Three years have passed quickly. In 2016, Peter Mancuso was elected Kiwanis International Trustee. This year, at the Kiwanis International Convention, to be held in Disney World Orlando, June 27-30, Peter will run for Kiwanis International vice president. By doing so, Peter is fulfilling a promise made, "To Go the Distance," for our district and all of Kiwanis.
Peter has certainly proved himself worthy of this position, but more so, given the challenges Kiwanis faces, he is exactly the right person, at exactly the right time to take on this mantle of leadership. As you may know, once elected, a Kiwanis International Vice President, ascends to the positions (uncontested) of president-elect the year after (2020-21) and then president the year after that (2021-22).
Many in our district and the rest of the Kiwanis world have great confidence in Peter's ability to lead our organization at its highest of levels. Why? Well, it starts with unparalleled Kiwanis experience. He has been distinguished in all the Kiwanis volunteer positions he has held from club secretary to district governor. On the international level, he has not only done a stellar job as trustee but also was a dynamic Kiwanis Children's Fund president. His volunteer experience outside of Kiwanis gives him added skills when he served as East Meadow Chamber of Commerce president and Nassau County Bar Association president.
But, what really makes Peter special and uniquely qualified to be International President is more than just outstanding volunteer experience and skills. If you are fortunate enough to know the man, it is who Peter is as a person that makes him the best possible choice. He is a loving father and grandfather, smart (an MIT and Cornell Law School graduate) and driven, but he is also a devoted servant to those who are less fortunate. He once said to me "a life well lived has a significant portion of it devoted to service." I think those words have been uttered by other great leaders too, but I know Peter believes them in his heart and his soul. Combined with all else that Peter brings to the table, he is truly the best choice for our next Kiwanis International vice president.
Peter now needs your help to make this quest into a reality. Please support his campaign. How? By the time you read this article, registration for the Kiwanis International Convention in Orlando will be open. So, if you have not done so already, please register to attend. By doing so you will send a strong message to rest of the Kiwanis world that Peter has our district's full faith and support. Soon, our divisional coordinators will be reaching out to you and a campaign website will be active too. For now, you can find out more on https://www.kiwanis.org under the convention "experience" section. And please come to our campaign rally on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 16 at our Mid-Year Conference. This is about all of us working together to support this campaign, so always remember, Together We Can Go the Distance!
Column Posted on Web Site January 22, 2019
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