July 8, 2024 – I hope you had a fantastic July 4th celebration—I certainly did at the Kiwanis International Convention in Denver from July 3-6! These past weeks have been packed with excitement, and now we’re gearing up for our District Convention in Reading, PA. Let me catch you up on all the details and provide a few reminders.
Kiwanis International Convention
I attended my first International Convention from July 3-6, 2024, and it was everything I hoped for and more. I met many new Kiwanians from around the world, made new friends, and reconnected with district governors I first met two years ago during our in-person Governors-Elect training. I also attended numerous educational presentations and had the chance to network with many Kiwanis friends. We had 34 Pennsylvania Kiwanians in attendance. It was an unforgettable experience!
There were 1,460 delegates registered with 1,297 voting delegates in the business session. Several highlights from the business session include:
First and foremost was Amendment 1 to increase the Kiwanis International Dues to US$77 ($25.00 increase). The outcome of that vote was 86.95% of the delegates in attendance voting in favor of the $25.00 annual dues increase. This increase will take effect on October 1, 2024.
Amendment 2 reduced the tiered dues from 3 tiers to 2 tiers. The former Tiers A and B will now be known as Tier 1 & 2. Tier 1 will be $77.00 annually as noted above will impact countries with per capita income of US $10,000 or more (North American Clubs) and Tier 2 dues will be $34.00 annually impacting clubs in countries with per capita income of less than US $10,000. 77% of the voting delegates approved this amendment and this change will also take place on October 1, 2024.
Amendment 3 reduces the number of International Trustees from 15 to 12 International Trustees over a period of 3 years. Voting in favor of this amendment was 89.92% of the voting delegates.
Amendment 4 allows for a member from outside a district’s region to serve as district trustee if no one from within the region is willing or able to serve passed with 91.63% of the delegates voting in favor of this amendment. This applies to District Trustees only, not International Trustees. For example, if Region 7 could not find a trustee at the time of election, a qualified Kiwanian from Region 6 could be elected or appointed to become Trustee for Region 7.
Amendment 8 which would have allowed remote voting at the International Business Session was defeated with only 60.55% voting in favor, however, to pass this amendment 2/3 of the voting delegates would have had to vote in favor of this amendment which meant that 67.67% of the delegates would have had to vote in favor of this amendment.
Three new Kiwanis International Trustees were elected: Dawn Puderbaugh Hodges of the Carolinas District; Jo Schwartz of the Kansas District; and Scott Sims of the Alabama District. Hope Markes was elected as International Vice President, Michael Mulhaul from the New Jersey District was elected by unanimous consent as International President-Elect and Lee Kuan Yong from the Malaysia District was elected by unanimous consent as International President. All their terms begin October 1, 2024.
I enjoyed the convention and am looking forward to next year’s convention in our very own district in Pittsburgh, PA. Please plan to attend that convention next year June 25-28, 2025 as we “Forge the Future”! This will be the closest International convention for many of us so I hope many PA Kiwanians take advantage of this opportunity for fellowship, fun and education in our home District.
Club Openings
I am delighted to announce that our first new club has recently been formed in Ebensburg. The members have named it the Kiwanis Club of Northern Cambria County. An in-person organizational meeting was held on June 20th, where the following officers were elected: President Sheila Fultz, President-Elect Jon St. Pierre, Secretary Diane Hoffman, and Treasurer Iris Cree. The club directors are yet to be elected.
A few weeks ago, International President Katrina Baranko visited our district to support our club opening team, which includes Cathy and David Szymanski, Governor-Elect Tom Harp, Immediate Past Governor Mike Coolbaugh, Jo Ann Coolbaugh, Club Opening Specialist and Region 3 Trustee Miranda Burton, and myself. We reached out to businesses and individuals in the Ebensburg area to introduce Kiwanis and invite them to join the new club.
Many thanks to each member of the club opening team and the new club members. More information about this club will be shared soon and if you want to learn how you can apply new club opening techniques to boosting your own club, please email [email protected].
Bloomsburg Kiwanis Open House
District Membership Chair Matt Wise attended an Open House at the Kiwanis Club of Bloomsburg on June 25th. Matt was the speaker for the club’s meeting that evening. In attendance were 8 potential new members, 6 of those potential new members completed applications that evening with several others seriously considering joining the club. Thanks to President Erin Sitler and the Bloomsburg Kiwanis Club, the district gained 6 new members in one evening. Keep up the great work Bloomsburg Kiwanians.
Club Elections and Club Officer Education
At the current time there are now 54 clubs in the district that have submitted election results for the 2024 – 2025 administrative year. If your club has not yet held elections or submitted election results on the Secretary Dashboard, please do so as soon as possible. Please keep in mind New Officer Club Education training.
Pennsylvania Kiwanis Foundation
Looking to give back to Kiwanis even more? Pennsylvania Kiwanis Foundation has a great opportunity for you to join the Foundation board as a Board of Director to impact and support fundraising, scholarship and grant programs. Join us to further support the children of the world. Learn more at https://pkfonline.org.
Monthly District Leadership Education
For July our monthly leadership education has been changed from Mon July 8th to Mon July 15th. Our monthly leadership education sessions have a fantastic lineup of presenters including:
Monday, July 15th @ 7 pm EST: Emily Saalfrank, North America 1 Area Director
Monday, August 8th @ 7 pm EST: Domonick Breton, District Membership Coordinator from the Rocky Mountain District, discussing his club-building approach.
Monday, September 9th @ 7 pm EST: Sarah Zulueta, PA Past Governor and District Webmaster, discussing technical resources to support service projects and club administration.
Mark these dates on your calendar to attend these insightful sessions. These educational sessions are open to all PA Kiwanians, not just club leaders.. Don’t miss out on these valuable free opportunities to learn.
