Noon luncheon meetings are held on the first two Tuesdays of each month, at Charlie Brown's Steakhouse in Chatham Township. Breakfast meetings are held at 8:00 AM on the last two or three Tuesdays of each month. Breakfast meetings are held at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse in Chatham Township. Guests are always welcomed to attend our Tuesday meetings. COME JOIN US

Saturday

Annual Kiwanis Christmas Breakfast Meeting Program on December 20, 1011

Annual Kiwanis Christmas Program participants (L to R): Mary Anne Maloney, Rich Behling, Joan May, Bob Stannard, Nancy Boucher, Nancy Holt and Simon Mandal.

Rich Behling started the Christmas Program by telling a story about the religious meaning designed into “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” After describing what each of the numbers signifies, he asked Bob Stannard to play the song while all the members sang the words. Click here to see a website with the story.

Ron Whalin showed a video of TubaChristmas at Rockefeller Center in New York City. He took the video of about 500 musicians on December 11, 2011. Click here to see the video on YouTube.

Joan May described the history of a Christmas song, titled “Where is the line to see Jesus.” Then she introduced a YouTube video, which all members enjoyed. Click here to see the video.

Simon Mandal gave a very entertaining Magic Show. The cups and balls trick had all members wondering “how did he do it?” Simon said the trick was over 5000 years old and people believe it started in Egypt. The audience was delighted and in stiches at the end of the show.  Click here to see Simon's website.


To complete the program, Nancy Holt spoke briefly about the true meaning of Christmas. She gave everyone her Christmas wish for all of us: Behind all the decorations, gifts, and parties she wishes that there will come a moment of quiet reflection and peace. That it will be truly said of each of us, we know how to keep Christmas. Merry Christmas and God bless you.

Announcements: Kiwanis December 20 Meeting

Stu Shippey announced that the nut sale is coming to an end and all members are asked to purchase the remaining gift tins. Karen Swartz announced that the CHS Key Club will meet for the last time this year at 7:00 PM on December 21 in the cafeteria. Nancy Boucher still has supermarket cards so please buy them and use them as gifts. Greeting cards were sent to members who have been unable to attend meetings. The December Board meeting will be held right after the regular meeting. Poinsettia table decorations were given out to some of the members attending today’s meeting.
Alan Nekoukar, manager of Charlie Brown’s Restaurant in Chatham Township, was recognized and thanked by President Mary Anne Maloney for the excellent service and food he and his staff provided at Kiwanis meetings today and over the many years. Alan thanked the club members and acknowledged his Charlie Brown’s workers who did such a great job. Alan said that last year Kiwanis posted his photo on website. A long lost friend from 30 years ago, who had moved to California, found Alan because of that photo. The friend found the photo of Alan on the Kiwanis website and called him up. They have now renewed their friendship. 

Thursday

December 13 Program: - Rev. Richard Knox, Pastor of the Chatham United Methodist Church presented "Christmas in America”

At the December 13 Kiwanis Luncheon, Rev. Richard Knox, Pastor of the Chatham United Methodist Church presented "Christmas in America”. David Lloyd, on the left in the above photo, introduced Rev. Knox. The talk covered the amazing history of Christmas in the United States.

Wednesday

Announcements: Kiwanis December 13 Meeting – Buy Nuts

Stu Shippey needs everyone to buy/sell a few more nuts. He reported that all but about $500 worth of nuts have been sold. He asked each member to buy just one tin so that the club could make a profit to give to the scholarship fund. Please help the club successfully completed the project. PLEASE come to the December 20 Breakfast Meeting and buy the last of the nuts.

Karen Swartz announced that CHS Key Club will hold the talent show Project Showcase fundraiser on Friday night, December 16 in the auditorium.

Mary Anne reported that the St. Patrick’s Builders Club made all the ornaments for the Christmas giving tree. She also reminded members to buy Supermarket Gift Certificates which they can give as Christmas Gifts. She also noted that we will have our Annual Christmas Breakfast next week, December 20, 8:00 AM, Charlie Brown’s. If members have items for the programs, please email her.

