February 2024

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

Nebraska-Iowa District

Leadership Day

March 16, 2024

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Johnston, Iowa

REGISTER TODAY

Learn how Kiwanis clubs can PLANT, TEND & HARVEST for success!

$50 Per Person - Registration Open Through March 4

This retreat include:

• WOWS from Past International President Steve Siemens
• Latest membership resources
• Awards and recognition
• Impact experiences
• Roundtable discussions
• Special guests
• Take Homes
• And More!

REGIONAL ELECTIONS - TRUSTEE CANDIDATE FILING OPEN

The trustees serving on the Nebraska-Iowa District Board have staggered three-year terms. On Sept. 30, 2024, the current terms expire for Region 1 Trustee Keith Prettyman and Region 4 Trustee Gary Lindgren.

Candidate application is now open until March 1 in Regions 1 and 4.

A candidate for trustee must:

• have served as a lieutenant governor of his or her division in the Nebraska-Iowa District.

• be an active member in good standing of a club within the region;

• be endorsed as a candidate for trustee by the candidate’s primary club;

• be willing to fulfill the trustee requirements as stated in the Nebraska-Iowa District Bylaws; and

• have and maintain a clear criminal history background check conducted and verified by Kiwanis International. 

Read more about the qualifications and duties of a trustee in the District Bylaws and the Policies and Procedures.

Regional Election & Delegate Information

Region 1 will hold a May 21 Mail In Ballot Election (ballots mailed to delegates & then returned by May 21 post date)

Region 4 Election with Regional Meeting will be April 9 via Zoom at 7 p.m.

Each club eligible to have two voting delegates in their respective regional election. Clubs in each region were notified of election procedures by email in January. Club secretaries are asked to submit delegate information by March 30.

REGION 1 DELEGATE FORM

REGION 4 DELEGATE FORM

NEW DISTRICT WEBSITE

The Nebraska-Iowa District has a new website.

https://k16.site.kiwanis.org

There are some pages that are still "under construction" and more information will be added soon. But, please checkout the district's new digital home and bookmark it as one of your favorites.

HELP MAKE AN IMPACT AT THIS YEAR'S CONVENTION

The Nebraska-Iowa District Convention 2024 will be here before we know it. The annual convention will be Aug. 2 and 3 at the West Des Moines Sheraton.  

Your Convention Committee is working hard to make sure we all have a great experience while keeping the cost of registration affordable. As with any convention, there are expenses. We are asking for donations to offset the cost of printed materials. We are also asking for donations to offset the cost of the Saturday lunch and morning and afternoon snacks, the keynote speaker and the service project. 

Our service project on Friday evening will involve tying blankets and packing baskets of supplies for Joppa, which serves the homeless population in the Des Moines area. Our keynote speaker is the Director of Youth and Shelter Services in Story County (Ames area). He will tell us how the agency has impacted his life and how it continues to impact the lives of youth.  

Please bring these sponsorship forms to the attention of your clubs and consider donating. Donations are accepted from clubs and/or individuals.  We need your sponsorship commitment before April 15.  

Thank you for helping keep registration costs affordable.  

Jody Melcher, 2024 District Convention Chair

DENVER CONVENTION REGISTRATION OPEN

Registration is live for the 2024 Kiwanis International Convention in Denver, Colorado July 3-6.

Never been to an international convention?

Don’t stay on the outside looking in -

2024 is the year to go!!!

This year’s convention is in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. Not only is the location close to our district but this year, there is a chance for first-time convention goers to get a few dollars to help with the cost of attending, thanks to the LaRue fund.

If you are a first-time attendee, you have a chance to win one of five (5) $500 scholarships to help offset registration and other costs. On May 1, five names will be randomly selected to receive the scholarships.

Scholarship Information & Entry Rules: 

1. Register to attend international convention and be a first-time attendee to an international convention. (As confirmed by registration records at Kiwanis International.)

2. Complete the “I want to go to ICon in Denver” entry form. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IwantogotoDENVER

3. On May 1, the District will announce the five names drawn as scholarship winners.

4. If you are a scholarship winner, you will be asked to provide receipts (registration, hotel, etc.) immediately following convention and, once those are received, the $500 scholarship check will be issued to attendee.

5. You may also be asked to share your convention experience at a district or division event in the coming year.

Convention Notes:

• Nebraska-Iowa will again partner with Texas-Oklahoma and the Kansas districts for an evening of fun, fellowship and food on Friday, July 5. More details coming soon!
• The district's assigned hotel is Hyatt House. This hotel is just two blocks away from the convention center and in the same building as Hyatt Place, where four other districts are assigned. Free breakfast is included at this hotel, and there is also a bar on the first floor for evening socializing.

For more information or with questions, contact the District office. 

NEXT CHAT IS FOR SECRETARIES



The next Club Leadership Chat will be March 19 for club secretaries. Key information will be activities for the mid-year point and also monthly reporting.

While each chat has a specific officer focus, any club member with an interest is invited to attend. CLC is a free educational opportunity provided by the district. Pre-registration is required to receive the Zoom link for the meeting.