PA District Convention:
We are looking forward now to our 2024 District Convention in Reading, PA Aug 15-18, 2024! Please register for the combined PA / NJ District Convention at www.2024KiwanisDCON.com All convention registration information, forms and hotel information is located at this new convention registration site.
I hope to see many of you in Reading in August. The Convention committee has been diligently working to provide a great convention featuring many Kiwanis International leaders; International Immediate Past President Bert West, International Executive Director Paul Palazzolo, International Vice–President Michael Mulhaul. This will be a great opportunity to join in the fun, fellowship and hear from a fantastic lineup of speakers in our Educational forums.
Keep in mind the current deadlines for ads, sponsorships, hotel and convention registration.
Thank you for all you do as Kiwanians for the kids. We can do much more by “Growing Membership for the Kids!”
Governor’s Blog: July Fireworks
July 8, 2024 – I hope you had a fantastic July 4th celebration—I certainly did at the Kiwanis International Convention in Denver from July 3-6! These past weeks have been packed with excitement, and now we’re gearing up for our District Convention in Reading, PA. Let me catch you up on all the details and provide a few reminders.
Kiwanis International Convention
I attended my first International Convention from July 3-6, 2024, and it was everything I hoped for and more. I met many new Kiwanians from around the world, made new friends, and reconnected with district governors I first met two years ago during our in-person Governors-Elect training. I also attended numerous educational presentations and had the chance to network with many Kiwanis friends. We had 34 Pennsylvania Kiwanians in attendance. It was an unforgettable experience!
There were 1,460 delegates registered with 1,297 voting delegates in the business session. Several highlights from the business session include:
Three new Kiwanis International Trustees were elected: Dawn Puderbaugh Hodges of the Carolinas District; Jo Schwartz of the Kansas District; and Scott Sims of the Alabama District. Hope Markes was elected as International Vice President, Michael Mulhaul from the New Jersey District was elected by unanimous consent as International President-Elect and Lee Kuan Yong from the Malaysia District was elected by unanimous consent as International President. All their terms begin October 1, 2024.
I enjoyed the convention and am looking forward to next year’s convention in our very own district in Pittsburgh, PA. Please plan to attend that convention next year June 25-28, 2025 as we “Forge the Future”! This will be the closest International convention for many of us so I hope many PA Kiwanians take advantage of this opportunity for fellowship, fun and education in our home District.
Club Openings
I am delighted to announce that our first new club has recently been formed in Ebensburg. The members have named it the Kiwanis Club of Northern Cambria County. An in-person organizational meeting was held on June 20th, where the following officers were elected: President Sheila Fultz, President-Elect Jon St. Pierre, Secretary Diane Hoffman, and Treasurer Iris Cree. The club directors are yet to be elected.
A few weeks ago, International President Katrina Baranko visited our district to support our club opening team, which includes Cathy and David Szymanski, Governor-Elect Tom Harp, Immediate Past Governor Mike Coolbaugh, Jo Ann Coolbaugh, Club Opening Specialist and Region 3 Trustee Miranda Burton, and myself. We reached out to businesses and individuals in the Ebensburg area to introduce Kiwanis and invite them to join the new club.
Many thanks to each member of the club opening team and the new club members. More information about this club will be shared soon and if you want to learn how you can apply new club opening techniques to boosting your own club, please email [email protected].
Bloomsburg Kiwanis Open House
District Membership Chair Matt Wise attended an Open House at the Kiwanis Club of Bloomsburg on June 25th. Matt was the speaker for the club’s meeting that evening. In attendance were 8 potential new members, 6 of those potential new members completed applications that evening with several others seriously considering joining the club. Thanks to President Erin Sitler and the Bloomsburg Kiwanis Club, the district gained 6 new members in one evening. Keep up the great work Bloomsburg Kiwanians.
Club Elections and Club Officer Education
At the current time there are now 54 clubs in the district that have submitted election results for the 2024 – 2025 administrative year. If your club has not yet held elections or submitted election results on the Secretary Dashboard, please do so as soon as possible. Please keep in mind New Officer Club Education training.
Pennsylvania Kiwanis Foundation
Looking to give back to Kiwanis even more? Pennsylvania Kiwanis Foundation has a great opportunity for you to join the Foundation board as a Board of Director to impact and support fundraising, scholarship and grant programs. Join us to further support the children of the world. Learn more at https://pkfonline.org.
Monthly District Leadership Education
For July our monthly leadership education has been changed from Mon July 8th to Mon July 15th. Our monthly leadership education sessions have a fantastic lineup of presenters including:
Mark these dates on your calendar to attend these insightful sessions. These educational sessions are open to all PA Kiwanians, not just club leaders.. Don’t miss out on these valuable free opportunities to learn.
PA District Convention:
We are looking forward now to our 2024 District Convention in Reading, PA Aug 15-18, 2024! Please register for the combined PA / NJ District Convention at www.2024KiwanisDCON.com All convention registration information, forms and hotel information is located at this new convention registration site.
I hope to see many of you in Reading in August. The Convention committee has been diligently working to provide a great convention featuring many Kiwanis International leaders; International Immediate Past President Bert West, International Executive Director Paul Palazzolo, International Vice–President Michael Mulhaul. This will be a great opportunity to join in the fun, fellowship and hear from a fantastic lineup of speakers in our Educational forums.
Keep in mind the current deadlines for ads, sponsorships, hotel and convention registration.
Thank you for all you do as Kiwanians for the kids. We can do much more by “Growing Membership for the Kids!”
If you missed my other Blog post read them HERE!
Warm Regards,
Governor Conrad
Pennsylvania District Governor
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