Feels funny saying that when it has been 80 degrees here in CT for the last couple of weeks, but with the leaves falling and kids back at school it definitely means it is the start of the Kiwanis new year. I am so excited to be the New England and Bermuda District Governor this year and am looking forward to getting out and meeting all of you! I have had the opportunity to already attend a couple of signature club events and officer installations this September and I can’t wait to get out to more this year. The District is continuing to grow with the charter celebration of the Greater Enfield Kiwanis in August, with eight members from the club also joining us at District Convention! I am excited to announce that this past week the Membership Committee was in Lebanon, NH and White River Junction, VT working on building the Upper Valley Kiwanis Club. We can’t wait to see the impact these new clubs have on their community!
As I have mentioned before over the last year as Governor-Elect, my goal is to make the District leadership more visible and accessible to the clubs and members. To that end, I will be hosting my first Office Hours of my term on Tuesday, October 15 at 7pm EST via Zoom. I encourage anyone who has questions, concerns or just wants to chat to join me!
As you may have read in the Yankiwanian that came out mid-September or heard about it from me, we are moving to a condensed monthly publication of the Yankiwanian. By switching up the format, I hope that the information needed gets out to clubs in a timely manner and it doesn’t take a long time to read. This will be a work in progress so if there is anything you would like to see, please reach out. I greatly appreciate Governor Elect Adam helping me get this new format launched and if there is anyone that is interested in helping, please let me know.
Cheers to this new year and all that it holds!
Yours in Kiwanis, Governor Kristin
NOTES FROM DISTRICT SECRETARY JUDY
Club Dues Structure Effective 10/1/24: As you may have heard, the Kiwanis International dues increase went into effect for the start of the new 2024-2025 Kiwanis year. In addition to this, the district dues will remain the same for this term. I have included the breakdown of total dues below:
International Dues 77.00 Publication 8.00 Insurance 22.00 District Dues 25.00 Total Dues per member $132.00
Additionally, if your club has voted to increase dues, please remember that the club bylaws must also be changed.
Division Re-alignments: The division re-alignments will not be shown correctly on October 1st until the membership figures for 2023-24 are closed out. This typically occurs by October 20th, which means the new divisions would be updated by the end of that month.
My husband Matt and I travelled 6.5 hours to Maine with the help of Bart and Pat Stevens, Tim McMahon, Governor Eli, and First Lady Jen to help members of the Presque Isle Club and Caribou Club pack 10,000 meals to be distributed throughout Aroostook County. We met some new friends in both clubs and enjoyed many laughs. I learned so much about the potato harvest in the County.
Did you know that Maine processes 2.6 billion pounds of potatoes, 28 million pounds of broccoli, and 575 thousand gallons of Maine Maple Syrup each year?
They have the largest 3-D scale solar system model in the Western Hemisphere. From Presque Isle to Houlton.
The County is the home of the first Transatlantic Hot Air Balloon Flight
Kiwanis Club Carnival returned to theCheshire Fall Festival!
After a three-year hiatus, the Kiwanis Club Carnival returned to the Cheshire Fall Festival at Bartlem Park.But its arrival was not marked by the usual fanfare of loud noises, flashing lights and large crowds. Instead, the carnival came quietly, greeting guests with muted rides, minimal lighting and plenty of room to roam.
The carnival, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Cheshire, a nonprofit community service organization, kicked off Friday afternoon with a special sensory-friendly event tailored for people with sensory processing issues. During this two-hour window, the carnival’s seven rides and other attractionsoperated without their typical triumphant tunes and twinkling lights — an effort, organizers said, to create a more inclusive and comfortable park experience.
Nick Robinette, a Hamden resident, said he and his wife “promised” their 8-year-old son, who they asked not be named, that they would take him to the carnival for its return. They decided to visit during the carnival’s sensory-friendly hours, which they knew would be “less overwhelming” than attending at night, he said.
“This is a lot nicer than having everything going at once,” Robinette said. “It’s a lot easier as a parent.”
Robinette said his son “doesn’t really love a big crowd” and sometimes gets overwhelmed in noisy environments. The boy basically had the entire amusement area to himself Friday afternoon, eagerly zipping from ride to ride as his parents watched from the sidelines. His favorite ride was the OrientExpress, a kiddie roller coaster.
“I think anybody can get over stimulated, and there are a lot of kids who are going to have very particular needs who probably couldn’t enjoy this if they didn’t have the chance to come early,” Robinette said. “So I think it’s really great.”
Article and photo credit to Austin Mirmina at the Cheshire Herald
Protecting Kids is Mission Critical!
