May 2022 District Newsletter |
|
Greetings!
Welcome to The Kiwanian, the newsletter for the Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanis District. Please feel free to share this issue with potential new members or make a copy for those who don't have email. An online link to this newsletter will be made available on the District Website.
|
|
Members Make It Happen
Greetings to all Kiwanians! I just participated in the presentation of a new charter to a Key Club in Estherville, Iowa. What a wonderful experience to see 30 young, smiling faces completing service projects for their community and, more importantly, demonstrating leadership in their club and in their high school. Just as Spring refreshes our trees, grass and flowers, just interacting with our youth and their school and club advisors refreshed me and provided yet another “Kiwanian Moment” that I have often spoken of in this column.
International President Peter Mancuso, has stated, “Everything in Kiwanis happens at the local level.” It is the individual member that makes things happen in a club. I once observed a club talking about adding a new service project to their already impressive list of projects. They were enthusiastic and excited about expanding their service to the community. Then reality hit. They quickly came to the realization that, because of limited membership, they did not have the capacity to take on another project! They switched gears and began exploring membership recruitment strategies.
May is Membership Month for Kiwanis. As Brad Boyd, Kiwanis International area director, has stated many times, “We do not need more members, we need more hands for service.” If your club is not continually seeking new members, we will fall behind in our capacity to provide service to our communities. I encourage all clubs to have active membership chairs and to initiate a membership recruiting activity on a regular basis. If you have not yet reviewed the recently released Two For Two membership process from Kiwanis International, I encourage you to do so. It is easy to implement, and I believe it to be very effective.
The Nebraska-Iowa District has pretty good membership increases for the year, thanks to the many clubs that have been quite active in membership recruitment. But to break even for the remaining year, we will need to triple our membership increases. It is just our reality. Please contact District Membership Chair Gary Wattnem, Club Excellence Coordinator Jim Dane, or your division’s lieutenant governor. They have coaches and information that they can use to help you with membership recruitment. Let’s use this month to refresh our membership and continue to find ways to serve our communities and to create the ”Kiwanian Moments” that we all cherish. Thanks for your service to our communities and youth.
|
|
Gov. Don
Don Fritz, District Governor, 2021-2022
|
|
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND DISTRICT CONVENTION
Registration for District Convention on Aug. 5 and 6 opens next week.
Early Bird Registration:
$130 both Friday and Saturday - $105 Saturday only
Registration After July 12:
$145 both Friday and Saturday - $120 Saturday Only
Cornhusker Marriott Hotel Rooms:
$119 per night, plus tax
Watch for an email with the registration link, hotel reservation link
and schedule information.
|
|
BOLTZ NOMINATED FOR VICE GOVERNOR CANDIDATE
The Nebraska-Iowa District Nomination Committee has recommended John Boltz of Hastings as a candidate for 2022-2023 vice-governor. At its April 29 meeting, the District Board of Officers and Trustees accepted the recommendation and endorsed John as vice-governor candidate.
|
|
John E. Boltz joined the Kiwanis Club of Hastings in October 2006. He served as club president in 2012-2013 and is also a former club board member. He is a two-term past lieutenant governor for Division 23. He is currently a trustee on the District Board, elected by his Region 1 in 2021.
"I enjoy spending my time and talents with Kiwanis and with the children we help. I have a good business background and will be a good trustee for Region 1," John said during his candidate campaign for trustee.
John and his wife, Patty, have three grown children and two grandchildren. He is retired after 43 years in retail management, most of which was with Walmart.
|
|
The district vice governor for 2022-2023 will be elected during the annual House of Delegates meeting, scheduled at 1:50 p.m. (tentative) Aug. 6, 2022 as a part of the Nebraska-Iowa District Convention. Candidate nominations from the floor will be accepted. Per district and international rules and procedures, all candidates, including candidates nominated from the floor, must be properly vetted by June 24. Contact the district office, nikiwanisdistrict@gmail.com, for more information. |
|
NEED FUNDRAISER IDEAS?
