Scholarship Winners Meghan Ryan and Sarah Simonson Honored at August 17, 2010 Kiwanis Meeting

President Rich Behling introduced Chatham High School Kiwanis Scholarship winners Meghan Murray and Sarah Simonson. They thanked the club for making the scholarships available to CHS graduates and discussed their Fall college plans. Meghan, in the center in the photo, is attending Yale University where she will study economics and sociology. Sarah, on the right, is attending NYU where she will study business and political economy.

August 17 Kiwanis Meeting Announcements

President Rich Behling Introduced new Kiwanis member Mark Newton, Manager of the Valley National Bank in Chatham. Club Secretary Tom Mullin reminded members to be at the Chatham Library Summer Readers Picnic by 3:00 Pm to cook the hot dogs. Members were reminded that all future lunch meetings will be held at Charlie Brown’s. A sign-up list was passed arround for the Installation Dinner.

Angel Duncan of Morris County Senior Helpers speaks on “How to Sustain your Brain”

Angel Duncan, Program Director of Morris County Senior Helpers, a private home-care company, spoke on “How to Sustain your Brain” at the August 10 Kiwanis meeting held at Charlie Brown’s Restaurant. Herb Ramo (in the photo on the left) introduced Ms. Duncan. Her talk focused on Alzheimer’s disease (5.2 million Americans have it) and steps people can take to deal with it. More common in women, the disease has a genetic link. It can be caused by other factors, like head injuries.

We can sustain the brain through nutrition - the Mediterranean diet helps. Antioxidants and Omega 3 foods are helpful for the brain. Supplements help as well. Red wine is OK.

Another thing that helps is exercise such as walking, swimming, biking and mild weight training.

An important activity is socialization with other people. Maintaining healthy relationships helps.

Don’t dwell on all that bad news on TV and newspapers – look for good things to be involved in. It is good to have healthy routines in your daily life. Do things you enjoy (like Kiwanis Club).

Try mixing up activities – use you left hand instead of your normal right hand to brush your teeth. These exercises slow you down and help build brain cells. Try out new things. Use it or lose it.

Manage stress – try breathing exercises. Get adequate sleep – 71 % of Americans have a sleep disorder, mostly caused by stress. Naps are OK (20-30 minute in the afternoon). Do everything in moderation. Force yourself to slow down.

Art and music therapy are helpful for people who already have Alzheimer’s. The role of seizures is being studied. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s but research is giving hopeful results.

Click here to visit Morris County Senior Helpers’ website.

Ann Marie Manahan Speaks about Morristown Interfaith Food Pantry at August 3 Kiwanis Meeting

Ann Marie Manahan of the Morristown Interfaith Food Pantry was introduced by Clyde Zukswert. Photo shows Kiwanis VP Mary Anne Maloney on the left and Ms. Manahan on the right. Clyde has been a contributor and volunteer, picking up over a half ton of food and delivering it to the Food Pantry. Ann Marie is a Trustee of the Food Pantry and heads up their Capital Campaign. Some people are having a tough time making ends meet and go to the Food Pantry to supplement their food supply. The Pantry distributes almost 400 tons of food to 13,787 people in 5000 households in Morris County. They have clients from every town in the county, including Chatham.

Most of the work is done by volunteers who give 15,000 hours per year. Paid staff is only 20 but there are 260 regular full time volunteers. Even more volunteers come part time. For example, Kiwanis could send teams on an occasional basis to be part of the 930 temporary volunteers who participate every year. The Pantry works to get maximum volunteer and client involvement.

Their motto is “Neighbors Helping Neighbors”. Biggest need for contributions is FOOD. Contributors can also provide money which is used to buy food. They desperately request food now because need rises and contributions fall during the summer. Clients need to make choices of food they will eat that meets their requirements. Kiwanis gives hot dogs left over from the August Chatham Library Picnic and the Food Pantry breaks bulk packages into smaller ones and offers them at the closest distribution night. When food comes in, the first stop is “Triage” where volunteers analyze food to see if it is usable and load it into boxes to take to shelves in the West Hanover Ave. or the 190 Speedwell Ave. distribution sites.

The Pantry is in the midst of a capital campaign. They outgrew West Hanover Ave. space provided by Morris County and they plan to build a storage and distribution facility on Morris County land which is part of the Greystone property.  The goal of the Capital Campaign is $2.7 million and they have already raised $1.5 million. The “little Pantry that could” has done great things in this tough economy. No large gifts, but many ranging from one small $14 donation from a 7-year old to many larger. Click here to learn about “Harvesting Miracles, The Capital Campaign for the Interfaith Food Pantry”.

Click here to see the Interfaith Food Pantry 2009 Annual Report.

Click here to see the Interfaith Food Pantry Spring 2010 Newsletter.

Click here to visit the Interfaith Food Pantry Website. Scroll down to view YouTube video shown at the Kiwanis meeting.

After her presentation about the Food Pantry, Clyde asked Ms. Manahan to share her “cookie story”. …

The story began when she read, with her young daughter, the “American Girl” Mollie McIntire story about making cookies for WWII soldiers. Her daughter said, “lets bake cookies for soldiers.” Ann Marie asked the Daily Record to request cookies from readers. After an article was published, almost 25,000 cookies were contributed along with 800 cards. All were sent to New Jersey National Guard troops in Iraq and to soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Announcements for the August 3 Kiwanis Meeting

Vice President Mary Anne Maloney officiated at the meeting while President Rich Behling was away.

She called on Nancy Boucher who announced the upcoming NJ District Convention. Attendees will contributions for a food drive collection. Member Marc Litwack will be installed as Governor of the District at the Saturday Governor’s Banquet. There will be a Sunday memorial service for members who passed away during the past year. View the Convention website to learn more.

Nancy Holt invited members to attend a Benevolence Committee meeting scheduled for 1:30 PM on August 10 at the Chatham Methodist Church.

Bob Stannard reported that there will be a NJ Key Club Division 14 meeting to be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday August 14 at The Chatham Methodist Church. Kiwanis members are invited to attend. Click here to view Jiayun Fang’s June-July Key Club Div. 14 Newsletter.

