New Member Profile: Braderick Morrison

Braderick Morrison is a born and raised Hoosier who just recently moved to Texas. Brad received his Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology from Ball State University. After graduation, Brad moved to Indianapolis, IN to begin a career in the sales industry. After two years, he decided to move to Texas to further his career opportunities and soak up the Texas heat. Brad moved to Austin at the beginning of the year and started working at Main Street Hub, a social media marketing company located in downtown Austin. Brad has been involved in the K-Family since the start of his college career. He has served as president of his home club at Ball State and on the Indiana District Board as Membership Retention Specialist. His favorite service events have been working with children at after school programs in his college town of Muncie, IN. His hobbies include photography, refurbishing old furniture, and of course, volunteering. 

We’re so glad to have Brad as the newest member of our club and excited that he’s continuing his K-Family journey with us!

Kiwanis One Day & Halloween

Each year, Kiwanis and its sponsored programs around the world join in a day of service. For Kiwanis One Day this year, we helped the Dottie Jordan Recreation Center with two projects:

  1. Family Pumpkin Carving Day – our club donated funds for the purchase of pumpkins and our members helped the kids with carving.
  2. Movie in the Park – the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority sponsored a screening of Monsters, Inc and provided snacks and refreshments. We helped with food preparation, setup, and event oversight, and cleanup.

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.

Helping Winn Grow

Our club recently pitched-in to help develop the new vegetable garden at Winn Elementary. The Sustainable Food Center hosted a free resource giveaway, and Past President Ed Randle dug right into service by loading up his truck with compost that we delivered to the school. The new garden will be a valuable hands-on teaching tool for students to learn – especially for the new Montessori program on campus that is all about experiential learning.

Central Texas Food Bank

Our club recently helped out with a morning shift at the Central Texas Food Bank. In just a few hours of work with other great community volunteers, we were able to sort and package 7000+ meals!

Club News – Nov. 3

Club Meeting – October 27, 2016
Kiwanis Family Month Preview
November is Kiwanis Family Month! We’ve invited our sponsored service leadership programs to present during our meetings this month. We also have new marketing resources about each of our programs that can be shared with prospective members, friends, and school administrators.

Club Meeting – November 3, 2016
Club Business Meeting
During this meeting, we had a number of announcements, discussions, and some club business to accomplish. Key Club at Manor New Tech High School has selected a member to attend Key Leader on the weekend of November 11. Remember, our speaker honorariums fund these scholarships for leadership training for aspiring young leaders of our Key Clubs. 

We will have two pecan sales this season! Thanksgiving orders are due by Friday, November 11 (distribution on November 17), and Christmas orders are due by Thursday, December 8 (distribution on December 15).
Other Actions:

  • William Assamoi was approved to fill the vacancy of the2-year director position
  • Ruth Ann Cossey was approved to fill the vacancy of the 1-year director position
  • The club approved a change in club policy to change the terms of the president, president-elect, immediate past president, and secretary-treasurer to a 2-year term. 

Service: Halloween Spooktacular – October 28, 2016
This past Friday, October 28th, members of our club volunteered at the Halloween Spooktacular at Dottie Jordan Recreation Center. We assisted in setup and manned the disc golf booth. For each disc that the kids got in, they got two candies. We had a great time connecting with the community and entertaining the neighborhood kids who came out to enjoy the variety of activities!

Club News – Oct. 20-25

Club Meeting – October 20, 2016
Dream Session

President John shared the club goals for the year that will be aligned with the 2016-2017 Kiwanis Recognition Program, “Energize the Dream,” for Clubs and Members. Lt. Governor Raymond led the club members in a Dream Session as they  shared their dreams, goals, and ambitions for this Kiwanis year and the future:

  • More Mueller involvement, recruiting efforts
  • Holiday specific events (Trick or Treat for UNICEF Halloween, Christmas, etc.)
  • Satellite Club (evening)
  • Stronger, more active club
  • 30+ members strong
  • 5 new members this year
  • Connect with UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement to increase our club’s reach
  • Recruit more leaders plugged into the local community, community activists
  • Make the club more appealing and attractive to newer members and youth
  • Have a signature project: Playground suggested multiple times
  • Get involved with local festivals (Kiwanis Kites at the Zilker Kite Festival)
  • Initiate an American flag project as a fundraiser
  • Chili cook-off event
  • Sponsor one of each service-leadership programs
  • Sponsor more SLPs as we recruit more active members
  • Sponsor creation of Pflugerville Kiwanis Evening Club and re-charter University Area Kiwanis Club
  • Hold a golf outing fundraiser, food centric fundraisers (we cook food), get involved with renaissance fairs

Kiwanis One Day – October 22, 2016

23 Volunteers
2 Hours of Service
8,208 meals for children in Haiti

This past Saturday, October 22nd, members of our club, the Kiwanis Clubs of Northwest Austin, Golden K-Austin, Greater South Austin, and Anderson High School Key Club (group photo above) gathered at Triumphant Love Lutheran Church to package meals for Haiti relief efforts with Kids Against Hunger of Central Texas. This was a fantastic Kiwanis One Day project that brought our clubs together in service to the neediest children and families in our hemisphere!

