September 2022 KI Notes

International Convention Report for 2022 pg.26 ISSUE NO. 24 BE Kiwanis Pg.22 A Publication of the Texas-Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International DCON Recap pg.8 KI-NOTES September 2022 Contact us Governor: Brad "Governor B" McKenzie Governor-elect: Patrick McCage Immediate Past Governor: Paul Heinz KI Notes Staff The first Kiwanis Club in what is now the Texas-Oklahoma District, was officially completed February 10, 1917, at Dallas, Texas, with a membership of 200. Due to the increasing number of clubs across the country members realized the need of setting up the District organization. In October 1918, the Dallas Club selected one of its members to serve as interim Governor of the Texas-Oklahoma District until an organization conference could be arranged. The first meeting was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and on February 10, 1919, the Texas-Oklahoma District was organized. 3 M&M Team rolls out biggest membership incentive ever! 4 Governor's Message 8 DCON Recap 14 Our District 16 A Look at Clubs 26 International Convention Report for 2022 29 Kiwanis Children's Fund 30 In Loving Memory 31 Editor's Message www.instagram.com/texas.oklahoma.kiwanis/ Contents www.txokkiwanis.org https://twitter.com/txokkiwanis For any new members added September 2022. If your new members from September are in good standing for 2022-2023, the M&M team will reimburse your Adm. account their 20/21 dues! That can be a savings of up to $19.50 per new member! Any current member who sponsors a new member during this time will become a member of the Governor B's K-Club! 2022-2023 dues for these members must be paid prior to any rebate checks. Checks will be issued beginning Nov. 1 2022. For questions contact TxOkdistrict@gmail.com. 21-22 District Officers Editor: Evelyn Herrera District Marketing Chair: Marshall Kregel txokdist@swbell.net P.O. Box 13160, Arlington 76094-3160 817-640-7711 OUR STORY texas oklahoma district M&M Team rolls out biggest membership incentive ever! www.facebook.com/texasoklahomakiwanis Texas Oklahoma Kiwanis District  Governor's Message Brad "Governor B" McKenzie "BE POSITIVE BE INTENTIONAL BE A SERVANT LEADER Here's a woo!" - Gov. B Howdy to all my Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanians, What an amazing year this has been, especially the past couple of months. DCON 2022 is in the books, and it was indeed the greatest DCON the Mighty TX-OK District has had in three years, well it is the only DCON we have had in three years, but still, it was an amazing time filled with all the WOOOs we had hoped and dreamed. What a phenomenal blessing it was to be with over 250 Kiwanians from around the district, many Key Club and CKI members, and several special guests from KI. It was especially a blessing to have Kiwanis International President Peter Mancuso and KI First Lady Karen. They were a delight to get to know and an honor to have participate in our sessions. President Peter Mancuso and First Lady Karen both truly embody the Kiwanis spirit and Kiwanis life of servant leadership. Our family looks forward to being friends with the Mancusos for years to come. In my experience and belief, leadership and serving others cannot be separated. To be a leader is to be a servant leader working to not only make the world a better place but to lead others to do the same. I got into Kiwanis because I wanted to serve without it being expected of me and find out what good was happening in our community and partner with what was already happening. When I became a new member of the Kiwanis Club in Pasadena, TX ten years ago, I never dreamed of the impact this amazing organization would have not only on my ability to serve in the community, but even more, the impact it would have on me personally and professionally, especially in leadership development. No one in leadership can exist without others helping, supporting, encouraging, and serving alongside as a team put together to do more than can be done alone. I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude as our 21/22 Kiwanis year comes to a close. I want to express my gratitude to the amazing Kiwanis Club of Baytown, TX. They have been amazing to be my home club for the past couple of years. I also want to thank the Kiwanis Club of Pasadena, TX. They were so gracious to bring me into Kiwanis almost a decade ago. I will always be thankful! My sincere gratitude to the 21/22 trustees and board members, especially the other officers, Al, Scott, Paul, and Patrick. All these servant leaders are an inspiration to me. I especially want to thank District Secretary Al Richard for his amazing help this year. A huge amount of thanks and appreciation to the 21/22 class of Lieutenant Governors. No governor can have any success without outstanding LTGs. I was blessed to have many in this class go above and beyond to serve their divisions and district. My essential team of Kelly Poland, Marshall Kregel, Susan Hennum, Colleen Biggerstaff, John Cano, Al Richard, Courtney Harris, and of course Laura Arnhart. This team met with me almost every week to discuss various issues, concerns, ideas, and plans. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I especially want to thank Kelly Poland for literally keeping me on track this past year! The DCON team of Adrian Thompson, Kelly Poland, Tyler Thompson, John Cano, Marshall Kregel, Al Richard, and Laura Arnhart, it was not just a joy to work with you, but I want to thank you all for helping create the DCON of my dreams! My International Trustee, Michael Mulhaul, you have been such a blessing, encouragement, and inspiration to me, thank you for the support and accountability! Brad Boyd, thank you for being the greatest example of what Kiwanis goodness looks like and for being the greatest Brad in all of Kiwanis! To Perritte Memorial United Methodist Church and Bonita United Methodist Church, I am so thankful not just for the freedom to serve as Governor, but for the encouragement and empowerment to serve as I have also served as your pastor during this time. Emily, Anna Claire, and Jack, what can I say? No leader can truly be the best of themselves without a family of support behind them. Thank you for sharing me with the district for these years of service. Thank you for putting up with the early morning departures and late night arrivals and the times I had to be out of town. I love and appreciate each of you more than I can ever explain! Lastly, I want to talk about family. Kiwanis has become for our family our second family, our service family. Something we may not think about very often is how important our K Family is to our personal life. Yes, our servant leadership efforts are for the purpose of helping others, but for so many of us, the Kiwanis family has enriched our lives more than we can ever understand. This year I have focused on BE Kiwanis: Be Positive (WOOO), Be Intentional, and BE a Servant Leader. I have saved one last BE in Be Kiwanis for this year and I shared it at DCON. BE Family! I will never forget this year, I will always cherish this time with club, divisional, and regional visits, Key Club, Circle K, and special times at ICON and of course DCON in Georgetown. I would like to ask that more than anything over the coming years as we finish this decade, the soaring 20’s as Brad Boyd calls them, let’s focus on Being Family more than we ever have! I need all of you in my life and I hope in the years to come you will continue to involve me and my family in your lives. We need to serve, we need to belong, we need each other, and we need Kiwanis! Let’s continue to BE Kiwanis! Let’s continue to WOOO! With all sincerity, in the spirit of service, and in LOVE and appreciation, Brad "Governor B" McKenzie Governor Texas Oklahoma District Kiwanis International www.txokkiwanis.org www.kiwanis.org C We love seeing new clubs in action! Check out this great video. WOOO! Plug-N-Play August Back to school - provide school supplies to local schools National Dog month - provide supplies or donate time to local pet shelter September Intergeneration Month - participate with SLPs at local nursing home event Host a Tailgate at your local high school or college football game Upcoming PLUG-N-PLAY ideas... C Highlights A volunteer Kiwanis chorus got the crowd in the inspirational spirit for the district's memorial service to honor those Kiwanians who have passed this year. This session also had special presentations for Layperson of the Year and the Past Lt. Governor Association’s Extra Mile Award. District CONvention memorial Service & Presentation DISTRICT CONVENTION 2022 Georgetown Morning workshops kicked off to a great start! Key Club members, advisors, and exhibitors were ready to visit with attendees. Many members were able to join in on engaging educational presentations. WorkShops Service KickOff The opening session of the 104th annual district convention kicked off with the Boy Scouts Troop 155 of Georgetown presenting the colors. Before the district's big kickoff, members had a great time giving back to the host community. Volunteers cleaned up trash at Rivery Park in Georgetown, Texas. This project was inspired by Jack McKenzie’s (Governor B’s son) desire to protect and beautify the environment. August 4th, 2022-August 7th, 2022 Division 35 Lt. Governor Randy Roewe trying to be incognito as he votes on his secret ballot. Division 5 at the governor’s ball . The magical team behind all the audio and video during the special events. Adrian Thompson on far left then Chris Do then Kelly Poland then Tyler Thompson. snapshots We raised 4000 dollars for the families and children in Uvalde,Texas. International President Peter Mancuso with his wife Karen and Governor Brad McKenzie Saturday night during the governor banquet. The McKenzie and Mancuso Families. Kay Geurin, from the Kiwanis Club of