Amos Chalif sent an email to Sharon Johnson, noting that he has been a member of Kiwanis for 57 years (he joined Chatham Kiwanis in 1954).

The December Board of Directors meeting will be held next week following the breakfast meeting.

Sunday

December 6 Program: Joan Thuebel presented "Dancing Birds of Costa Rica"


Joan Thuebel gave a slide show presentation on “Dancing Birds of Costa Rica” at the December 6 Kiwanis luncheon meeting. She participated in an Earthwatch scientific expedition to the western coast of Costa Rica, where she and others in her group documented the dances of Long tailed Manakin birds. The bird is unusual for its coloring, which changes as it matures over the years. David Lloyd (on right in photo) introduced the speaker.

The mating of these birds is called a “lek”. Multiple male birds do a coordinated group dance to entice females. Joan gave entertaining renditions of the dances, to the delight of everyone in the audience.

You can view a video of the Manakins dancing on YouTube. Click here to learn more about Earthwatch. At the end, the audience applauded enthusiastically and thanked Joan for the very interesting presentation.

Saturday

Announcements: Kiwanis December 6 Meeting


Matt Morris, Chief Fundraising Officer, brought greetings to our club from the Kiwanis International Staff Foundation. He said the International Kiwanis Club appreciates the good work done by our local Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club and thanked members for their contributions to the Kiwanis Foundation.  Gwen Walding, secretary of the NJ District of Kiwanis International, also attended the meeting. 

Mary Anne Maloney reported that representatives from our club attended the recent NJ District Governor’s Dinner at Mt. Tabor Country Club. She also thanked Joan May for her leadership in making “Breakfast with Santa” a huge success. Joan thanked all the workers who helped out at the event. Nancy Boucher announced that MHS Key Club sent eight members to help as “elves” at “Breakfast with Santa”. Stu Shippey sold nuts at the event and he gave an update on the fundraiser. We have many gift tins left to sell. He asked everyone to buy at least one item.

Karen Swartz announced that the CHS Key Club meeting will be held on Wednesday at 7:00 PM in the cafeteria. Betty Anne Keat announced that the CMS Builders Club will meet on Thursday.

Mary Anne also reminded the members that an ELIMINATE fund-raiser cruise to Bermuda is scheduled for May 28, 2012. Deposits are due January 5.

Wednesday

Breakfast With Santa December 3, 2011 was a huge success.

AD stirs the pancake batter.
Joan cooks sausage.
Mary Anne cooks pancakes.
Nancy checks in families.
Judy takes pictures of children with Santa.
David meets Santa.
David tells Santa what he wants for Christmas.
David enjoys his pancakes.
Children work on projects at the art table.
Simon makes a bicycle.
Simon creates a balloon Santa.




Sunday

November 29 Program: Heather Alonge spoke on ECLC of New Jersey

Heather Alonge (L), Director of the ECLC Foundation at ECLC of New Jersey gave an overview of the organization that serves students who have learning disabilities. She was introduced by Kiwanis President Mary Anne Maloney (R).

ECLC includes a school in Chatham, a school in Ho-Ho-Kus, a supported employment program housed in the Chatham Borough Hall, a day program located in an office on Passaic Ave. in Chatham and a day program in Bergan County. ECLC has changed their role and the need for client services has changed.

ECLC was started in 1970 by a group of parents who felt their children would have had a better life with early intervention. The organization now provides support for their graduates and clients through all phases of their lives. Heather showed many examples of successful activities at ECLC.

Currently, ECLC serves over 700 individuals from 175 New Jersey Towns. Starting with 6 children in the first school, there are now 350 students in two schools. ECLC has served over 2000 clients over the last 43 years. Growth is largely in the area of adult services. The developmental disabilities of clients vary greatly. Unfortunately, the disabled population is growing.

In 2010 the Ho-Ho-Kus campus added a service dog. Now the Chatham campus has one. Click here to learn about Gino on Chatham Patch.

ECLC Foundation will be embarking on a new capital campaign in early 2012. New funds will expand project PRIDE facilities, add air conditioning to schools and make other needed improvements. She asked Kiwanis to continue to support ECLC in these and other endeavors.

