“One World Many Stories” - Kiwanis Sponsored Library Picnic

The annual Library of the Chathams Summer Reading Program picnic was held on August 18, 2011 in hot, humid summer weather. Morning showers ended before the picnic, which was held in the afternoon in Memorial Park. (Photo shows Kiwanis Pres. Dick Plambeck and Children's Librarian Laura Weinbrom.)The park is behind the library which is located on Main Street in Chatham Borough. Food and workers were provided by Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club.  Kiwanis picnic organizer Tom Mullin reported that almost 300 hot dogs were served.  He also reported that about twenty Kiwanis members were on hand to grill and serve hot dogs, chips, fruit juice and ice cream. 

 “One World Many Stories” was the theme for the Summer Reading Club at the Library of the Chathams this year.  The program ran from June 27 to August 18 and was open to all children living or attending school in the Chathams. Children, including pre-K youngsters, participated in the summer reading program by reading books or by having books read to them. 

 Children’s Librarian Laura Weinbrom reported that 126 teen volunteers, with backup from the library staff, listened to book reports made by participating children.  272 children who read and reported on enough books were invited to the Kiwanis picnic.  Weinbrom said that 548 children read and reported on 10,247 books. Volunteers who listened to reports contributed 1,388 hours with 59 volunteers giving over 8 hours and 37 giving over 20 hours.

 Entertainment at the picnic was World Music with Daria. Children enthusiastically danced and played instruments to the beat of rhythmic music. The Chatham Women’s Club sponsored prizes for readers and the Friends of the Library sponsored the entertainment.

 Library of the Chathams Director and Kiwanis member Diane O’Brien said “we were very happy that the weather cooperated and everyone had a good time.”

August 16 Program: Al Thomas, Boy Scouts of America, spoke on "Leadership Development for Teens"

Al Thomas, Senior District Executive, Fishawack District, Patriots' Path Council, Boy Scouts of America was introduced at the June 16 Meeting by Betty Anne Keat.  She said, “This summer Al spent 2 weeks hiking and camping with two other advisors and nine boy scouts at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.” Al gave a fascinating talk on leadership development opportunities for teens.
He pointed out that Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts are excellent programs for developing youth leadership skills because the activities are led by the boys. Chatham and Madison have the best Troops you can find. Eagle Scouts become leaders of a community project. All Boy Scouts are encouraged to be in service to others and they develop their leadership skills along the way.

Aside from traditional Boy Scouts, other programs are offered for teenagers that develop leadership: Venturing and Exploring. Exploring is career-oriented; for example, there is an Aviation Exploring Post at Morristown Airport. Venturing is more about hiking and camping in a high adventure activity. Venturing Crews can also specialize in arts or other areas. Both programs are led by the teenage participants, which gives them experience and the opportunity to develop and improve their leadership skills. Adult advisors help organize the youth and provide guidance along the way. Leadership training is provided. Ventures are organized into Crews - Explorers are organized into Posts. Both can be coed or single sex, as determined by the participants (most are high school age). Choice of uniforms is up to the particular group of participants. Service to others is an important part of both programs.

Venture Crew 77 sponsored by the Madison Elks Lodge emphasizes High Adventure and Community Service. Youth interested in this activity can contact John Kennedy.

Al suggested that Kiwanis consider starting a Venture Crew in Chatham. Since Kiwanis already sponsors the CHS Key Club, sponsoring a Venture Crew would be a logical extension of the club’s focus on supporting youth.

He also gave an overview of the Leadership Venturing program offered by the Patriot’s Path Council. It consists of 11 modules that can be offered in a variety of customizable packages. This could be of interest to the CHS Key Club. A program specialist could describe the program at a Key Club Meeting.

Another educational program offered by Boy Scouts is “Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience” (C.O.P.E.). Participants spend a day at Mount Allamuchy Scout Reservation building their leadership skills. Building teamwork is an important goal.

A special event at the Stanhope camp will be offered the second weekend this September: “Extreme Leadership, Climbing to New Heights”. It has been designed by and offered to members of the Boy Scouts and also to others in the community. Similar events will be offered in the future. This program could be of interest to the Key Club.