Attend this month's CLC to get some fundraising ideas from Kiwanis International Area Director Brad Boyd and several clubs that have been doing some "not so typical Kiwanis" fundraisers. And, please come share your fundraiser ideas too!!!
|
|
This month's chat focus is fundraising!
May 23, 7 p.m., Zoom
You don't have to be a club officer to join a chat. All Kiwanians are invited to attend. There is no cost to attend these virtual meetings hosted by the Nebraska-Iowa District but pre-registration is required to get the link to join.
|
|
More than 40 Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanians are registered to attend this year's International Convention in Indianapolis, and almost another 20 more are signed up to watch the convention virtually. In-person registration is now closed for the convention. Kiwanis International is expected to re-open virtual registration. Visit Kiwanis.org for more information about International Convention. |
|
CELEBRATION OF LIFE PLANNED FOR DUNAWAY
Past Nebraska-Iowa District Governor Robert Dunaway passed away April 11 in Altoona, Iowa. Bob served as governor for the 2004-2005 Kiwnanis year. He is survived by his wife, Marvel, who is also a past district governor.
|
|
Bob’s contributions to Kiwanis were numerous. He served with a dedication and passion at the club, division and district levels.
A Celebration of Life will be held 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 4 at Terrance Hills Golf Course in Altoona.
“I hope many of you can come and share your memories and stories about Bob. It will be a casual afternoon full of laughter and smiles … just what Bob would want!,” Marvel commented.
Terrace Hills Golf Course is located at 8700 NE 46th Avenue in Altoona.
Bob loved spending time with his family, especially attending his grandkids’ games, concerts and activities and taking them for golf cart rides. He also loved being outside, working in the yard on his John Deere and walking the dogs.
Bob was a writer, photographer and editor for Wallaces Farmer magazine for 18 years, a columnist for Iowa Farmer Today for nearly 20 years and helped many Iowa farmers plan their estates for tax savings and business continuation.
|
|
NEW TRUSTEES ELECTED
Two new trustees were recently elected in the Nebraska-Iowa District.
Region 2 held a regional meeting on April 19. Trustee candidate Brian Wells of the Bellevue Kiwanis Club was elected for the 2022-2025 term that begins Oct. 1, 2022.
Region 3 held its regional meeting on May 7. Trustee candidate Curt Reis of the Storm Lake Kiwanis Club was elected for the 2022-2025 term that begins Oct. 1, 2022.
Thank you to all the clubs in Regions 2 and 3 that attended these regional meetings to elect trustees and hear important updates from both district and international.
|
|
CLUB LEADERSHIP REPORTS DUE THIS MONTH
Club officers for the 2022-2023 year are to be reported to Kiwanis International by June 1. Secretaries need to report the officers for the next Kiwanis year through the online dashboard at reporting.kiwanisone.org.
|
|
Kiwanis International has printed new Leadership Guides for the incoming officers. The Nebraska-Iowa District has received these guides and is mailing them to all current club secretaries for distribution to 2022-2023 officers. The front cover of the guides is similar to previous years, however, there is new information inside and the back cover states "updated January 2022."
Club Leadership Education (CLE) is again a part of the preparation for 2022-2023 presidents, secretaries, treasurers and membership leaders. The Nebraska-Iowa District has two virtual CLEs planned. More virtual sessions may be planned by the district and some divisions are considering in-person CLEs.
Pre-registration is open for the district's two scheduled CLEs.
|
|
Club Leadership Education
Tuesday, June 14
7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Via Zoom
|
|
Club Leadership Education
Saturday, July 16
9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Via Zoom
|
|
|
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE FOUNDATION'S ANNUAL MEETING |
|
Greetings from the Nebraska-Iowa District Foundation. This is a reminder that our Foundation Board will discuss the future of Camp OK at our Annual Meeting on Aug. 5 at the District Convention. The meeting will be in-person and I hope to have a Zoom opportunity so Kiwanians can join online if you can’t be in Lincoln that day. Information on time and place will be in future editions of The Kiwanian.
Who may vote at the annual meeting? Anyone that is a Donor Member of the District Foundation.
What does it take to become a Donor Member? A donation of $100 to the District Foundation.