New Braunfels, was recognized as Layperson of the Year during the convention. Gold 1st - Kiwanis Club of Abilene Blue 1st (tie) - Kiwanis Club of Arlington and Kiwanis Club of Mineola White 1st (tie) - Kiwanis Club of South Montgomery County, The Woodlands and Kiwanis Club of Fort Worth Division 1st - Division 1 Kathy Culbertson (second from left) was elected as Governor-Elect for 2022-2023 and Governor for 2023-2024. She will follow Governor Patrick McCage who will serve his term as Governor next year after Governor Brad McKenzie retires on Sept. 30th. Layperson of the Year Announcements Bulletin & Newsletter Contest Winners Gold 1st - Kiwanis Club of Abilene 2nd - Kiwanis Club of Denton Blue 1st - Kiwanis Club of Arlington 2nd - Kiwanis Club of Lubbock White 1st - Kiwanis Club of New Braunfels 2nd (Tie) - Kiwanis Club of The Highland Lakes and Kiwanis Club of Austin-Northeast Division 1st - Division 1 election Facebook & Website Contest Winners Mark you calendars for Saturday, September 24, at the Abilene Convention Center. The Kiwanis Club of Abilene will be serving pancakes from 8am-2pm & 4pm-7pm. Tickets are available for purchase now from one of their Kiwanians. Ticket Prices: $7 in advance $8 at the door Children under 5, accompanied by a paying adult, eat free. OUR DISTRICT KIWANIS TEXAS-OKLAHOMA DISTRICT   The Kiwanis Club of the Texas Hill Country is holding an online auction from 5:00 AM September 6th through 5:00 PM September 13th, 2022, to benefit the children of the Bulverde Spring Branch Community. Kiwanis Club of PLano On Level and Ready to Learn Submitted by Jeanette Kelley Alamo Kiwanis Club Fiesta Noche del Rio Submitted by Courtney Fallway Fiesta Noche del Rio is one of the most well-known annual events produced by Alamo Kiwanis. It is the longest-running outdoor musical revue of its kind in the U.S. It features dancers and singers with music from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Texas. This festive event has been celebrated for over 65 years, this latest production having happened from June 10th to August 6th. To keep track of this event you can visit their webpage fiestanochesa.com or Facebook page www.facebook.com/fiestanochedelrio. Creating massive impact one project at a time. Books and Buddies service initiative at its heart has a specific focus to provide bilingual books to local kids. Our committee has been busy. The parents are ready, the schools, libraries, and community groups are ready. Plano Kiwanis is ready. To get there we have submitted grant applications to Walmart, visited with local elementary school principals, and delivered 100 bilingual books to Forman Elementary's graduating kindergarten class. When and where is that quiet space for parent and child to read together in this busy distracted world? Why in the waiting/examining rooms until the doctor arrives. A wonderful opportunity to sneak in some quiet time reading time. Sole practitioners and clinics received books. We have formalized a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club/Salvation Army 14th Street location for an after school select reading program. Ferst Readers out of Atlanta, Georgia received an order to supply appropriate books along with a leader’s guide. Tiffany Jones Boys & Girls Club unit director and Kiwanis member is leading this project. We do not forget Head Start located at Meadows Elementary. Among other year-round activities, Books and Buddies will provide 75 age-appropriate bilingual books to a “Meet the Teacher” event in August. Parent turnout promises to be significant. Without parental buy-in, books are just an unused tool waiting for the hand to embrace it. A Look at Clubs National Hot Dog Day Kyle-Buda Kiwanis partnered with the Rotary Club of Kyle, Texas on National Hot Dog Day! “This was a first in Kyle, but will not be the last time," said club president Cynthia Bentley concerning the partnership with the Rotary Club of Kyle, Texas. This statement was the same from incoming President Ron Martin of the Rotary Club of Kyle. The club gives a special thanks to AMVET POST 115 for hosting the event! They gave out 150 hot dogs and all the fixings! Thanks to Kyle-Buda Kiwanis corporate member, Suds Deluxe Car Wash, in Kyle, AMVET POST 115, Kyle Rotary CLUB, and Unforgettable Families and Friends for donating all the food. School Supply Drive The Kyle-Buda Kiwanis in partnership with Kyle Police Department, Buda Police Department, Unforgettable Families and Friends, the City of Buda, and Kyle Park and Parkways Department, kicked off its annual school supplies drive on July 1st. Over 450 children have received backpacks filled with supplies to have a successful 2022-2023 school year. Supplies were donated by the citizens in Kyle and Buda, Texas. School supplies were given out to registered children at Kyle’s Market Days on August 13th. Walk-In families were also welcomed. Supporting The community Book Giveaway The Kiwanis Club of