Kiwanis members thanked Al for his interesting, complete and helpful overview of the programs. For more information, go to website http://main.ppbsa.org/

Announcements: Kiwanis August 16 Meeting

Diane O’Brien announced the Children’s Summer Reading Program picnic will be held Thursday in the park behind the Library. In case of rain, the event will be moved into the large meeting room in the Library. Nancy Boucher announced the NJ District Convention to be held this coming weekend. She reported that the ELIMINATE project donation jar contained $115.42.

Program: Celina Baquiran, NJ District Key Club Lieutenant Governor for Division 14 spoke at the August 9 meeting

Celina Baquiran, introduced by Key Club advisor Karen Swartz, is the NJ District Division 14 Lieutenant Governor. She attended the 2011 Key Club National Convention held in Phoenix, AZ. The photo shows Karen holding the NJ District T-Shirt and Celina is holding the badges she collected from other International and National Key Club Districts. She thanked the club for helping send her to the convention, where she learned much more about the workings of Key Club.

Before the convention officially started, the Celina had a chance to tour northern Arizona places like the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Sedona.  Celina reported on preliminary bus tour followed by the daily events at the convention.

Dressed for a cool airplane and airport, it was a shock for her to walk into 110+ temperatures in Phoenix. Following a 3-hour bus ride to the Grand Canyon, she and the others went to view the beautiful sunset. She left the hotel the next morning at 4:30 AM to go see the sunrise and found that the temperature was a cold 45 at the Grand Canyon during sunrise. From there the bus went to Flagstaff, Sedona and then to the official hotel in Phoenix.

There was opportunity to meet other Key Club members during free time in the pool and while walking to the Mall. She was particularly impressed by the California-Nevada-Hawaii District.  Members of that district are spirited, wear black and yellow outfits and have a special Cheer. She passed around photos taken at the convention.

The “Meet and Greet” session was held on Wednesday. Everyone wore their District T-shirts and pins. Pins were exchanged. Fund-raisers and other activities were on the schedule. An ice-breaker was a huge “Twister” mat. At the opening session, Amy Meisner of the NJ District sang the National Anthem. Nominations were made for International President, Vice President and Trustees. Caucusing was held after lunch. Jared Greene from Tenafly, NJ was running for International Trustee and he made it past the first round. Celina attended the ELIMINATE workshop and the “Keys to Meaningful Service and Great Service Projects” workshop. She also participated in the candle-lit “ELIMINATE Charity-Walk”. The first day ended with a dance.

On the second day, there were more workshops and a “Service Fair”, where Districts could do things. NJ had a booth where they raised $80 for the ELIMINATE project.  Then there was more caucusing – NJ delegates lobbied for election of Jared Greene. Next was the recognition session. NJ District won many awards (click here to go the NJ website and read about the awards).

The next morning there were more workshops and Celina attended the Lieutenant Governor workshop. She also attended a workshop presented by NJ District on “How to Hold a Benefit Concert”. It was based on last year’s successful chain of “Generosity Rocks” concerts. The workshop drew a huge attendance with people sitting on the floor when all chairs were filled.

Next on the schedule was the “House of Delegates” meeting followed by election of officers and voting on amendments. Jared Greene was elected as one of the eleven Trustees. The 2012 convention will be held in Orlando, FL.

Celina said that she will try to get members of Division 14 more involved in the activities of Key Club. Members of Kiwanis loudly applauded the fine presentation made by Celina.

Announcements: Kiwanis August 9 Meeting

Tom Mullin reminded everyone about the Library Picnic on August 18. Nancy Boucher asked members to add their contributions of cash to the ELIMINATE jar. Next week will be the last weekly meeting before the District Convention. Dick Plambeck reminded everyone to vote for Chatham Borough for the free barn. He also asked members to forward the email (originally sent out by Ron) to all people in their email directory.  Mayor Vaughan passed out reminder slips for people to pass along to friends. Karen reminded members to collect toiletry items and bring them to meetings to give to NJAS.

Program: JoAnne Babbitt spoke about the John Taylor Babbitt Foundation

Karen Swartz introduced JoAnne Babbitt who spoke about the John Taylor Babbitt Foundation. John was taken from his family and community in 2006 when he suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest while playing basketball. His family directed its grief toward positive improvements to help others avoid having such a tragic loss. The family started the 501-c3 Foundation to prevent sudden cardiac death through increasing awareness, teaching CPR/AED and installing Defibrillation Devices in public places.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death in the U.S., killing more than 295,000 people every year. Only 6 percent of victims survive and survival rates decline by 7-10 percent for every minute defibrillation is delayed. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is not the same as a heart attack (similar to a plumbing issue). SCA is more like an electrical problem in the heart – the heart malfunctions. Cause is often genetic and usually shows up after puberty.

