November 2015
Kiwanis Michigan District Division 9 Monthly Newsletter

It’s an exciting time to be a Michigan Kiwanian!

Over the past few weeks, local Kiwanians (led by Formula Chair Larry Memmer and Lanton Lee) have came together to help gather members and prepare for the new Westland and Belleville Kiwanis Clubs.   Thank you to all of those that have given their time to these efforts so far!  According to Larry, the foundation has been set in both areas and we will have enough members to charter!  Isn’t that fantastic? There still will be a great deal of work to do over the next few weeks, and here are the best ways your club can help:

• “Like” and “Share” the Facebook Pages for both new Kiwanis Clubs:
  • Westland’s Facebook Page
  • Belleville’s Facebook Page
• Encourage your club’s members and any potential Kiwanians you know in the Westland and Belleville areas to attend the first planning meetings for each club:
  • Westland Kiwanis:  Tuesday, November 10th at 6pm at the Merriman Road Baptist Church (2055 Merriman Rd)
  • Belleville Kiwanis:  Wednesday, November 18th at 6:30pm at the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce (248 Main St.)
• Offer to help join Larry Memmer’s team by contacting the potential new Kiwanians in each city for follow-ups via phone and e-mail

The Division-Wide Shoe Drive is Underway

Our division-wide shoe drive began on October 1st, and there has been a very positive response so far.

As a reminder, here are all of the important details and resources for your club:

• Shoe drive will run from October 1st to November 30th.
• Funds2Orgs will be our partner for the event, and it will pay $0.40/lb of shoes given to a cause of our choice.
• Your Lieutenant Governor (Melissa) has all of the materials (collection bags, rubber bands, etc.), so please reach out to her to find the best route to get those materials to your club.
• Money raised will benefit Kiwanis’s larger causes, with a split of 50% to the Eliminate Project and 50% to the Kiwanis of Michigan Foundation.
• In addition to the $0.40/lb given to our causes, the shoes collected will be shipped to micro-entrepreneurs in developing nations, who will clean and repair the shoes for local resale.
• Get your SLPs involved (Key Clubs, Circle Ks, Builders Clubs, etc.), as they can usually gather a large number of shoes from their families and classmates!

Your Official Kiwanis Reminders

This section will highlight the key points to remember from the various e-mail and mail correspondence between Kiwanis International, the Michigan District of Kiwanis, our Formula Chair (Larry Memmer), and your Lieutenant Governor, Melissa.

From Lieutenant Governor, Melissa Pilzner:

• Please e-mail me (LGDivision9@MIKiwanis.org) as soon as possible with the contact information for your club’s Membership Chair and Human & Spiritual Values Chair (if you haven’t done so already.)  The Michigan District has requested this information from clubs to assist with the club strengthening process.
• If your club will be eligible for “Distinguished Club” status for the 2014-15 Kiwanis year, please reach out to Past Lieutenant Governor Scott Kappler (skapplerlaw@gmail.com) this week to ensure all of your information as been collected for that award.
  

From Kiwanis International & the Michigan District

• Every 2 months, the Michigan district would like for club secretaries to provide their lieutenant governors with pertinent club information to help with the compiling of reports and an increased understanding of Michigan District activities.  During the first week of December, please send your Lieutenant Governor an e-mail (LGDivision9@MIKiwanis.org) with the following information:
  • Did your club participate in 2 projects with a service leadership program (SLP) over the past 2 months (October and November 2015)?
  • Does your club have a public relations committee?
  • Did your club participate in an IHOP project to help raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network over the past 2 months (October and November 2015)?
  • Did your club raise funds for the Eliminate Project over the past 2 months (October and November 2015)?  Please note:  Taking part in the division-wide shoe drive will count towards this question.
• The first 10 Michigan Kiwanis Clubs to purchase a Distinguished Kiwanian Award ($1,000) from the Michigan Foundation in the 2015-16 Kiwanis year will receive a discount of $100, so don’t wait to celebrate those important Kiwanians in your club!
• Club Secretaries – Please report any Round Robins your club has earned from interclubs  in the 2014-15 year to the Michigan District (districtoffice@mikiwanis.org) by the November 10th deadline.

From Formula Chair, Larry Memmer:

• The next Formula conference call will be Monday, November 16th at 9pm.  More details to follow.

Next Division 9 Council Meeting

Division 9 Information