Governor

To all my fellow Kiwanians, I hope you are all continuing to have a terrific Kiwanis year. It is with mixed feelings that I address you in my final letter for this issue of the ESK. Although we, as a formidable group, have succeeded in doing so much for our great New York District, I know in my heart that there is so much more I would have liked to have done, and so much more, I know, we can still do for those in need. And although this is my time to say good by to this Kiwanis year, I want to remind everyone that there are still many days left until the end of our term and there will never be the time for us to say we are finished while there are still those in need in this world.

But this letter does give me the opportunity to thank each and every one of you for making this Kiwanis year so terrific. First, I want to thank all those Kiwanians who helped me throughout the year. Without their guidance and advice it would have been tough going. There are so many times when "thank you" to our great leaders and sage advisors is just not enough. They do so much to keep our district in the wonderful position it is in, and I thank them all.

I would like to thank my lieutenant governors who worked so hard within their divisions. They did all that I asked of them, and then some. You should all be very proud of these hard working, dedicated Kiwanians. I enjoyed working with them all. I would also like to thank my entire board who helped me through this year. There are so many people who are not always seen, but do a great job behind the scenes with the various committees and programs which we set up in the beginning of the new term. I thank this year's board of Joe's Jaguars.

Most of all, I thank you, the members of Kiwanis, who made this year so successful. By the unselfish time and energy you gave to our fine Kiwanis organization, you made your communities and, yes, the world a better place. Your contributions, no matter how small, made a difference to our world. I thank you all for that, and I urge you to continue to participate in those worthwhile programs and projects which help our schools, communities, and those in need. Without your dedication and commitment, we would not be able to help as many people as we do who are truly in need.

You have often heard me mention Kiwanis as a family. I am totally excited by all of our family members and accomplishments. I want to thank our K-Kids, Builders Clubs, Key Clubs who, by the way, did an extraordinary job with their support of our Eliminate Project. I want to thank our Circle C Clubs, our Kiwanis Clubs, our Golden K Clubs, our Aktion Clubs, our Professional Clubs and all our Satellite Clubs. We are truly a hard working extended family. I think you for all the wonderful things you do throughout the year, and I especially want to thank the officers and administrators of those clubs for the great jobs they do.

This year was very special for me because it afforded me the opportunity to meet so many fine Kiwanis Clubs, divisions and members as I traveled throughout the state. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful all my visits were. It made me extremely proud to hear about all the worthwhile projects you do for the communities in which you live. I was touched by the hospitality that I experienced throughout the state. It was truly awesome. To be welcomed so warmly by so many of your divisions made me feel very special and I thank each and every club, member and division for those visits.

My wife would like to tank all of you who participated in the First Lady's Project, "Treats for Troops." So many of you did such a wonderful job letting those fine young men and women, those who have made so many sacrifices to defend our nation, know how much we appreciate them and the sacrifices they have made. I would also like to thank all of you who participated in my Governor's Project dealing with Autism. I was delighted and extremely impressed with the number of divisions who had so many great ways to make their communities aware of this problem, and how many great ways you not only helped those afflicted with autism but also, through your support, helped those families who have to deal with the problem on a daily basis. I think you for a job well done.

I had a goal to increase our membership this year by 1,000 members. I am proud to say, thank to your efforts, we have nearly accomplished that goal. I am excited to say we have XXX new members. We can easily complete our goal of a thousand new members if you renew your determination to reach our goal by Sept. 30. I know we can do it. If you are proud of Kiwanis, and your role in all the wonderful things that id does, it is important that we reach out to others and allow them to help us in our undertakings so we can de even more for our schools, communities and the world.

There were so many fine programs and projects that you have done this year that it would be impossible for me to name them all. In addition to the pancake breakfasts, spaghetti dinners, holiday parties, window paintings, clean-up projects, work for Kamp Kiwanis, food baskets for the needy, bazaars, carnivals, scholarships for deserving students, car washes, events for senior citizens, hospital visits, programs recognizing professionals and key people in our communities, all wonderful programs and projects helping our schools and communities, there were some this year that stood out which greatly impressed me and deeply affected me.

I would like to thank the KPTCs of Buffalo and Long Island, and I want to especially thank the Buffalo chapter for its extraordinary work. I would like to thank the Genesee Division for its Advocacy Program for Abused Children. It was very heartwarming to see all the Kiwanis volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House which helps those children who are ill. I would like to point out the efforts of the Victory Challenge done by Nassau and the Special Olympics in Southampton. Special thanks to the Holland Tulip Festival. Kudos to the Niagara Frontier South Division for its work with the Springville Learning Center and its work with children with special needs and autism. I thank these clubs and all of you who have done so much for Kiwanis and those in need.

Once again I wish to thank each and every Kiwanian who has gone that extra mile, giving so unselfishly of his or her time and energy to help a fellow human being. I think you all for an amazing year and thank you for your incredible support and ask you to "Always keep Kiwanis in your heart and your hearts in Kiwanis."

Column Posted on Web Site July 26, 2014