Good morning ! This week in Kiwaniscope - no meeting this Saturday, recap of last Saturday's meeting, how Kiwanians are supporting the Weston Warm-Up Fund annual community bonfire fundraiser, a peak at Kiwanis in Turks and Caicos Islands, and Kiwanis global impact n 2023.

– Editor

MEMBERS’ MILESTONES

This past Tuesday was the 27th anniversary of the Kiwanis Club of Weston sponsoring the Weston High School Key Club, which Kiwanis International chartered on December 19, 1996.

This Saturday, December 23, 2023

NO MEETING

Our next meeting is the annual club meeting for elections on Saturday, January 6, 2024.

LAST WEEK

HOLIDAY BREAKFAST

Social Events Committee co-chairs Jacqui Morrison and Karen Chrisley pulled a rabbit out of a hat to put together a holiday breakfast to remember last week. With just a week's notice, Jacqui and Karen planned and executed a wonderful breakfast. Many elves willingly pitched in, too many to acknowledge here for fear of leaving someone out - but please know your contributions are appreciated.

We missed President Amy, positive for COVID-19, but, not missing a beat, President-elect Tom Watson presided at the meeting. We welcomed Norfield's new Interim Associate Minister for Children, Youth, and Families, Reverend Jack Mahoney, who joined us and offered an opening prayer.

Community Service Committee co-leaders Allison Lisbon and Tom Failla presented a donation that allowed Weston Social Services to provide holiday wreaths to 20 financially strapped households.

Kiwanis, Town of Weston Social Services, and Scout Troop 788 combined to make the holidays special with festive handmade fresh evergreen and bow-decorated wreaths.

Wreath sales are the major Scout fundraiser, and Kiwanis is providing funds for 20 wreaths for the holiday giveaway. The troop fundraising coordinator, Sarah Travers, accompanied Scout Senior Patrol Leader Joe Travers at our holiday breakfast. Joe is pictured nearby receiving our $750 donation from Allison Lisbon with Tom Failla.

Members had enhanced beverage options, including prosecco and bloody marys. Chef Bill served his signature eggs Benedict, bagels, salmon, whitefish, fruit, yogurt, and other items I'm sure but need help remembering.

President-elect and meeting presider officer Tom Watson gives a thumbs up as breakfast guests applaud Chef Bill and Alan for their special holiday breakfast enjoyed by all.

Social events co-chairs Karen Chrisley and Jacqui Morrison planned the event and festively decorated Norfield Church parish hall.

The Weston High School Westones, a cappella group, performed during breakfast to facilitate a previously planned early departure. We learned of a music department trip to Nashville this spring. The board will take up making a donation toward their trip in January.

To top it off, Norfield's gifted artist-in-residence Dr. David Connell performed and led us in many holiday favorites, his gift to the club.

The Westones, Weston High School's a cappella choral group, wowed us with a selection of new and familiar holiday tunes.

David H. Connell, D.M.A., Norfield's Director of Music, Artist-in-Residence, and Ministry Associate for Faith Formation, graciously and generously filled our morning with professionally performed holiday music. Some Kiwanians joined in singing carols, but we missed the leadership of our strong soprano Jennifer Barron, who was out of town with her family.

We hadn't been expecting any children at the breakfast, but to our delight, Tom Glass brought his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. Somehow, Santa and an elf that looked surprisingly like a certain retired New York City police sergeant special assignment got wind of this and made an unexpected appearance, prepared with toys. Unfortunately, Bill Brady had left by then and missed the whole thing. This is not the first time this has happened!

NEWS

WESTON KIWANIS TO SUPPORT WWF COMMUNITY BONFIRE

Weston Kiwanis has answered a request for support from the Weston Warm-Up Fund (WWF) , whose mission is to assist low-income Weston residents in paying for the oil, gas, or electricity needed to heat their homes.

Emmanuel Church organizes and hosts an annual community bonfire event, a supervised burn of Christmas trees donated to the event with a suggested contribution for the

Tom Failla, co-leader of the Community Service Committee. is Kiwanis's contact when Emmanuel Church, sponsor of the annual community bonfire event, is short-handed for truck or trailer drivers and helpers. Tom will contact Community Service Committee members to staff a pickup schedule as needed.

Pick-up lists are expected to be ready by Wednesday, January 3, for pick-up that day, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. The bonfire is at five o'clock on Saturday, January 6.

You can contribute to the Weston Warm-Up Fund and donate your tree or even have it picked up. Click or touch the flyer or the nearby button for more information and to arrange for donation and/or pickup.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND

Saturday, December 30, 2023

NO MEETING

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, January 6, 2024

Breakfast and Annual Club Meeting for Elections (NO SPEAKER)

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 8:30 a.m.

Foundation Annual Meeting

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 9:30 a.m. (immediately following the annual club meeting for elections.

Club Board Meeting

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 10 a.m.

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Breakfast meeting.

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 8:30 a.m.

Foundation trustees and officers monthly meeting

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 10 a.m.

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Breakfast meeting. NO SPEAKER - food drive today.

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 8:30 a.m.

Food Drive

Weston Shopping Center 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Breakfast meeting.

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 8:30 a.m.

NEW ENGLAND AND BERMUDA DISTRICT

NEW ENGLAND AND BERMUDA DISTRICT EVENTS

Midwinter Conference, March 8-10, 2024, Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Kiwanis Cruise Boston, Bermuda, Bar Harbor, Boston sailing May 17-24, 2024, on the Norwegian Gem

District Convention, August 15-18, 2024, Springfield, Massachusetts

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

By Tom Johnson

A Kiwanis club in Turks and Caicos partners with Graceway Communities supermarkets to support Kiwanis activities. Graceway Communities launched the Staying Blue token scheme in early 2019 to reduce single-use bags in stores and do good in the local community. 

Every few months, donations up to $10,000 are distributed between three community causes: school equipment upgrades, environmental actions, social outreach initiatives, senior citizen care, or health charity activities. 

In stores, our customers are given a Staying Blue token at the checkout for every bag they reuse for shopping. They can place their token(s) in one of three local causes which are allocated their own token boxes. Graceway Communities donates 10¢ for each token for the first 100,000 tokens, so the more tokens a cause receives the larger the donation.

KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL

2024 CONVENTION

Denver, Colorado

July 3-6, 2024

Kiwaniscope is published weekly for the members and friends of the Kiwanis Club of Weston on Thursday mornings September through June by the Kiwanis Club of Weston, Connecticut, Inc.