Kiwanis members in the audience were very impressed with the improvements ECLC has made in the lives of their clients.

Announcements: Kiwanis November 29 Meeting

Mary Anne reported that the Madison Christmas Parade was a great success. She counted 13 members marching and reported that the crowd of onlookers was amazing. She asked members to let Ron or Rich know of any errors in the club directory. She also reported that Kiwanis is having an Interclub contest through June 30, 2012. Be sure to report all Interclubs to Sharon Johnson.

Nancy Boucher reported that a member of the Kiwanis International fund-raising effort for Project Eliminate will be in New Jersey next week. He plans to attend our Tuesday Meeting on December 6.

Karen Shippey announced that the club still has plenty of Mixed Nuts, Cashews and Tutles in holiday gift tins. She asked members to renew their efforts to sell the remaining nuts so that the club can make money for our Scholarship Fund. Stu wants to wrap up Nut sales by 12/24/11.
 
Karen Swartz announced several Key Club activities.  There will be a restaurant night on December 12 at McLynn’s Restaurant in Springfield sponsored by Jonathan Dayton Regional High School. Project Showcase talent show will be held at the Chatham Library on December 16. Income from the event will go to project ELIMINATE. January 15, Key Club will sponsor a “day of silence” for Autism awareness.

Saturday

Kiwanis Marches in November 25 2011 Madison Christmas Parade

Kiwanis members and spouses started gathering at 5:00 pm. It was warmer than last year.
 Marchers waved Merry Christmas.
The Treasurer (middle) of the Madison High School Key Club marched with Kiwanis.
At about 5:40 PM, the Kiwanis marchers lined up near the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps building.
A young marcher pulled a wagon carrying a Merry Christmas Tree, complete with lights.
 After we reached the end of the parade route, the marchers waited for Santa to go by on the final float.

Wednesday

November 22 Program: Susan Lubin of Integrity Life Settlements spoke on turning life insurance into cash.

Jill Gregg (left) introduced Susan Lubin of Integrity Life Settlements. Susan helps people who own a Life Insurance Policy sell the policy for cash. There is a Live Settlements Market that buys and sells Life Insurance Policies.

Some policy holders find that they no longer want the policy and would rather have the cash value of the policy. Life Settlement is an alternative to asking the insurance company for the cash value. This can result in the policy holder receive more cash than the “cash value” offered by the insurance company.

Today, an estimated $5 billion of life insurance policies are sold through the Life Settlements market each year.

The process involves many factors which potential sellers should examine before taking this step. Susan handed out literature explaining the process. Click here to go the Integrity Life Settlements website and learn more.

Announcements: Kiwanis November 22 Meeting

Karen Shippey announced that last weekend’s Nut Sales at the Supermarkets went very well and we are about out of all bagged nuts. There are still plenty of nuts in gift tins: deluxe mixed nuts, cashews and kiwis. She asked all members to accelerate their sale of these items. We are about at the breakeven point. Next, we need to sell all the remaining nuts so we will have funds to put into scholarships and youth programs.

Gary Arnesen reported that the clean-up of the Passaic River Trail near Shepard Kollock Park in Chatham Borough went very well. Because of the storms this year, the work was pretty tough. He thanked all the participants. Click here to see photos on Chatham Patch.

Joan May reminded everyone about the November 25 Madison Christmas Day parade. We will gather in the Ambulance Corps parking lot starting at 5:00 pm. Club members are invited to meet Joan at Charlie Brown’s after the parade. Click here to view the Madison Patch article about the parade. Joan also reminded everyone to help with “Breakfast with Santa” to be held on December 3.

Betty Anne Keat told members that the Chatham Middle School is selling Entertainment Books and asked members to buy one.

Monday

Kiwanians help clean Passaic River Trail in Chatham Borough on November 19

On Saturday November 19, members of Kiwanis, Chatham DPW and the CHS Key Club President helped clean up the trail that starts at Shephard Kollock Park and goes along the beautiful Passaic River. Click here to see more photos on Chatham Patch.

