Department. Chief Ryan’s career spans more than three decades
in corrections and law enforcement. He is the immediate past president of the
American Jail Association. Chief Ryan has a Masters Degree in Public
Administration from California State University and a Bachelor's Degree in
Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.
The Chief of Corrections, who reports to the Mayor via the Director of Public
Safety, has overall administrative responsibility for all areas of the Orange
County Corrections Department. This includes more than 3,800 incarcerated
inmates and more than 8,000 persons in Community Corrections programs such as
Home Confinement, Alternative Community Service, and Probation. The Chief is
accountable for an annual budget of 120 million dollars, a staff of nearly
1,700, and nine incarceration related facilities. The department is the largest
in the county except for that of the Sheriff.
Chief Ryan gave a very informative talk about how the jail is run. It is
basically it's own small city, needing to house, cloth, and feed 3,400 inmates
per day. The jail has become the largest mental health hospital in central
Florida. There were also several interesting statistics:
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140 to 200 new inmates per day, over 54,000 per year
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60% to 80% are on drugs on alcohol when booked
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92% are returned to the community without serving time in prison
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22 days is the average length of stay at the jail
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$81 per inmate per day is the average cost
For more information on the jail, see
www.bestjail.com.
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Tuesday,
January 4th,
2005 |
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On Tuesday, January 4th, 24 brothers and their guests met at the Tap Room at Dubsdread Golf Course. Our guest speaker was Bill Cowles, the Orange County
Supervisor of Elections. Bill has been an integral part of the Orange County
Supervisor of Elections office since 1989, after serving thirteen years on the
staff of the Central Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America. He was elected as
the Orange County Supervisor of Elections in 1996, and re-elected without
opposition in 2000. In 2004 he received almost twice the number of votes as his
opponent. Bill supervises the seventh largest county elections office in the
State of Florida.
In the past 50 years, there has only been 3 Supervisors of Elections for Orange
County. In 2001, the state of Florida put up $30 million to fix the
problems of the 2000 elections. During the 2004 elections, there were no
punch cards used in Florida. However, across the US, more voters voted on
punch cards than on any other system. Florida now only uses optical (like
in Orange County) or touch screens. Bill said Orange would be switching to
touch screens someday.
Early voting was the story for Orange in 2004. For 15 days prior to the
general elections, voters were allowed to vote at early polling places setup in
libraries around the county. 79,000 voted early, and another 65,000 voted
by absentee ballot.
Bill finished up his presentation with a round of question and answers and then
he read to us some of the comment cards he received with compliments,
complaints, and suggestions.
At this meeting we also decided to raise our annual dues from $30 to $35.
Founder's Day was briefly discussed with more information to come next month.
There was also a moment of silence in remembrance of brother Tom Laird, who
passed away November 16th, 2004. |
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