Kiwanis International is the world’s top provider of youth service and leadership programming with more than 300,000 youth taking part in our platforms. Circle K, Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids, Terrific Kids, and BUG are programs packed with children and young adults who are learning to serve, to lead, and to become the best possible versions of themselves through the lens and with the guidance of Kiwanis. Key Club, in fact, has well over 5,000 high school-aged members in New England alone! Families and communities trust Kiwanis to not only improve the lives of children through our projects and fundraising, but also to inform and protect the youth we are teaching to lead and to serve. By using the training materials provided through Kiwanis International and NEBD Kiwanis, your club can help keep our young people safe and teach them habits that will benefit them throughout life. Your club will also be taking steps to protect itself and the organization we all value.
I encourage you to celebrate Kiwanis Youth Protection Week October 7-11th by committing some time to training your club, sharing out YP guidelines, following up on lapsed background checks, and just generally acknowledging the importance of Youth Protection. Kids Need Kiwanis.
For more information, Call the Youth Protection Hotline: 866-607-SAFE
Congratulations to the Mt. Washington Valley Club for the launch of their new Builders Club at Kennett Middle School!
INSTALLATION SEASON!
Congratulations to David Wyskiel, President for the 2024-2025 year of the Meriden, CT club. It’s going to be a magical year!
Westfield MA celebrated incoming President Colleen Powers-Andrews. Also congratulations to Geana Delisle, Lifetime Achievement award winner and Brad Cassin, Kiwanian of the Year!
Barry Chisholm of New Hampshire, Receives Key Club’s highest honor.
Barry recently received the organization’s highest recognition award, the Key of Honor at the Ke Club international convention! Chisholm has served as an advisor for the Kennett High School Key Club in Conway, New Hampshire, U.S., since 2006.
He first served as the club’s faculty advisor when he joined Kennett in 2006 as a special education teacher, after a lengthy career in the United States Air Force. Chisholm retired from Kennett in 2011 and then became an advisor representing the Key Club’s sponsor, the Kiwanis Club of Mount Washington Valley, North Conway, of which he is a member.
A highlight of Chisholm’s Key Club experience is his involvement with Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine, U.S. Camp Sunshine provides respite, support, joy and hope to children with life-threatening diseases and their immediate families. Chisholm has taken Key Club members to camp sessions annually since he became a club advisor in 2006, stopping only during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, he received a “6 Who Care” award from News Center Maine for his work with Camp Sunshine.
Posted: October 7, 2024 by Will Bradford
Yankiwanian – October 1, 2024
Happy New Year!
Feels funny saying that when it has been 80 degrees here in CT for the last couple of weeks, but with the leaves falling and kids back at school it definitely means it is the start of the Kiwanis new year. I am so excited to be the New England and Bermuda District Governor this year and am looking forward to getting out and meeting all of you! I have had the opportunity to already attend a couple of signature club events and officer installations this September and I can’t wait to get out to more this year.
The District is continuing to grow with the charter celebration of the Greater Enfield Kiwanis in August, with eight members from the club also joining us at District Convention! I am excited to announce that this past week the Membership Committee was in Lebanon, NH and White River Junction, VT working on building the Upper Valley Kiwanis Club. We can’t wait to see the impact these new clubs have on their community!
As I have mentioned before over the last year as Governor-Elect, my goal is to make the District leadership more visible and accessible to the clubs and members. To that end, I will be hosting my first Office Hours of my term on Tuesday, October 15 at 7pm EST via Zoom. I encourage anyone who has questions, concerns or just wants to chat to join me!
As you may have read in the Yankiwanian that came out mid-September or heard about it from me, we are moving to a condensed monthly publication of the Yankiwanian. By switching up the format, I hope that the information needed gets out to clubs in a timely manner and it doesn’t take a long time to read. This will be a work in progress so if there is anything you would like to see, please reach out. I greatly appreciate Governor Elect Adam helping me get this new format launched and if there is anyone that is interested in helping, please let me know.
Cheers to this new year and all that it holds!
Yours in Kiwanis,
Governor Kristin
NOTES FROM DISTRICT SECRETARY JUDY
Club Dues Structure Effective 10/1/24: As you may have heard, the Kiwanis International dues increase went into effect for the start of the new 2024-2025 Kiwanis year. In addition to this, the district dues will remain the same for this term. I have included the breakdown of total dues below:
International Dues 77.00
Publication 8.00
Insurance 22.00
District Dues 25.00
Total Dues per member $132.00
Additionally, if your club has voted to increase dues, please remember that the club bylaws must also be changed.
Division Re-alignments: The division re-alignments will not be shown correctly on October 1st until the membership figures for 2023-24 are closed out. This typically occurs by October 20th, which means the new divisions would be updated by the end of that month.