Tom Mullin reminded members about the Chatham Library Summer Reader’s Kiwanis picnic to be held behind the library on August 19 at 3:30 PM.

Mary Anne reminded members that the Installation Dinner will be held at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, September 22 at the Brooklake Country Club. She also mentioned that next week’s August 10 luncheon meeting will be held at Charlie Brown’s.

Kiwanis Luncheon Meeting Held at Charlie Brown’s Restaurant August 3

In August, the Kiwanis Club is holding two luncheon meetings at Charlie Brown’s. Our first meeting was well attended and the food was great. Members could choose between the “Unlimited Farmer’s Market Salad Bar” and a “Special Kiwanis Buffet”. The buffet included chicken-vegetable soup, assorted breads, garden salad, Caesar salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, rice, veggies, mashed potatoes, roast pork tenderloin, parmesan encrusted chicken, and baked salmon with dill sauce. The desert buffet selections included assorted fruits, cheese cake, and ice cream. Coffee, iced tea and water were available. Everyone looks forward to next week’s buffet.

Michael Shapiro of The Alternative Press –spoke on "The Changing World Of Journalism."

Mike Shapiro, CEO and Editor of Internet newspaper THEALTERNATIVEPRESS.COM, was introduced at the July 27 Kiwanis meeting by Monty Montague (Monty is on the left in the photo). Mike’s goal is to provide high quality, objective non-partisan information to the local area. The news service operates in ten towns: New Providence, Berkeley Heights, Summit, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Livingston, Madison, Short Hills-Milburn and Westfield.

Mike is an attorney. He graduated from Rutgers and Stanford Law School. At age 21 he was in the news when he ran for Mayor of New Brunswick, NJ. Born and raised in Livingston, Mike now lives with his family in New Providence.

He and his wife started the news business 20 months ago. Mike had a career in NYC as a full time lawyer. He likes to give back to his community and did pro bono work in NYC. He was not able to spend much time with his family or do the kind of community work he liked to do, so he decided to make a change.

He and his wife came up with the concept of publishing an online local newspaper for our area. They launched it in October 2008 in Summit, New Providence and Berkeley Heights. Today the site is looked at as one of the New Jersey leaders in 24/7 local on-line news. Over 400,000 people visited the website in the past year. Their staff is paid and includes over 200 freelance reporters, over 30 columnists and an 8-member sales team. Over 100 businesses advertise on the site.

He described how traditional printed newspaper businesses are in trouble. Many printed newspapers are going out of business due to lack of readers, growing expenses and competition from the Internet. Others are staying in business by becoming Internet newspapers. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is the largest hyper-local Internet newspaper in the USA.

The Alternative Press is totally free for readers to use. Expenses are covered by local business advertising. The site is launching a new Health and Wellness Section. The site has town news, topical sections, letters to the editor and guest columns. All publications are reviewed by the editor. Press releases are accepted and only checked for basic errors (the submitting organization has the byline). Organizations like Kiwanis can submit press releases which can contain up to 6 photos.

The site publishes a free community calendar. People can post an event themselves. Basic business directory listings are free. The website is search-engine optimized and indexed under Google News. Real estate listings can be posted at a low cost with up to 10 photos. People can also send HD videos to the editor for uploading to the website. At the end of August, TAP is re-launching the site with new state of the art technology. People will be able to do their own uploading. Views will be segmented by town and features can be viewed across all towns. Two more towns will be added n the fall.

If a local news item comes up, we should let Mike know and he can send a reporter. Click here to visit thealternativepress.com.

Announcements for Kiwanis July 27 Meeting

The NJ District Kiwanis Convention is coming up August 20th through 22nd at the Hanover Marriott, right in our own back yard. Chatham Kiwanis member Marc Litwack is being installed as District Governor at the Saturday August 21st dinner. Members who are planning to attend need to submit registrations by Aug 6. Please let Rich know if you will attend. You can register yourself by downloading forms but Rich still needs to know who will attend. Meal order forms are required by August 11. Next week Rich will be away and Mary Anne Maloney will lead the luncheon meeting at Charlie Brown’s.

“Morris County Tourism Bureau” Presented by Carol Barkin at July 20 Meeting

The Morristown Visitor’s Center began 14 years ago. Last year the organization was rebranded “Morris County Tourism Bureau” to better describe the growing scope. However, you can still take walking tours from the Morristown Visitors Center at 6 Court St. Morris County has four National Landmarks: The Morristown National Historical Park (Washington’s headquarters, etc.), Speedwell Village (Vail and Morse), Craftsman Farms (Stickley), Thomas Nast Home (Santa Claus). The tag lines for Morris County are “NJ’s Great American Getaway” and “Take a Vacation in your Own Back Yard.”

Visitors say they “can’t believe how beautiful New Jersey is”. The Morristown Green is much improved after a million dollar facelift. Today you can see children playing on the Green. The oldest garden in Morris County is the beautiful secret garden behind Macculloch Hall. Morris Museum is showing a great exhibit: “The Shoe Must Go On.”

Carol mentioned a great history book, “This is New Jersey” by 95-year old local author John Cunningham. A noted historic gem is Florham Mansion on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University. There are 100 other nearby mansions where millionaires lived. In the Gilded Age, Morristown was known as the “inland Newport” for its summer season. Gilded age mansion remnants include Villa Walsh, Loyola House of Retreat, Delbarton and others.

Three Morris County periods of historical significance include the Revolutionary War (Washington and his troops), Early Industrial Age (Historic Speedwell, Macculloch’s 105 mile long Morris Canal which was America’s first great engineering project), and the Gilded Age. A forth period was the Communications (AT&T) Age.

The Bureau is half funded by Morris County taxpayers with the rest coming from contributions. Click here to view the Bureau’s prize-winning website. Kiwanians in the audience eagerly picked up Carol’s brochures for Morris County Parks (18,000 acres), Morristown walking tours, Thomas Nast Home, Craftsman Farms, Historic highlights of Borough of Chatham and Chatham Township. She also distributed newsletters, the Morris County Points of Interest map and other visitor’s guides.

