The La Kiwanian The Weekly Bulletin of the La Cañada Kiwanis Club Serving the Children of the World

Wednesday,  May 23, 2007

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.

The Kiwanis Club of La Cañada meets every Wednesday at Noon Visitors Welcome Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada, CA  91011

Upcoming Events

May 28, 2007 HAMBURGER BOOTH - Club Fundraiser in Memorial Park Monday afternoon May 30, 2007 FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR TODAY - Justin Phillips Wednesday Lunch Meeting @ Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens June 2, 2007 SOAP BOX DERBY Saturday @ Michigan Hill June 7, 2007 BOARD MEETING FOR CLUB AND FOUNDATION 7:00 p.m. on Thursday Evening @ CitiBank, La Cañada  June 13, 2007 La CañadaN OF THE YEAR Wednesday Lunch Meeting @ Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens June 21, 2007 PET CLINIC - Barkley Community Center Click on the following button to view the long term calendar

The Prez sez . . .   

The Prez sez . . .

... he was responsible for the half empty parking lot today.  We were all relieved to have things "back to normal" and didn't mind letting Prez Steve Hagerty take the credit.  With that brief opening, the Prez turned the meeting over to Paul Westmoreland.  Paul quickly conducted the required voting to elect Mary Gant to the Board of Directors and to elect John Landrum as Treasurer for the 2007-2008 Kiwanis year.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mike Leininger needs a few more hands at 8 a.m. on Monday to set up our booth in Memorial Park for Fiesta Days.   Cooking at our hamburger booth will start at 11 a.m.  and extra help can always be used.  This is a fun fundraiser!

Joel Smith is looking for someone with experience using fiberglass and epoxy.  He is trying to repair two Masters cars for the soap box derby and needs help.

Mary Gant was standing in for Pat Anderson and ran through the list of Fiesta Day activities this weekend.   The Korean dinner and entertainment on Saturday night was a new Fiesta Day's event last year and will be bigger and even better this year.  Our own Joel Peterson has helped spearhead this Korean program of delicious Korean barbeque and entertainment.  The dancing, music and drums, and costumes were amazing last year!

Karl Johnson is looking for 2 drivers for the Soap Box Derby.  Requirements include a vehicle that will carry four children and pull a trailer.

Pat Flynn noted that attendance at our lunch meeting following Fiesta Days is traditionally low ... probably because everyone is worn out.  However, Pat requested a good turnout of members for our lunch meeting next week since we will have a group of Terrific Kids and their parents on May 30.  It helps to have plenty of members to congratulate the Terrific Kids and their parents.

Carl Christensen is in charge of the Soap Box Derby logistics and needs more help setting up on Friday evening and also on Saturday.  Give Carl a call if you can help out.

Diane DellaValle has a huge list of members who have signed up to attend the AM Kiwanis meeting next Wednesday.  Carl Christensen will be the guest speaker and will talk about his trip to China.

Bachy reminded us to support the wonderful work at Childrens' Hospital.

Karl Johnson announced that Rick Harris has been chosen as the La Cañadan of the Year.  Rick is the CEO of the Cal Tech Credit Union and has been very active in our community for many years.   Presentation will be on June 13 at our Wednesday meeting.

Frosty Boyd gave us an SLA update on Dick DeGrey (enjoys an afternoon phone call), Lloyd Welch (struggling with an eye problem), Jeb Long (his stepdaughter is fighting cancer), and Tom Burrows (starting to feel a bit better since the doctors discovered a new medication was causing a lot of his problems).  Hal Thomas had planned on being at the meeting today but ended up taking Julia to the doctor.

THE PROGRAM

Bob Bittinger was out here from the east coast and gave us an update on our orphanage in Bulgaria.  We have been providing all (and the only) medications and vitamins to this orphanage for several years. 

Bob is an amazing Kiwanian.  He adopted his daughter from a Bulgarian orphanage, one son was adopted from Korea, and he has another natural son.  In 1992 when Bob first became involved with the Bulgarian orphanages, there were 30,000 children in orphanages and the conditions were deplorable.  There was a 10 to 1 ratio of adults to children and the employees regularly went unpaid.  It wasn't unusual for all employees to go home at night and leave the orphans alone and locked up in the orphanage.  With the return of free enterprise, an improving economy, and pressure from other European countries, Bulgaria has reduced the number of orphans to 8,902 and closed 52 orphanages.  There are 49 orphanages still open. 