Kyle Buda, Texas will be at Kyle Market Days every 2nd Saturday of the month. The event is at Mary Kyle Hartson Park (on the square). Kyle Buda Kiwanis signature program is encouraging children to read! This past year they have given out over 3000 free new books out to children in their community! Submitted by Cynthia Bentley The Kiwanis Club of Kyle-Buda has been immersed in various acts of service these past few months. From donations to events- the club stays very active all year round. The following are just a few examples of what the club has been up to. Toy Donations Kyle-Buda and the Kyle Police Department responded to Councilman Robert Rizo’s request for donation of toys and stuffed animals for Uvalde, Texas. Five large bags of toys and stuffed animals were donated. Business Recognition Kyle Buda Kiwanis recognizes that it cannot be successful without their community businesses. Certificates of appreciation were give to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Kyle, Wendy’s, Kyle, Texas and Dairy Queen (DQ), Kyle, TX. Submitted by James Augenstein The club's semi-annual peach sale resulted in 150 boxes sold. There are 22 pounds of peaches per box at $50 per box. The proceeds fund the club's local scholarships. The club recently added additional money to each scholarship and a career and technical education (CTE) scholarship. On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, after the club's heat hiatus for the past few weeks, a 9-man GGK ramp crew built an 18-foot ramp in Greenville Texas. This ramp is a major milestone as it achieves over two miles of ramps built since 2010 when Greenville Golden K started building ramps for the Texas Ramp Project. They passed the mark by approximately ten feet and based on an average ramp length of about twenty-five feet, they only need to build 211 more ramps to reach three miles. This ramp was installed off a concrete porch. The club appreciates the Hilti hammer drill/driver when they have to mount to concrete. It makes the job much easier. From warehouse to completion took nine volunteers 3 hours for 27 hours. With 3 hours for modules and two for the survey, a total of thirty-two volunteer hours were expended. This is ramp #1 for August, #30 for the Kiwanis Year and # 423 total ramps built. Greenville Golden K would like to thank their long-time contributors Texas Ramp Project (matching funds), Hunt Memorial Hospital District Tobacco Grant, Hunt County United Way, Dee and Mary Jean Hilton for the warehouse space which is used for material storage and module construction. In addition, there are many additional ‘pay-it-forward’ contributions from clients and friends over the years. Onward toward the next mile of ramps! SW OKC Helps get Jump on the New School Year! Greenville Golden Kiwanis Ramp Building Submitted by Pat Bowman The Denton Breakfast Kiwanis Club entered this year’s City of Denton Yankee Doodle 4th of July Parade. Their entry depicted Betsy Ross presenting the first US flag to George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. It was a crowd favorite and the judges awarded is the Most Patriotic entry in the parade. Kiwanis Club of Lampasas, Texas Peach Sale Submitted by Jackie Baltrun The Denton Breakfast Kiwanis Club July Parade Submitted by Joe Holland The SW Oklahoma City Kiwanians helped provide Backpacks loaded with school supplies to well over 625 underprivileged students. The club spent four hours on a Friday transporting the three pallets of school supplies and two pallets of backpacks from the storage facility to a church for distribution to children of “Grand-Parents that raise their Grandchildren”. This is a program known as “GRGC” in Oklahoma County. Saturday the club members worked from 7:30 AM until 1:00 PM registering and assisting the grandkids and Grandparents to pick up the supplies and to visit with social services providers. Each family was also provided additional boxes of food provided by the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department. The Kiwanis Club has teamed up with Oklahoma County Sheriff’s department and Sunbeam Family Services to solicit, screen, and process applications of families that are being raised by Seniors (Grandparents) because the parents are incarcerated or just have abandoned their children. These are homes where the parents do not live or function. The Grandparents must provide all support, love, and guidance. These seniors do this on their retirement and/or Social Security income. Sunbeam Family Services tries to find and connect families with additional support services. SW Kiwanis has partnered with the group for over Twenty years. The club makes a large donation each year and assists with the distribution of school supplies. Starting in October and November the club members will shop for the children from their “Christmas Wish Lists”. Last year there were 697 children from 232 families that were shopped for and presents