Over the past several months we have been preparing for the upcoming election of International Trustees at the Kiwanis International Convention in Toronto in June, for which Distinguished Past Gov. Peter Mancuso is a candidate.
As his Campaign Manager (not to mention his brother!), you think you know the candidate pretty well. And, of course, you do, but many aspects of the candidate and why he should be elected still emerge.
One of the questions posed to Peter recently was "Why do you want to be an International Trustee?" I thought to myself, that the response not only needed to be strong and to the point (which it was) but reflexive. By that I mean, in my heart I wanted a candidate who is totally committed, and I felt the speed of response would be a great indicator of that commitment. I was not disappointed when I heard the answer roll off of Peter's tongue: "Because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change so many lives for the better." To me, that was the perfect response. Here is a candidate who not only wants the chance to serve but appreciates the impact he can have. Message: he gets it, his priorities are in order, and he is on a mission to make a difference. I said to myself, this is the kind of candidate we need to elect for the good of those we serve and all of Kiwanis.
A fundamental principle of Peter's is that all we do revolves around the Kiwanis unit know as the "club." He has written: "Everything we do of value in Kiwanis happens at the club level. The purpose of every other part of this organization is to help our clubs be more successful in offering outstanding service opportunities and fellowship to our members." When I read those words, another little voice went off in my head, which said: "He cares about our members," and "He will support them." He believes all the good things we do start with our members having a fulfilling and satisfying membership experience. This is so true in Kiwanis, as the fulfilled member is a member who performs more community service and shares their great volunteering experience with others, which supports membership growth.
As the election draws nearer, it will continually emerge that Peter is the candidate to lead Kiwanis into a bright future. So, please support Peter's candidacy for International Trustee. He is a fine Kiwanian, who has served the New York District of Kiwanis so very well for so many years, including his term as governor. As we all deeply care about Kiwanis' future, we also should recognize that we need special people like Peter leading its way.
By the time you read this article, registration for the Kiwanis International Convention in Toronto will be open. So, if you have not done so already, please register to attend and help us elect Peter as our next International Trustee! For more information please visit www.mancusofortrustee.com and remember Together We Can Go the Distance!
KI site:
http://www.kiwanis.org/convention/2016/experience-the-convention/elections/peter-mancuso-for-trustee
Column Posted on Web Site January 17, 2016
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