Individuals and companies can become members of the Morris County Tourism Bureau. People can supply email address to receive notices automatically. The Bureau has a Facebook page with 153 followers. They are also using other Social Networking sites like Twitter. Cell Phone guided tours are in development.

She summarized by saying, “We have a string of pearls here in Morris County.” Photo shows Nancy Boucher (left) introducing Carol Barkin.

Erin Boehmer Overviewed the University of Virginia “Water and Health in Limpopo” (WHIL) Project in South Africa at Kiwanis July 20 Meeting

Project site is about six hours drive north of Johannesburg. UVA teams had worked in two villages (Tshapasha and Tshibvumo) for a few years and extensive planning was done for this year’s May through July trip to the South African site. A first water filtration system was built earlier and this team’s goal was to expand the water filter.

Erin enjoyed working with South African students in the local school. Using a microscope, she showed students that coli form bacteria was present in the drinking water. South African students are enthusiastic and will do anything to please their teachers. In class they raise their hands and snap their fingers to be called on by their teacher.

Working with people in the villages was really a challenge. The “Chief” UVA had been working with in the past was actually a stand-in Chief. A new Chief came to power and he did not get along with the stand-in Chief (whose back yard was the site of the first water filter). Existing plans made with the agreement of the stand-in Chief had to be replaced with new plans developed on the spot.

There is no electricity or Internet in the villages. Most resources are non-existent. People are not literate. Getting people to understand and believe that they can do better was difficult. Communications with the villagers was a problem. UVA team members wanted to have community meetings with villagers but Chiefs prefer to relay information to villagers themselves. Villagers wouldn’t show up for UVA team communications meetings. To overcome this, the team built a message board to improve communications.

This year’s addition to the water filter was completed. The UVA water filtration project will continue for the next three years. Lessons from the trip will be evaluated and be used to determine how to help the villagers get what they need. Click on “The Water and Health in Limpopo Report” (a Blog) to learn more about this project. Photo shows Kiwanis President Rich Behling introducing Erin Boehmer.

Announcements for Kiwanis July 20 Meeting

Gary Arnesen said that the recent Chatham Borough Ogden Rd. clean-up will bring in $400. He asked members of Kiwanis to suggest a date for the next clean-up.

Rich announced that the Installation Dinner has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 22 starting at 6:00 PM. It will be held at Brooklake Country Club and cost will be $40.00 per person. More details will be provided later and members will be asked to purchase tickets before the event.

A draft of the Kiwanis Club Directory was circulated for review, correction and approval by members.

Tom Mullin reminded members that he will need some Kiwanis workers to report to the August 19 Library Picnic by 2:30 PM to start the grill and set up the food. The picnic will start about 3:45 PM.

July 13 Program: “Hospice, what it is and what it’s not.”

Trish Thomas and Bridget Martorelli from Compassionate Care Hospice talked about “Hospice Care” of terminally ill patients. Bridget, a patient relations coordinator, told us that there are over 40 hospice companies in New Jersey and this care is covered under Medicare. Compassionate Care Hospice has been in business since 1993 and the company is in 19 states. Photo shows Trish on the left and Bridget on the right with Marty Sechehay, who arranged for the talk.

Trish, who is a hospice nurse and an educator, gave a brief history of hospice, which began in England in the 1960’s when Cicely Saunders started St Christopher’s Hospice. In those early days, it was mostly about Cancer. The movement came to America in the 1970’s. American hospice pioneer Florence S. Wald, dean of the nursing school at Yale heard a lecture by Saunders and was inspired to add hospice care to nursing education.

Hospice is important. You matter because you are YOU, an individual. And, you matter until the last moment of your life. Hospice brings a better quality of life to people who are terminally ill. We need to remember that the patient is in charge of his or her own destiny and they need to be informed and make decisions about their life, right up to the end. Hospice care takes place wherever the patient lives. Nurses often identify which patients should be considered for hospice care. Doctors might say “we cannot cure you”; however, hospice care is available. People like Bridget can improve communications between patients, relatives, medical staff and hospice caregivers so that decisions about hospice care can be made. Hospice provides comfort, power, respect, meaning and self-esteem to people in their last days.

Click here to learn more about Compassionate Care Hospice.

Click here to learn more about Medicare Hospice Benefits.

Announcements made at July 13 regular luncheon meeting, Brooklake Country Club

The July Board meeting is 8:00 PM tomorrow at Chatham United Methodist Church. There will be a brief meeting on a fund raiser after today’s program. Luncheon meetings the first two weeks of August will be held at Charlie Brown’s.

COMMUNITY Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts

Nancy Boucher introduced Ed Kirchdoerffer, General Manager of the Morristown Community Theatre, the July 6 meeting speaker. Theme for the theatre this summer is “Summer 2010 is going to be HOT”. He apologized for causing our heat wave this year :)

The theatre opened as a playhouse in 1994. Originally built in 1937, it was a Walter Reade movie theater until the early 80s when it closed and was left to deteriorate. It was a boarded up eyesore until 1994, when Alexander Slobodniuk, Ukrainian Pianist, invited his friend Valerie Gergiev, conductor of the Kirov orchestra to look at the theater. Valery stepped onto the stage, clapped his hands, loved the acoustics and announced that “the Kirov will play here.” Seven months later, after Morristown volunteers stepped in and restored the venue, the Kirov did play there.

Several renovations have been done in the last 16 years. The goal of the theatre is to become a world class performing arts center. A recently developed plan resulted in a 24,000 square foot expansion in the back of the theatre. The entirely new stage is now twice the size that it used to be. Stage ceiling is 70 feet higher. There are 6 dressing rooms, a main curtain in front of the stage and an orchestra pit. The new Starlight Room can be used for smaller performances for an audience of 90 to 100 people.

In 2005 the theatre started an educational program with helpful guidance from Bergan PAC. Now the program serves over 300 very talented kids. Summer camp is going on right now. A traveling troop of kids is available to give free performances to non-profit organizations (like nursing homes).

The theatre has evolved to where they can “give back” to the community with free concerts that all people in the community can attend. The theatre wants to demonstrate that Arts are important. For example, the theatre is working with Randolph to support their music program. There is a monthly honors program with local schools. The theatre is a non-profit with a large staff of volunteers, mostly seniors.

