Watt speaks to Kiwanis

The Kiwanis Club of Swainsboro held its weekly meeting Tuesday night, August 18, at the Franklin Memorial Library at 6:30 p.m. With President Dianna Wedincamp presiding, they had 14 in attendance including guests, Shari Watt and Oskar Cerpovicz. Cheryl Goodman won the strawberry cheesecake, Deana Patrick won a Domino’s pizza and Tim Goodman and Karolina Cerpovicz won a cup from Dwight’s company and his year as Kiwanis Governor of the East Tennessee/Kentucky District. The program for the evening was presented by fellow Kiwanian, Dwight Watt. Dwight has started a new company called innovAIT with one of his former students, who is also a disabled veteran. The company develops ways for small businesses to compete in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) arena. AI Technology usually aims toward billion-dollar companies and not to the small businesses that keep communities running. The company aims to develop solutions for valuations, diagnostics, and operational intelligence. As technology drifts away, the skill trades suffer, small towns are left behind, the younger generation disconnects from hands-on industries, and advanced tools are concentrated in major industries. InnovAIT focuses on areas like agriculture, transportation, aviation, automotive, heavy equipment, and repair/services industries. They promote responsible AI, which is transparent, accountable, and preserves human judgment, practical usefulness, and skilled labor. Opportunities include local partnerships, workforce exposure, small business modernization, practical AI education, and ethical technology leadership. Cheryl Goodman, Interclub Chair, announced that the Swainsboro Kiwanis Club had completed the Interclub Challenge by visiting the meetings of eight different Kiwanis Clubs. Her team drove over 1,000 miles completing the Challenge. Tim Goodman gave a report on the August 14-16 Georgia District Convention. The 2027-2028 Kiwanis Georgia District Officers were elected. Edward Searcy of the Thomaston Club was selected Governor; Debbie McCracken of the Marietta Club was selected Governor-Elect; Trish Tootle of the Statesboro Club was selected Vice Governor and Barry Gardner of the Fairfield/Villa Rica Club was selected Immediate Past Governor. Janine Hunter has been selected as Lt. Governor of Division 17 for 2027-2028.