Happy 105th Anniversary Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanis!!!

Hello Lisa,

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.

QUICK LINKS

One change we have a committee working on is looking at our current divisional layout and coming up with a proposal to be looked at. They hope to have one ready by the end of January, so stay tuned.

    I visited several Key Clubs and Kiwanis clubs recently and I am impressed with the positivity. I hope to see that all over our wonderful district.

    So, continue to grow your clubs and let me know if I can visit your club.

Gov. John E. Boltz

Who can make a difference? YOU!

Plan now to attend the 2025 Nebraska-Iowa District Leadership Retreat. This one-day, Difference Makers event will be March 29 at the Best Western Conference Center in York, Nebraska. It is open to all Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanians and the $50 registration covers program material and a taco bar lunch. Registration is open through March 7.

Click on image above to download poster.

More details on the schedule for the day will be posted on the District website in a few weeks. This is your opportunity to enhance your Difference Maker skills. As an educational event, clubs may help pay registration fees for members to attend from either administration or service funds.

Difference Makers Poster Contest

Attention K-Kids and Builders Clubs

Signature Project Contest now open

It's time to submit your club's Signature Project for the 2025 Kiwanis International Signature Project Contest. Entry deadline is Jan. 30.

Signature projects show the impact a Kiwanis club can have on a community.

Think about what your Kiwanis club is known for in your community. It can be a service project or a fundraiser.

Signature projects:

• Are recurring. 
• Enhance the Kiwanis image.
• Demonstrate significant impact on the community in terms of monies raised or children served.
• Strengthen membership and partnership opportunities.

All entries are submitted to Kiwanis International. Then, Kiwanis districts are asked to select two projects (one from clubs with 27 members or fewer and one from clubs with 28 more members) to enter into the contest. 

Entries for the 2025 contest are accepted through Jan. 30.

(Reminder, you must now be "logged in" with your username and password on kiwanis.org to see member resources and information.)

Club treasurers to meet

February's Club Leadership Chat will have a club treasurer focus. Pre-register for the virtual session at the link below.

In March, the CLC is geared toward club secretaries. A general membership CLC is scheduled for April 14, with a topic to be announced next month.

CLCs offer information from both the district and international levels and also provide an opportunity for club idea sharing. All members are welcome to attend any CLC. Pre-registration is required to receive the Zoom link. All 7 p.m. start times are Central Time Zone.

Feb. 6, 7 p.m.

CLC for Treasurers

Pre-register HERE

March 20, 7 p.m.

CLC for Secretaries

Pre-register HERE

Trustee candidates sought in Regions 2, 3

The Nebraska-Iowa District has provided notice to clubs in Region 2 and Region 3 that their regions are scheduled for trustee elections in 2025.

Terms will expire Sept. 30, 2025 for current trustees Linda Placzek (Region 2) and Barb Hames (Region 3). Trustees serve a three-year term.

Region 2 will hold a Regional Meeting with election on April 24, 2025. It will be virtual on Zoom at 7 p.m.

Region 3 has scheduled a Regional Meeting with election on May 10, 2025. This will be a virtual meeting starting at 9 a.m. via Zoom.

Candidates for trustee in each region are being sought. Per policy and procedure, trustee candidate applications will be accepted Jan. 2 through March 1. The candidate application form is available on the website.

During the regional meeting, each club is entitled to two votes: the president and the immediate past present OR their designates. Delegate certification forms are available on the website.

Living Leadership Out Loud - Amplify

Kiwanis International is again offering Amplify in 2025. This is a program for those who want to amplify their ability to lead a team. This program is not Kiwanis-specific. It offers leadership information that can be used in any life setting.

Registration fee is $50 for Kiwanis members and $600 for non-members The course is virtual, interactive modules released weekly.

Click on the video image above to watch a short preview segment.

For more information and to register, CLICK HERE.

Some of your clubs have had a program presented by your Possibility Project champion. If you have, thank you for inviting your champion to speak to your club.

If you haven’t please consider scheduling your champion as a program if he/she contacts you. We are making progress.

Forge the Future in the Steel City

The 2025 Kiwanis International Convention is in Pittsburgh June 25-28. Convention registration and hotel reservations (Nebraska-Iowa District's preferred hotel is the Embassy Suites) are open.

Membership growth. Retention. Building new clubs. Leadership development. You’ll learn how to grow your club and grow as a leader through insight-packed sessions at this year's International Convention!!!

Convention schedule, registration and more information is available HERE!

Watch the video below to get a quick summary of the convention.

There is still time for youth protection training

By Linda Placzek, district youth protection manager

Happy New Year!  As your youth protection manager, I want to remind all members that all clubs are required to provide Youth Protection Club Training to their members. Has your club held its training?  Ideally, clubs hold their training in October or November, but if your club hasn’t held its training yet, start off the New Year with the required Youth Protection Training. Contact your club president to let him/her know that you read an article in this District Newsletter that all club members are to have training.  Don’t let this excellent way to start the New Year slip away!

How to locate the training: Go to our District website and look for the tab “Resources”. Click on it and you will see the steps to finding the PowerPoint or PDF to complete your club’s training.  After the training is completed, your club secretary must report that the club has held the training. In the Resource area, there is even a photo of what the question looks like. These resources are easily available to you.

Each month I receive a report from KI which informs me about club training. In early January, I will receive the report which will include which clubs have completed training during the first quarter of our Kiwanis year. I will then contact each lieutenant governor to let them know how the clubs in their division are doing.

As your district’s youth protection manager, I want you to know that I am available to assist your club in planning events involving children and youth. I can answer your questions and provide guidance. 

You an contact me at laplaczek@cox.net.

Celebrating Kiwanis

January is a historical month for both Kiwanis International and the Nebraska-Iowa District.

From kiwanis.org/who-we-are/history

“Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. The organization was originally called the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers. A year later, the name changed to Kiwanis, which was selected by the organization’s founders based on their understanding that the word was translatable to “we build” from the Algonquian Native American language family. That same year, Kiwanis became an international organization with the founding of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 

Initially focused on business networking, the organization changed its focus to service in 1919 — specifically service to children. Over the years, more clubs were created in the U.S. and Canada, and worldwide expansion was ultimately approved in the 1960s. Today, there are Kiwanis clubs in nearly 80 nations and geographic locations.”

The Nebraska-Iowa District also has a January anniversary date. The district was founded on Jan. 6, 1920 as the Western Iowa District and the first governor was Ray Edmiston of Lincoln. The first convention was held Sept. 13, 1920 in Des Moines, with seven clubs represented. The Nebraska-Iowa District name became official on May 29, 1922.

Happy Anniversary Kiwanians! 

NEBRASKA-IOWA KIWANIS DISTRICT

402-430-9647

nikiwanisdistrict@gmail.com