Kiwanis Sells Nuts at Local Supermarkets the Weekend Before Thanksgiving

Therese and Stu sell nuts at entrance to ShopRite in Chatham Township
Mel and Stu sell nuts at entrance to Kings Supermarket in Chatham Borough
Sharon sells nuts at entrance to Kings Supermarket in Chatham Borough

Wednesday

Program: Michael Lupton of Wells Fargo Advisors in Morristown spoke about investments in today’s economy.

Michael Lupton of Wells Fargo Advisors in Morristown was introduced by Jill Greg. Michael is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and has a Master’s in Business from Duke University. He served in the US Marines as a helicopter pilot.

He handed out literature on “non-spousal IRA” and “The benefits of the stretch IRA strategy.” As a Financial Advisor, he keeps track of the market and noticed on his Blackberry that the market was down again today. The economy and market have been tough in recent years with the latest problems being financial problems in Greece and Italy.

Locally we see business failing and inadequate funding for governments and schools. We wonder if there is anything we can do to insulate ourselves from these problems and realize benefits in the long term.

He introduced and explained a concept called “stretch IRA”. Wells Fargo clients are using this to more effectively pass funds to non-spousal beneficiaries. Michael stressed that he is not a tax attorney and that everyone should consult their own estate planning advisor. The concept is to stretch the assets out over a longer period of time, which will provide more time to recover value.

The approach benefits people which multiple sources of income who want to pass some IRA funds to beneficiaries. It is important to carefully select the beneficiaries. If they are young, the income from Required Minimum Distributions will be stretched over a longer period of time. There are many options for setting this up for non-spouse beneficiaries.

 Over time, the market will recover and get better. This concept lets you park your investments so that they will last longer and you can leave your legacy to your family. It is important, especially in this down market, to periodically review you financial plans and to make prudent decisions. Click here for more information.

Tuesday

Announcements: Kiwanis November 15 Meeting

Gary Arnesen announced the November 19 cleanup of Shepard Kollock Park in Chatham Borough from 9am to 10am. Karen Shippey reported that the total Nut Sales for last weekend at Madison Stop and Shop and Florham Park Kings was $940. Total is now $6,602. We are sold out of Bagged Mixed Nuts, Bagged Cashews and Peanuts in a 12-oz can. She also reminded members about next weekend’s ShopRite and Kings Supermarket sales in Chatham. There are a few unfilled time slots for members to sign up for and she sent the sheet around to members at the meeting. John May passed around sign-up sheets for the 5pm November 25 Madison Christmas Parade and the Breakfast with Santa on December 3 (helpers needed 8:30 am to 12:00 noon). Mary Anne announced the NJ Kiwanis District Governor’s meeting to be held on December 1, 6:30 pm at the Mt. Tabor Golf Course. She also announced that due to schedule conflicts, the Wednesday 11/16 Board meeting will be changed to November 22 immediately after the breakfast meeting. Several projects for 2012 will be discussed at the Board meeting. Marge Ahrens circulated a card for Mal. A CHS Key Club meeting is scheduled for 11/16 at 7pm. The MHS Key club will meet on Thursday at 2:45pm in the cafeteria.

Friday

November 8 Program: Lisa Montalbano of Employment Horizons

Lisa Montalbano (L) of Employment Horizons was introduced by Valerie Olpp (R). Gary Sloan (middle) also told the audience about his experiences.

Employment Horizons, located in Cedar Knolls, NJ, provides jobs for people with special needs. Lisa told Kiwanis that the organization is a private, not-for-profit agency which started in 1957.  They have a large facility on Ridgedale Ave. About 130 folks with disabilities come every day to do contract work such as package assembly for major corporations like Cablevision. Workers refurbish TV remote controls. Work is also done for Tiffany, the jewelry company. They have helped Bayer, the German drug company, prepare documents for a seminar. Promotional mailings are also processed for clients.

They now have a document management center and can help companies with their paper records. They do document scanning, imaging and shredding. Quality and confidentiality are controlled with the assistance of Employment Horizons staff.

