Officers

President
Dave Maloney

Pres Elect
Bill Muffi

Vice President
Mick Hickman

Secretary
Terry Proescholdt

Treasurer
Debbi Matthews

Immediate Past
President
Phil Pople

Directors

2008-2009
Charlie Mertz
Eric Gatrell

2008-2010
Joe Vitanza
Larry Fellows
Christine Semon

Committee Chairs

Community Service
Debbi Matthews

Young Children: Priority One
Ed Crawford

Sponsored Youth
Christine Semon

Public Relations
Dave Maloney

Fund Raising
Joe Vitanza

Membership Growth & Education
Frank Parker

Interclubs
Brenda Edwards

Human & Spiritual Values
Mick Hickman

Nov 6 - Board Meeting

Nov 13 - Shawn Dennison, Scott Key Center

Nov 20 - Dr. Ray Ediger: Trip to South America

Nov 27 - Thanksgiving (no meeting)

Dave's Corner by Pres. Dave Maloney

Note the above calendar. Have a project or activity that should be listed? Email me and I will see it gets posted so we call keep track of upcoming events. Notice, too, the right column. Brenda compiled a list of Div. 9 club meeting dates and times. Attend another club's meeting whenever you can!

Treas. Terry informs me that our club has been given the dubious honor of being volunteered by Kiwanis International for an IRS audit! Oh, what fun! Thankfully, our club has always done a great job of keeping its books in order, all required annual IRS forms submitted, are expenditures in line with not-for-profit guidelines, and we, too, have a relationship with the Community Foundation of Frederick County which has its own guidelines, thus keeping our CFFC activities proper as well. So, other that Terry and Debbi having to do some research and form-filling, the audit should go without a hitch.

I'll be working with a couple of you to complete a Capital District-devised Excel spreadsheet to help the District as well as our club plan better for the future. We will enter amounts and proposed targets for service hours, fundraising dollars raised, fundraising dollars spent, number of sponsored leadership programs (SLPs), and club membership (including CKI and Key Club). Click on the image to the right to get a better idea of what we are doing.

This month wraps up our fruit sales fund raiser, and on Dec. 5th we begin our annual giftwrap fundraising effort. Empty giftwarp slots are plentiful, so visit the site often and email me your preferred times. Remembers, Slot #1 MUST be filled by a Kiwanian so be sure to fill those slots first. Plan on wrapping often. We have fewer workers than last year and will be counting on you as well as our volunteers. Larry has the paper. Charlie has bows and tapes. The contract with the mall has been signed. So for now we should be all set other than needing more sign ups.

Committee Chairs (especially those with club contributions to present to recipients), be sure to work with Mick to begin scheduling the recipients to attend a club meeting to receive their checks. This year we plan on presenting all checks at club meetings to improve publicity. Also, some need coordination with the CFFC for presentation. Debbi will work with you on those.

At this month's board meeting Bill Butts from the Mt. Airy club will help lead us in a brief discussion of membership growth and retention. We will be presenting a CD entitled "Closing the Back Door" which will discuss various issues regarding growth and retention. Next month we will present a brief CD on a membership growth initiative by the Grundy club which was very successful. Regarding growth, I enjoy the District's Growth Team messages which address these critical issues. I post them in the eBuilder. Here is the most current one.

I spoke with David, our hotel manager, who advised me that the hotel just converted to aluminum cans! Since he has no recycling program in place for cans, he offered to collect them all back in the kitchen for us to pickup weekly!

Thanks to Larry for hauling his trailer to Monrovia to help me pick up a Scott's yard tractor that Tracy Bemiller donated to the club. A tire was flat, but it started right up. Larry had to push hard to get me and the tractor (running on a flat) up a steep incline, but that boy is strong! The tractor is several years old, but I cut my yard with it, so it works great. It's under a tarp in my yard for now. We can put it on CraigsList next spring to benefit our admin account.

Members, Mick Hickman reminds you to please save the pink lids on Yoplait yogurt for the cure for breast cancer drive.

"I don't care if it's just one. It will be welcomed. I will be collecting them until the end of December. The cure for breast cancer could not be a better cause to donate to. Again all you have to do is give me the lid & I will take care of everything else," Mick says. For more information about the drive click here.

Civil War historians and authors CW and Rhonda-Lee Whitehead recently spoke to the club about military and civilian life in the Harpers Ferry area during the Civil War. Growing up in Harpers Ferry and studying at Shepherd College gave CW great incite into the history of the area. Authors of two novels set in the Civil War era, "Sabers & Roses" and "Northern Fire," CW and Rhonda-Lee brought copies of their books with them and read exciting excerpts as well. They also brought rare photos of the Harpers Ferry area taken area during the Civil War era to share with club members. Pictured (L to R), CW and Rhonda-Lee Whitehead show their two recently-published books to club member Frank Parker.

Recently Frederick Area Little League Pres. Rick Wilson visited the Kiwanis Club of Suburban Frederick to present the club with a team plaque and to thank the club for its continued support of the local Little League program. Wilson presented a brief history of the league and shared some early photographs of the league's first game which was held in Baker Park in 1954. Pictured (L to R), club members Joe Vitanza and Eric Gatrell (holding the team plaque) inspect the photos being held by Rick Wilson.

Wags for Hope founder, Gabe O'Neill, was recently presented with a check in the amount of $300 by the Kiwanis Club of Suburban Frederick in support of his non-profit organization which provides volunteers with their pets to bring joy to the lives of others by calling on nursing homes, assisted living and hospice facilities, and even local libraries and schools to help improve the literacy skills of the children in our community. Pictured (L to R), Gabe O'Neill accepts the club's contribution from club member Phil Pople.

Elin Ross, founder of Cakes for Cause, recently spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Suburban Frederick explaining how her love for baking combined with her career in social activism lead to the creation of a program designed to teach the restaurant business to at-risk youth through a vocational program that combines bakery production and restaurant management in a structured six-month curriculum. Those who participate will be paid a stipend and will receive assistance with follow-up job placement or additional culinary and hospitality education. Pictured (L to R) Elin Ross presents a limited edition Cakes for Cause post card to Mick Hickman, club V.P. Kiwanis is a service organization of volunteers committed to helping the youth and the needy of Frederick county.

9-year-old MaryMargaret O'Neill and her Dad, Gabe O'Neill, visited our club recently to explain their new non-profit venture aimed at promoting the good deeds accomplished by children. Kids are Heroes is a web site giving recognition to children who unselfishly give of their talents and time to raise funds or do good deeds to help the sick, needs, and less fortunate. Picture are Gabe and MaryMargaret.