Quincy Exchange Club

I had the opportunity to hear about the Teen REACH Program in Quincy last Friday at the Quincy Exchange Club and it opened my eyes as well as the eyes of the other members of that organization. Mike Nobis and Dennis Williams were the Teen Reach Program speakers. For those unaware, including me prior to Friday’s meeting, dozens of Quincy kids go to the Teen REACH Center after school for help with h

The year was 1974. The city was Lowell, Michigan. The location was Scott McNeal's driveway. The participants were 17 of his friends. Combine all that and you had the start of Gus Macker, but how did it get to Quincy?

The Quincy Exchange Club is actively addressing a major concern about the Gus Macker 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament which is set for May 24 and 25. That concern is the officiating that has taken place over the years, which has led to some "rough" play on the courts. That major concern was addressed and the Exchange Club has done away with volunteer court officials called "Gus Busters.

At today's Quincy Exchange Club's Law Officer of the Year luncheon, Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore announced that this year’s recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award was Pam Shaffer, the Executive Director of the Adams County Red Cross.

Illinois State Police District 20 Trooper Brad Williams was named the Law Officer of the Year today at the Quincy Exchange Club's 48th Annual Law Officer of the Year Award luncheon.

The Quincy Exchange Club held the first of two installments of the Character Champions awards presentations last Friday at Stoney Creek Inn. The Character Champions program is designed to help coaches turn individual athletes into highly effective teams demonstrating sportsmanship and character. I had the opportunity to present the honorees a beautiful plaque from the Quincy Exchange Club.  Read M

The Annual Quincy Society of Fine Arts/ City of Quincy Arts Awards Luncheon was hosted by the Quincy Exchange Club today at the Stoney Creek Inn.

Toys for Tots program local coordinator Steve Lindsey and Marine Corp Sgt. Jonathan Schulte were recent guests of the Quincy Exchange Club.  According to Mr. Lindsey, a retired USMC veteran, the Toys for Tots program got its start in Los Angeles in 1947 when a Marine Corps Major’s wife made a Raggedy Ann Doll and she asked her husband to give it to someone but there wasn’t anyone to give it to. Fr

The Fifth Annual Quincy Exchange Club Firefighter of the Year Award presentation took place today with October being National Fire Awareness Month.  This year’s winner was Assistant Fire Chief James Pioch of the Quincy Fire Department, an 18 year veteran of the Department.

He is a convicted killer and possibly has killed up to 60 people both domestically and internationally, has had a book written about him (Quincy native James Stewart’s “Blind Eye”) and is currently serving a life sentence in Colorado. He is Dr. Michael Swango and he was the topic of a discussion at last Friday's Quincy Exchange Club. The speaker was Billy Meyer who was the chief investigator for t