Before Kiwanis Clubs started providing medications and vitamins the death rate was 10%.  It is now down to 2%.   In the past, without medication the children would get so ill they ended up in the hospital and then would be exposed to many other illnesses and carry those germs back to the orphange.  With antibiotics and vitamins, the children don't get as sick and stay out of the hospitals most of the time.  Today there is one adult for every four children in the orphanges.

The money we contribute is taken to Bulgaria where a U.S. Kiwanis member buys the medications from a pharmaceutical company.  The company provides a car and driver, and the Kiwanian spends three weeks personally delivering the medications to every orphange.  Bob gave us a copy of the receipt for the medications that were purchased for our orphanage and encouraged us to keep up our support of this successful program.

HAPPY & SAD BUCKS

Fred Schooley had a Happy Buck and congratulated Prez Steve for clearing out the parking lot.

Gigi Schlueter celebrated the birth of her great nephew Blade with five Happy Bucks.

Daryal Gant's Happy Bucks were for the Dinuba High School reunion he and Paul Westmoreland will be attending this weekend.  Daryal claimed Paul was only going because the class sexpot was going to be there.

Paul Westmoreland had a Happy Gotcha Buck because he has a high school picture of Daryal and the sexpot ... and Daryal is wearing a tiger skin.  Paul threatened to take the picture to the class reunion.

Clyde Hemphill was celebrating because the program for the Soap Box Derby has been completed and just went to the printers.  Clyde lauded Bill Watts and Jim Ackland for selling a record number of program ads and raising well over $4,000.  Definitely worth some Happy Bucks.

Bill Watts offered two Sad Bucks for the ridiculous cocktail napkins provided by Patina today.

Joel Smith thought he was going to have some significant Sad Bucks today.  Yesterday he went to the Montebello county office to get the final approvals for the Soap Box Derby.  Almost every document we are required to provide was deficient, and Joel thought the Soap Box Derby might need to be cancelled.  As he was hanging his head in defeat he noticed a lovely plaque on the counter of the county office; it was the "thank you" plaque we sent the county last year for all the help and cooperation with the 2006 Soap Box Derby.  After Joel pointed to the plaque and the county employees made the connection, all the problems melted away and he was issued all the necessary permits.  Instead of Sad Bucks, Joel was relieved he only had Happy Bucks today.

FACTS AND FICTION

Music:  piano tunes by Ed Moulton and Jack Dawson leading us in Star Spangled Banner and On Kiwanis.

Opening: flag salute by Fred Schooley and the inspiration by Pat Flynn.

Anniversaries & Birthdays:  The Prez was looking for Nick Berkuta and Al Perry, Jr. but they were both no-shows today.  However, Steve spotted Al Restivo sitting in the back of the room.  Al apparently celebrated his birthday several months ago but the Prez didn't catch up with him until today.  Although too shy to take the mic, Al joined the Century Club.  Then Carlos Cortez stepped up and announced he just had his first anniversary and was still very happily married. 

Frosty Challenge:  Frosty had been waiting for this day for a long time; there were no Key Clubbers nor Terrific Kids.  His joke about the greeter at Wal Mart was x-rated funny.  Charles Broberg and Bob Martin took the challenge and tied for best joke.

Fines:   The usual members paid their fines.  Daryal Gant's official Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis shirt had an embroidered Kiwanis pin on the collar, and the Prez tried to build concensus that a Kiwanis pin had to have a sharp point.  He didn't get very far, but Mary Gant was a good sport and put in a dollar for her hubby anyway.  We thought the Prez was finished with the fines when he asked Diane and John Landrum to stand up.  After thanking them for all their hard work on the Travel Adventure programs this year, the Prez reminded them that they missed the last Travel Adventure program to attend the Bingo fundraiser.  It seems their picture was in the paper and there were no Kiwanis pins in sight.  After they paid another fine, John and Diane were allowed to sit down.

Secret Greeter:  Diane Landrum

Fifty-Fifty Drawing:  Bill Watts 

Master of the Cash Box:  Carlos Cortez   

This Week's Editor:  Melinda Thompson

This Week's Photographers:  Paul Westmoreland

This Week's Webmaster and Coordinator:  Jeb Long