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INDEX of President Messages to the membership[President's Acceptance Speech]
[Past President Farewell message]
2010-2011 Kansas State Council State President's Acceptance Speech
Kim Kummer
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, family, and friends ~ thank you so much for sharing in this evening.
I would like to introduce my family who are here this evening. If you would please stand. My parents, Jim & Ruth Steitz; my sisters Vicki Tucker & Brenda French; my mother in law, Mary Kummer and my uncle because of Steve, Denis Lutz and his daughter Michelle Kumke. Denis met Steve’s aunt, Kathleen at ESA State Convention in Liberal 45 years ago and they were married 6 months later. Kathleen was a past Kansas State President in 1967-68. Thank you all for being here. And most important, my husband Steve. You have encouraged me and told me I could do this before I wanted to. Thank you for everything.
Pat, what can I say…you have encouraged us to enjoy the sweet life this year and we have made many sweet memories along the way. Thank you so much for your leadership, guidance and especially your friendship.
District A – thank you for hosting a wonderful weekend; it has been a sweet time.
Margene, it is a great honor to have you here in Kansas and share in our convention. You have been a delight to get to know and have added so much to our weekend. You are a gem and are truly treasured by your Kansas sisters.
Joy & Coleen, the installation was beautiful. Thank you for giving me such a special memory and making me feel like a queen. Coleen, please thank Alex and Michelle for sharing their music with us. And Anna, you are the keeper of the gossamer. Thank you for helping with the staging. You have each made this evening so special for me – thank you!
Will my Delta Tau Sisters please stand? I can’t thank you enough for being here tonight as part of the honor guard. I appreciate each one of you not only for being here tonight but also for your friendship and support beyond ESA. Judy, thank you for creating such a wonderful keepsake, the banner is beautiful. Will my District H sisters please stand too? Thank you for your encouragement, support and excitement. I appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness to do whatever I need.
Wow! As I made this journey I look out upon a roomful of people who have been so instrumental in this process. Margaret Shook & Kay Foster were in attendance when I pledged to ESA as a sophomore in college; Linda Bottom & Sandie White were my KState moms; Helen Stitt gave me my first appointment as a teller at convention; Cindy Rodman thought I could do the job as membership director; Debbie Koch has been a friend since Heartspring Prom last May and in January at the board meeting she said to me, I will do whatever you need – you just tell me and I will do it. What an amazing organization to belong to…wherever you turn someone is there to encourage you, offer to help, and laugh with you. Much like the academy awards, I could say something about each of you in this room but I know you are ready for the fun part of the evening – the installation of the Men of ESA. When I began this process I was unsure it was a journey I wanted to make; not because I don’t love ESA but rather could I do it? Am I a leader? Did you hear that? You can do it! That is what I heard from many of you in this room. And to those of you who are thinking that this isn’t something you could do – you can! You can do anything you set your mind too and you will always have the support of your ESA family behind you. I wouldn’t be here today without all of you. Each of you in one way or another has guided & directed me and because of that I stand before you tonight, truly honored and humbled to be the newly installed President of the Kansas State Council of Epsilon Sigma Alpha.
The Saturday evening was topped off with a beautiful installation ceremony dressed in purple and silver. To the left is Delta Tau, Kim's chapter and to the right is the honor guard with added friends over the years that were special friends to Kim on her journey through the elected offices.
Coleen told me once that when speaking you want to motivate your audience. I have never thought of myself as a motivator – but each one of you motivates me. To do more, be more, give more. As we heard this afternoon at the awards luncheon, we are a generous group. If there is a need – ESA members will find the way! I come from a long line of “givers”; always ready to give the shirt off our back to help someone in need. I believe that led me to my theme, Let Your Life Speak. We all have the opportunity to let our life speak; how we respond to the opportunity is what makes a difference in the world around us. Some of us are “do’ers” and like to get our hands dirty; some provide comfort and a shoulder to lean on; others have the means to write a check to help a greater need; some sing while others speak and a few say nothing at all but their life speaks volumes.
How will you let your life speak today, tomorrow, next year? Join me in keeping our local food pantries full. We all know how important a nutritious meal is and there are many in our communities due to the economy who are still struggling to put food on their tables. Pat opened our eyes last year to this need. My chapter participated locally and it was amazing how much we collected by each bringing a can or two of food to all of our meetings. Be sure to submit anything donated before June 30th on the IC Virtual Food Drive as well. I am adding a little twist to this President’s Challenge though; many of us grew up with a cake and candles to celebrate our birthday. I’d like to see every chapter make birthday bags for their food pantries. All you need is a paper bag or gift bag; cake mix; can of frosting; box of candles; disposable pan; and for extra measure include a card. Make them boy bags and girl bags and include the cards accordingly. Think how excited the child will be to have a cake and card from Mom & Dad; but even more delighted are the parents who will be able to give their child a birthday cake.
How will you let your life speak today, tomorrow, next year? I have been fortunate to attend IC Leadership the past three years and it is truly a jam packed full of information overload enthusiasm building experience. I came home in February full of fresh ideas and excited to share them and put them to the test. Fresh ideas sometimes mean a new way of thinking or a different perspective which is not always easy but I encourage you to be open minded. ESA has a strong foundation but without change we would not be regarded as the premier leadership and service organization that we are today. Fresh ideas have brought about the wonderful tool of our KS ESA Website, where you can find the handbook, information about our projects, registration forms, leadership articles, our history and so much more. What a visionary tool right at our fingertips. I encourage you to use both the KS and international websites. Our contributions to our communities and philanthropies are top notch but change and flexibility are important for our continued growth. Embrace the opportunities to do things different by supporting your chapter presidents, district chairs & even new members who share new ideas or mix things up. Focus on the reason you come together – the friendship and the fun and be sure to have plenty at all of your meetings and events.
