Serving the children of the world

MiniBuilder the newsletter of the Capital District

Aug-Sep 2009 Dave Maloney, Editor

Kick it Out! by Governor Tom Ganse

Congratulations to Past Governor Jerry Peuler for his election as Kiwanis International Trustee! PG Jerry got Kiwanis in his blood as a Key Clubber just a few short years ago. OK, maybe many years ago. Since then, Jerry dedicated his life to serving his community, the local government, and his country. On a personal note, Jerry was instrumental in building my home club and mentoring us through our early trials. I am excited to have him representing the greatest Kiwanis District in the world on the International Board. Let's all offer him our congratulations and best wishes for a great three years!
Last month I mentioned that Kiwanis International President Don Canaday urged us all to "hit the tape at full stride" on September 30th. The analogy he was attempting to share was one of a runner nearing the end of the race. As we all know, that is when the winners "kick it out" or hit their stride. They do not slow down as the finish line draws near.
I took that analogy one step further by likening Kiwanis not to a sprint, but to a relay race. At this point in the year, your successor better be off the block and gaining speed as you near him or her with the baton, and you need to be "kicking it out", especially as these last two months blur by.
Here are some tips to consider if you want to set the stage for your club's success, whether you are a President, Committee Chair, or Designated Go-fer:
Remember all those great ideas you had on October 1st, 2008? List them and separate them into three groups: Those accomplished and earmarked for celebration, those that you can focus on and complete so your successor doesn't have to, and those that there simply is no way one could reasonably hope to complete.
That last group of ideas must be dealt with from the perspective of the club's Strategic Plan. If they support the club's plan for the future, start working with your successor to implement paths to completion during his/her year. If they do not support your club's Strategic Plan, toss 'em and don't waste any more of your or your club's resources on them. Your successor deserves a clean slate. (Note: I just know you all have Strategic Plans to guide your club into the future!)
Identify your supporting role after October 1, 2009. What can you do to finish lingering projects and then engage on your successor's initiatives. You have the potential to be your successor's best resource. Be there.
Focus. It's not about you. It's about your club and it's about the communities and the children we serve. To quote President John Adams, "Duty is ours, results are God's". Use your gifts, give it your best effort and go to bed with a smile on your face each night.
I'll wrap up this month with an enthusiastic reminder that August is District Convention month, and we have a great time planned for you this year! Convention Chair Charles Marks and his team have done a superb job of giving you every reason to "Stop over in Dover" this August 21st-23rd. This convention features the lowest registration ($25.00) and meal costs ($96.00 for all functions) in recent memory. Even adding the lodging cost makes this one of the most affordable conventions in many years.
Perhaps you could gather from the theme, but recognizing that there is a whole lot of District west of Dover, Charles and Company put together a complete list of things you can do before, during and after the convention, so why not make it a vacation? Please visit the website at www.capitaldistrictkiwanis.org and open the District Convention tab. But unless you plan to sleep on the beach, you better do it fast because we're down to the last couple dozen rooms!
Finally, prepare yourself for some great fun, some excellent training, and some truly inspiring speakers; from Friday night's ice cream social through Saturday's training sessions to Sunday morning's Inspirational Breakfast and closing business session, this convention will send you home feeling proud to belong not only to the world's premier service organization, but to the greatest District!
Thank you, once again, not only for everything you do for Kiwanis, but for everything you do to make your communities better places to live.

(cont’d on page 2)

At this point in the year, your successor better be off the block and gaining speed as you near hm or her with the baton, and you need to be “Kicking it out”, especially as these last two months blur by.

Delegates Elect Jerry Peuler from Capital District as New KI Trustee

Delegates to the 94th annual Kiwanis International Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, elected Jerry Peuler of the Capital District (right), Stewart Ross and Pam Fleming, to be trustees on the 2009-1010 Kiwanis International Board. The three join John Button and Pietro Grasso, who were previously elected by delegates from Eastern Canada and the Caribbean and the Kiwanis International European Federation.

Kick it Out! (cont’d from page 1)

Focus. It’s not about you. It’s about the communities and the children we serve.

