Namuk Cho’s birthday is next Wednesday. Happy birthday, Namuk. We miss you!

No wedding anniversaries through next Wednesday.

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

The 2022/2023 will meet after the club meeting. On the agenda: club calendar and administrative and service income and expense budgets for 2023/2024.

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

This week's meeting will have several special guests. As Kiwaniscope goes to press, Weston Girl Scouts will be with us for our opening exercises to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Kiwanis New England and Bermuda District Governor-elect-designate Kristin Holden will be assisting in the meeting preparing for the change in the board for the year beginning October 1. Accompanying Kristin will Kiwanis Foundation of New England (KFNE) President Chris Holder

As we gather for our first weekly meeting since June, we will take a moment to reflect on the past year, remembering those no longer with us, recognizing the leaders and members of our committees, and discharging with profound thanks to those completing their board service.

And we will also look forward, installing members taking their seats on the board effective October 1. Also looking forward, members are invited to stay for the following board meeting, where the board will adopt a meeting and event calendar for 2023/2024 and income and expense budgets for our administrative and service funds. All members are welcome to attend any board meetings.

Kiwanis Community Service Safety Brigade – Steve Thomas, Frank Ferrara, and Tom Failla installed safety railings at the Weston Food Pantry on July 1. Last year, the pantry moved to a room under Emmanuel Church on Lyons Plain Road. Donors and patrons asked that the railing leading to the pantry be extended to cover the final step outside and the two steps down into the pantry. The handy crew used repurposed spare materials to do the job according to the building code. The work itself took less than two hours. The planning and measuring took longer over a few coffee conversations in May and June.

For information on the Weston Food Pantry, email: Ann Bigin - akbigin@msn.com.

Photographs by Tom Failla.

A Weston Kiwanian delivered and installed a wheelchair access ramp for a surgery patient returning home after being away from home for six weeks.

Weston Social Services Human Social Services Program Assistant Rashida Miller contacted Past President and Community Service Co-chair Tom Failla Monday morning requesting our 10-foot portable ramp for use by a Weston resident.

By late afternoon, Tom retrieved the ramp from the home where it had last been to assist a person through recovery from surgery. The ramp was in service in time for the homecoming on July 5 of a woman who had been away for six weeks convalescing from a medical procedure. Her 89-year-old husband, whose birthday was July 4, was overjoyed to see the easy installation of the ramp in less than 15 minutes. The pick-up across town to the previous user’s home and then back to the Georgetown section took about 45 minutes.

Photograph by discount ramps.com.

Here’s a shout-out to Weston Kiwanian Ed Hutchins. Hutch provides ongoing support to Open Doors. He collects, launders, and sorts gently used towels and clothing, e.g., T-shirts, shorts, and hoodies, left by participants at the Wilton Y’s summer camp and swim meets. He delivers the towels and clothing to the Open Doors Community Closet (pictured nearby).

Open Doors is a housing and homeless service organization in Norwalk that provides resources for individuals and families on the path to housing stability.

Barbara Gross, Bob Uzenoff, and Steve Thomas, with others from the Aspetuck Medical Reserve Corps and Weston EMS, supported active threat training for Westport police, EMS, and fire responders at Greens Farm Academy by role-playing as patients or victims.

You can see Barbara and Bob in the photograph on the stairs (note the neutralized shooter face down further up the steps) while you can see Steve in the middle of those standing in the gymnasium shot. We're wearing simulated wounds and acting with prescribed behaviors as instructed for these drills. Virtually all of the Westport forces were trained over three days, their first training since before COVID-19. This will help protect 6,054 children in Westport schools. This is similar to the multi-town training Weston hosted this Spring.

If your curious and not squeamish, check out other pictures from the active threat album.

Secretary Bob Uzenoff represented Weston and the district annual convention this year in Leominster, Massachusetts the weekend of August 18-20. 61 clubs of 131 in the district were represented.

The memorial breakfast on Saturday morning, where Bill Barron and Jackie Troxell were honored, a number of educational seminars, and the business meeting, called the House of Delegates, where 111 delegates from 61 clubs elected Eli Rivera of the Keene, New Hampshire club the district's governor for 2023/2024 and Kristin Holden (Middletown, Connecticut) governor-elect.

Weston Kiwanis was recognized at the board retirement dinner Friday evening. Governor John Falconer awarded Weston the Governor's Exemplary Club Secretary Award "for consistent completion of monthly club reports." In a picture nearby at the memorial breakfast, Bob is shown accepting the award on behalf of Assistant Secretary Dan Gilbert. Dan completes Weston's monthly reports and could not be present at the district convention. Governor-elect-designate Kristin will present the award to Dan at this Saturday's meeting.

In addition to educational forums and panels, the multi-track program offered a meal-packing service project on Saturday morning. A hands-on service project to help reduce food insecurity in our communities through packaging meals. Participants could bring meals back to their communities if they chose. This project was funded by the Kiwanis Foundation of New England.

President-designate Amy Jenner hosted our annual end-of-summer picnic at her lovely home on Saturday, August 26. 46 Kiwanians and guests attended, including a most welcome but unexpected appearance by Past President Steve Thomas, who had recent surgery! It was the best time ever. Thank you, Amy!

Follow the link below to see the album of pictures contributed by Jim McMorris and Bob Uzenoff.

Weston Kiwanians answered the call to support the grand opening of The Daniel E. Offutt III Education Center at the Lachat Town Farm at the Juliana Lachat Preserve this past weekend.

Kiwanians.

Vicki Thomas reports that the event was extremely well organized. Members cooked for three seatings at 9,10, and 11 a.m. 350 Westonites attended and enjoyed 1,300 pancakes.

Great opening event with blacksmith demonstrations, tours of the garden, tours of the new building, music, pony rides, The Adventures of Beatrice: The Happy Bee - Book Readings,

hayrides, and StoryWalk created by the Weston Education Foundation.

The above photographs were contributed by Dan Lerner, Vicki Thomas, Anita Dinwoodie, and Harry Falber.

The Reservoir Run Flyer Distribution Team was on the road again on Labor Day. Alex Burns, Bill Flanagan, Dan Gilbert, Woody Bliss, and Tom Johnson distributed flyers at the at the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race half marathon on Labor Day. The race typically attracts over 4,000 runners. The Kiwanis team left the Norfield Church parking lot at 8 a.m. 

To date flyers have been distributed at the Mark Twain Half Marathon (Redding), Weston’s Memorial Day Weekend 5K, the Fairfield Road Races (Half Marathon/5K), and the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race. 

The Garavel SoNo Half Marathon/5K (October 1) and the Pamby Ridgefield Half Marathon (October 22) are on tap. 

Paul Schultz reports that to date, we have 133 registrants. That’s a great number at this point in time. Also, registrants have donated $618 in addition to their registration fees. We’ve added 3 new sponsors. The sponsors responded to our flyers.

Photographs and story contributed by Dan Gilbert.

Breakfast Meeting

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

Foundation trustees and officers meeting

Norfield Congregational Church parish hall 10 a.m.

Get involved at westonkiwanis.org. #KidsNeedKiwanis

News and other content contributions from individual members, committees, the club board, and the foundation are requested. Please identify as such and email to kiwaniscope@westonkiwanis.org before noon every Wednesday.

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