Many deaths can be prevented by fast action and treatment. Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) and CPR are most effective at restarting the heart when used within the first few minutes of collapse. Survival rates have been known to increase from 6-7 % to 50-70 % in certain settings (for example Newark Airport has lots of AED’s). The American Heart Association estimates that as many as 50,000 deaths could be prevented annually with widespread availability and use of AED’s.

Goals and Objectives of the Foundation are to install Defibrillators in schools, athletic venues and public gathering places; to establish JTB Heart Clubs in high schools and universities to raise awareness and save lives; and to support research on genetic cardiac disorders that increase risk of sudden cardiac death.

Current successes include Community AED Programs in 5 towns and 3 schools with CPR/AED training. A Good Samaritan Legislative Initiative is under way to reduce liability of untrained people in New Jersey who try to help. There have been many high school and university heart initiatives at, for example, Villanova, Chatham High School and Pingry. More initiatives are under way.

The Foundation enlisted CHS Key Club members to help man a booth at the Fishawack Festival. One of the Kiwanis members suggested that volunteers from MHS Key Club and Drew Circle K could also help support the Foundation. More CPR/AED training in high schools is being requested as part of the NJ-required health education.

The Foundation holds a “Walk with Heart” every May and has raised $40,000 to $90,000 each year. Pingry students help operate the event.

The Chathams were among the first towns to put AEDs on the playing fields. A Guide was created to propagated the AED program to other towns, like Toms River. Continuing training is needed and maintenance is needed for machines.

JoAnne is very thankful for the support for the Foundation from the local community. She suggested that everyone go to the Foundation website, http://jtbfoundation.org/index.cfm, and view the video on the front page.

From Left: Mary Anne Maloney, JoAnne Babbitt, and Karen Swartz

Announcements: Kiwanis August 2 Meeting

Tom Mullin asked members to sign-up to work at the Children’s Reading Club picnic on Aug 18 in the park behind the Library of the Chathams. Tables and food need to be set up about 2:00 PM. The grill need to be set up and lit at 2:30 PM. Cooking of hot dogs will start at 3:30 PM. Kids start coming about 3:45 PM. Mary Anne Maloney announced that the Installation Dinner will be held at the Brooklake Country Club on September 20. The Pasta Dinner, managed by Gary Arnesen and Sharon Johnson will be held on October 20. The NJ District Convention, hosted by our club, will be held Aug 19-21. She also reported that we received a thank-you letter from New Jersey Aids Services for a Kiwanis contribution. Karen Swartz reminded members to bring in small toiletries items to donate to NJAS.
Mayor Vaughan asked all members to vote for Chatham Borough in “The Great Barn Giveaway”. Click http://www.greatbarngiveaway.com/ and then click on the “CLICK HERE” to cast your vote for the winner of the free barn. You will need to enter your email address. The barn will be set up at the site of the Farmers Market. Many more votes are needed to win!

Mayor Vaughan asks everyone to vote for Chatham Borough

Mayor Vaughan says, "Please vote for Chatham in the Great Barn Giveaway." Click on http://www.greatbarngiveaway.com/ and follow instructions. This will support the Chatham Farmers Market.

July 26 Program: Clyde Zukswert spoke on his “Prescription for a Meaningful Life”

Kiwanis Club member Clyde Zukswert gave us his “Prescription for a Meaningful Life”.  He was inspired by Edward McVaney of Denver, who wrote to his grandchildren about choices that will affect their happiness and success.

Clyde’s Prescription began with “A Positive Attitude”, followed by “The Importance of Honesty”.  The second one is illustrated by the many people in high positions who have lied when accused of wrongdoing, only to be exposed when the truth came out.  This has led to the resignations of our President, some Congressmen, and the head of a nationally distributed newspaper.  The next on Clyde’s list is “Respect (and Concern) for Others”.  He cited Princess Diana as an example of this in her public life.  Similar to this is the importance of “Doing for Others”.  An example of this in his life is the work of the volunteer fire fighter.  He also mentioned his admiration for the work of Jimmy Carter with Habitat for Humanity.