wrapped. What has ALWAYS amazed the club members is the wish list is items of necessity. The lists include pajamas, underwear, socks, toothpaste, pants, shirts, and of all things; sheets and pillowcases. Many of the lists request something for Grandma! TX-OK Governor Brad McKenzie presenting club President, Monty Murry The George F. Hixson Fellowship. Texarkana, Texas Mayor Bob Bruggeman presenting both Governor Brad McKenzie, and our Region 7 Trustee, Marty Mullins with city pins. BE Kiwanis Kiwanis Club of Texarkana focuses on serving the children of their community. The Kiwanis Club of Texarkana has fought hard over this past year to recover from Covid, and we have succeeded. Our weekly attendance has doubled in size, and we have welcomed 21 new members so far this year. Our goal has been to increase our service to the community, and the community has noticed. We have two very active Key Clubs and one Action Club. Our Texas High School Key Club had 54 members, none of which were seniors, and our Redwater High School Key Club had 49 members. Our Action Club at Haven Home has 15 members. Each of these clubs has been instrumental in the success of our various projects throughout the year, including the Pancake Day fundraiser, Trunk or Treat, Christmas party for the Children’s Home, Scout-O-Rama, and many more. With a lot of hard work and thinking outside the box, we set a record high for the club with our Pancake Day fundraiser held back in March. On July 22, we held our Annual Awards Banquet, with Governor Brad McKenzie, and our Region 7 Trustee, Marty Mullins, in attendance. $40,000 in grants and scholarships were awarded to 29 charities and 5 scholarship winners from our Sophomore of the year contest. We also contributed to the Texarkana College Presidential Scholarship Fund, and to our endowment at Texarkana College, instituted by us in 1982, and which is now their largest endowment, worth over one million dollars. Our charities included 4 States Youth Flyers, Arresting Designs, Bikers Against Child Abuse, Boy Scouts of America, CASA, CAST For Kids, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Domestic Violence Prevention, First Choice Pregnancy Center, For The Sake Of One, Greater Texarkana Autism Awareness, Hospice of Texarkana, I Am A Hero, K.I.D.S. Day Camp, Kids Run The Line Too, Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties, Mission Texarkana, Opportunities, Inc., Runnin’ WJ Ranch, Shop With A Cop, Stuff The Bus, TAPD P.R.I.D.E., TASD Care Closet, Texarkana Resources for the Disabled, and Watersprings Ranch. We also presented several awards to our members, including the George F. Hixson Fellowship to our President, Monty Murry; Kiwanian of The Year to our President-Elect, James Syler; Shining Star to Barbara Walker; Rising Star to Ryan Murry; The Joe Morris Aced Attendance Award to Joe Morris for his 51 years of perfect attendance; The High Five Award to our Fire Chief, Eric Schlotter for sponsoring two new members, while being a new member himself; The Above and Beyond Award to J.W. Bramlett, one of our newest members, for purchasing 100 pancake day tickets and donating them all to the high school athletic department; The Behind the Scenes Award to our Assistant Secretary, Micki Wright; and the “You’re The Best” award to our Secretary, Lauren Lane, for the invaluable work she does for our club. Kiwanis Club of Texarkana will be turning 100 years old next year, and we have 99 days of service planned leading up to our Centennial Celebration. There is a lot of excitement within our club this year, which has increased our service to the community, which has, in turn, increased our growth in membership, and that, of course, is increasing our excitement even more. May the cycle never end. Submitted by Barbara Walker Pancakes & Play While struggling to gain new members, we have had a successful spring and summer. Although our annual Pancake Festival had to be postponed from its traditional January date due to Covid (on request from the Hospital District and the County Health Department), we were able to reschedule it for April 23. With the support of faithful pancake aficionados and an advertising grant from Four Stars Auto in Henrietta, we were able to serve over 6,600 people (not counting children 6 and under or 225 volunteers including Key Club members). This was our 66th annual Festival. We were honored to have Governor Brad attend and flip pancakes with us. Our normal attendance is between 9,000-12,000 people, and we hope to achieve that level in January 2023. We also put the finishing touches on our playground for 2 to 5-year-old children, the only playground in the city of Wichita Falls built specifically for this age. We were able to install shades over the four benches around the playground with the help of a grant from the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation. The playground was supported by numerous grants from our community. Without