Club News – Oct. 1-20

Club Meeting – October 6, 2016
John led the club in a discussion of club goals as a recap of the previous weeks’ review of the Kiwanis I-Plan as we Inspire current, new, and prospective members; participate in projects that provide meaningful Impact in the communities we serve; clarify and share our Kiwanis Image, and make responsible choices to Invest in our club and programs to ensure long-term success and continued viability of our club.

Club Meeting – October 13, 2016
We had a fantastic presentation by Denise Jimenez from Meals on Wheels Central Texas. She gave us an overview of their programs and services across Travis and surrounding counties. We have some opportunities to get involved in service and are looking forward to working with this great organization!

Board Meeting – October 13, 2016
During our first board meeting of the 2016-17 year,  The board of Directors took the following actions:

  • Approval of July 15, 2016 board meeting minutes. 
  • Approval of the administrative, service, and special account financial reports.
  • Approval of the 2016-17 administrative and service budget.
  • Recommendation of Ruth Ann Cossey to fill our one-year director vacancy and William Assamoi to fill our two-year director vacancy.
  • Approval of honorary members.
  • Approval of members on leave of absence.
  • Committed to register as a model club for the Eliminate Project.
  • Committed club funds as a memorial gift to the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis Foundation in honor of Neil Hopkins.
  • Approved club service projects for the 2016-17 year. 
  • Reviewed club goals to align with the 2016-17 distinguished club and member criteria.
  • Recommended a $40 annual increase in dues to fund renewal of the club’s tax-exempt status.

Winn Elementary Campus Advisory Council Meeting  – October 17, 2016
At this month’s Campus Advisory Council meeting, President John Cano presented on campus beautification efforts and a partnership with Tree Folks to plant a fruit orchard in the currently neglected school garden. Attendees were receptive to the program and we hope to involve as many members of the community as possible in our efforts. 

New Year Celebration Recap

On Thursday, September 29th, members and guests gathered at the Brick Oven Restaurant in downtown Austin to retire the 2015-2016 board of directors, install our 2016-2017 board of directors, welcome our newest member into the club, and celebrate the many accomplishments of the last year.

Perfect Attendance Awards:
The perfect attendance tabs for members’ Kiwanis pins are awarded to members who attend all weekly club meetings, or make up a missed meeting by attending a board meeting, meeting of another club or SLP, or service project. This year’s honorees:

  • One Year – John Cano
  • Two Years – Raymond Miller
  • 20 Years – Noel Roebuck
  • 25 Years – Ed Randle
  • 32 Years – Bill Gordon

Legion of Honor Award: 
The Legion of Honor Award is presented to members who have been members of Kiwanis for 25 years or more. This year’s 45 Year honoree joined Kiwanis on July 21, 1971. Congratulations to Phil Thomas

Kiwanian of the Year:
The Kiwanian of the Year Award was presented to John Cano for outstanding service to the club and community. 

Outgoing Board of Directors:

  • President – Raymond MIller
  • Immediate Past President – Ed Randle
  • Director, One Year – Bill Gordon
  • Director, One Year – Ruth Cossey

Incoming Board of Directors:

  • President – John Cano
  • President-Elect – Bill Gordon
  • Immediate Past President – Raymond Miller
  • Secretary/Treasurer – Ron Kingsbury
  • Director, One Year – Kirby Cossey

New Member Induction:

  • William Assamoi is the newest member of the club! Check the previous news story for his full biography. 

New Member Profile: William Assamoi

William was born in the village of Sapli-Sépingo in northeastern Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Once he finished his elementary school education, he was sent to middle school 40 miles from his native village to Bondouko. Since his middle school days when he was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church, he’s maintained a strong connection with his faith. After completing high school, he joined the Navy of the Ivory Coast and trained in Toulon, France. In February of 1992, William emigrated to the United States, studied English and Nursing, and became a Licensed Vocational Nurse. He has worked in several nursing homes in San Antonio, McKenna Memorial Hospital in New Braunfels, Gracy Woods Nursing Center, Saint David’s Medical Center, and Round Rock Medical Center.

Upon becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006, he returned to France to revisit areas where he spent his younger years. He’s also had the chance to travel to Europe again in 2011; this time visiting France, Italy, and England.

Since 2006, he’s worked as a home health nurse with Austin-based Gilead Home Health. He enjoys the home setting and the opportunity to develop friendships with some of his clients/patients.

William is married to Maria Corazon. She is from the Philippines and they share a home in Pflugerville with Maria’s son, Paul Viray. William has one daughter, Olga Boitenin, who has a son PRINCE Charles. A native French speaker, William is also moderately fluent in Spanish.

In his free time, William enjoys travelling, working out at 24 Hour Fitness, taking yoga classes, and when he’s not working on Sundays, attending mass at St. William Catholic Church in Pflugerville. Faith is important to the family and they enjoy the presence of the Lord in their lives.

Welcome, William to Kiwanis!

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