Greetings, fellow Pennsylvania Kiwanians!
Following a holiday hiatus, I was back “on the road” the second week of January. On January 10 and 11, I attended the Americas Governors Conference at Kiwanis International’s headquarters in Indianapolis. 23 Governors from North America, Central and South Americas were in attendance. Snow was still on the ground from a storm that hit that region the weekend before. This was a rare “treat” for the Caribbean and Panama governors! On Friday evening there was a reception and dinner at KI’s headquarters. It was a time for all of us to socialize and renew friendships with fellow governors and KI staff. At the opening session that evening, we were welcomed by KI President Lee Kuan Yong. We shared our successes and challenges for the first 90 days of our term in office. Several Districts were recognized for building new clubs in the first quarter of the Kiwanis year. There was an update on the Kiwanis Children’s Fund’s “Possibility Project.” And, an announcement on the next session of Kiwanis Amplify. Over 1,500 people are graduates of Kiwanis Amplify. Registration for this year’s program is open until the end of March. Cost is $50. And participants can complete course modules any time between April 7-September 30.
The agenda for Saturday was intense. We went over KI’s “Build,Nuture,Retain” initiative, noting milestones and initiatives. We were provided with a “Membership Rubrick” to benchmark District goals. We were cautioned to resist distractions from our primary mission as governors. We were encouraged to schedule all new club opening dates for the remaining nine months of our terms. There was a very thorough presentation on all facets of new club building. We were provided with tips on having meaningful Midyear Conferences. These events should celebrate achievements, promote attendance at the KI convention, and to reinforce the benefits of membership. Books like “Bowling Alone” and “The Upswing” cite the mental health benefits of joining a service club.
After lunch there was an update on the KI Convention in Pittsburgh, June 25-28. I was able to help promote it, mentioning the possibility of a baseball outing on Friday, June 27at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. There was noticable excitement in the room for attending the convention. KI Executive Director Paul Palazzolo provided a Kiwanis operations update. This was followed by a session on best practices to retain members. We enjoyed each other’s company at dinner before heading back home on Sunday.
Some takeaways from the conference:
• Historically, 18% of new Kiwanis clubs open in the 1st quarter, 19% in the 2nd quarter, 21% in 3rd quarter, and 42% in the 4th quarter.
• Internationally, 49 new Kiwanis clubs were opened in the 1st quarter, an increase over last year. KI’s goal for this year is to open 492 new clubs.
• 3 new clubs were opened in South America, 3 in the Kentucky-Tennessee and Florida Districts, and 2 each in the New Jersey, New York, Indiana, Kansas, Rocky Mountain, and Eastern Canada and the Caribbean Districts.
• New Kiwanis clubs need to get past 3 years to be sustainable. The active involvement of new club coaches is critical to their success.
• May is Kiwanis Membership Month.
• Each November, around Thanksgiving, KI staff will be calling every club President and Secretary to see how things are going, and to offer their assistance.
Then, on January 16 I traveled to Hanover, Pa. to present their Kiwanis Club with an award for adding the highest number of new members in the first quarter of 2024-25 under my “A Rise in Membership Contest.” That club added 6 new members from October 1 to December 31, 2024. I was welcomed by club President Brandon Wingert, and warmly received by their members. I was treated to a nice dinner at the Perkins Restaurant, and enjoyed hearing about all the wonderful community service projects and fundraisers that club is involved in. A major one is the funding of a new picnic pavilion, to be constructed at the West Hanover Playground this spring. Their club has grown to 37 members, and is determined to keep building it over the months ahead. I presented President Wingert with a “Certificate of Achievement,” a $100 Sheetz gift card, and a $100 donation to their service account. I was especially pleased to present one of my Governor coffee mugs to the longest-serving member of their club, Joe Bunty, who joined in 1977.
The following week, on January 22, I was honored to attend the Kiwanis Club of Greater West Shore’s 75th Anniversary dinner at Marzoni’s Brick Oven and Brewing Company in Mechanicsburg. President Rich Musselman welcomed 57 guests to the anniversary celebration. We enjoyed a buffet of chicken parmesan, salmon, salad and breadsticks, as well as a slice of anniversary cake. There were numerous special guests, including past Pennsylvania District Kiwanis Executive Kevin Thomas, a 39 year member of the Greater West Shore club, and current District Treasurer Ben Osterhout. I spoke for about 10 minutes, congratulating the club on its milestone anniversary. I was very impressed with the number of local Key Club members that were in attendance, as well as the faculty advisor for the Mountain View Middle School Builders Club, which was just chartered last month. I was overwhelmed with appreciation as the club presented me with donations of $750 for both the Pennsylvania Kiwanis Foundation and my Governor’s Project, “Bucks for Babies.” I was also quite touched when Stephen Fish, their Key Club Coordinator presented me with a book he wrote and published, “A Call to Freedom. Sustaining America’s Unique Culture.” Steve is a retired social studies teacher at Cumberland Valley High School, which hosts a Key Club with over 500 members. Outstanding!
I encourage all of you to register for our District Midyear Conference, to be held on Saturday, February 22 at the Holiday Inn in Grantville, Pa. We are up to 37 registrations, with a goal of 80. It will be a fabulous event! There will be a great Keynote Speaker, Heather Kay, who will launch the “Ready, Aim, Impact” theme of the conference. That will be followed by speakers on membership growth, public relations, how to increase your Kiwanis club’s impact in your community, an update on our District Service Leadership Programs, awards and recognitions, a rally for the candidacy of our own Cathy Szymanski for Kiwanis International Vice-President at the Pittsburgh convention, and much more. Please register ASAP. Cost is just $60 until February 14. And recognize your club, an important member, an event, or milestone by purchasing a “Shout Out” for just $10. I hope to see you there!
And be sure to register for the KI Convention, June 25-28 in Pittsburgh. It will be an amazing experience. We need at least 2 delegates from each club to support Cathy Szymanski in her quest to be elected Kiwanis Vice-President. And, come join us on Friday, June 17 for our District Outing at PNC Park when the Pirates take on the NY Mets for a 6:40 PM game. Tickets can be purchase on our District website for $55 each which includes a seat in an “All You Can Eat” section which includes all you can eat hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, peanuts, soft drinks and ice cream sandwiches. YUM! And a fabulous drone light show after the game.
What an exciting year for our District! We are moving ahead with plans to organize a new Kiwanis Club in Penns Valley next month. And after that, one in Latrobe and Northampton, Pa. We need to grow existing Kiwanis Clubs and build new ones in order to fulfill out important mission of serving the children of the world.
Let’s “Rise and Shine for the Kids!
Best wishes,
Governor Tom
Pennsylvania District Governor
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Last Updated: January 26, 2025 by pennsylvaniakiwanis
A New Dawn
Greetings, fellow Pennsylvania Kiwanians!
Following a holiday hiatus, I was back “on the road” the second week of January. On January 10 and 11, I attended the Americas Governors Conference at Kiwanis International’s headquarters in Indianapolis. 23 Governors from North America, Central and South Americas were in attendance. Snow was still on the ground from a storm that hit that region the weekend before. This was a rare “treat” for the Caribbean and Panama governors! On Friday evening there was a reception and dinner at KI’s headquarters. It was a time for all of us to socialize and renew friendships with fellow governors and KI staff. At the opening session that evening, we were welcomed by KI President Lee Kuan Yong. We shared our successes and challenges for the first 90 days of our term in office. Several Districts were recognized for building new clubs in the first quarter of the Kiwanis year. There was an update on the Kiwanis Children’s Fund’s “Possibility Project.” And, an announcement on the next session of Kiwanis Amplify. Over 1,500 people are graduates of Kiwanis Amplify. Registration for this year’s program is open until the end of March. Cost is $50. And participants can complete course modules any time between April 7-September 30.
The agenda for Saturday was intense. We went over KI’s “Build,Nuture,Retain” initiative, noting milestones and initiatives. We were provided with a “Membership Rubrick” to benchmark District goals. We were cautioned to resist distractions from our primary mission as governors. We were encouraged to schedule all new club opening dates for the remaining nine months of our terms. There was a very thorough presentation on all facets of new club building. We were provided with tips on having meaningful Midyear Conferences. These events should celebrate achievements, promote attendance at the KI convention, and to reinforce the benefits of membership. Books like “Bowling Alone” and “The Upswing” cite the mental health benefits of joining a service club.
After lunch there was an update on the KI Convention in Pittsburgh, June 25-28. I was able to help promote it, mentioning the possibility of a baseball outing on Friday, June 27at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. There was noticable excitement in the room for attending the convention. KI Executive Director Paul Palazzolo provided a Kiwanis operations update. This was followed by a session on best practices to retain members. We enjoyed each other’s company at dinner before heading back home on Sunday.
Some takeaways from the conference:
• Historically, 18% of new Kiwanis clubs open in the 1st quarter, 19% in the 2nd quarter, 21% in 3rd quarter, and 42% in the 4th quarter.