KIWANIANS INIVTED TO KEY CLUB CONVENTION

Members of the great Nebraska-Iowa District,

My name is Carissa Andorf, and I proudly serve as the Nebraska-Iowa Key Club District Governor! As we approach our most significant event of the service year, Key Club District Convention, our board has been working extensively. We recently met at the convention center in Omaha, Nebraska to plan and promote DCON. The 65th annual Nebraska-Iowa Key Club DCON will be packed full of insightful workshops, speakers, leadership training, service projects and fun activities to allow members to meet with like-minded servant leaders across Nebraska and Iowa. Our board of officers has done a fantastic job creating promotional material to distribute amongst their clubs, and we have curated a video summarizing the District Convention experience and a flier. You can find these resources on our website: https://www.nebraskaiowakeyclub.com/.

Since our last meeting in October, our board has been striving to accomplish the goals we set at the beginning of the service year. We hosted our Kiwanis Family week-long event and created toolkits for Key Club officers for service projects and fundraising ideas. These toolkits are accessible to our members so they can better understand how to get involved in this organization. We also recognize the clubs that host service or fundraising events through our seasonal bulletin to provide other clubs with ideas and encourage them to keep working towards improving their communities. One of our latest guides is the Governor's Project Challenge resource, which summarizes the new challenge we created this month. 

My Governor's Project, "Unlocking Hope: Nebraska-Iowa Key Club for Mental Health," works to support a Key Club International Service Partner, Erika's Lighthouse. This organization is dedicated to raising awareness, reducing stigma, educating students, promoting good mental health, and encouraging help-seeking. My goal is to raise 2,500 dollars, as it would allow the organization to onboard a new school and gift them with an evidence-informed curriculum and programs. We are currently 25% of the way there, and I am incredibly proud of our board's work to promote this project. To learn more about my Governor's Project and how you can help support it, type in the link: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/studentfundraisingcenter/account/1583489/?fbclid=PAAaZ_WpOVWeiftWAggEmffokvUi5_JBVew8JSdl_MQ-AXjZDU6-Ij7VqBlyc_aem_AWefwGfJQw5iGeBXqPacaPevLTbYUxhcrOAcEMR3kBvfyUqLR_3gy1SPGyDJpt_aAQc

At our District Convention, a representative from the board at Erika's Lighthouse will speak as a keynote and host a workshop! Our district is extremely excited to have him join us, and we are looking forward to wrapping up this service year with this event. We will celebrate our year full of service, leadership, and more! Thank you for taking the time to read some updates from our district, and if you have any questions or want to know more about our Key Clubs, reach out through email at nebriowagovernor@gmail.com.

Yours in service, 

Carissa Andorf, Key Club Governor

LEARNING AND LIVING LEADERSHIP OUT LOUD

Kiwanis Amplify is a leadership program for those who want to amplify their ability to lead a team. Participants will: 

• Explore the value of servant leadership. 
• Discover their personal strengths so they can lead confidently and successfully. 
• Strengthen the ability to lead others in a strategic manner. 
• Build and manage a strategic plan that works. 
• Learn from experts as well as from peers from across the globe. 
• Earn a certification of completion. 

Interactive modules will be released weekly. Participants can work through the material at their own pace and will have the chance to interact in online discussions with fellow participants moving through the curriculum. 

The participation fee is $50 for members of Kiwanis International. The fee is $600 for non-members.   

Registration for the 2024

class is still open.

DISTRICT FOUNDATION REPORT

Your Nebraska-Iowa District Foundation Board met in January to approve grants and take care of other business. According to Treasurer Lonnie Shumate, 25 clubs donated to the Foundation during the first quarter of our Kiwanis year.  Donations help fund grants. There were 11 clubs that received the Van Duling fund rebate for sending a student to Key Leader. We have PayPal now for accepting donations to the Foundation. Work is needed yet to add a donation link to the website.

The Board discussed Policy 6, the Designated Expendable Fund. This would allow clubs without foundations to use the District Foundation as a pass through for their own charitable purposes. No one has used the policy to date. Bookkeeping and audit concerns were raised. The KI attorney recommended we not have this policy. The Board voted to remove Policy 6 from our Policies and Procedures.

We had two grant requests for this cycle. The Clarinda club requested funds towards improving the existing Kiwanis Park playground. Polk City requested funding to add an ice rink to their Kiwanis Park. 

Both grants received unanimous approval for partial funding. Next grant requests are due March 1.

Our District Foundation By-laws with revisions have been submitted to Kiwanis International. Once we receive word they have been approved, they will be posted on the District Website.

Tracy Domgard has volunteered to help facilitate the Basket Raffle at DCON 2024 in Johnston. Since the convention is in Iowa, Curt Reis reminded us we will need a gambling permit and will have to remit sales tax. 

The Foundation will sponsor a quarter page ad in the DCON program. You will hear more about program and convention sponsorships in the near future.

We will have a training session for new Division Representatives on the District Foundation Board. Date will be determined. We still have divisions with no representation. 

Jody Melcher

Immediate Past President

Nebraska-Iowa District Foundation

During the first quarter of our Kiwanis year, 36 of our Nebraska-Iowa clubs donated $9,430 to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund! Thank you! I don’t know individual donations, so our total is no doubt, higher than that. Thanks to your donations last year, our District received $2,888 in grant funds to use to benefit our kids here in Nebraska-Iowa.