Cumulative Member Participation
(Minimum criteria for membership participation is 60%)

Ed Blumenauer 100
Leslie Bruchey100
Ed Crawford 100
Ken Dell 100
Austin Elmaghrabi 100
Larry Fellows 90
Eric Gatrell 100
Mark Gaver
Patrick Haley
Bud Jackson Senior
Jerry Jenkins 100
Jim Krysiek Leave
Glenn Magaha 100
Dave Maloney 100
Charlie Mertz 100
Frank Parker 96
Phil Pople 100
Bob Rankin Senior
Austin Rippeon Senior
Doc Schaden 100
Christine Semon 100
Paul Sheets 100
Ellis Stroup 100
Rob Summers 100
Jim Wiggins 100

Click here for District-wide Calendar of Events

Oct 6 - Christine's Cronies- Board Meeting
Oct 13 - John DuBois - Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney
Oct 20 - FMH -SAFE Program
Oct 27 - Display of c. 1900 Frederick Photos (people, places, events) - Dave Maloney

On Sept. 29, 2005, a standing-room only crowd consisting of members of the Kiwanis Club of Suburban Frederick and guests, Middletown Middle Builders Club, Walkersville High Key Club, and Mt. St. Mary's Univ. Circle K Club witnessed the installation of the 2005-2006 officers for the Kiwanis Club of Suburban Frederick. The ceremony was conducted by Div. 9 Lt. Gov. Jim Jacobs.

LTG Jim Jacobs congratulates incoming and outgoing directors. (L-R: Jerry Jenkins, Larry Fellow, Glenn Magaha, Dave Maloney, LTG Jacobs; not in attendance were Charlie Mertz, Jim Wiggins and Ed Crawford.)
LTG Jacobs, right, inducts '05-'06 Secretary, Rob Summers.
LTG Jacobs inducts '05-'06 Treasurer, Leslie Bruchey.
LTG Jacobs, right, inducts '05-'06 Phil Pople as incoming Vice. Pres.
LTG Jacobs congratulates the incoming '05-'06 Club President, Christine Semon.
LTG Jacobs poses with Div. 9 Circle K LTG Beth Appleton, left, and Div. 9 Key Club LTG Anna Lenhart, right.
New Club President, Christine Semon, poses with her "big" little brother, Dan Bartolo, after the induction ceremony.

Christine's Connections by Pres. Christine Semon

Looking back about seven years ago when Eric Gatrell invited me to my first Suburban Frederick Kiwanis meeting at the Dan Dee Restaurant, I never envisioned myself ever being President the club one day. I have always enjoyed helping out and doing service for people in my community, but usually behind the scenes and not in the limelight. After being inducted into the club in January of 1999, my number of projects I took on and goals in my life slowly started to change.

Initially, I was asked to chair the Youth Services committee and was told to handle the celebrations and events however I would like. Lots of fun and excitement. Then I was asked to help out and be Zone Administrator for Divisions 9 and 19. In this role, I would be chaperoning and supporting the Key Club LTG's to and with their obligations. This was outside my comfort zone — hanging out with teens — however it seemed to go OK. About five years ago, I chose to get involved with and volunteer at the Maryland HOBY program. I was so charged up by the youth in this one weekend seminar, I took on the fundraising between Kiwanis clubs in Maryland for the sophomores attending the seminar on my own. We have now tripled the Kiwanis involvement the last few years, supporting our young leaders in our community with this inspiring program, and I hope to continue this trend. I am still doing these activities, except the Chair of the committee, since I am not allowed to as president.

So, I guess I have been saying 'yes' to a few opportunities along the way, why not Yes to my home Kiwanis club? It has been one of my passions since I was a member, then co-president, of my Circle K club at Loyola College in Baltimore in the late 80's. So here we go!

I do have a few goals this upcoming year. First is to have lots of fun! We are a great club with great personalities and we do lots of great things for our community and world. I am hoping to have more of a presence and publicity out there in the papers and maybe radio. I'd like for others to see what we are really up to and doing for our community. I hope we can wear our name tags, pins, hats, shirts to our meetings and in the public, when appropriate. Take pride in our club and its activities! Maybe we can update our club directory this year. It would be great to have generic brochures and or business cards to hand people who ask with the specifics about our club meetings etc, wouldn't it??

I would also like us to participate more with our sponsored youth!! Our Builders Club, Key Clubs and Circle K are doing lots of great things out there in their communities. As part of the same K family, I think we should support them more. This includes meetings, activities and fundraisers on all sides. As we know, they are one of the reasons why we are here and they could help us with the future of our organization. If we let them know we support them more (by physically showing up, not just giving monies) and are available to them more, then when they eventually graduate for high school or college they may choose to search out a local Kiwanis club to join, instead of going to the Lions, Rotary or JC's. We are one family and as families do, I believe we should support each other more.

I would also like to see more speakers at our club meetings this year. Generally, each committee has at least several organizations we offer donations to. Let's strive to ask them to come back and update us with what has been happening with them and with our donations, especially since we haven't seen many for over a year. Phil, as Vice President, is charged with the duty of getting speakers this year. I am sure he has some ideas, which he will share with us soon, however we also know that he works down the road. So, let's work as a team and help him out this year by offering up some great speakers. This is also a way to entice and encourage new membership.

Speaking of membership development, I have spoken with LTG Jim Jacobs and those on the membership committee and we are planning on working with a team from the District to help with new ways and ideas to help strengthen our clubs membership numbers. More on that topic next month.

I would like to try some new things this year: Take some risks, take some chances, make some changes. These are with hopes to strengthen our club and increase our presence in the community over the next year. As our Governor Yvonne Holley would say: Together we can, together we will!!

Holiday Fruit Sales Fundraiser Underway by Phil Pople

Sell. -P.P.

I was President of the Historical Society of Frederick County back in the mid-1980s, and recently I again began to do volunteer work there. I have an interest in old images of Frederick, and as luck would have it, the Society needed my help in scanning in over 1000 5"x7" and 8"x10" glass plate negatives from the late 1800s through about 1914. Most images were take by the Byerly dynasty of Frederick photographers — Jacob Byerly, his son John Byerly, and John's son, Charles. The business ended when the building in which Charles had his 2nd floor studio on N. Market St. collapsed for unknown reasons in 1914. Once that project was done, the Society asked if I would scan in the Zimmerman collection of "3000" black-and-white photographs taken around Frederick in the 1950s and early 1960s. That collection turned out to actually contain over 6000 images! I am nearing the end. In the process of scanning in the Z collection, I have come across a few I thought you "old-timers" would enjoy - blasts from the past:

• Carmi Sayler. No, there was no string of numbers across his chest <g>.
• Chuck Rhoades at the microphone.
• John Patton (far right) flying a model airplane
• Jack Brunk as a new recruit
• Rob's Dad, J. Vernon Summers , standing behind Mayor Jacob Ramsburg
• Herman Hauver (far left), "Doc" Schaden (I think) (3rd from left), Clyde Roney (4th from right shaking hands)
• Clyde Roney, 2nd from right
• Clyde Roney, far right
• Eric Gatrell's fathers gas business, Frederick Bottled Gas

Perhaps you’ve heard the acronym TAG being tossed around in Kiwanis circles and wondered: What exactly does it mean?

It stands for (T)ogether (A)chieving (G)rowth and it’s a Kiwanis International three-year action plan designed to reverse the steady membership decline that our organization has suffered in recent times. After nine months of extensive planning and “pre-season” activities, the Capital District’s TAG effort officially starts its three-year clock on Oct. 1, 2005.

Under the leadership of past KI president Case Van Kleef, current president Steve Siemens, and several members of the KI staff, Kiwanis has invested considerable time, resources and energy in training more than 300 Kiwanians across the country in a program intended to: (a) build new clubs; (b) assist existing clubs; and (c) rebuild smaller clubs. These training sessions have been held in Las Vegas, Atlanta and Indianapolis and have been universally praised for their high-powered content. PLG Tom Ganse has been appointed chairman of the Capital District’s TAG team and Tom is pleased to report that even during the “pre-season” (that is, prior to Oct. 1), our TAG team has been busy. Tom’s team made a presentation at a regional training conference in Wytheville in June, conducted a series of informational sessions at the District Convention in Hunt Valley in August, participated in training at a division council (18/24) meeting also in August, and has responded to five clubs that have already asked for assistance.

Tom is proud to report that all five clubs that have requested TAG assistance are still in operation, a significant accomplishment considering that three of them were considering resigning their charters when they contacted the TAG team. In contrast, none of the five clubs that did resign their charters this year requested assistance. Tom emphasizes that the Capital District’s TAG team is charged with the mission of empowering and inspiring local members, that it is committed to a concept of teamwork, and that it is maintaining a close relationship with the Capital District leadership. For example, the TAG Team will only engage a club when requested by that club and the respective Lieutenant Governor. The Team, whose members wear a second hat as embedded members of three of the District’s new Club Support Committees, will also be working to help those committees gain experience and effectiveness as they eventually take over the TAG Team’s role. Capital District Governor Yvonne Holley has also attended the KI TAG training and fully supports the Team’s work.

The other members of the Capital District TAG team are Rosemary Cummings, Catherine Elder, J.R. Harris, Pat Jablonski, Gus Lamond, John Montgomery, John Tyner II, Linwood Watson and Jack White. The Team held live meetings in April and July, will meet again Oct. 2, and maintains continuous virtual coordination as it refines its growth plan and follows up on support assignments.