Janitorial services are provided. For example, they serve the entire grounds at Picatinny Arsenal with about 100 people. They also provide cleaning services for the Town of Denville.

Gary Sloan talked for a few minutes about his position working for Pediatrics Ophthalmology Associates.

Lisa answered questions from the audience and asked Kiwanis members to consider Employment Horizons to obtain services (click here for more info).

Thursday

November 8 Kiwanis Meeting Announcements

President Mary Anne Maloney reported on cancellation of the November 2 meeting. Due to the power outages and other damage caused by the major October 29 snowstorm, it was necessary to cancel the meeting. A telephone calling team tried to reach all members and an email was sent out to all members using the Internet network access provided by the Library of the Chathams. In spite of diligent efforts, two members did travel to Charlie Brown’s Restaurant and found it closed where a sign “No Kiwanis Meeting” was posted on the door.

Mary Anne also thanked the nine members of our club who supported the Greater Parsippany Great Tasting event held recently.

Mike Mulhaul was present for the Interclub and he also thanked the members for working at the event. It was a great evening. Also, he invited members to attend the Greater Parsippany Kiwanis 20th Anniversary Celebration, 6:30 PM, December 5 at the Mountain Lakes Country Club.

Mike also announced that he is the NJ District Coordinator for the ELIMINATE project. He plans to give a talk to our club on the subject early next year. ELIMINATE is a four-year program to raise $110,000,000 to eliminate Maternal Neonatal Tetanus world-wide. New Jersey needs to raise $1,064,444.

Gary Arnesen announced that the final income from the Pasta Dinner was $1,793. He also announced that there will be a Kiwanis town clean-up held on Saturday, November 19 at Shepard Kollock Park. Time will be announced next week.  Dick Plambeck added that the Environmental Commission is doing a major cleanup of that area of Chatham Borough. DPW will be out there with chain saws, wheelbarrows and chips to clean up and restore the trails in the area. Boy Scouts and other volunteers will also be out there working.

Stu Shippey reported that we are almost at the halfway point in selling Holiday Nuts. However, we have a lot more selling to do. There are four supermarket sales coming up the next two weekends. He needs more volunteers and passed around a sign-up sheet.

Mary Anne reminded everyone about the November 12 ELIMINATE walk in Cape May and the ELIMINATE Bermuda cruise next year.

Sharon Johnson reminded members to pay their dues.

John May passed around sign-up sheets for the Madison Christmas Parade and the Breakfast with Santa on December 3.

November 8 New Jersey Kiwanis District, Division 9 Interclub at Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club

Members from other Kiwanis Clubs in the North Jersey area attended our November 8 regular luncheon meeting at Charlie Brown’s in Chatham Township. Here are photos of our guests.

Wednesday

October 25 Kiwanis Meeting Program: Ron Whalin gave a presentation on Alaska


In July, Ron and Bert Whalin went on a Road Scholar mainland and cruise trip to Alaska. Titled by Road Scholar (used to be called Elderhostel) “ALASKA: Deep into the last frontier”, the trip started in Fairbanks and ended in Vancouver. The above photo was taken from the MS-Zaandam in College Fiord. The program included many still photos and videos.


Traveling up the Chena River on the Discovery III paddle wheel boat, there was a stop at Trail Breaker Kennels where Alaskan Huskies put on a nice show.


At the Chena Village stop, tourists were given an interesting presentation on furry Alaskan animals.


During a 7-hour bus ride on the Denali Wilderness Tundra Tour, a Grizzly was seen eating berries.


In Glacier Bay, the cruise ship gave passengers a nice show of Margery Glacier calving ice. A National Park ranger narrated the event.

In Skagway, there was a very enjoyable ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad. About 400,000 people travel on this narrow gage railroad every year.


While Whale-Watching with Allen Marine out of Auke Bay, we witnessed a pod of seven humpback whales bubble net feeding. Many times, the large mammals dove, confused their prey of herring with a net made of air bubbles, and then soared to the surface with their mouths open.