Clyde’s list continued with his advice to consider your job as a “Career for Life”, and you will find fulfillment.  This will be true, even when you change careers, as he did.  Next is “Keep Active for Life”, for which he cited the story of Joe Foss, a Marine pilot who later became Governor of South Dakota.  With “The Importance of Reading”, he told the story of his dad, who had to leave school early to help his family.  However, he kept up his education by reading his brother’s textbooks. He later returned to school and then earned a CPA.  The last prescription was to do a “Random Act of Kindness” every day.  For Clyde, this has brought hope, happiness, meaning and fulfillment to a life well lived.

After waiting for the applause to subside, President-Elect Mary Anne Maloney thanked Clyde for sharing his Prescription with our members, and gave him a Kiwanis pen as a token of our gratitude.

July 19 Program: Dr. Joe Murphy spoke on “How to be Healthy”

Dr. Joe Murphy, Chatham Chiropractor and member of Kiwanis gave a talk on five essential components for being healthy.
1.  Nutrition: Eat a high fiber, low fat diet containing 30 % protein (mostly fish and chicken), 50 % carbohydrates (mostly composed of vegetables) and 20 % fats.
2.  Exercise: Regular exercise, 30 minutes 3 times a week. 20 minutes aerobic...walking, swimming, etc...10 minutes strength weights.
3.  Rest: You need 6-8 hours of sleep, not resting on a couch, per night. A person needs 3 to 4 hours of continuous sleep for the brain to rest.  Lying on a couch rests the body, not the brain. Use a firm mattress.
4.  Have a Good Mental Outlook on Life:  Waiting for happiness is not an option.
5.  Use Health-Care Providers:  Go to doctors and exercise people who are trained and you can relate to and understand.

Joan May with Dr. Joe Murphy

July 12 Program: March of Dimes Foundation.

Started in January of 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP) to combat Polio, with which he was afflicted.  After the Foundation funded research that led to vaccines by Salk and Sabine, and the virtual elimination of Polio, the mission was changed to Fighting Birth Defects, and eventually to Improving the Health of Mothers and Babies.

The North Jersey Chapter of March of Dimes, located in Pine Brook, sent its Community Director, Jacqueline (Jackie) Kelly, to bring us up to date,  Ms. Kelly brought with her, Gina Ihne to share in her presentation.  Our speakers were introduced by Herb Ramo.

Much of the current effort and research is focused on reducing the number of premature babies, for they often suffer from birth defects and conditions like Cerebral Palsy and Autism.  It is particularly severe in the inner cities, where pregnant mothers don’t have (or don’t seek) the pre-natal advice and treatment that could make a difference.  In Camden, Jersey City, and Newark, support groups are formed, consisting of 8 to 12 pregnant women.  They are advised on the importance of pre-natal care, and encouraged to participate in “The program”. The results have been very positive.  Conclusion: It works!

The Program is aided by the participation of medical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, and by the financial support of those leaders and volunteers who conduct the successful fundraisers.  The first of the “Walk for a Cure” fundraisers was the Foundation-sponsored Walk-America in 1970.  It has continued to this day, and is now called, March for Babies.

At the conclusion of the program, President Dick Plambeck presented our traditional Kiwanis pens as a token of our appreciation.

July 5 Program: Janice Piccolo gave an update on the Chatham Farmers Market

Janice Piccolo, Manager of the Chatham Farmers Market, gave an update on the very successful weekly event, which is held 8:00AM to 1:00PM every Saturday until November 19 in the railroad station parking lot. Janice previously managed the Madison market for 15 years. Now in the fifth year of operation, the Chatham Market serves multiple purposes for the community.

Some key ingredients are environmental activism, farmers directly sell source verified consumer confident products, encouraging volunteerism (25 volunteers on the Market committee), a chance to meet socially with your neighbors, nutrition and good health, a venue to publicize programs like the Mayors Wellness Program and the “know your numbers campaign”, civic support for local not-for-profit service organizations (27 visited last year), a gathering space for enjoying entertainment like the Chatham Brass Band and other artists and performers.

The Chatham Market belongs to organizations like the Farmers Market Coalition of the United States and New Jersey Council of Farmers and Communities. They try to maintain the New Jersey farmer’s land to avoid urban sprawl and help farm families earn a living by farming.

Volunteers, dressed as corn and tomato marched in this year’s Independence Day Parade. Janice offered a volunteer badge to anyone in the audience.

Many special events at the Market were listed on complementary bookmarks handed out to members.