There is an eight million dollar positive financial impact on Morristown – restaurants are packed with customers on event nights. Real estate brokers highlight the theatre to help attract new residents to live in Morristown.

Several ideas for renovations in the future, including larger bathrooms, are being studied. However, money is needed. Members who donate a large amount (Starlight Society Members) can use the VIP Starlight Room bathroom. The next construction project will probably be smaller in size than prior ones.

Ticket sales for the 2010-11 season start next Tuesday. Brochures for the next season, hot off the press, were handed out to Kiwanis members. Subscriptions may be purchased now. Good group rates are available to organizations like Kiwanis.

Free concerts will be held in front of the theatre to promote subscriptions and attendance. A summer series with 14 performances will be offered during the next three months. The Nutcracker Christmas performance is moving from the Papermill Playhouse to the Community Theatre.

Funding for Arts programs is difficult to find in today’s economy. Donations are welcomed.

Go to website www.mayoarts.org to learn more. Click on the home page and go to the bottom to sign up for e-news mailings (click on E-Mail Alerts). You can also go their Facebook Page and Blogger site.

ELIMINATE – Kiwanis eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus

Kiwanis, UNICEP join forces to save 129 million mothers and newborns. The Eliminate Project will protect mothers and babies from Tetanus.

At the July 6 Chatham Kiwanis meeting, club President Rich Behling donned his ELIMINATE-labeled hat and overviewed the new Kiwanis World Service Project. The ELIMINATE project was introduced at the July 2010 Las Vegas Kiwanis International Convention. The project is similar in scope to the IDD project carried out several years ago. The objective is to eliminate Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus (MNT), with affects 129 million people each year in third-world countries. Pregnant women get tetanus and when the baby is born it suffers agonizing pain and dies within 2 weeks. Only three 60-cent shots ($1.80 total) would save 60,000 babies from this terrible death every year. Kiwanis is partnering with UNICEF - Kiwanis will raise the money and UNICEF will distribute the shots. Total cost is $110,000,000.

Nancy Boucher reported that Lauren Kapsky (former CHS Key Club officer and Chatham Kiwanis Scholarship winner) was a member of the project selection committee. Several projects were analyzed leading up to selection of the ELIMINATE project.

Rich shared information brought back from the convention with President-Elect Dick Plambeck so he can implement the project in our club next year. A regular Kiwanis meeting program including video is planned for November.

Click on this Kiwanis link to learn more about ELIMINATE.

Announcements for Kiwanis Luncheon Meeting held July 6

Rich Behling asked Nancy Boucher and Hal Witlinger to stand up to be recognized for attending the Kiwanis International Convention in Las Vegas last weeks. Rich also attended. All three wore green Kiwanis T-shirts and while in Vegas they went to casinos as frogs. Rich said it was beneficial for him to attend the convention and he strongly recommended that members go to the convention next year in Geneva, Switzerland.

Rich is verifying the data for next year’s member directory and he passed around a draft of the directory for comment. He asked all members to review the data and if it is OK, put a check mark beside their name. If not, they should make corrections. If they want to, members can write their cell phone number on the right side of their data.

Tom announced the upcoming Chatham Library Children’s Reading Program picnic on August 19 and he will pass a sign-up sheet around in a couple of weeks.

Mal Kitson announced that the Independence Day parade went off with a lot of success. Both floats were decorated nicely; we had a lot of help. There were only about seven marchers – we could use more. Stephanie Cooperman, who marched with Karen Swartz, said she will try to get Builders Club and Key Club to march next year.

A brief meeting was held following regular meeting to discuss a wine tasting fundraiser.

YouTube Video of Kiwanis Floats for Independence Day Parade

A video of the floats sponsored by Chatham and Madison Kiwanis is posted on YouTube.  Click on this link.  To see photos of the flag raising ceremony and entire parade click on the link to Ron's Picasa Web Site: 2010 Independence Day Parade.

Kiwanis in Chatham Independence Day Parade - July 3

Kiwanis members marched in the Chatham Borough Volunteer Fire Department’s 55th annual Independence Day parade. Standing in front of the Chatham Band float, which some had helped decorate early in the morning are (L-R) AD Dudderar, John Bauer, Nancy Boucher, Mal Kitson, John Eyre, Monty Montague and his granddaughter Sarah. Stephanie and Neil Cooperman also marched - several other Kiwanis members marched with other organizations. The float is donated by Coviello Bros. Landscapers in Madison.

Kiwanis Decorates the Lady Liberty Float for Parade

Kiwanis members and spouses helped decorate the Lady Liberty float for the Independence Day parade. We did this the day before the parade, on July 2 in the Chatham Main parking lot. Chatham Main donates the use of their large flat bed trailer. L-R: Mal Kitson, John Harper, Tom Mullin, Joyce Kitson, Bert Whalin, David Lloyd, Monty Montague and John Eyre. Ron Whalin and Dick Ligertwood were there but not in the photo.

Announcements for the June 29, 2010 Kiwanis meeting

Dick conducted the meeting while Rich Behling was attending the International Convention. Mal Kitson urged members to help decorate floats on Friday and Saturday for the Independence Day Parade. He passed around a sign-up sheet. Nancy Boucher reported on Marc Litwack’s recovery progress following his recent falls. She noted that Marc will be moving from the hospital to a rehab facility soon. He is very grateful for the many “get –well” cards. The Kiwanis International Executive Director will travel from Indianapolis to New Jersey and visit Marc on Friday to give him an award for being the organization’s travel agent for many years. Also, he will give Marc a CD containing information from the Las Vegas Kiwanis Convention. Ron Whalin reported on the $2,000 CHS scholarship winners for 2010. Nancy announced that someone left a green jacket at Charlie Brown’s and the owner should claim it. Dick Plambeck reminded members that the next meeting will be held at Brooklake Country Club and a brief brain-storming meeting regarding new fundraising projects will be held shortly after next week’s meeting. Photo shows President-Elect Dick Plambeck presenting our traditional Kiwanis pen to speaker Evangeline Lee.