After having a Salmon Bake at Orca Point Lodge we spotted Bald Eagles in the trees.


In Juneau a statue of Patsy Ann, a Bull Terrier, was placed on the dock after she died in the 1940s.  Stone deaf, she was famous for greeting every ship that docked.

Kiwanis October 25 Meeting Announcements

Sharon Johnson, Co-Chair of the Pasta Dinner reported that the club did very well at the Pasta Dinner. She thanked everyone for all the hard work. The final results are not yet tabulated. Nancy Boucher announced that ten members have not yet paid. An email will be sent out reminding all members to send her any outstanding payments. Karen Shippey reported on the holiday nut sales. We are half way to the break-even point in the project. She asked members to keep the orders and checks coming in. Club President Mary Anne Maloney attended the recent CHS Key Club meeting and reported that we had an “Interclub” and student participation is huge. She also attended the CMS Builders Club meeting. She reminded members about the Parsippany Kiwanis wine tasting in Mountain Lakes this coming Thursday. An email went out asking members to help pour wine. Also, Cape May Kiwanis is having an ELIMINATE walk to raise funds on November 12. Next year, a cruise to Bermuda is planned for May 27 to raise funds for the ELIMINATE project. Karen Swartz announced that she turned over a 16 gallon container and five grocery bags full of travel toiletries donated by members and others to the Eric Johnson House. Laura Silvius, editor of Chatham Patch posted a terrific article – click here.


Joan May announced that immediately after the meeting, there will be a workshop to assemble Christmas Bell favors to be handed out at the Madison Christmas Parade. The photo shows volunteers hard at work.

Sunday

2011 Annual Kiwanis Pasta Dinner Enjoyed by Everyone

Dave and Melda Pike and their grandchildren enjoyed the October 20, 2011 Kiwanis Pasta Dinner. Attendance grew again this year as many families dined in the Chatham High School cafeteria or carried out the spaghetti and meat ball dinners.

Friday

October 18 Program: Marisa Bolognese, Director of Good Grief, Inc. in Morristown and volunteer Beth Karpowic of Chatham spoke about the mission of the organization.

Beth Karpowic (Left) and Marisa Bolognese of Good Grief, Inc.

Diane O’Brien introduced Marisa Bolognese, Director of Good Grief. The mission of Good Grief is ”to normalize grief in our communities through education, advocacy, and year-round support group programs for grieving children, teens and adults.” 

Children are often the forgotten mourners. Good Grief has been around since about 2004. It was formed by a group of people who had experienced the death of a parent or sibling when they were young, had not been given much support, and believed that more support was needed. Children need to be brought into the grieving processes and Good Grief serves as a resource for children.

In 2007 they started a center where they could give direct support to the families. The demand for services grew quickly to the point that there was a waiting list. In four years, they have grown over 300 percent and currently serve over 100 families. Free support is provided as long as it is needed.
Marisa narrated a story about a typical family served by Good Grief. The father died in a sudden tragic accident. Group counseling helped the two children and their mother deal with their grief over a necessary period of time.

Beth Karpowic shared a story about a mother who lost her young son a few years ago. The mother and her 4 year old daughter came to Good Grief. Beth described the opening circle ritual where everyone passes the baton, says their name and says who died. Following the circle, people go into separate groups and then return for a ritual at the end of the evening. After a period of a year, the mother was able to deal with the loss of her son. Beth invited everyone to be a volunteer for this important work. Training is provided and it is a rewarding job.

Funding is provided by contributions from individuals, foundations and businesses. There is no governmental funding.

Good Grief is located on Elm Street in Morristown and everyone is invited to come for tours. Check out the Good Grief web site to learn more and to schedule a tour.