Visit the Chatham Farmers Market website to learn more. The Market also has a Facebook Page.

Announcements at Kiwanis July 5 Meeting

Dick Plambeck announced that Sharon Johnson and Gary Arnesen will co-chair the Pasta Dinner fundraiser. The next Board meeting is Wednesday, July 20 at the Methodist Church. District Convention will be August 19-21. He passed around thank-you notes from ECLC graduates and an invitation to a Boy Scout camp open house. Mal Kitson was given a standing ovation for managing the hugely successful Kiwanis march in the Independence Day Parade. He thanked Mary Anne Maloney and Nancy Boucher for managing the decoration of the Lady Liberty and Chatham Band floats. Karen Shippey made a very nice flame to sit at the top of Lady Liberty’s torch. There were many marchers. Click here to view the YouTube video (shot by Stu Shippey) of Kiwanis floats and marchers. Nancy reported that $390 in supermarket gift certificates have been collected from Kiwanis members to give to the Eric Johnson House. She also announced that members can contribute their loose pocket change (deposit in the container at the check-in table) to go to the ELIMINATE project. Karen Swartz reminded members to bring in items to donate to Eric Johnson House.

Kiwanis Marches in 2011 Chatham Independence Day Parade

June 28 Program: Jim Peck, Executive Director of Cora Hartshorn Arboretum

Jim Peck, Executive Director of Cora Hartshorn Arboretum in Short Hills spoke on nature areas in New Jersey. An expert on New Jersey parks, he entertained the audience and left us with ideas for New Jersey places to visit. This talk was an encore performance of his excellent February 22, 2011 program.

Jim is pictured on left (with Kiwanis President Dick Plambeck) wearing his 50-million-year-old New Jersey shark’s tooth fossil necklace. He has visited all USA states except North Dakota. He has written a monthly article for a local newspaper for about seven years.

He showed a photo of a recent visit to the arboretum by a couple who had carved their initials in a Beech tree more than 50 years ago. The two were high school sweethearts in 1960. The heart and initials are still at the same height because lower parts of the tree don’t grow higher over the years.

He reminded the audience about some of places described in his February talk. He travels to specific places with a mission to see and learn about something in particular. He travels light, without climbing or special hiking gear.

Big Brook in Colts Neck has a lot of fossils – he found his shark’s tooth there. Visitors should take kids there because they get excited.  Island Beach State Park is one of his favorite places, anywhere. Palisades Park along the Hudson is also nice.

Great Swamp is where the Passaic River begins. The Swamp has Wildlife Management and Natural areas. He showed a winter photo of Great Falls at Patterson. It has the largest volume of water flowing over a waterfall east of Niagara Falls. He described the geology of the Palisades near Patterson Falls and the historical use of the falls to drive local industries.

He showed a photo of the Eastern USA’s oldest old-growth trees located in Bear Swamp West near Millville, NJ (the South Jersey town has a glass factory).  They are Tupelo trees that are hollow and can grow in water. Go in the winter to avoid insects and better see the size of the trees (no leaves). A lot of mistletoe lives in the same area.  Driving and walking to this site takes a long time.

Franklin, NJ is one of the two places in the world (somewhere in Africa is the other) with highest concentration of minerals. Jim showed photos of the Franklin Mineral Museum and nearby zinc mine (with another museum where you can tour the mine). It is the fluorescent mineral capital of the world and many NJ school children have visited the site. (Nancy Boucher mentioned that the local Kiwanis Club helped run the museum.) You can buy Franklinite samples there.

He also described the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ. Also, he showed a photo of the Bamboo Forest in Rutgers Garden.

Jim is looking for donations and volunteer workers to support a boat-building outreach program for kids from Milburn and Union. He showed photos of the project which helps children build 12-foot skiffs.

We ran out of time before Jim ran out of places to talk about. It was a great program and we will have to ask him back again. Jim emailed us the following list of places he described and others we could visit.