The MiniBuilder is published six times a year in February, April, June, August, October, December by the Capital District of Kiwanis International
Dave Maloney, Editor dave@maloney.com P.O. Box 2049 Frederick, MD 21702 301-228-2279
Deadline email submissions to dave@maloney.com last day of the month preceding publication
Capital District Kiwanis International
Organized August 23, 1918
Governor Tom Ganse 45109 Woodhaven Drive California, MD 20619 410-326-5117
tganse@earthlink.net
Secretary-Treasurer Ellis H. Stroup 7307 Coventry Drive P.O. Box 855 Middletown, MD 21769-0855 301-371-4650 ehstroup@comcast.net
Governor-Elect Don Dudey
1110 Kingsbury Rd.
Owings Mills, MD 21117
h-410-356-5707 c-443-794-1112 cell
ddudey@verizon.net
Immediate Past Governor
Arthur Riley 250 Uniontown Road Westminster, MD 21157 c-443-398-6148 h-410-857-0656
RxArthur@aol.com
Capital District Foundation
Executive Secretary Charles P. Adams 1601 Charrington Drive Midlothian, VA 23113 804-794-1019 govadams@aol.com

To All Capital District Leaders! by Gov Tom Ganse

To all leaders - right down to the clubs where the rubber meets the road - I offer you a hearty CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU for your efforts! As Growth Team Chairman John Tyner notes below, the District has reversed what was shaping up to be record losses through the first half of the year and put a net gain back within reach. Your efforts, each and every one of you, are not only appreciated, but are paying off in terms of more hands to do more service in *your* hometowns. And that's the bottom line. I am quite hopeful that we will continue this trend through August, especially due to the two new clubs John mentioned. However, I must remind you that September is the worst month of the year as nearly half of our clubs are called to verify their rosters and weed out the dead wood. Plan for it! I greatly appreciate your ongoing efforts for these many months, but I must ask you to "kick it out" and keep your stride through the next few months to ensure we truly have reversed this 20-year trend. There are literally dozens of clubs currently showing single-digit negative numbers. You are within reach of net growth! For those already in the plus column, build yourself a pad. What a disappointment it would be, to be in the plus most of the year only to go negative in September due to a thoroughly predictable roster purge! New Club Building is essential to net growth, but so are increased retention, strengthening existing clubs to make them more relevant and attractive, and bringing in friends, co-workers, relatives and neighbors by the "1's and 2's". There is one area that I *urge* you to check: Every year, clubs come up short because Kiwanis International doesn't account for dozens of new members that clubs think they've recruited. The biggest reason? Submitting an application isn't the same as submitting the new member add fee. *Please* make sure you submit the application *and* the check, then *call* International (1-800-KIWANIS) and verify their receipt. The second biggest reason is waiting too late. You may think sending this info in on September 29th gets you under the wire, but those members aren't registered until the applications and payments are received *and* processed by International. Don't wait, and don't get an unpleasant surprise! I am excited to share your many successes with the entire district later this month at the District Convention. You all have done much to be proud of and I look forward to seeing you there. Thank you, thank you, thank you, not only for everything you do for Kiwanis, but for everything you do to make your communities better places to live!
Be sure to read John Tyner's message below.
With a Kiwanis servant's heart, Tom Ganse Governor, 2008-2009
Folks,
For the 6th month in a row, we've had a positive gain over the previous month, July being +41 over our June figures. We are now at 6,512, still -166 below our October 1st figure but moving in the right direction. And it is generally because of our 1's and 2's in most clubs.
For July's figures, we have 16 divisions that had an increase over their June figures, only 3 were below their June figures (last month there were 5 divisions under their May figures) and two didn't change at all. Our members, the heart of our clubs, are going out and recruiting their friends. That's why our clubs are growing by 1's and 2's - it's the drips that add up to the torrential stream!
We must realize that the next count in August will include, at the very least, YPE +27 and Farmville +30. If our next planned New Club Building areas of Salisbury, MD and Hilton Village, VA bear fruit this administrative year, we'd have a minimum of another +50 new members.
A word of caution to all our LTGs, as well as all of us -- please ask your clubs to re-double their efforts to recruit new members and to solidify their current membership figures so the Capital District can end the year with a PLUS.
In Kiwanis service, John Tyner, Growth Team Chair

(cont’d on page 4)

For the 6th month in a row, we’ve had a positive gain over the previous month.

Leaders (cont’d from page 3)

Col. Heppner Receives International World Service Medal by Past Gov. Bob Cressy

Club secretaries are urged to check your club's member information on the Digital District Directory which can be accessed through the District website.