Thursday

Announcements at Kiwanis October 18 Meeting

Gary Arnesen thanked everyone for selling Pasta Dinner tickets and Mary Anne thanked Nancy for tracking the ticket sales on her laptop computer. Stu Shippey announced that he has received all the nuts for our Holiday Nut Sale. He thanked members for sending in their orders and urged them to get more sales. He needs another volunteer for Kings Supermarket sales. He will sell nuts at the Pasta Dinner. Mary Anne reminded members about the Parsippany Kiwanis Grand Tasting event on October 27. We will have an “Interclub” of members attending. Nancy Boucher reported that the head of Kiwanis International will attend on behalf of the ELIMINATE project. Betty Anne announced the Middle School Builders Club meeting on Tuesday and their Entertainment Book Sale. Also, Karen announced the CHS Key Club on Wednesday. There will be a MHS Key Club meeting on Thursday. She also announced that member John Hadamuscin’s mother (Clara Henry) passed away and the memorial service will be held at the Chatham United Methodist Church on Saturday at 11:00 AM. A reception will follow. Mary Anne mentioned that the Chatham Courier had an article about CHS Key Club collecting baby items to support a project led by Dr. Hurley. Joan May asked members to attend the Santa Bell workshop next week (see photo). She also asked members to review the Member Manual which was recently emailed out.

Photo of Madison Christmas Parade Kiwanis handout bell.

Sunday

Enjoy Kiwanis Pasta Dinner October 20, 2011

Chatham-Madison Kiwanis will hold its annual Pasta Dinner for the benefit of community projects and scholarships on Thursday October 20, 2011 in the cafeteria of Chatham High School, 255 Lafayette Ave., Chatham, 07928. Dinners will include spaghetti and sauce, meatballs, salad, parmesan cheese, rolls, drinks and a dessert. Arminio’s of Chatham, NJ will prepare the meals in the cafeteria. Servers will be members of Kiwanis, the Key Clubs of Chatham and Madison High Schools, the Builders Clubs of Chatham Middle School and St. Patrick’s and Circle K Club of Drew University. Kiwanis sponsors all of these student service clubs. Dining room service will start at 5:30 pm and continue until 7:15 pm. Take-out service is available from 4:30 pm to 7:15 pm. Tickets, available at the door, are $12.00 for adults and $7.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets can also be purchased from members of Kiwanis.

Chatham Mayor Nelson Vaughan spoke to Kiwanis on bipartisanship in politics


President Mary Anne Maloney welcomed Chatham Mayor Nelson Vaughan who spoke to his fellow Kiwanians at the October 11 luncheon meeting. Nelson feels very strongly that this county needs bipartisanship in politics.

He pointed out that bipartisanship has worked in the past. When our founding fathers met to establish the United States, they understood that the common values that are shared are stronger than the less important differences that divide us.

We face major problems today. Democrats and Republicans should work together to create common-sense solutions using shared visions. As an example, our great President Dwight Eisenhower regarded Political Party difference as unimportant when he ran for president of the country. 

In his early years, Nelson was a Republican and campaigned on behalf of Republican candidates. More recently, in 2004, he registered as a Democrat because he felt that changes were needed.
Nelson believes that there are good people on both sides of the aisle. Both parties generally have the same goals, but have different ideas on how to achieve those goals. Republican Leona Brown suggested that Democrat Nelson Vaughan run for Chatham Mayor – and he won. Republicans and Democrats working together, that is what it should be.

As Mayor, he wants to work with all residents, whether they agree with him or not. There is no partisanship in wanting to have a beautiful downtown Chatham, creating a Farmers Market, making the Borough greener, and establishing a Community Garden. Everyone wants Chatham to be a great Borough.

Although a Democrat, Nelson is a financial conservative. However, he is more in the middle on Social issues. He and the Council have worked together to accomplish many things. For example, the recreation fields have been greatly improved. In spite of the recession, improved services have been provided while keeping taxes under control.

We can overcome common challenges when we stand on common ground. After he took office, Nelson was asked by a relative of a resident who died in 9/11 to construct a Chatham monument. His greatest helper was Representative Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen. The monument was built on time.

Nelson is proud to be a Democrat but he also supports Republican candidates representing Chatham in the NJ State Legislature. Nelson called for voters to support leaders who will create a shared vision and work to achieve the best compromises to resolve differences.

After a round of applause from club members, Mary Anne Maloney thanked Nelson for his devotion to Chatham and for helping us to be a wonderful town.