Places in Jim's talk

Cora Hartshorn Arboretum, Short Hills
Sandy Hook
Hackensack Meadowlands
Snake Hill (in the Meadowlands)
Crooked Swamp Cave
Cheesquake State Park
Sunset Beach, Cape May
Wildcat Ridge (north Jersey)
Delaware and Raritan Canal
Pine Barrens
                Pakim Pond
                Apple Pie Hill
                Town of Chatsworth
                Pygmy Pine Forest
                Greenwood Wildlife Management Area boardwalk
                Canoe to Wading River
Buttermilk Falls, Delaware Water Gap
Helmetta Pond, Helmetta,
Fossil hunting in Big Brook, Colts Neck
Palisades Park
Island Beach State Park
Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Great Falls, Patterson
Bear Swamp West – near Peek Preserve in Millville
Franklin Mineral Museum
Sterling Mine
Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

Kiwanis Presents Graduation Awards to ECLC of New Jersey Graduates

Dick Plambeck, President of Chatham-Madison Kiwanis is pictured left, rear row in above photo with some of the ECLC 2011 graduates. Kiwanis presented graduation awards to all 23 graduates of ECLC at the June 16 ceremony.

Announcements: Kiwanis June 28 Meeting

Mal Kitson announced Independence Day Parade. Mary Anne Maloney asked members to bring staple guns to decorate lady liberty float. Meet at 4:00 PM Sunday July 3 behind Weichert’s on Main St. in Chathm. Nancy Boucher reminded members to help decorate the Chatham Band float at Coviello’s in Madison, 8:00 AM on the 4th of July. The American Flag holder will be provided. Members report to march at intersection of Ogden and Hillside. Next Board meeting is Wednesday, July 20, Chatham United Methodist. Nancy Boucher will hold a dinner meeting, 6:00 PM July 13, at her house to plan for managing this year’s District Convention (we are the host club). Through this summer, Karen Swartz will collect small unused travel toiletries (saved from hotel stays) contributed by members and give them to the NJAS/Eric Johnson House. Also, bring in unused dental goody bag items. Today, members bought $240 in Supermarket Cards from Nancy Boucher for contribution to NJAS.

Program: New Jersey Aids Services (NJAS)

Marty Sechehay introduced speaker Laurie Litt-Robbins, New Jersey Aids Services CEO.

Laurie has been with the Eric Johnson house since it was founded in 1994. She presented a history of the organization.  Early residents of the EJ house with Aids had no options and have passed away. Later, medical treatments became available so residents lived longer and have broader needs. The organization provides many services and tries to deliver them efficiently. Some clients have improved enough that they go off welfare.

A major goal is to provide education to people ranging from middle schools thru college students on up to the older adults.  Unfortunately, the population has lost interest in education because there is medical treatment now. But the problem is still very bad. There is continuing discrimination and unfair treatment of HIV/Aids patients. June 5 1981 is the first recorded date of HIV. After 30 years there is still a lot of misunderstanding.

NJAS worked with other NJ organizations to have a single Aids Walk for raising funds and awareness. Volunteers are helpful in many tasks, like driving people to appointments. ShopRite gift cards are used to buy groceries. Service organizations are urged to hold food and household product drives. Laurie left members a list of items that are needed.

New Jersey has about 75,000 reported HIV cases with almost 35,000 still living.  About 1100 HIV patients live in Morris County. The rate of infection has not decreased, world-wide. To learn more, please visit the NJAS website http://www.theericjohnsonhouse.org/

Announcements: Kiwanis June 21 Meeting

Nancy Holt announced that there will be a Benevolence Committee meeting 6/28 after breakfast. Dick Plambeck reported that he made presentations at CHS, ECLC and MHS awards events and passed around several thank-you notes for review by members. A thank-you was also received from the “Save-a-Child” movement.  The Geralda Farms concert is June 26. Mal Kitson reminded everyone about the July 4th parade. Nancy Boucher reminded that we are the host club for the District Convention.

Madison High School Graduating Seniors Receive Kiwanis Awards

The Madison High School Awards Ceremony for the 2011 graduating class was held on June 16 at the Fairleigh Dickinson University Ferguson Recreation Center. Two Madison graduating seniors received awards from the Chatham - Madison Kiwanis Club.

Club President Richard Plambeck presented the Nancy Boucher Service Award to Emily O’Gorman. The award is presented to a graduating senior who has demonstrated a commitment to service and through those efforts and example has had a positive impact on others. Emily has done an outstanding job as Corresponding Secretary of the MHS Key Club and has served as a bowling team coach for Special Olympics. She also participated in “Relay for Life”, has been an active leader in her church youth group and served as a Morristown Memorial Hospital volunteer. At the ceremony, she was also recognized as writer for the Yearbook, “Alembic”, and for her membership in the National Honor Society. Other awards included Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, Honors Graduate and National Merit Society – Commended.