• Internationally, 49 new Kiwanis clubs were opened in the 1st quarter, an increase over last year. KI’s goal for this year is to open 492 new clubs.
• 3 new clubs were opened in South America, 3 in the Kentucky-Tennessee and Florida Districts, and 2 each in the New Jersey, New York, Indiana, Kansas, Rocky Mountain, and Eastern Canada and the Caribbean Districts.
• New Kiwanis clubs need to get past 3 years to be sustainable. The active involvement of new club coaches is critical to their success.
• May is Kiwanis Membership Month.
• Each November, around Thanksgiving, KI staff will be calling every club President and Secretary to see how things are going, and to offer their assistance.
Then, on January 16 I traveled to Hanover, Pa. to present their Kiwanis Club with an award for adding the highest number of new members in the first quarter of 2024-25 under my “A Rise in Membership Contest.” That club added 6 new members from October 1 to December 31, 2024. I was welcomed by club President Brandon Wingert, and warmly received by their members. I was treated to a nice dinner at the Perkins Restaurant, and enjoyed hearing about all the wonderful community service projects and fundraisers that club is involved in. A major one is the funding of a new picnic pavilion, to be constructed at the West Hanover Playground this spring. Their club has grown to 37 members, and is determined to keep building it over the months ahead. I presented President Wingert with a “Certificate of Achievement,” a $100 Sheetz gift card, and a $100 donation to their service account. I was especially pleased to present one of my Governor coffee mugs to the longest-serving member of their club, Joe Bunty, who joined in 1977.
The following week, on January 22, I was honored to attend the Kiwanis Club of Greater West Shore’s 75th Anniversary dinner at Marzoni’s Brick Oven and Brewing Company in Mechanicsburg. President Rich Musselman welcomed 57 guests to the anniversary celebration. We enjoyed a buffet of chicken parmesan, salmon, salad and breadsticks, as well as a slice of anniversary cake. There were numerous special guests, including past Pennsylvania District Kiwanis Executive Kevin Thomas, a 39 year member of the Greater West Shore club, and current District Treasurer Ben Osterhout. I spoke for about 10 minutes, congratulating the club on its milestone anniversary. I was very impressed with the number of local Key Club members that were in attendance, as well as the faculty advisor for the Mountain View Middle School Builders Club, which was just chartered last month. I was overwhelmed with appreciation as the club presented me with donations of $750 for both the Pennsylvania Kiwanis Foundation and my Governor’s Project, “Bucks for Babies.” I was also quite touched when Stephen Fish, their Key Club Coordinator presented me with a book he wrote and published, “A Call to Freedom. Sustaining America’s Unique Culture.” Steve is a retired social studies teacher at Cumberland Valley High School, which hosts a Key Club with over 500 members. Outstanding!
I encourage all of you to register for our District Midyear Conference, to be held on Saturday, February 22 at the Holiday Inn in Grantville, Pa. We are up to 37 registrations, with a goal of 80. It will be a fabulous event! There will be a great Keynote Speaker, Heather Kay, who will launch the “Ready, Aim, Impact” theme of the conference. That will be followed by speakers on membership growth, public relations, how to increase your Kiwanis club’s impact in your community, an update on our District Service Leadership Programs, awards and recognitions, a rally for the candidacy of our own Cathy Szymanski for Kiwanis International Vice-President at the Pittsburgh convention, and much more. Please register ASAP. Cost is just $60 until February 14. And recognize your club, an important member, an event, or milestone by purchasing a “Shout Out” for just $10. I hope to see you there!
And be sure to register for the KI Convention, June 25-28 in Pittsburgh. It will be an amazing experience. We need at least 2 delegates from each club to support Cathy Szymanski in her quest to be elected Kiwanis Vice-President. And, come join us on Friday, June 17 for our District Outing at PNC Park when the Pirates take on the NY Mets for a 6:40 PM game. Tickets can be purchase on our District website for $55 each which includes a seat in an “All You Can Eat” section which includes all you can eat hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, peanuts, soft drinks and ice cream sandwiches. YUM! And a fabulous drone light show after the game.
What an exciting year for our District! We are moving ahead with plans to organize a new Kiwanis Club in Penns Valley next month. And after that, one in Latrobe and Northampton, Pa. We need to grow existing Kiwanis Clubs and build new ones in order to fulfill out important mission of serving the children of the world.
Let’s “Rise and Shine for the Kids!
Best wishes,
Governor Tom
Pennsylvania District Governor
Category: Governor Blog
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