I hope many of you will be able to join us at the meeting to help make this important decision and move forward with whatever is decided.
Submitted by District Foundation President Jody Melcher
|
|
KIWANIS CHILDREN'S FUND
Happy May, Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanians. With all of the April showers we’ve had, I hope your May flowers are looking beautiful!
Everything is looking great for the Children’s Fund. The latest report from the Children’s Fund dated March 31 shows our district at the top of the giving report. I appreciate the generosity of our clubs and individuals. We are helping so many children in need through grants given to clubs for projects that benefit the children in their communities. We still have six months in our Kiwanis year. I know more clubs will step up to help the Children’s Fund help children. Thank you!
I have started making phone calls to clubs that haven’t given to the Children’s Fund at all or for a long time. I have talked to people who are doing great things in their communities. Quite often, I get ideas for projects that I can pass along. When I hear about projects for which clubs are fundraising, it’s a great time to tell people about the Children’s Fund grants. Please take advantage of the opportunity to apply for a Children’s Fund Grant. If you are interested in learning more, let me know. I will forward a digital brochure to you with the steps to take to apply.
The grant I would like to share with you this month comes to us from the Kiwanis Club of Young Professionals in Kingston, Jamaica. This is a great use of funds! This club partnered with a local school to improve the learning environment for students from 3-5 years of age. The grant helped them repair and replace broken windows, put in handwashing stations that will prevent the spread of illness and buy a stove for making hot meals. With help from a professional mason, the members of this club will tile and paint the classrooms, bathrooms and kitchen. What a difference these young professionals are making in the lives and education of these young children. They know that someone cares about them. They are providing an educational environment for their children that we take for granted in our schools.
Keep saving those “K” Dollars. I found five in the cash register at Worldly Goods this past Monday. This is the second time I’ve found that many. Maybe one of these days I’ll find more than that! Your “K” Dollars will add up. Before you know it you will have a nice individual donation to send to the Children’s Fund. Or, if your club is saving them, if all of your members are looking for them, you’ll have a very nice donation to send as a club. What are “K” Dollars? They are $1 bills that have a “K” in the serial number.
Thanks for reading and for everything you do for children!
Submitted by Kiwanis Children's Fund Chair Jody Melcher
|
|
CONVENTION SPONSORS NEEDED
The Convention Committee is again looking for individuals, clubs, organizations and businesses to be a part of the convention by being a program sponsor. Dollars raised through the sponsor program help to offset convention costs.
Sponsors get their names/logo in the program booklet handed out at convention and, depending on the level of sponsorship, also listed in The Kiwanian.
The deadline to sponsor is June 17.
For more details and sponsorship levels, CLICK HERE. |
|
|
|
KEY LEADER ANNOUNCED
Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanis District Key Leader will be held Oct. 28 through 30 at Camp Carol Joy Holling near Ashland, Nebraska. Key Leader by Kiwanis is a weekend leadership program for high school students with the mission to inspire them to achieve their personal best through service leadership.
For more information, click HERE.
|
|
DATES TO KNOW
- May 23: Club Leadership Chat: Fundraising
- June 1: 2022-2023 Club Officers Report Due to KI
- June 1: District Foundation Grant Applications Due
- June 8-11: International Convention in Indianapolis
- June 14: Club Leadership Education (Virtual)
- June 17: Convention Sponsor Program deadline
|
|
|
|
BE SURE TO READ THIS MONTH's NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT,
SENT IN A SEPARATE EMAIL, TO LEARN ABOUT GREAT CLUB PROJECTS AND CELEBRATIONS!
Clubs Featured This Month Are...
- Denison
- Marshalltown Matins
- Creston
- Clarinda
- Greater Missouri Valley
- Atlantic
- Ames Town and Country
- Polk City
- Ames Golden K
- Nevada
|
|
WHAT'S YOUR CLUB DOING?
LET US KNOW!!!
SEND YOUR CLUB'S NEWS TO LISA BRICHACEK BY THE 1ST OF EACH MONTH TO BE FEATURED IN THE NEXT KIWANIAN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
