New Member Profiles: Maria Harper and Chris Varney
Maria Harper and Chris Varney were formally inducted into our club on Friday evening. They were sponsored by Raymond Miller.
Maria grew up in the metro-Detroit area where she was involved with the Michigan District Key Club serving as a Lt. Governor and District Bulletin Editor. She then went to the University of Missouri for her undergraduate degree in Journalism and German where she was involved with CKI at the club level. Most recently, though, she moved to Austin from Boston where she’s now working at a small digital advertising agency and getting re-introduced to the Kiwanis family! She has a passion for community impact, specifically involving education of underserved areas. Through the Kiwanis Club of Austin-Northeast she hopes to be able to bridge some of the gaps in the community to provide equal chances for all kids.
Chris moved to Austin from Boston in the summer of 2017. He’s from central Illinois and went to school in Missouri and is currently working in marketing. He is looking forward to spending a lot of time outside in the state parks around Austin as he discovers Texas. He has a particular interest service projects that address nutrition and food security, and is looking forward to getting involved in any way that he can.
We’re very excited to welcome them to our club and we value their ideas and the skills that they bring to the club as we work together to improve our community.
Hosted by John, club members are invited to tailgate before the game and to stick around to watch the game. Come and go casual social.
Tailgate officially starts 3 hours before kickoff.
Southeast corner of MLJ Jr Blvd and San Jacinto Blvd.
Hosted by John, club members are invited to tailgate before the game and to stick around to watch the game. Come and go casual social.
Tailgate officially starts 3 hours before kickoff.
Southeast corner of MLJ Jr Blvd and San Jacinto Blvd.
Hosted by John, club members are invited to tailgate before the game and to stick around to watch the game. Come and go casual social.
Tailgate officially starts 3 hours before kickoff.
Southeast corner of MLJ Jr Blvd and San Jacinto Blvd.
Hosted by John, club members are invited to tailgate before the game and to stick around to watch the game. Come and go casual social.
Tailgate officially starts 3 hours before kickoff.
Southeast corner of MLJ Jr Blvd and San Jacinto Blvd.
We’re an organization of volunteers serving the community and children of greater Austin, Texas.
Get to know our new leaders for the 2026-27 Kiwanis year, starting with our Club President, John; Immediate Past President and Secretary, Chelsie; and our Club Treasurer, Bill!
What a way to close out our 2025–2026 Kiwanis year! 💙💛
The Kiwanis Club of Silicon Hills celebrated a year of 450 hours of service and impact, community partnerships, and supporting the next generation of leaders.
🎓 Congratulations to our Sophomore of the Year honorees: ⭐ Aarthi Govindaraj — $250 Scholarship Award! ⭐️ Rythmay Girdhar — $250 Scholarship Award! 🏆 Audryn Lee — Top Candidate & $600 Scholarship Award!
We also celebrated our Club Award recipients: 💙 Outstanding Member — Clay Ramlow 💛 Outstanding Board Support — Brandon Phifer 🏆 Kiwanian of the Year — Bill Gordon
We recognized John Cano and Marcelo Urieta for their years of mentorship to Texas-Oklahoma CKI and celebrated our club’s support of the CKI Legacy Fund.
Finally, we officially passed the leadership of Silicon Hills from outgoing President Chelsie Phifer to incoming President John Cano!🎉
Thank you to everyone who made this year possible. Here’s to another year of service, friendship, leadership, and impact! 💙💛
Leave a Comment
Last Updated: February 25, 2025 by John Cano
New Member Profiles: Maria Harper and Chris Varney
Maria Harper and Chris Varney were formally inducted into our club on Friday evening. They were sponsored by Raymond Miller.
Maria grew up in the metro-Detroit area where she was involved with the Michigan District Key Club serving as a Lt. Governor and District Bulletin Editor. She then went to the University of Missouri for her undergraduate degree in Journalism and German where she was involved with CKI at the club level. Most recently, though, she moved to Austin from Boston where she’s now working at a small digital advertising agency and getting re-introduced to the Kiwanis family! She has a passion for community impact, specifically involving education of underserved areas. Through the Kiwanis Club of Austin-Northeast she hopes to be able to bridge some of the gaps in the community to provide equal chances for all kids.
Chris moved to Austin from Boston in the summer of 2017. He’s from central Illinois and went to school in Missouri and is currently working in marketing. He is looking forward to spending a lot of time outside in the state parks around Austin as he discovers Texas. He has a particular interest service projects that address nutrition and food security, and is looking forward to getting involved in any way that he can.
We’re very excited to welcome them to our club and we value their ideas and the skills that they bring to the club as we work together to improve our community.
Category: Members
Upcoming events
Social: Longhorn Tailgate
Social: Longhorn Tailgate
VW Harvest
Social: Longhorn Tailgate
Roots & Wings/Dottie Jordan Nature Festival
Monthly Kiwanis Meeting
Social: Longhorn Tailgate
Monthly Kiwanis Meeting
Monthly Kiwanis Meeting
Club News
We’re an organization of volunteers serving the community and children of greater Austin, Texas.
Get to know our new leaders for the 2026-27 Kiwanis year, starting with our Club President, John; Immediate Past President and Secretary, Chelsie; and our Club Treasurer, Bill!
#KidsNeedKiwanis #atxkiwanis ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Hard to believe our club is celebrating 65 years of service to the Austin community!
Did some organizing today and picked up some of our plaques and memorabilia. We’re overdue for a few updates!
What do you think are nice ways to commemorate an organization’s history? ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
What a way to close out our 2025–2026 Kiwanis year! 💙💛
The Kiwanis Club of Silicon Hills celebrated a year of 450 hours of service and impact, community partnerships, and supporting the next generation of leaders.
🎓 Congratulations to our Sophomore of the Year honorees:
⭐ Aarthi Govindaraj — $250 Scholarship Award!
⭐️ Rythmay Girdhar — $250 Scholarship Award!
🏆 Audryn Lee — Top Candidate & $600 Scholarship Award!
We also celebrated our Club Award recipients:
💙 Outstanding Member — Clay Ramlow
💛 Outstanding Board Support — Brandon Phifer
🏆 Kiwanian of the Year — Bill Gordon
We recognized John Cano and Marcelo Urieta for their years of mentorship to Texas-Oklahoma CKI and celebrated our club’s support of the CKI Legacy Fund.
Finally, we officially passed the leadership of Silicon Hills from outgoing President Chelsie Phifer to incoming President John Cano!🎉
Thank you to everyone who made this year possible. Here’s to another year of service, friendship, leadership, and impact! 💙💛
#Kiwanis #KidsNeedKiwanis #KiwanisFamily #CommunityService, #Scholarships ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook