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 28^th, 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 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 22^nd, 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 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. 

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. 

At our September 8th meeting, we were happy to have William Assamoi join us as a guest and prospective member! William is originally from the Côte d’Ivoire and works in home health. 

Raymond Miller attended the Manor New Tech High School Key Club meeting on September 7th. He reported that over 100 students were in attendance – that’s about a third of the school’s total student population! We’re eager to see what these student leaders have in store for the coming year.

This month’s meetings are focused on the Kiwanis I-Plan as we plan for the 2016-2017 year.  In line with the theme of our first meeting, Inspiration: Membership & Engagement, members shared their stories of inspiration. Here are a few excerpts:

• Ron Kingsbury shared that he’s inspired by the opportunities that new and old members alike have to serve and lead at the club, division, district, and international level. The structure of Kiwanis provides incredible opportunities for individual growth.
• Bill Gordon recounted his impressions of the club’s 50th anniversary in 2011. The celebration was held at Region XIII and involved the club members, as well as the larger community, AISD School Board members, school leaders, and UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. Past Governor Gene Jantzen spoke on the impact of Kiwanis from the international level and much discussion revolved around enhancing the quality of education in East Austin. The most impressive portion of the meeting was hearing the children’s’ choir of Pecan Springs Elementary. For many parents, it was their first exposure to Region XIII and to the service that Kiwanis provides. 
• Raymond Miller shared a recent story about our Kiwanis-family outing to the Round Rock Express baseball game. He loved the energy and excitement from the Austin Achieve Builders Club members as they told stories about how much fun they had at the event.
• Phil Thomas, in recalling that we were approaching the 15th anniversary of the 9/11, recalled that the terrorist attack created an opportunity for the country to think about disaster readiness. Our club’s partnership in disaster relief operations with the Salvation Army allowed us to respond to the space shuttle Columbia crash. We formed our own training team that went on to do trainings with other Kiwanis Clubs. Disaster relief trainings eventually became a project of the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis District and Kiwanis International. Phil fondly remembers disaster simulation trainings at the airport with recently departed member, Neil Hopkins. 
• Noel Roebuck has always loved our club’s Valentines banquets because of the conversations shared amongst friends that demonstrate the close bonds shared between members and friends.
• John Cano didn’t have a moment of inspiration to share…yet. He says it’s in development.

What a busy two weeks it’s been! 

At our March 3rd meeting, Immediate Past President Ed Randle won the Happy Dollars pot by picking the black marble! The past few months have been fun playing our little game of chance that benefits The Eliminate Project. Keep on playing, and maybe you’ll win next time!

On March 8th, members of our club visited the Kiwanis Club of Austin-Golden K at the Lamar Senior Center. President Raymond Miller and Past Lieutenant Governor Bill Gordon represented us well by speaking on the latest news of our club. One member from the Golden K club shared her appreciation of the vocal talents of our members when she visited us a few weeks ago.

At the March 10 meeting, President-Elect John Cano provided a recap of the 62nd annual convention of the Texas-Oklahoma District of CKI. Dozens of students from across the two states gathered to learn new professional and service-leadership skills, elect new officers for the district, and to celebrate their many achievements. Our club also received a new banner patch for John’s recent donation as a CKI alumnus to the district’s Legacy Fund, an endowed fund held with the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis Foundation that, when fully funded, will provide ongoing financial support to the district. 

Hope you’re ready for a new service opportunity! The Dottie Jordan Recreation Center in the University Hills neighborhood is hosting their first Teen Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt. We’re pitching in by staffing the activity tables, hiding the eggs before sunset, and providing any other requested assistance. This should be a great opportunity to get engaged with the community!

Our next inter-committee meeting is scheduled for March 24th at 6:30pm at the H-E-B on 51st St in the Mueller Market District. We’ll be in the community room working out details of our activities related to our priority areas of service, membership, fundraising, and support for our sponsored service leadership programs. 

Last week we had a great presentation from Dr. Eric Dieter, Executive Director of Pre-College Academic Readiness Programs, of the UT Division of Diversity & Community Engagement. He shared some great details about the variety of programs in Austin and across the state that are helping improve higher education outcomes for scores of youth.

This week we’re glad to welcome Erin Douglas, Membership Director of the YMCA of Austin, as our guest speaker. Erin has been part of the Y movement for over 11 years. She believes strongly that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. We are all in charge of our attitudes. In her spare time, she enjoys live music and singing.

March 4-6 is also the Texas-Oklahoma District of CKI’s annual convention. Members from colleges and universities across the district will gather to learn develop professional skills, vote on changes to district bylaws, elect a new district board of officers, compete for scholarships, and celebrate the service and leadership accomplishments of the members and chapters. Our own President-Elect and past Governor of the Texas-Oklahoma District of CKI, John Cano, will be in attendance and will provide a summary at our club meeting on March 10.

Don’t forgot about National Pancake Day on March 8th! Volunteer shifts will be posted very soon on our club site’s  Club Projects page.