As a result of his extensive efforts in the area of malaria research, US Army Col. Donald Gray Heppner, Jr., was named the 2009 recipient of the prestigious World Service Medal at the opening ceremony of the Kiwanis International Convention in Nashville, June 25th. Colonel Heppner is the deputy commander of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, MD. He was nominated for the award by the Lynchburg Club.
Gray Heppner has devoted much of his career in research on the disease of malaria which causes 1.5 million deaths world-wide each year. He is dedicated to finding a vaccine and cure for malaria through his research.
The World Service Medal comes with a $10,000 grant by Kiwanis which Colonel Heppner is giving to the Kiwanis Nursery School in Kisumu, Kenya. It is operated by the Kiwanis Club of Kisumu which educates and feeds children whose families have been afflicted by malaria and HIV/AIDS. Upon notification by Kiwanis, Heppner was deeply moved. "I hope this Kiwanis award will inspire thousands more to join the fight against malaria. Malaria can be eliminated if we say enough is enough and take action," said Heppner.
Previous award recipients include Mother Teresa, actors and humanitarians Roger Moore and Audrey Hepburn, and First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Rosalynn Carter.

Help Us Update the District Directory by Bill Butts, PR/Comm Chairman

Club secretaries are urged to check your club's member information on the Digital District Directory which can be accessed through the District website. If there's missing or inaccurate information on any of your current members, then we ask that club secretaries to make the edits themselves. In addition, encourage members to go online to edit their own contact information whenever a change is needed. Please make a conscientious effort to maintain this online database of District members as it will greatly improve our ability to maintain good communications among all online members. Thanks for your diligence in this regard!

In accordance with the Capital District Policy Statements, qualified members who have filed their intention of being a candidate for the office of Governor-elect may have their candidacy announced District wide beginning on the second Friday in January.
The Kiwanis club of Ashland, Virginia, has presented Thomas A. Varner (right) as a candidate for the office of Governor-elect of the Capital District for the 2009-2010 Administrative year.

Governor-Elect Candidate by Sec. Ellis Stroup

Capital District Kiwanis Foundation Life Memberships by Charlie Adams, CDKF Executive Secretary

The time has arrived to think about recognizing your outgoing Club President with a Life Membership in the Capital District Kiwanis Foundation. It is available for a $100 contribution to the Foundation. Your president will be presented with a Life Member certificate and the accompanying pin, and the club will receive a ribbon for its banner. This is a great way to thank your President for doing an outstanding job during the 2008-09 administrative year. You may download the CDKF contribution form from the District web site at If you plan to present this at your Installation of Officers Dinner, please send in your request as soon as possible in order to allow time for it to be processed and sent to your Division's Foundation Trustee for presentation. Thanks for considering to honor your President with a Life Membership, and many thanks to all clubs in the District for their continued support of the Foundation. It is greatly appreciated by our Sponsored Leadership Programs, the Pediatric Trauma Hospitals and our Grant Recipients. Please keep up your good work.

Recognize your outgoing club president with a life membership in the capital district Foundation.

Monday Morning Messages by Dave Maloney, Editor

While this MiniBuilder is designed primarily for the benefit of those members who are not online, many of those members might still be able to avail themselves of an online opportunity from time to time such as while visiting a family member or while at the public library. Should that be the case, be sure to browse to the Capital District Web site at www.capitaldistrictkiwanis.org and then click on the link to the District’s monthly online newsletter, the “eBuilder.” While loaded with great information, perhaps one of the most informative eBuilder features is Jack White’s monthly Growth Team audio interviews with top leaders in Kiwanis—both at the International as well as the District level. The eBuilder currently has an archive of 39 interviews covering all aspects of club growth. Below is a Web site screen shot listing this month’s topics. Check it out if you get the chance!

2008-09 Capital District Distinguished Kiwanian by John Tyner

We are now beginning our 24th year of this program.

The Annual Distinguished Kiwanian Recognition Program was started 23 years ago as an opportunity for the District to recognize those Kiwanians who demonstrated an ongoing and consistent involvement with their club’s activities and with the goals of the District. We recognized 80 Kiwanians for their efforts during that premier 1985-86 Administrative Year. And now, 23years later, only two of those members have maintained that status ever since: Past International Trustee Dana Cable and Past Governor Joe Hillier. Right behind them with 22 years is Past Governor John Tyner.
Now under the aegis of the Capital District Growth Team, we are now beginning our 24h year of this program with the upcoming end of our 2008-09 Administrative Year, and we have made adjustments to our requirements to include regional activity involvement, especially on our regional committees. Kiwanians should assess their participation in this year's activities. Look for the 2008-09 Distinguished Kiwanian form on the Capital District web site under “Resources,” then under Club Administration, and then under “Awards & Contests” for the form, most criteria of which you can meet if you are at all active in your club. It is particularly easy if you have attended any of the regional midwinter conferences besides your own, the Circle K or Key Club conventions, or other special official K-Family functions. The two most important parts, which many of you seem to find tough to meet, are sponsoring a new member (who is still a member on September 30) and having perfect attendance for the year.
Most of you active Kiwanians can verify all the criteria with your Club Secretary, who will sign the form, and then mail it to PG John Tyner II, 5911 Halpine Road, Rockville. MD 20851-2410 for action. Certificates and pins are generally made available to your lieutenant-governor for distribution to you.
It is such a shame that fewer than 1% of our members take advantage of this program, which gives you the little walking man pin in recognition of your achievements. This year, PLEASE fill out the form if you meet the criteria and get in to us by December 31 so that you can be recognized as a Capital District Distinguished Kiwanian!

