“Everything happens at the club level!”

Kiwanians have for over a century, been making great things happen for our youth and our communities. The service and fellowship created by Kiwanians have literally changed the world. It is then my job, as the Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanis District Governor for 2021-2022, to support the efforts at the club level and provide resources to help each club excel!

So who am I? I began my Kiwanis journey when I showed up for my first job (many years ago), teaching high school English. I was informed that I would be the Key Club sponsor. I didn’t have a clue as to what that meant! I quickly learned that the club met monthly, organized service activities around the school, and most importantly, I was to take two members to the Friday noon Kiwanis meeting (a very popular activity). And I actually got paid for it! Yay!

I did not stay active over the years but have been a member of Kiwanis for over 20 years now. I am a charter member of my home club, SouthPointe of Lincoln, Nebraska and a member of an international internet club, 25+ Kiwanians Who Care. I have served as president and club secretary at the club level; served as a lieutenant governor; served on the District Board of Trustees; and now am embarking on the role of governor for the Nebraska-Iowa District.

After a career in education as a teacher, professional development trainer, administrator and university instructor, I founded a consulting company and facilitated planning for both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Now, I am a full-time Kiwanian!

I have one wife, two adult children, four granddaughters, one grand dog, an old cabin on the Nebraska prairie, a pond stocked with largemouth bass and bluegill, and a 22-year-old John Deere Gator. That pretty much sums up my life!

Aristotle stated, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.” So I have selected the theme of Keeping the Habit for my year as Governor. It is my job to assist you in Keeping the Habit of Sharing, Caring and Serving!

Let’s not only Keep the Habit but build and improve on our legacy of service. The lieutenant governors in your division, the district leaders, officers and trustees, and the vast resources available to you from Kiwanis International are at your disposal. Use them to keep the mission and vision of Kiwanis alive and flourishing. Thanks for your leadership and service to our communities and youth! Keep up the good work!

Don Fritz, District Governor, 2021-2022

As of Sept. 1, top clubs with 29 or fewer members were 1. Woodbine; 2. West Branch; and 3. Missouri Valley. Leaders in clubs with 30 or more members were 1. Lincoln Center; 2. Spencer Hy-Noon; 3. Ida Grove, Storm Lake and Jefferson, in a three-way tie.

The Nebraska-Iowa District will again recognize distinguished members, clubs and lieutenant governors for their accomplishments during the 2020-2021 Kiwanis year.

Applications for the Governor's Distinguished Awards will be accepted from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1.

The Governor's Distinguished Awards are separate from the annual District Midyear Awards. The annual District Midyear Awards application deadline is Dec. 1. The criteria and application forms for Midyear Awards can be found HERE.

On Oct. 12 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Optimist volunteers will be packing meals for Meals from the Heartland. This worthwhile charity provides millions of meals to hungry families locally and around the world. On Oct. 16, the project is assembling and delivering beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. The mission of Sleep in Heavenly Peace is that “no kid sleeps on a floor in my town.”

If you are interested and able to help with either of these Celebrate Community projects, please contact District Administrator Lisa Brichacek, nikiwanisdistrict@gmail.com, by Sunday, Oct. 10.

A Celebrate Community Facebook page has been established. Check out the latest posts HERE.

An excellent class of 2020-2021 lieutenant governors are in place to help clubs across the Nebraska-Iowa District.

These are your division leaders this year:

Division 1, Brent Harris; Division 2, Lee Mellema; Division 5 Barb Hames; Division 9, Doug Dix; DIvision 11, Randy Griffith; Division 18, Celise Swanson; Division 19, Steve Hamilton; Division 22N, Shirley Daugherty; Division 23, John Boltz; Division 24, Charlene Vance

First, all clubs are required to provide Youth Protection Training for all members. On our district website, under Youth Protection, you will find the new PowerPoint for club training for this new year. It’s the perfect tool to use. Also, on the website, is a copy of the Kiwanis Policy and Procedures for Youth Protection. Club presidents, these are the two tools you need to train your club members. Use the PowerPoint at a club meeting and distribute copies of the Policy document to all members. If members are absent at this particular meeting, they should be given or sent a copy of the policy/procedure document.

Second, once your club is trained, club secretaries need to report this training on your club dashboard when you complete your next monthly report.

Third, Youth Protection Week is scheduled for Oct. 11-15. This is a perfect time to schedule your club’s training. Also, Kiwanis International is holding a number of online seminars and webinars during this week in October. To access this information, go to Kiwanis.org/youth protection website. The Youth Protection website will open for you. Click on the box which is named Youth Protection Week and you will locate all the scheduled webinars on a variety of topics related to Youth Protection. This includes the role of the club secretary in Youth Protection, how to request a Criminal Background Check, courses required for all club advisors by Praesidium, and how to access them.  Once you review this information, you can click on the registration link which is required for these webinars.

Last year, I attended nearly all of the online sessions and found them to be very well done and informational. So, don’t hesitate to take advantage of these resources with KI offers to us at no cost.

I remain ready to serve clubs or members as questions or situations occur during the Kiwanis year, so don’t hesitate to contact me. Of course, the best defense is a great offense and by that, I mean that if club officers, club advisors and members working with youth take time to become knowledgeable of the policies thru training, the smaller the chances that you will need to contact me if a problem occurs. My email is laplaczek@cox.net.

Submitted by Linda Placzek, District Youth Protection Manager

On Sept. 30, I finished my first three-year term as the District Chair of the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. Over the past three years, I have called presidents or secretaries in many of your clubs to ask you to consider a donation to the Children’s Fund. I have also called many of you to check-in and ask how you and your club and members are doing during the uncertain times we have had. We have a number of clubs in our District that have never or at least not for a long time donated to the Children’s Fund. I am interested in finding out why clubs don’t donate. I’m not going to judge; I am just curious about reasons. Each club has to decide the best use of funds. Some may want to only donate to their communities. Some may think they can’t donate very much so they don’t donate at all. Feel free to share those with me at peptuck@midiowa.net. 

Submitted by Kiwanis Children's Fund Chair Jody Melcher

We know there are a lot of Kiwanians in the Nebraska-Iowa District who have special talents and interests in various areas. Our campers enjoy learning from and interacting with the adults who come to share their time. We never know what may spark an interest in one of our campers that could lead to a future hobby or career. If you or someone you know has a skill, career or hobby to share with middle school students for an hour or two one day during camp, please contact Jody Melcher with details. peptuck@midiowa.net.