them, we could not have had such a wonderful playground installed by Landscape Structures. Planning began in 2019, installation began in 2020, the playground itself was completed in 2021, and the bench shades were completed in July 2022. Total expenditure was over $220,000, with $100,000 coming from our club. Our club president-elect and his spouse (the incoming vice president) were able to attend the Kiwanis International Convention and brought back a report to the club on world-wide activities. It is great to belong to such a community of volunteers. University Kiwanis Club of Wichita Falls uplifts their community this season. Submitted by Mary Rhoads International Convention Report for 2022 Submitted by Courtney Fallway Some flew, some drove, and some added the event to a family event already planned. Nearly 40 people from the Texas-Oklahoma District attended this year's Kiwanis International Convention in Indy, and what a worthwhile time we had! Wednesday The convention started with the opportunity to visit the Kiwanis International Office. Tours took members throughout the building, including showcase rooms with pieces of Kiwanis history as well as the KI boardroom and the offices of the president and executive director. Texas-Oklahoma attendees caught up with each other during the welcome reception that afternoon back at the convention center. Booths in the Kiwanis Exhibit hall included information about Landscape Structures, Two-for-Two, and next year's convention in Minneapolis. Each candidate running for office also had a table for conversations prior to the election. A few of our distinguished leaders were invited to end the evening at the dinner honoring distinguished districts and other districts that made noteworthy accomplishments during the 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021 Kiwanis years. Thursday Members were invited to celebrate the signature project contest and the hard work of clubs around the club. The opening session included words of wisdom from Keynote Speaker Jimmy Casas. He reminded us, "We are all here because people helped us get here." His takeaway was that the four most powerful words are I need your help. We took a break for the first fellowship lunch - what tasty tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches! And so much more. Lunch buffets included in the registration fee was new this year, and we approved! After lunch was a Kiwanis launchpad, a collective session where we got to hear from a handful of speakers covering different topics that impact the lives of children near and far. Those topics were covered in greater depth during the workshop period that followed. The day ended with Kiwanis Night at Victory Field, complete with a barbecue supper and an exciting win by the Indianapolis Indians. Friday The second day of the education conference started with community service and caucuses. Early risers teamed up with Meals of Hope to pack food packets with dried meals that were distributed to schools around Indianapolis. The late-sleepers weren't far behind, gathering for the district caucus to discuss the amendments that would be debated and decided during the House of Delegates. We also briefly discussed candidates running for the international trustee and vice president positions. Everyone gathered in the main hall for the second Kiwanis launchpad, followed by a delicious pasta buffet. Two rounds of workshops were followed by another general session, featuring Keynote Speaker Dr. Mae Jemison. She shared advice from her mother: "Helping each student to truly achieve their own level of excellence must be the objective of all educators... To merely offer the goal 'to be number one' is foolish; everyone cannot be number one, and it fails to demand the best of everyone." The district and friends got together for supper at the Yard House. We dined, we gabbed, and we enjoyed a visit from International Trustee Michael Mulhaul. Saturday Elections took place following the Executive Director's state of the organization speech. More than 1,100 delegates were present. The highlight of the nomination speeches was President-designate Bert West's delightful mother. Winners were Steve Ingram, Jackie Sue McFarlin, and Gary Jander for trustee and Lee Kuan Yong for vice president. Katrina Jones Baranko and Bert West were voted into their positions as president-elect and president respectively. That day's fellowship lunch was Governor B's favorite - tacos! When we convened after lunch, debates about the amendments ensued. The amendments that failed focused on remote voting, prohibition on the purchase of alcohol and airfare, and family membership status (proposed amendments 6, 10, 11, and 12). All other amendments passed. The convention wrapped up after the final vote was counted. The celebration included the announcement that Kiwanis (or at least a few members with a Kiwanis flag) had reached the top of the world (Mount