Evangeline Lee Presents “Share A Child” Philippines Program at June 29 Meeting

Kiwanis member Evangeline Lee spoke to the club about her experiences providing aid to children in the Philippines. She is working through Share A Child Movement, Inc., which is located in Cebu City, Philippines. The organization has four core programs: Education, Child Protection and Children’s Rights Advocacy, Family Development and Livelihood Development. Evangeline explained that assistance is urgently needed for people who have very little income. New buildings have been built - the shortage of jobs and poor economy remains. She told poignant stories of difficult living conditions in the Philippines. Child labor is a problem, with little regulation. Only about half the children complete their schooling. Our Kiwanis club is contributing $250 per year to help fund education for two high school students. Evangeline has helped process the burdensome paperwork needed to send this contribution to the Philippines. To learn more, visit the Share A Child web site.

Chatham Kiwanis selects Meghan Murray, Sarah Simonson as 2010 scholarship winners

In June, The Kiwanis Club of The Chathams awarded college scholarships to Meghan Murray and Sarah Simonson, Chatham High School Class of 2010. The awards were announced at the June 22 graduation ceremony.

With these awards, the Club continues a tradition of educational awards that it began in 1978. Each year, the club selects two award winners based on academic standing, leadership, good citizenship and participation in school and community activities. The Club awards each scholar $8,000, spread over four years of undergraduate education. The Club encourages 2011 Chatham High School seniors to apply with the school’s counseling department for next year’s Chatham Kiwanis scholarships.

This year, the Club distributes $16,000 to all eight of its scholars. Active recipients are Murray and Simonson who will begin their college careers this fall; rising college sophomores and 2009 winners Erin Boehmer at University of Virginia and Kara Ryan at Notre Dame University; rising juniors and 2008 winners Linsey Hyde at Georgetown University and Kevin Tobia at Rutgers University; and rising seniors and 2007 winners Alison Panosian at Bryn Mawr College and Melissa Villars at Carleton College.

Dick Haenschen, chairman of the seven-member Chatham Kiwanis Scholarship selection committee, said that many applicants were highly qualified and the selection was very difficult. He observed that more applications than usual were submitted this year, perhaps reflecting the current difficult economic conditions. He also said “I am impressed at how many students at Chatham High School excel at their academics and find time for many excellent extracurricular activities.”

Meghan Murray was secretary and vice-president of the Key Club, which is a high school national service club sponsored by Kiwanis. She has been a religious education teacher and leader in her church. In the Pep Club she was the 2008 Homecoming Chair. She lettered all four years in lacrosse, was Captain of the team and led the team to two state championships. She taught lacrosse classes. Her many lacrosse awards include the CHS Scholar/Athlete Award for spring 2010. She was named to lacrosse New Jerey State First Team in New Jersey newspapers and was named two times high School All-American. She was also given the Anthony Mack Sportsmanship Award.  She worked as Kids Camp counselor at Noe Pond Club during the summer. Murray is interested in business management and biology and will continue her education at Yale University. Photo taken at CHS Awards Assembly on June 4.

Sarah Simonson was also active in Key Club, serving as treasurer. She was student government treasurer for two years and president of the Spanish Club. She was Senior Editor of the Year Book Club. She volunteered frequently and was tutor and mentor of Newark children with SCEEP, Suburban Cultural Educational Enrichment Program. She volunteered one summer at Drew University Neuroscience lab. She enjoys music and was a section leader in the CHS orchestra. She enjoys baking and participated in many bake sales. She has an interest in international business and plans to attend New York University. Photo taken at CHS Awards Assembly on June 4.

Dr. Amy Koritz tells Kiwanis about Project Pericles at Drew University

Dr. Amy Koritz, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, Drew University spoke at the June 22 meeting about Project Pericles. Drew University is a member of Project Pericles, a consortium of 28 colleges and universities committed to incorporating civic engagement into their core educational mission. Project Pericles is a not-for-profit organization that encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include education for social responsibility and participatory citizenship as an essential part of their educational programs, in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community.

Dr. Koritz described the ways that Drew is participating in Project Pericles. She distributed a “Drew Today” handout describing the program. The mission of Civic Engagement at Drew is to connect education and action for the common good. Project Pericles supports this by providing training, assistance and networking between member colleges. With this help, Drew is starting a course on Economics of Non-Profits.

Drew now has a Civic Scholars Program. Scholarships are awarded based on incoming student’s High School record of excellence in community service. Civic Scholars enroll in a special seminar their first year and then participate in weekly workshops to develop their skills. All are expected to do 100 hours of community service each year and to organize a Drew activity involving the community during their first year. Of 133 applying for the scholarship, 26 were accepted into the program.

Visit the Drew and Project Pericles websites to learn more.

Drew University graduate Kristin Germinario speaks to Kiwanis about KSTF

Kristin Germinario has received a fellowship in biology from the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation, an advocate for new teachers and the teaching profession. Each Fellow receives a five-year fellowship valued at up to $150,000 that includes mentoring, classroom materials professional development and access to a network of like-minded colleagues and educators nationwide.

At the June 22 Kiwanis club meeting, she briefly described the KSTF and her teaching experiences. Germinario taught biology to incoming eighth graders and was inspired by this experience to become a teacher.

While she was an undergraduate at Drew, Germinario was a member of the Circle K club, a student service club sponsored by Kiwanis Club of the Chathams. She was Editor of “The Duckling”, the club’s newsletter. She thanked Kiwanis for the learning experience she received while in Key Club and Circle K.

Click here to read the Drew Today article on Germinario’s award. Click here to learn more about Knowles Science Teaching Foundation.

Annual Kiwanis-Rotary Picnic June 15

The Annual Kiwanis-Rotary picnic was organized by Mary Anne Maloney, Vice President of Kiwanis. John Eyre purchased filet mignon and grilled it to the delight of hungry people who were present. The event started at 6:00 pm and was held between the Chatham Borough firehouse and the gazebo. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time. In attendance were 22 members of Chatham-Madison Kiwanis and 4 members of Milburn-Chatham Rotary.

