Kiwaniscope is published weekly for the members of The Kiwanis Club of Weston, serving the children of Weston, Fairfield County, and the world since 1974.

Good morning ! This week in Kiwaniscope - at this Saturday's breakfast Awards Committee chair Dawn Egan presents two Weston High School Service and Leadership Award winners, a photo recap of last week's discharge and installation meeting courtesy of Jim McMorris, board meeting highlight, recent fundraising and donations report, an how one Weston Kiwanian is executing on the Kiwanis mission of improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Editor.

MEMBERS’ MILESTONES THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

Past Lieutenant Governor Reg Bowden's birthday is today. Steve Thomas's is Saturday, Bill McKinney's, Chef Bill's is Monday as is Tom Johnson's. Happy birthday, All! Whew! Somebody's parents must have been busy on Christmas!

Steve Thomas (Vicki) and Curt Gunn (Lori) share September 19, Wednesday this year, as their wedding anniversary.

This Saturday, September 16, 2023

Breakfast meeting. Program: Weston Kiwanis Service and Leadership Award Presentation

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

Foundation Trustees and Officers Meeting

(Tentative) The foundation board of trustees and the foundation officers may meet after the club meeting in. Trustees and foundation officers - keep an eye out for an email from Foundation President Keith Johnson.

Norfield Congregational Church, Norfield Room - 10 a.m. or sooner, right after the club meeting.

THIS WEEK'S CLUB MEETING

We will honor two Weston High School youths at this Saturday's meeting. They are the recipients of the 2023 Kiwanis Club of Weston Service and Leadership Award. The awardees were informed before the end of the school year in June and will be with the club this Saturday with their families to receive their rewards in front of the membership.

Past President Dawn Egan, chair of the Awards Committee, will make the presentation. The Weston Kiwanis Service and Leadership Award (certificate and name on the trophy on permanent display in Weston High School) is given to two students per year, typically one boy and one girl.

​The qualifications of the Weston Kiwanis Service and Leadership Award award are a youth who has recently made a significant contribution to our community and to its sense of civility; someone who has demonstrated exemplary behavior, attitude and values consistent with those consistent with Kiwanis International and a young person whose overall character and involvement suggest leadership potential. The awardees are chosen by the Awards Committee.

LAST WEEK

DISCHARGE AND INSTALLATION MEETING

The Kiwanis Club of Weston's begins our 50th year of service to the children of Weston, the region, and the world officially on October 1 Our meeting last Saturday heralded that anniversary as we resumed weekly Saturday breakfast meetings after our annual July and August hiatus with the official discharge with the club's thanks of elected leaders completing their elected term or service and not returning to the board. and the installation of elected leaders beginning new terms of service.

Weston Girl Scout Troop 50275 opened the meeting with a flag ceremony.

Scout co-leader Linda Geisler with color guards Catherine Geisler and Adriana Ilicheva, preparing to carry the flags of the United States and The Town of Weston into the meeting.

Girl Scout in Charge Alice Wang signals the color guard to advance with the colors and leads the meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The color guard post the colors on the meeting platform.

Our own Jennifer Barron, a professional soprano, led us in a patriotic song, "America", and Norfield Congregational Church Seminarian Greta Dorsey offered grateful and aspirational invocation to finish opening the meeting.

Special guests Kiwanis New England and Bermuda District Governor-elect-designate Kristin Holden and Kiwanis Foundation of New England (KFNE) President Chris Holden (yes, they are married) attended the meeting. Kristin carried with her from the district convention in August the Governor's Exemplary Club Secretary Award honoring Assistant Secretary Dan Gilbert "for consistent completion of monthly club reports. (Dan could not be present to receive the award in person.)

Governor-elect Kristin officially discharged the following

Members completing their elected terms and not continuing on the board: directors Past Lieutenant Governor Tom Glass and Allison Lisbon, and Immediate Past President Denise Murillo.

Officers completing their terms and returning to the board in a new role: President-elect Amy Jenner and President Dallas Kersey.

Past President Rick Amill presents the club with its gong (bell) newly updated adding Dallas Kersey to the list of Past President.

Incoming President Amy Jenner presents soon-to-be Immediate Past President Dallas with a case of his favorite wine as a token of the club's appreciation for his service and leadership.

Members of the club autographed every bottle in the case of wine at the family picnic, and almost every bottle was unopened, save the one Jess DiPasquale opened. Oops.

Governor-elect Kristin completed with installation of directors and officers to new terms

Past President Steve Thomas joined the board as a director and

Tom Watson in a new role as president-elect

Past President Dan Lerner returning as treasurer,

Past President Bob Uzenoff returning as secretary,

Dallas Kersey as Immediate Past President, and

Amy Jenner as President.

Past President Harry Spencer invests incoming President Amy with the Kiwanis Club of Weston presidential regalia - crown, robe, and shillelagh.

Soon-to-be Immediate Past President Dallas, incoming President Amy, and Past President Harry.

All discharge and installation photos by Jim McMorris.

Board Meeting Highlights

The board approved a planning calendar for the 2023/2024 year, available anytime as it may be amended during the year at the full calendar link lower in this newsletter.

Beginning in October, the month’s first meeting will be a breakfast and business meeting open to all members and serving as the monthly board meeting. Two of the meetings per month will feature programs, and the remaining meeting(s) will devoted to service.

President-elect Amy nominated Harvey Luft to be a director, serving the remainder of her two-year term, which she vacated when she was elected president-elect. An election with other nominations permitted before is scheduled for October 7.

Financial Viability Report Items

Assistant secretary Dan Gilbert reports the following Kiwanis financial viability items in his most recently filed monthly report (June) as Kiwaniscope goes to press:

• Money raised: funds raised for service $2,015
• Money donated:
• Scholarships $3,000
• Weston Public Schools $3,400 book vending machine
• Norfield Congregational Church $4,000 outreach for the benefit of children

Next Saturday, September 23, 2023

Breakfast Meeting

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

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Breakfast Meeting

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

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Breakfast and Business Meeting with election of a director.

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

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Breakfast Meeting

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

Foundation Trustees and Officers Meeting

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Breakfast Meeting

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

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Breakfast Meeting. Reservoir Run preparation (no speaker today).

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

IMPROVING THE WORLD ONE CHILD AND ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME

THE KIWANIS MISSION

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Kiwanis clubs and individual Kiwanians complete the mission in a variety of ways, and as they are able. Kiwaniscope in this space will celebrate the many ways the Kiwanis Club of Weston and its members are living the Kiwanis mission.

In the next several issues, Kiwaniscope celebrates the service of Past President Rick Amill's reading this year to teacher Katie DeFranco’s first-grade students at Thomas Hooker Elementary School K-8 school in Bridgeport.

Nearby, you see a thank you note to Rick from a grateful first grader at the end of this year's classes.

Rick has read at Thomas Hooker at least two times per month for more than seven years

In the past, Rick has read at various grade levels at two other elementary schools in Bridgeport, plus at the district-wide Read Aloud Day.

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