My husband Matt and I travelled 6.5 hours to Maine with the help of Bart and Pat Stevens, Tim McMahon, Governor Eli, and First Lady Jen to help members of the Presque Isle Club and Caribou Club pack 10,000 meals to be distributed throughout Aroostook County. We met some new friends in both clubs and enjoyed many laughs. I learned so much about the potato harvest in the County.
Did you know that Maine processes 2.6 billion pounds of potatoes, 28 million pounds of broccoli, and 575 thousand gallons of Maine Maple Syrup each year?
They have the largest 3-D scale solar system model in the Western Hemisphere. From Presque Isle to Houlton.
The County is the home of the first Transatlantic Hot Air Balloon Flight
Kiwanis Club Carnival returned to the Cheshire Fall Festival!
After a three-year hiatus, the Kiwanis Club Carnival returned to the Cheshire Fall Festival at Bartlem Park.But its arrival was not marked by the usual fanfare of loud noises, flashing lights and large crowds. Instead, the carnival came quietly, greeting guests with muted rides, minimal lighting and plenty of room to roam.
The carnival, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Cheshire, a nonprofit community service organization, kicked off Friday afternoon with a special sensory-friendly event tailored for people with sensory processing issues. During this two-hour window, the carnival’s seven rides and other attractions operated without their typical triumphant tunes and twinkling lights — an effort, organizers said, to create a more inclusive and comfortable park experience.
Nick Robinette, a Hamden resident, said he and his wife “promised” their 8-year-old son, who they asked not be named, that they would take him to the carnival for its return. They decided to visit during the carnival’s sensory-friendly hours, which they knew would be “less overwhelming” than attending at night, he said.
“This is a lot nicer than having everything going at once,” Robinette said. “It’s a lot easier as a parent.”
Robinette said his son “doesn’t really love a big crowd” and sometimes gets overwhelmed in noisy environments. The boy basically had the entire amusement area to himself Friday afternoon, eagerly zipping from ride to ride as his parents watched from the sidelines. His favorite ride was the Orient Express, a kiddie roller coaster.
“I think anybody can get over stimulated, and there are a lot of kids who are going to have very particular needs who probably couldn’t enjoy this if they didn’t have the chance to come early,” Robinette said. “So I think it’s really great.”
Article and photo credit to Austin Mirmina at the Cheshire Herald
Protecting Kids is Mission Critical!
Kiwanis International is the world’s top provider of youth service and leadership programming with more than 300,000 youth taking part in our platforms. Circle K, Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids, Terrific Kids, and BUG are programs packed with children and young adults who are learning to serve, to lead, and to become the best possible versions of themselves through the lens and with the guidance of Kiwanis. Key Club, in fact, has well over 5,000 high school-aged members in New England alone! Families and communities trust Kiwanis to not only improve the lives of children through our projects and fundraising, but also to inform and protect the youth we are teaching to lead and to serve. By using the training materials provided through Kiwanis International and NEBD Kiwanis, your club can help keep our young people safe and teach them habits that will benefit them throughout life. Your club will also be taking steps to protect itself and the organization we all value.
I encourage you to celebrate Kiwanis Youth Protection Week October 7-11th by committing some time to training your club, sharing out YP guidelines, following up on lapsed background checks, and just generally acknowledging the importance of Youth Protection. Kids Need Kiwanis.
For more information, Call the Youth Protection Hotline: 866-607-SAFE
BUILDING SLPS!
Congratulations to the Mt. Washington Valley Club for the launch of their new Builders Club at Kennett Middle School!
INSTALLATION SEASON!
Congratulations to David Wyskiel, President for the 2024-2025 year of the Meriden, CT club. It’s going to be a magical year!
Westfield MA celebrated incoming President Colleen Powers-Andrews. Also congratulations to Geana Delisle, Lifetime Achievement award winner and Brad Cassin, Kiwanian of the Year!
Barry Chisholm of New Hampshire, Receives Key Club’s highest honor.
Barry recently received the organization’s highest recognition award, the Key of Honor at the Ke Club international convention! Chisholm has served as an advisor for the Kennett High School Key Club in Conway, New Hampshire, U.S., since 2006.
He first served as the club’s faculty advisor when he joined Kennett in 2006 as a special education teacher, after a lengthy career in the United States Air Force. Chisholm retired from Kennett in 2011 and then became an advisor representing the Key Club’s sponsor, the Kiwanis Club of Mount Washington Valley, North Conway, of which he is a member.
A highlight of Chisholm’s Key Club experience is his involvement with Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine, U.S. Camp Sunshine provides respite, support, joy and hope to children with life-threatening diseases and their immediate families. Chisholm has taken Key Club members to camp sessions annually since he became a club advisor in 2006, stopping only during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, he received a “6 Who Care” award from News Center Maine for his work with Camp Sunshine.
For the full article, click here.
Category: District News, Governor's Newsletter
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