In Memoriam

July 2009
Dr. George Bogikes, Ocean City, Md. James McNutt, Wilmington, De. Arthur Garman, Reisterstown, Md. Wade D. Ward, (Past Lt. Governor) Crisfield, Md. C. Ames Byrd, (past Lt. Governor) Pocomoke, Md.
June 2009
Smythe Meador, Salem, Va. Richard B. Holmes, Wilmington, De.

Spring 2010 Key Leader Date Set by Nicole McDermott

I am very pleased to announce that we have finalized the date for the next Capital District Key Leader weekend! Our spring 2010 weekend will be April 23-25, 2010, at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, in Millersville, Maryland. This date is approximately one month after Key Club District Convention and does not conflict with Passover, Easter, SATs, or local spring break weeks. Arlington Echo is the same location as the 2008 and 2009 spring Key Leader events and consists of 24 wooded acres on the Severn River and boasts heated cabins, a dining hall, an outdoor ropes course, and more. Arlington Echo is about 45 minutes from Washington, D.C., and about 20 minutes from Annapolis. Corey Goggin from the Kiwanis Club of Tysons Corner/McLean will be our 2010 Arlington Echo site coordinator.
Kiwanis International has determined that the 2010 registration cost will be is $215 per student. Kiwanis Clubs are strongly encouraged to plan to sponsor students now and include Key Leader in club budgets for the 2009-10 Kiwanis year. Meals, lodging, t-shirt, participant manual and more are included in registration fee. Unfortunately, while the Kiwanis International Foundation is still financially supporting the Key Leader program, they are no longer offering scholarships or discounts for Key Club or Builders Club members.
The spring Key Leader events are open to any current 8th-12th grade students (in or out of Key Club or Builders Club). Once again, our goal for this event will be 60 students plus an additional 8-10 student facilitators. We were so beyond thrilled that our 2009 event “sold out” with 80+ students benefitting from this amazing program!
Because our 2009 event was so successful and we look forward to repeated success in the spring of 2010, the Capital District will also be hosting a fall 2010 Key Leader weekend in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. More details will be announced soon. If the Arlington Echo event is not geographically-desirable, please plan to support this second 2010 Key Leader and also include this in your 2009-10 Kiwanis Club budgets. Heather Congrove will be our site coordinator for the Hampton Roads Key Leader.
Key Leader is a leadership education weekend for high school students focusing on the concept of service leadership and five principles: integrity, growth, respect, community and excellence. The weekend is casual and includes hands-on exercises; writing and reflection activities; cooperative, team activities; physical challenges and more. Students arrive between 4-6 p.m. on Friday and depart between 11 a.m.-12 noon on Sunday. All adult chaperones have undergone background checks, and the weekend is run by a professional facilitator who has successfully completed a training course on the curriculum and who brings experience working with young people.
Thank you again to all of the Kiwanis Clubs that supported Key Leader in 2009! All clubs that sponsored at least one student to attend the March 2009 weekend will receive a club banner patch. These patches will be distributed to clubs soon.
For more information, please contact Capital District Key Leader Chair Nicole McDermott at CapitalKeyLeader@gmail.com or 703.917.8877. Search Capital District Key Leader on Facebook and become a fan!

The spring key leader events are open to any current 8th-12th grade students Membership in Key club or builders club not required.

MiniBuilder the newsletter of the Capital District

David Maloney, Editor P.O. Box 2049 Frederick, MD 21702
Phone: 301-228-2279
dave@maloney.com

We’re on the Web!
capitaldistrictkiwanis.org

Capital District Convention Aug. 21-23, 2009 Dover, DE

(cont’d on page 5)

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

"Congratulations to Past Governor Jerry Peuler for his election as Kiwanis International Trustee! PG Jerry got Kiwanis in his blood as a Key Clubber just a few short years ago. OK, maybe many years ago. Since then, Jerry dedicated his life to serving his community, the local government, and his country. On a personal note, Jerry was instrumental in building my home club and mentoring us through our early trials. I am excited to have him representing the greatest Kiwanis District in the world on the International Board. Let's all offer him our congratulations and best wishes for a great three years!"

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MiniBuilder August-September 2009

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