Kiwanis Presents Graduation Awards to ECLC of NJ 2010 Graduating Seniors

On June 17, ECLC of New Jersey’s Chatham campus celebrated the graduation of 27 of its special-needs students. The young adults received high school diplomas conferred by their hometown districts, and each enjoyed the limelight for at least a few moments, as they took center stage to reflect back on field trips, favorite classes and making friends, while thanking their teachers and parents for support.

The Kiwanis Club of the Chathams President Richard Behling presented each graduate with a $100 award, and additional community awards were given out by the Chatham Jaycees and the Chatham branches of Investors Bank, Peapack-Gladstone Bank and TD Bank.

ECLC educates a diverse population of students with severe learning and/or language disabilities, autism spectrum disorder or multiple disabilities. And, this group of graduates reflected that diversity in their wide range of plans for the next chapter in their young lives. Two graduates will attend the College of New Jersey, one plans to enroll in community college and others will work full- or part-time in child care or retail jobs. Several students will join ECLC’s P.R.I.D.E. program, which offers vocational skills training, independent living skills and more to special-needs adults.

This press release and photo courtesy of Amalia Duarte, Public Relations Director, ECLC of NJ.

Madison High School Graduating Seniors Receive Kiwanis Awards

The Madison High School Awards Ceremony was held on June 17 at the Fairleigh Dickinson University Ferguson Center. Two Madison High School graduating seniors received awards from the Madison Kiwanis Club.

Former club president Nancy Boucher presented the Nancy Boucher Service Award to Catherine Turvey. She has done an outstanding job as co-president of the Key Club and has served as a tutor for students learning the English language.

Musician Jerry Vezza presented the Jerry Vezza Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in the Field of Music to Connor Leszczuk. He has excelled as violinist in the MHS Orchestra and is a violinist in the Baroque Orchestra of North Jersey, the NJ Concert Opera and frequently accompanies the Harmonium Choral Society. A former member of the NJ Youth Symphony family of ensembles, he’s been a guest artist of the New Philharmonic of NJ, and has played on occasion with the Livingston Symphony and the Stirling String Ensemble. Connor earned the first place championship in the Mid Atlantic Irish Fiddle competitions twice in a row, and has numerous first place championships under his belt. He can also be seen performing with his family, the musical group "Dugan's Hooligans."

At 2010 Fishawack Kiwanis pulled pork sandwiches are a huge success

Photo shows Kiwanis members posing after the booth was set up across from the Fire House in Chatham Borough. Left to right, Dick Ligertwood, Erv Martin, Bert Whalin, Monty Montague, Melanie Sze and Tom Mullin. The sales crew was very busy during the day, demand for John’s pulled pork sandwiches was high.

In this photo, Melanie Sze serves our first sandwich to a man who ran in the Jaycee sponsored Fishawack Run. Before the day was over, almost 300 sandwiches were sold to delighted customers.

Long lines developed at times. Unfortunately for people who came last, we ran out of pork. Next time we will have to make more.

Kiwanis prepares for selling pork BBQ at Fishawack Festival

Kiwanis sold John Hadamuscin's Famous Pulled Pork Sandwiches at the Fishawack Festival, Saturday June 12, 2010. Friday June 11, John and six other Kiwanis volunteers shredded 75 pounds of pork after cooking it many hours. John will also provide cole slaw and brownies. In the photo Marge Ahrens pulls and shreds pork using forks.

Dr. Joseph J. Murphy presents: “It’s time to live to be stress-free”

Dr. Murphy observed that Kiwanians are generally a healthy group and they live a health life style, when he spoke at the June 8 Kiwanis meeting. This year is the 25th Anniversary of his practice with Suburban Chiropractic Center. He has also been a member of Chatham Kiwanis for 25 years. He has taught at the adult school and is Past President at New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The photo shows (L-R) club President Rich Behling welcoming Dr. Murphy to the meeting.

He noted that physiological body reactions (increased pulse rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.) caused by stressful situations can be unhealthy. We can’t totally eliminate stressful situations but we can live balanced lives so that those situations are handled better by our bodies. His first recommendation is to exercise vigorously at least 20-30 minutes three times per week. Engage in relaxation by reading, Tai Chi, or another enjoyable activity. Have a positive mental outlook. Eat a nutritious diet high in fiber, low in fat and calories. Finally, get enough sleep and seek medical attention if you are not sleeping enough. Click here to visit Dr. Murphy’s website.

Madison High School Key Club Participates in School-Wide Service Day

On June 2, the MHS Key Club participated in the Madison High School Service Day. The Key Club hosted twenty-four 3rd and 4th grade Newark SCEEP students.

The Suburban Cultural Educational Enrichment Program (SCEEP) pairs inner-city children with suburban community high school students, who serve as tutors. On MHS Service Day, the children participated in field day and Color-a-Smile activities. Much fun was had by all.

Chatham High School seniors presented with Kiwanis Music Awards

At the June 4 Annual Awards Assembly held at Chatham High School, four graduating seniors were recipients of Kiwanis Club Music Awards. These awards are given every year. Winners this year were Kevin J. Greener, who received the John Philip Sousa Band Award; Christopher S. Walters who received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award; Kelly E. Wilber, who received the National School Choral Award and Sarah Wang, who received the National School Orchestra Award. Rich Behling, President of Kiwanis, was on hand to present these awards. Photo shows Rich presenting Orchestra Award to Sarah Wang.

Margie Farrell speak on Franciscan Oaks of Denville, NJ

At the June 1 weekly Kiwanis meeting, Margie Farell described the benefits of living in the Franciscan Oaks retirement community located in Denville, NJ.  Kiwanis member and Franciscan Oaks resident Jim Baker arranged for this talk. Benefits include proximity to downtown Denville, active life style, proximity to health care, a friendly retirement community and continuing care. Click here for the website.

New Member Stu Shippey Welcomed to Kiwanis

In a brief ceremony at the June 1 meeting, the club welcomed new member Stu Shippey. He is a resident of Madison, has been active in Chatham organizations and works in Florham Park. Left to right: Tom Mullin, Stu Shippey and Rich Behling.