Madison Musician Jerry Vezza presented the Jerry Vezza Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in the Field of Music to Elizabeth Meek.  The award, sponsored by Kiwanis, is given to a graduating senior who has a love for music with passion, discipline and dedication to excellence in the art of music. Elizabeth has been a member of the MHS orchestra for four years, where she has been a leader in the cello section. At the awards ceremony, she was also recognized for her work as Submissions Editor of the “Glyphs”, the Literary Magazine. At the end of the ceremony she was recognized for her membership in the National Honor Society, Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, and National Merit Society – Commended.

Annual Kiwanis-Rotary Picnic June 14

Ed Kostrowski, incoming President of the Chatham, Millburn and Short Hills Rotary Club barbequed London broil at the Kiwanis-Rotary picnic held at the Chatham Borough Firehouse on June 14, 2011. The Kiwanis-Rotary picnic is held every year. The clubs alternate serving as host – this year, Rotary was the host. It is a great opportunity for the two service clubs to socialize and exchange ideas.

There was a huge rain shower just before the picnic, but about 6:00 PM, the sky brightened, the rain stopped and the sun came out.  The picnic was just ending when the showers returned, so everyone went inside the firehouse to enjoy a last cup of coffee.

The food was excellent and everyone had a great time. Total attendance was 25, which was great, considering the rainy weather.

The Rotary club holds three meetings per month at Enzzo’s Trattoria in Milburn and one meeting per month at the Library of the Chathams.

Program: On June 7, Mary Cuoski and Deborah Castro spoke about the Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey.

For over 110 years, Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey has provided quality health care to residents of the greater Morris County area.  In photo above, Dick Plambeck welcomed Visiting Nurse Association speakers Mary Cuoski (L) and Deborah Castro (R), who gave a comprehensive presentation on the organization and its services. The population is living longer and the many older citizens require assistance. Over 44 million American adults provide care for an aging loved one, and that number will rise. VNANNJ provides help and support for the care givers.

Respite Care is offered to provide a break for someone serving in the caregiver role. HHA service a provided to relieve full time caregivers of their workload. The Friendship House Adult Day Care Services are offered to those with Alzheimer’s.  Community Health Programs include In-Home Caregiver Education, House Calls for Groceries, Philips Lifeline and Telehealth. Medicare can help recipients who are eligible.

How can the VNANNJ help? They are a Medicare certified Homecare agency in Morris County, provide all services required and will work with your MD to plan care. Call them at 1-800-WE-VISIT or go the website: http://vnannj.org/.

Announcements: Kiwanis June 7 Program

Dick Plambeck (R) introduced Al Thomas (L), Senior Executive for the Fishawack District of the Patriots’ Path Council, Boy Scouts of America. Al was visiting to share ideas for helping young people and to explore partnerships with the Kiwanis Club. Erv Martin reported attending the Kiwanis Club of LeMars Iowa meeting and reported on their club activities. The Senior Center of the Chathams sent our club a letter with a donation in honor of the fine work of the CHS Key Club, which baked deserts for the recent senior fund-raiser.  Betty Anne reminded members to attend the final CHS Key Club meeting of the year. The year-end celebration will start about 2:30 PM June 8 in the cafeteria. Tom Mullin passed around the sign-up sheet for Fishawack. He needs people for this coming Saturday afternoon.  John Hadamuscin needs people to help pull pork on Friday at 1:00 PM at the Methodist Church.  Mal Kitson reminded everyone to get ready for the 4^th of July parade. Sign-up sheets were passed around for decorating the “Lady Liberty” float at 4:00 PM on Sunday (July 3) at Chatham Main and the band float at 8:00 AM on Monday (July 4) at Coviello’s. Members should march with the floats in the parade.  ECLC graduation ceremony and MHS awards ceremony at FDU are both on June 16. Dick reminded everyone about the District Convention. He also reminded them to vote today. Next week’s Tuesday meeting will be the annual Kiwanis-Rotary picnic starting 6:00 PM at Firehouse Plaza.

Chatham Kiwanis Music Awards Presented at June 3 CHS Awards Assembly

At the June 3 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 Ryan Fauver, who received the John Philip Sousa Band Award; William Smart who received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award; Dylan Tencic, who received the National School Choral Award and Matthew Bryers, who received the National School Orchestra Award.  Dick Plambeck, President of Kiwanis, was on hand to present these awards. Check out theChatham Patch Awards Assembly article, which includes photos.

