Kiwanis Club of La Cañada

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

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 are Welcome

Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada, CA 91011

Upcoming Events

December 4, 2008
Kiwanis Board Meeting
7:00 PM @ LCF Community Center

December 10, 2008
Chuck Sambar - Traveling in Exotic Asia
Wednesday Lunch Meeting @ Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens

DECEMBER 14, 2008
HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS PARTY
CARL CHRISTENSEN’S STUDIO

December 17,2008
Caroline Craven, speaker, “Shooting Wild Animals in Africa”
Wednesday Lunch Meeting @ Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens

DECEMBER 24, 2008, AND DECEMBER 31, 2008, THE CLUB IS DARK

December 30, 2008
DON CANADAY, KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT 2008-2009
ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT’S INTERCLUB LUNCHEON
12;00 – 2:00 pm, University Club of Pasadena, 175 North Oakland, Pasadena
$40.00 per person for lunch
Contact Nick Berkuta, Interclub Chair

Click on the following button to view
the long term calendar

OPENING

Jack Dawson leads all to singing a rendition of “God Bless America”

Bob Wallace leads the Pledge of Allegiance

Howard Backer provides an invocation and a poem, “Can You Sleep While the Wind Blows”

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monthly Board Meeting at 7pm on the 4^th at La Canada Community Center

Howard Backer reminds all about the Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis Doctors and to drop a donation in the cans located on the tables.

LCF Chamber of Commerce is holding their Festival of Lights on the 4^th at 4pm. Santa arrives at 5.

LCF Chamber is having their membership and board meeting on the 18^th at 6:30pm at Oakmont C.C.

Frosty Boyd informs all about Hal Thomas and a memorial for Julia Thomas is being held at La Canada United Methodist Church on the 11^th

Christmas Party on the 14^th. Over 60 have signed up thus far.

Interclub opportunity on the 30^th held at the University Club in Pasadena. Sponsored by the Pasadena chapter. Kiwanis Int’l president, Don Canaday, is the honored speaker. Contact Nick Berkuta for additional info.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

A rendition of “Welcome, Welcome Back” by Jack Dawson and others on the return of Don Voss and Jim Edwards

Jim Edwards Don Voss

Mary Gant is honored for bringing in numerous guests

Norm Johnson is celebrating a new birthday today. He tells us of his early days as a milkman at Carnation and a visit to the World’s Fair in San Francisco where television is the highlight. Nowadays computers are at the technical forefront where the World Wide Web is the main attraction. The newsletter is readily available on the web and efforts are needed by all members to help.

THE PROGRAM

Nick Berkuta introduces Lawrence Mortenson, president of LM Consulting, a marketing and management consulting firm. A native of Minneapolis, he attained a degree in English from Duke and holds an MBA from Washington University, St. Louis.

Accolades to his credit include fluency in Japanese, a black belt in taekwondo, and numerous performances of classical piano in concert.

Executive coaching is one of his mainstays. Today’s presentation, “Three Strategies for Thriving in Tough Times”, highlights the opportunities before us despite the bleakness that is present.

Much has happened in the last four months. How many remember the Beijing Olympics? Or perhaps that China only twenty years ago was mostly an agrarian society riding bicycles for transportation. Change is present. Obama gave a powerful speech and then Sarah Palin arrives on the scene to change the game. Wall Street’s meltdown and bailout was sudden and changed the game again. The attacks in Mumbai reminded us that much is going on.

A slide presents itself and the lesson is that long hours do not equate to success. If that were the case then hamsters on a wheel would be our goal in life.

Ignoring a problem will not make it go away.

It takes the right focus, developing strong roots and finally taking action to be a success in life.

Ali Hafed’s Journey tells of a man who has it all. He has a wife, family and a farm that suits him. That is until a Buddhist priest tells him of the worth of diamonds. A diamond will bring him great happiness and wealth. He sells his worldly possessions and takes leave of his family to go out and search for these diamonds. Travels get him nowhere and he dies penniless. The new owner of the farm once held by Hafed finds a peculiar sparkle in a stream running through the land. The aforementioned priest hears this and proclaims that Ali Hafed has returned. Alas that is not so.

The moral of the story is that success may be right in your own backyard at your feet.

Mr. Mortenson invites us all to submit our business cards to him as he states that many will forget this presentation within a few days but follow ups will go a long way to remind us.

HAPPY & SAD BUCKS

Jeb Long has happy bucks over two wins by his alma mater, Texas. Unfortunately he also has a sad buck since his Red River rival, Oklahoma, defeated its intra-state foe, Oklahoma State, to become #2 in the BCS thus denying Texas a BCS title shot.

Mary Gant has happy bucks in regards to Thanksgiving in Dinuba.

Daryal Gant has happy bucks since Norm Johnson has stopped talking. (presumably about the newsletter in this reporter’s opinion. Or perhaps over the World Wide Web.)

Pat Anderson is giving happy bucks over the efforts by two members of the La Canada City Council to give relief to residents who are in sewer districts 4 and 6, possibly 5 as well. The battle continues at the California Water Resources Board.