Governor

Summer is upon us, it's the time of year when kids are out of school and many of us are planning vacations. But as Kiwanis club members we can't take the summer off! We must keep working to build new clubs, engage new members and continue to support our district projects that help kids -- because kids need Kiwanis.
Thank you for all your efforts over the winter and spring to raise money for scholarships, to send kids to camp and to support all of the projects in your communities. I hope we can finish our Kiwanis year strong and meet our goals to gain new members and build new clubs, so we can help more kids.
By the time you read this, I'll be returning from the 102nd Kiwanis International Convention in Paris, and I'll have updates about all of the events there. We're also planning our 100th New York District Kiwanis Convention, set for Aug. 24 to 27, in Lake Placid. If you can't make it to Paris, I hope you can attend the convention in Lake Placid -- it's a great vacation destination and I know we'll have a wonderful time seeing our Kiwanis family. Information about the New York District convention is at http://www.kiwanis-ny.org/dc/ and hotel registration information is at http://www.kiwanis-ny.org/registration/. I hope to see all of you there as we celebrate another successful year in the New York District.
Also, please join me well wishes for our former Formula Chair David Morse. He left the position last month and we are grateful for the work he did to help build new clubs and help clubs grow stronger.
There's still time to help the district send more kids to camp. Last year we sent 620 kids and I'd love to give an additional 80 kids the opportunity to go to Kamp Kiwanis. It would be a lasting experience for them to be able to get off the streets of New York and spend a week at our beautiful camp, enjoying the outdoors and meeting other kids from the district.
I hope you will continue to support the efforts of the Pediatric Lyme Disease Foundation, which helps children who suffer from this debilitating illness. We also must continue to support the pediatric trauma centers. The Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is to be recognized for starting to working with the Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, as they are starting a trauma center there. Also, KPTC Long Island is working with the Stony Brook University Hospital, which is a level one trauma center. Congratulations to them for their efforts to help children in their communities.
I hope you all have a great summer and I'll see you next month at Lake Placid. Thanks for all you do for Kiwanis.

Column Posted on Web Site August 1, 2017