THIRD ANNUAL ALUMNI CONCERT MAY 30th

Kiwanians Evangeline Lee and AD Dudderar host the Alumni Band Concert.  The "Bed of Torns" band is playing in the background.  This three-hour event provides a venue for local high school musicians and returning alumni musicians to entertain area residents on a pleasant Memorial Day Weekend Sunday evening. It is held in the Bayley-Ellard Field in Madison, NJ. The Concert is jointly sponsored by The Madison Arts and Cultural Alliance, The Kiwanis Club of Madison and Chatham and The Borough of Madison.

Veterans Buried in Fairmount Cemetery Honored by Chatham Kiwanis

On May 27 twelve members of the Kiwanis Club of the Chathams placed flags at the graves of United States of America Military Veterans buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Chatham Borough. Bob Huntington, past president of Kiwanis Club and Navy Veteran, obtained the flags and organized the work. Members walked among the gravesites looking for metal plaques identifying the Veteran and branch of service. When one was found, a flag was placed beside the gravestone. In 1975 The Chatham post 92 of the American Legion erected a Veteran’s Memorial at the base of the flagpole located in the center of the cemetery. The Kiwanis club placement of Memorial flags has been an annual event for several years.

The photo above, taken by Dick Plambeck, shows a flag placed beside the gravestone for a Revolutionary War veteran.

Photo taken by Gary Arnesen shows Kiwanians beside the Fairmount Cemetery Veterans Memorial preparing to place flags beside gravestones of members of the American Armed Forces. Kneeling in the front on the left is Bob Huntington of Chatham and organizer of the event. Kneeling on the right is Herb Ramo. Standing left to right: Melanie Sze, Mal Kitson, Nancy Holt, Jerry Cunningham, Alan Robertson, Dick Plambeck, David Mutchler, Marge Arhens and Monty Montague.

Laura Siclari of Budd Larner Overviews Special Education Law May 25

At the May 25 breakfast meeting at Charlie Brown’s Laura Siclari gave an overview of Special Education Law. The photo shows the speaker with President Rich.

Madison High School Key Club attends May 25 Meeting

The Madison High School Key Club attends May 25 Meeting. Photo shows faculty advisor Peggy Cox on the right with seven Key Club offiicers (L to R): Henry (Points Secretary), Shannon (Vice President), Emily (Secretary), Brenna (President), Caroline (Public Relations), Leo (Treasurer) and Jason (Events Coordinator).

Madison Kiwanis Little League Game May 20, 2010

Kiwanis Little League runner slides into home plate to score in a game against Rotary held at Sonny Vitale Memorial Field in Madison, NJ.  Weather was very nice and many spectators showed up to watch some great baseball played by enthusiastic and well-trained kids. Madison Little League is in good hands.

Kiwanis Ogden Street Spring Cleaning

On May 20, 2010, a bright sunny day, 7 members of the Kiwanis Club of Chatham and Madison turned out to remove litter from the roadway and path around Ogden St. and Summit Ave. The area spruced up is near the Chatham Borough Recycling center next to the railroad tracks. This work is supported by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Clean Communities Program. Photo by Ron shows L to R John, Melanie, Gary, Herb, Clyde and Sharon.

May 18 Picnic Meeting moved to Chatham United Methodist Church

Bob began the meeting by playing “America” on the piano while 26 Kiwanis members sang “My country tis of thee …”. The May 18 luncheon meeting was supposed to be a picnic held in Stanley Park. Because of cool 50 degree weather and steady rain, Rich decided to change the venue to Rodda Hall in the Chatham United Methodist Church. We confortably enjoyed our meeing and lunch of sandwiches, sodas and coffee inside. After the pledge of allegiance, we also sang “God Bless America”.  Rich thanked Mary Anne and her team for arranging the luncheon and all in attendance applauded loudly.

Rich recognized Erv’s birthday and we sang happy birthday to him. He also recognized guests Stu and Karen. Announcements: Gary reminded all of the May 20 Ogden St. cleanup (it needs our work); Jerry reminded us of the Thursday May 27 Fair Mount Cemetery Memorial Flag Placement (meet at Hillside Ave. entrance). Rich passed around a “’thank-you” note from Melanie. Kiwanis of Morristown and Rotary of Chatham invited all to meetings. Remember, attire is informal until Fall. Estimated income from the Cole Park Yard sale was a net $720. The May Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 at 8:00 pm in the Methodist Church.

May 11 Kiwanis Meeting at Broccolini’s - Announcements

The Luncheon meeting was held at Broccolini’s in Madison. The photo shows members Melanie, Betty Anne, Nancy and Mary Anne. Bob introduced guest Stu, who is interested in joining the club. Nancy introduced guest John. Starting at the Stanley Park picnic next week, the dress code for meetings is casual until we go back to more formal attire at the installation dinner.

Mary Anne passed around signup sheets for people to help out at the Stanley Park picnic next Tuesday and the Rotary-Kiwanis picnic on June 15. Gary passed around the signup sheet for May 20, 9:00 am Ogden St. area cleanup as part of NJ Clean Community program. It will only take about an hour to do the work. A map is available and it will be emailed to members. Nancy asked for orders for supermarket gift certificates. Tom asked members to fill out an interclub event form showing names of our members and where the event is held. This is needed to receive credit for attending the event.

Saturday is the Cole Park yard sale. Set-up people have to be there at 7:00 am. Tables will be picked up and delivered Thursday and Friday by Doug and Sam. Alan will assign sellers to table spaces identified using stakes supplied by Dick.

Election of next year’s officers began by reading names of all nominees. The members in attendance elected nominees by voice vote. The list of next year’s officers is shown in the Blog officers’ page.

Dr. Jude M. Pfister: “Not your Father's (or Mother's) Morristown National Historical Park."

On May 11, Dr. Jude M. Pfister (see blog posting for May 8, 2010 just below this one) gave an entertaining, comprehensive overview of the Morristown National Historical Park to the luncheon meeting of Kiwanis held at Broccolini’s restaurant in Madison, NJ. He described many little-known facts regarding the collections and plans for the Park and told interesting stories about the history and objects in the collection. Photo shows Dr. Pfister on left with Kiwanis President Rich Behling.

