The Bowling Green K-Kids make flower pens during the convention service project session.

Key Clubbers Christina and Gina Principato lead a dance workshop.

Convention hosts K-Kids Asst. Administrator and Bowling Green K-Kids Faculty Advisor Rich Santer, Bowling Green K-Kids President Kasha Bhatia, Clarke Builders Club President Marissa Flaherty and Clarke Faculty Advisor Jerry Ferrara Accept Citations from County Legislator Norma Gonsalves (center).

DPG Joe Corace and Key Club DIPLG Robin Kornstein teach a KPTC workshop.

Convention cost committee chair Kavi Bhatia and the Principato Family present flower pens to the McVey K-Kids delegation to donate to patients at Nassau University Medical Center.

K-family T-Shirt Design Contest Winners Queenie Ho and Regina Hickey with Judges Julie Davis-Olsen, Lt. Gov. Tony Genova, Lt. Gov.-Elect Julia Salat and DPG Joe Corace.

More than 80 attendees came together for a day of training and service at the K-Kids/Builders Club Mini-Convention hosted by the Bowling Green K-Kids and the WT Clarke Builders Club. Delegates representing 8 clubs from across Nassau County experienced four rounds of workshops about their responsibilities as club officers, service project ideas, Kiwanis charities, fund raising ideas, craft projects, dance, origami and drawing. A double session advisor's workshop was presented by NYD Kiwanis K-Kids Asst. Administrator and LSC Kiwanis Service Leadership Chair Rich Santer. This workshop was attended by 17 faculty and Kiwanis advisors.

Attendees also participated in three full convention sessions and a service project. During the opening session, each club reported on its most recent service projects and announced upcoming events.

The host clubs were recognized by Nassau County for their efforts in planning the convention and Key Clubber Christina Principato delivered the Key Note address encouraging the delegates to continue their community service by joining other branches of the K-family as they grow and asking them to involve their family members in K-family organizations.

During the convention service project, flower pens were made by the attendees who donated nearly 100 of them to the patients of the Nassau University Medical Center and asked the McVey K-Kids, who are sponsored by the medical center's Kiwanis Club, to present the pens on the group's behalf.

During the closing session, awards were presented to the winners of the convention's bottle =recycling and K-family t-shirt design contests. The McVey K-Kids won the Recycling competition by collecting 388 plastic bottles. Builders Club VP Regina Hickey's and K-Kid Queenie Ho's t-shirt designs were selected by DPG Joe Corace, Long Island North Division Lt. Gov.-Elect Julia Salat, Long Island South Central Division Lt. Gov. Tony Genova and Julie Davis-Olsen.

The convention's host committee is grateful to Long Island Circle K Lt. Gov. Rickie Santer, Key Club Division 6 Lt. Gov. Chris Severance, Key Club Division 6 Lt. Gov.-Elect Domenick Pesce and Key Club Division 6 EA Christina Principato who worked with the host committee to plan the convention. The committee is also thankful to DPG Joe Corace, East Meadow Kiwanian and County Legislator Norma Gonsalves, East Meadow Kiwanis Distinguished Past Pres. Alan Alterman, Levittown Kiwanis President Lisa Santer and the Circle Kers from Adelphi and CW Post who taught workshops.

Feedback forms completed by the attendees show the convention was an overwhelming success.

Convention Slideshow

Date Posted: February 8, 2010