Everest) last May. The evening closed with the Celebrating Kiwanis Gala, featuring Michael Vacanaugh and The Downtown Band. Lessons Now that you've read about the day-to-day happenings, here are a few lessons and ideas that this attendee took home. - Dairy products have iodine, so the shift toward nut, soy, and other dairy-free milk is creating a new deficiency in developed nations. - Use an adult spelling bee to raise money for dictionary projects. - Ask previous donors to contribute again. Use donors to inspire each other - "We received this amount from Bank X. Would your bank like to contribute the same?" - Invite assistant or vice principals from current or prospective SLP schools to be members of your club. - When you leave a first meeting with a potential member, whether at his or her office or at your club event, leave the person with an action item. Join us at our next club meeting. Come to our service project next weekend. Complete an application! - Club growth requires 100% membership participation - not just presidents, membership chairs, or club officers. - Membership growth is a service project too. - The riverwalk near downtown Indy was designed by the same person who planned the San Antonio Riverwalk! We made memories, we made friends, and we made plans to attend again next year. We hope you'll join us! Mark your calendar to spend June 21-24, 2023, learning and networking in Minneapolis, Minnesota! Recently, Cheryl and Richard Olmstead moved from California to Texas. They are big supporters of the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. Let’s give them a big Texas-Oklahoma District welcome. Dr. Wil Blechman, the 1990-91 Kiwanis International president, had a profound impact on Kiwanis International. More than any other member, he put Kiwanis on the world stage for early childhood health and development. To honor his work and vision, the KCF created a new recognition level, the Dr. Wil Blechman Fellowship to honor our 74th president. As a Dr. Wil Blechman Fellow, you can help Kiwanians continue to make a difference in the lives of young children. Dr. Wil, who died in 2021 at age 89, embodied the Kiwanis motto of serving the children of the world. A rheumatologist, he quit his medical practice after serving as Kiwanis president to become a full-time advocate for children through Young Children: Priority One. Dr. Wil and his wife, Rachel, focused on projects that provided families in need with essentials, such as vaccinations, nutrition, and reading skills. Dr. Wil Fellowships are awarded to donors who make a gift of US$2,500 to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. It is a way of recognizing Kiwanians’ generosity while remembering Dr. Wil’s passion for childhood development. In fact, gifts support the Kiwanis causes: • Health and nutrition. • Education and literacy. • Youth leadership development. Recipients of the Dr. Wil Fellowship will receive a special lapel pin and can purchase a commemorative shadowbox. Join the Olmsteads and myself, in this inaugural year of the recognition and consider making a gift today to celebrate Dr. Wil’s legacy or to honor a special Kiwanian. Use this URL: https://www.kiwanis.org/childrens-fund/give/dr-wil-blechman-fellowship or the following QR Code (Scan with your phone’s camera and tap the link that pops up). Kiwanis Children’s Fund Submitted by Konrad Brandemuhl Month Division Club Name June 25 Tulsa George Strella June 31 Stilwell Fred Howe June 28 Pasadena Thomas Muilenburg June 31 Tahlequah Ann Wilkins June 8 Durant Robert Howard July 2 Terrell Jim Mayo July 18 Wichita Falls Don Johnston July 33 Borger Merl Richmond July 25 Bartlesville Michael Dronyk August 5 Alamo, San Antonio Elizabeth Barnes August 34 Mineola Norman Anderson August 32 Paris Richard Regan All listed with sympathy and memory. “Unable are the Loved to die, for love is immortality..” – Emily Dickinson KI Notes submissions can be emailed to txokkiwanis@gmail.com. In Loving Memory Texas Oklahoma Kiwanis District  Editor's Message Evelyn Herrera Hello Fellow Kiwanians, Look at us wrapping up the 2022-2023 Kiwanis year. How exciting! I hope you enjoyed this year's final issue. The leadership team has jumped through many hoops to ensure this year went by smoothly. Many members also brought their A-game and showcased just how wonderful being a part of Kiwanis is. As this issue is a delayed issue and was published in September, I want to remind everyone of our next issue's deadline. The deadline for our upcoming issue is currently set as September 25th, 2022. The October issue is a perfect issue for leadership to introduce themselves, for clubs to announce the new year's plans, and more! As we approach a new Kiwanis year I also want to encourage members to think of the endless possibilities this brings. A new year, a new you! Your upcoming club leaders can begin planning for new events, and exciting speakers, and even set up new goals.