The current Capital District membership stands at slightly more than 7,000. The TAG team intends to assist the district as it increases that total to more than 8,500 during the next three years. Watch this space for future updates!

Many Kiwanians know what Kiwanis is, but even the organization’s clubs, division, district, and International leaders sometimes have difficulty explaining Kiwanis to non-members. That is why Kiwanis International has adopted a defining statement:

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

The definition is designed to give Kiwanians a succinct and meaningful answer to those inquiring, “What is Kiwanis?” Kiwanians are encouraged to commit the defining statement to memory; however, individuals may wish to adapt the definition to fit more “naturally” into an everyday conversation.

Many know the concept of a 30-second elevator speech. If you are in an elevator or with a group of colleagues or friends, and someone asks you, “What Kiwanis is?” how would you answer? For a one-sentence reply, we recommend quoting Kiwanis’ new Defining Statement: Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

This should be helpful for a more detailed explanation:

Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Our members, Kiwanians, are service-minded men and women who are united in their commitment and compassion for others.

Any community need can become a Kiwanis service project, especially the needs of children. Kiwanis service projects range from efforts that help local communities to Kiwanis International’s Worldwide Service Project to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders.

Kiwanis members dedicate more than six million volunteer hours and invest more than $100 million in service projects to strengthen communities and serve children every year.

At Kiwanis, we want to ensure that all children have the opportunity to lead healthy, successful lives. We believe by helping one child, you help the world.

Kiwanis International has a new motto: “Serving the Children of the World.” Delegates at the 90th Annual International Convention in Honolulu approved the change to eliminate “We Build” as the organization’s motto. The club representatives also approved an amendment to allow Kiwanis International to pursue changing to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit status with the United States government.

The “We Build” motto, written by International Trustee Roe Fulkerson, was adopted at the 1920 Convention in Portland, Oregon. “Serving the Children of the World” became a service slogan after Kiwanis established the Young Children: Priority One program.

Effective on October 1, 2005, eight Regions officially come into existence within the Capital District. Ours is named the Mason-Dixon Region, and it is made up of Divisions 9, 12, and 14.

In the past, every lieutenant governor served on the Capital District Board of Trustees. However, beginning on October 1, 2005, we will be represented on the Board by one District Trustee from each Region. The first District Trustee from the Mason-Dixon Region is Don Dudey of the Reisterstown club.

Each trustee from the regions will serve 3-year terms, after some start-up staggering is completed. This new structure gives more stability to the Board of Trustees as it deals with policy issues. It also frees up the lieutenant governors to concentrate on their primary job - assisting the clubs under their purview.

Another important improvement that will emanate from the new Regional structure is the formation of actual working club support committees at the District level. Heretofore, many District support committees had a chairperson and no other members; thus, little support could be provided to our clubs. But now, each club support committee has a chairperson plus one or more members from each of the eight Regions. As a result, the committees have lots of talent on tap for us when we call for help, and at least one member lives near us.

The best way to access help from the Capital District club support committees is via the lieutenant governor.

A meeting of the Division Council will be held on Wednesday, October 19 in Mount Airy at 6:30 p.m. The Mount Airy club will host the meeting at its regular meeting place, the Mount Airy Senior Center (above the Library).

Council membership includes the lieutenant governor, club presidents, club secretaries, the Division secretary-treasurer, the lieutenant governor-elect, and the lieutenant governors of Circle K and Key Club. Please make every effort to have your club represented at this Council meeting. It would make a great interclub visit.

We have a full agenda of new business for this first council meeting, including the following:

1. Presentation of draft budget for approval
2. Election of CD Foundation Board Member
3. Report on District Governor's Visit
4. Governor Yvonne's lodging and personal
5. Report on Midwinter Conference.
6. Presentation on Club Growth
7. Sharing of ideas and successes.
8. Announcements of upcoming club events.
9. Discussion of possible Division-wide and/or Region-wide projects, and with our SOAPs.

Please give Division Secretary-Treasurer Susan Grantham (410-857-5096) a head-count by Tuesday, October 11. Thanks very much!

Club Presidents:

• Melanie McDonald Cumberland 301-777-2858
• David (Kip) Koontz Frederick 301-620-1663
• Stephanie Dahlquist Greater Westminster 410-239-6787
• Christian Wright Hagerstown 301-797-8530
• Bill Butts Mount Airy 301-829-8827
• Christine Semon Suburban Frederick 301-672-4814
• Donna Ohler Taneytown 410-756-5665
• Nancy Robeson Western Allegany 301-689-8628
• Tom Welliver Westminster 410-848-1445

Others:

• Jim Jacobs Lt. Governor 301-829-0639
• Susan Grantham Div. Secretary-Treasurer 410-857-5096
• Fred Lohnes Lt. Governor-Elect 410-848-3750