Improvements to the Park have been made over the years and the work continues. The Ford Mansion (Washington’s Headquarters) is getting a new roof and fire safety sprinkler system – the building will be closed until the work is finished. The museum is open to visitors with three galleries open, the most recent being the Military Gallery. The Park includes four general areas: Morristown, Fort Nonsense, Jockey Hollow and Cross Estate/New Jersey Brigade Encampment Area.

The history started with construction by Jacob Ford, Jr. of the Mansion in 1772. In 1779-80 the Mansion was George Washington’s headquarters while the Army wintered in Jockey Hollow. The Ford family owned the Mansion until 1873 when it was sold at auction by the estate of Henry A. Ford to the Washington Association of New Jersey (WANJ), an organization formed to own and manage the property (the organization still exists). In 1933 the WANJ transferred the property to the National Park Service and the Morristown Park became the first National Historical Park. Jockey Hollow was donated by Lloyd W. Smith and Fort Nonsense by Morristown (with the help of Mayor Clyde Potts). Famous architect John Russell Pope designed the museum and gardens behind the Mansion. Another wing was added to hold the huge collection of historical books and manuscripts contributed by Lloyd Smith.

The Park has an original Gilbert Stuart painting of Washington. In the 1920s the arms and face of a woman started appearing on the portrait. It seems that Stuart used the canvas from a prior painting of the wife of Rufus King, a Federalist from Massachusetts. The image of the woman is bleeding through the image of Washington.

Many interesting images were shown by Dr. Pfister during his talk. There was an active Q and A session. At the end, he described his book and members bought all the copies he brought. Funds from sale of the book go entirely to NPS. The members and all who read this blog are invited to visit the Park and see the many new improvements. Some links for more information:

Morristown: Where America Survived. NJN video available on-line.

Web Site for the Morristown National Historical Park (Be sure to look at the new blogs. Links to the blogs are posted on the Park home page.)

Dr. Jude M. Pfister speaks on Morristown National Historical Park

At the May 11 regular Kiwanis luncheon meeting in Broccolini's Restaurant, David Lloyd will introduce Dr. Jude M. Pfister, Chief of Cultural Resources at the Morristown National Historical Park. He will present a talk, “Not your father's (or Mother's) Morristown National Historical Park." He has written a book, “The Jacob Ford Jr. Mansion: The Storied History of A New Jersey Home”. Come and learn more about the national treasure in Morristown, almost in our back yard. Click here to see the Morristown National Historic Park blog.  Dr. Pfister oversees the museum, archival, and library programs at Morristown.

Nurse Joan Knecht Presented Earthquake “Haiti Reflections - 2010”

Mary introduced our speaker Joan Knecht, a former professor of nursing at the County College of Morris. She made a trip in February, 2010 to Haiti as a volunteer with “Foundation for Peace”, a not-for-profit organization founded in 2002 to work with people in impoverished areas of Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya. While a nursing student in Cornell she had Margaret Mead as a teacher and she developed an interest in cultures.

Joan volunteers extensively with several organizations as a surgical nurse. After the earthquake in Haiti, she considered joining several alternative volunteer organizations and then chose to go with “Foundation for Peace”. She payed her own travel expense and carried 100 pounds of urgently needed medical supplies with her on the trip. The team flew into Santo Domingo and went by bus to Jimani Viejo, located in the Dominican Republic near the boarder with Haiti.

Joan had worked for 22 years in ER at Morristown so she was assigned to treat the most critical patients. Joan served injured people in Good Samaritan Hospital, a facility which was actually in the Dominican Republic. She showed us a YouTube video, “Hands for Haiti”, covering activities at the site shortly before she arrived. The remainder of her presentation included stories illustrated with many fine photographs showing the spirit and determination of the seriously injured people. During her stay, she crossed the boarder to visit a refugee camp in Haiti. The team of volunteer nurses and supporting workers did an outstanding job and “Foundation for Peace” deserves thanks and support.

Joan recommended that we read “Mountains beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder to learn more about the work of Dr. Paul Farmer and “Partners in Health” to learn more about helping Haiti.

Photo: At the end of the presentation, President Rich gave our speaker our traditional Kiwanis pen.

May 4 Meeting Announcements

There were quite a few announcements instead of singing at the start of the meeting. Marge circulated a card in memory of Palmer Sze. Rich reported that Joan was home from RIM and doing well.

Jerry reported on Cole Park May Day clean-up. There was a good turn-out by members, MHS Key Club and St. Vincent’s Martyr school. We had a nice time and this was a good project.

Gary reported on our scheduled Thursday May 20, 9 am NJ Clean Communities clean-up of Ogden St. area in Chatham Borough. He passed around a sign-up sheet and map of the clean-up location.

Rich distributed Guidelines for doing the yard sale. Tasks and volunteers are described in these “marching orders”. Thirteen tables are needed for Kiwanians selling items for the club. If members have tables, please bring them to the sale. All members are asked to collect and bring bags to the sale to put items into when customers buy them.

Governor-Elect Marc Litwack congratulated the club on increasing membership by 2 so far this year. He reported that he is closing his business on June 1 after 34 years and has office items for sale at an extremely reasonable price. Nominations floor invited but none was made.

The May 4 scheduled fund raising brain-storming meeting is postponed.

Luncheon Meetings changed to Broccolini's in Madison May 11, June 1 and June 8

Our May 11, June 1 and June 8 luncheon meetings are changed from Brooklake Country Club to Broccolini's Restaurant, 91 Park Avenue in Madison, NJ 07940. Starting time remains 12:10 pm.

Cole Park May Day in Madison – 2010

On May 1, Kiwanis participated in May Day in Madison by sprucing up Cole Park. Cole Park is located on Greenwood Ave. and was given to the Borough of Madison by Howard Grant Cole on July 27, 1918 in loving memory of his wife, Louise Cole. Early in the morning on Saturday, 11 Kiwanis members, four Madison High School Key Club members and about 15 volunteers from St. Vincent the Martyr School (Girl Scouts and others) removed weeds from around bushes and trees – then distribute a huge pile of mulch to all the garden sites. Everyone had a lot of fun, even though temperature was over 80 when we finished, about 10:30am.