How will you let your life speak today, tomorrow, next year? Membership continues to be vital for our growth however, explore new alternatives to find these new members. We have already exhausted or list of neighbors, church friends, co-workers, and exercise buddies. Where do we look now? Think of the reasons you joined ESA and stay active. ESA does Good Works, we have Good Times and we bring Good People together. Plan a Good Works event, we have heard about the Up Your Game for St Jude, Bunco Parties, what a great avenue to bring in others who are not familiar with ESA. They will see the Good Works for St Jude, they will be having a Good Time and they will see all of the Good People hosting the event. The same can happen for a Hope for Heroes event, or working the concession stand at a ball game. Have fun, promote the good works that we do, and keep those membership applications handy. I will share more thoughts and ideas for membership on the leadership page on the website in June. Poor Steve may need some bailout funds this year, as I am out to break the bank of Kummer. I will reimburse chapters for their pledges state dues of $15 after I receive confirmation of payment from Treasurer, Bonnie.
How will you let your life speak today, tomorrow, next year? Why is it that we come together? The Good Works, The Good Times and the Good People. Take time to focus on the Good People of ESA this year. The friendships that are developed through ESA are more than quarterly friendships they are life long relationships. Let those around you know that they are important to you. The August board meeting is an opportunity to show our care for one another, our focus in August will be the Kansas Care & Share and Disaster Fund projects. We must first take care of one another before we can care for others. I am fortunate to have grown up with two sisters and a wonderful extended family that love and support me but how very blessed that I also have all of you, my ESA Family, in this room and some unable to attend convention but here in spirit, that encourage me. Please know that I love each of you and look forward to the year to come.
In closing I want to leave you with a few thoughts from John Mason’s book, "You’re Born An Original Don’t Die A Copy."
- God made you different, not indifferent
- God made you extraordinary, not ordinary
- God made you significant, not insignificant
- God made you active, not inactive
- God made you effective, not defective
- God made you superior, not inferior
- God made you sensitive, not insensitive
- God made you uncommon, not common
- God made you an original, not a copy
We have the ability to impact the world in a positive way – I charge you to let your life speak today, tomorrow and next year.
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Pat's Farewell speech as the Kansas State Council President
Click smile to see the year in review and Pat's thank you to the board for a great year.
Dear Sisters and Friends,
I’ll do my best to make this short and sweet.
I can’t begin to tell you how special this year has been. I had so many ideas of what it would be like, and some of them turned out to be right on, others weren’t even close. But best of all, there were so many wonderful surprises that came along the way. I accomplished many of my personal goals, but there were also some that I did not. I have been asked if I am sad the year is over, and there is a part of me that is definitely going to miss it. But I have to say that I am really excited – excited to move on and take on some new challenges in my ESA life. My pledge to you and to myself, is to stay busy and active in my chapter, district and on the state level, to give back for this unbelievable gift you have given me.
I want to thank each and every one of you who served on the Council, attended State Council Meetings and joined us here in Olathe this weekend. Please continue to find time in your busy lives to attend your District meetings and events, our State meetings and Convention. Start now to plan to attend IC Convention. If you can’t do it this year, you have the perfect opportunity since our 2011 IC Convention will be right here in Kansas. And, it goes without saying, bring a friend with you and share this precious gift. It is the future of ESA. I encourage each of you to take the next step – if you’ve been a committee member, it’s time you chaired a committee. If you’ve served as a committee chair, it’s time you considered running for office. We need you, and we need you now.
Kim, we are so blessed to have you serve as our new President. You have a way about you that is so honest and genuine. I am looking forward to your leadership and serving on your board. This is a wonderful group of very capable women we have here, and I know we have a fun, productive year ahead.
I am wondering how many of you have seen the stage production of Wicked or have read the book. As you know, it’s the story of two girls with a strong connection to Kansas. They just happen to be witches – one the “good” witch and one the “wicked” witch. They were very different – one was blond, one was green, one was popular, one was not. As the story goes, they started out on very rocky ground. But in the end, they come to the conclusion that they really weren’t that different, and they share a great affection and appreciation for each other. Their story is very much like ours – we’re very different, but oh so much the alike. We do want the same things, to make our communities and our world a better place, and do truly care about each other. Near the end of the play, Elphaba, the “wicked” witch tells Glinda, the “good”, that Glinda has left a handprint on her heart. It has the look of someone’s theme, doesn’t it? I know that is what all of you have done for me this year. You have left a hand print on my heart and I will never forget what you have given me.
I want to close by sharing with you the words from one of the songs from Wicked. It says so well how I feel about you today.
It well may be That we will never meet again in this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me Is made of what I learned from you,
And you will be with me Like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend.
Like a ship blown from its mooring By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird In the distant wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?
But because I knew you I have been changed for good.
Thank you all so much and God bless you.
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Thank you Pat! It was a great year sharing "ESA - the Sweet life"
Contact the Kansas State Council:
E-mail: WEBMASTER