2011 Annual Chatham High School Kiwanis Scholarship Winners Announced

Year-2011 Chatham Kiwanis Scholarship winners Annie Monson (left) and Christina Kim (right) were introduced by Kiwanis Club President Dick Plambeck at the May 31 Kiwanis breakfast meeting. They will also be recognized at the June 24 CHS graduation ceremony as this year’s winners of $8,000 Kiwanis Chatham High School scholarships. Students receive $2,000 per year for four years.

Detective Supervisor Mark Castellano of the Morris County Prosecutors Office Spoke on Crimes against the Retirees and Seniors

Detective Supervisor Mark Castellano of the Morris County Prosecutors Office was introduced by Mary Anne Maloney at the May 31 Program. The speaker described several frauds that members should watch out for. Topics included email scams and identity theft. Ways to protect against criminals were presented.

Seniors who are targeted have money, are polite, trusting and reluctant to admit being duped. Scam emails are carefully crafted to sound real and to appeal to the targeted person’s emotions. The email sender asks for money with the promise of paying it back. If people receive emails like this, they should become suspicious and close examination will probably show “defects” in the email they received. People who receive this type of email should just delete it. 

If homeowners deal with contractors, they need to make sure that they are reputable. They should be registered with the state of New Jersey. Ask for written estimates and check references. Check with the municipal government regarding a contractor. Tell the contractor you will not pay more than the original estimate.

If an unsolicited call comes to your phone line from someone asking questions, be sure to give no information to the caller. It is better to just hang up on the caller.

Musician Jerry Vezza Welcomed at Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Meeting

Nancy Boucher introduced Jerry Vezza, a well-known Madison musician. Several years ago, Madison Kiwanis had an annual fundraiser called “all that Jazz” at Shanghai Jazz in Madison. Jerry Vezza was very kind to the club and helped by performing at the fundraiser. He also brought MHS students to the fundraiser. Because of his kindness, the Madison Kiwanis Club named a music scholarship after him. The scholarship award is given to a graduating Madison High School music student. Jerry made the scholarship presentation last year and will make it again this year on June 16 at the MHS awards ceremony held on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Announcements: Kiwanis May 31 Meeting

President Dick Plambeck described the Chatham Memorial Day Ceremony, using plaques newly refurbished by American Legion Post 43. Also, the Kiwanis NJ District Convention will be August 19-21 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Somerset, NJ (we will be the host club). Dick mentioned that information on the ELIMINATE project is available on Kiwanis websites.  Gary Arnesen reported that the Chatham Ogden St. clean-up went well and six bags were filled with litter, including spikes discarded by railroad workers. He thanked club members for their hard work and announced that the next clean-up will be in July. Jerry Cunningham reported that the Veterans flag-placement at Fairmount Cemetery was well-attended and he thanked the members for their work. Nancy Holt reported that the she received a thank-you letter from the Interfaith Food Pantry with photographs of their new building under construction. Dick noted that the Chatham Community Garden will harvest and deliver produce to the Food Pantry on a weekly basis during the summer. Tom Mullin passed around a sign-up sheet for the Fishawack pulled-pork booth.

Members of Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Place Flags to Observe Memorial Day

On May 26 twelve members of Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club placed flags at the graves of United States of America Military Veterans buried in Fair Mount Cemetery in Chatham Borough.  Bob Huntington, past president of the club and Navy Veteran, obtained the flags and organized the work.  Kneeling beside the gravestone of Raymond Hart, US Army Private, are members of post 92 of the American Legion Bob Huntington (L) and Herb Ramo (R). Standing (L to R) are Monty Montague, Marjorie Ahrens, Nancy Hart, Dave Mutchler, Mary Anne Maloney, Dick Plambeck and Jerry Cunningham. Not in the photo are John Eyre, Mal Kitson and Ron Whalin.

Kiwanis May 25 Chatham Clean-up

On May 25, six members of Chatham-Madison Kiwanis removed litter from the Ogden St. area of Chatham Borough. In above photo taken by Sharon Johnson, organizer of the project Gary Arnesen is holding his dog. Others (Left to Right), are Marge Ahrens, John Eyre, Dick Plambeck and Clyde Zukswert. The photo below was taken by Gary showing Sharon holding Gary’s dog.