Karen Shippey Welcomed into Kiwanis at April 5 Meeting

Melanie Sze (left) introduced new Kiwanis member Karen Shippey (right) at the April 5 meeting. Karen hails from Nebraska, where she got her degree in Nursing. A registered nurse, she worked for 34 years at Morristown Hospital. She now works at the Franklin Surgical Center in Basking Ridge. She has served as a leader in the Girl Scouts and a volunteer with the Chatham United Methodist Church. Members welcomed Karen with a round of applause.

Announcements: April 5, 2011 Kiwanis Meeting

Kiwanis Treasurer Monty Montague reported that the Fish and Chips Dinner was very successful. Dick Plambeck thanked the members for working hard on the fund-raiser. Key Club and Builders Club volunteers also helped at the Fish and Chips Dinner. Nancy Holt reminded members about the Recognition Reception to be held on April 12 at 7:30 pm at Charlie Brown’s. Joan May has received tentative Madison approval for the May 21 Community Yard Sale. An insurance form must be submitted for the sale. Dick Plambeck announced that Gordon Meth of Parsippany Kiwanis was elected Divisional Lt. Governor. He also gave Nancy Holt a pat on the back for her great leadership of the Benevolence Committee.

Chatham High School Key Club visits Children's Specialized Hospital

On March 28, Chatham High School Key Club advisors and 21 student members went on a field trip to the Children's Specialized Hospital (CSH) in Mountainside, NJ. The club has raised funds to support the hospital. This photo, taken by faculty advisor Kiera Spadaro shows the group in the hallways of CSH with patient artwork in the background, Kiwanis advisor Betty Anne Keat is in the background

35th annual Fish and Chips Dinner held on March 30, 2011

The Fish and Chips fund-raising event was very successful with 400 dinners served. Over forty Kiwanis members worked and seventeen Key Club and Builders Club members helped out.

Kitchen leaders Bert Whalin and Nancy Boucher fill cups with coleslaw for carry-out meals.

Jerry Cunningham puts rolls into baggies for carry-out meals.

Joan May arranges cookies on a serving dish before giving it to eat-in guests.

Customer Bob Willis turns in his carry-out meal ticket to Doug Bryant as student volunteer runners wait to fetch hot meals from the kitchen for delivery to customers.

The Kitson family enjoyed their Fish and Chips Dinners while sitting in the Chatham High School Cafeteria.

Announcements: Kiwanis March 29 Meeting

Betty Anne Keat announced that Bob Stannard and Stu Shippey attended the Drew University Circle K meeting last night. The club is reorganizing. The CMS Builders Club is having their stuffed animal contest on Thursday 3/31 as a fund-raiser for Japan and the Children’s Specialized Hospital. Four Kiwanians along with 21 CHS Key Club members and the two faculty advisors went on a field trip to the Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH). Doug Bryant described the tour. A wish-list of items needed by CSH will be emailed to us. Alan Robertson reviewed planning for the Fish and Chips Dinner. Joan May gave an update for the Cole Park Community Yard Sale on May 21. Dick Plambeck announced that the Lt. Governor election will be held at the Empire Diner on April 4. Dick also announced that we received two service requests. He also noted that Kiwanis International Foundation is sending funds to Japan. Nancy Holt reminded everyone about the Recognition Reception on April 12. She also announced a 10:30 am Benevolence Committee meeting on April 4 at Charlie Brown’s. Doug Bryant announced that Doug Simon will be the speaker at next week’s luncheon meeting. Dick Ligertwood announced that we are now getting $65 per ton for recycled newspapers.

Key Clubs Present at Kiwanis Meeting – March 22, 2011

Chatham and Madison High School Key Club Officers and Advisors presented an overview of their activities. Betty Anne Keat (see above photo) did the introductions.

Sitting in the “Library room” at Charlie Brown’s are (Left to Right) CHS Key Club Recording Secretary Erin, Treasurer Natalie, Faculty Advisor Kiera Spadaro, Vice President Christina, President Annie and Corresponding Secretary Kallan.

Five officers and the faculty advisor of the Chatham High School Key Club made a presentation to the March 22 Chatham-Madison Kiwanis breakfast meeting held at Charlie Brown’s in Chatham Township. The Kiwanis Club sponsors all Key Clubs.

Key Club officers reported that they recently sponsored a successful “Restaurant Night” fund raiser for The Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ. The Key Club will also be taking a field trip to visit the Hospital where they can visit with the patients and see first-hand where funds are used. Club members also participated in a NJ state-wide “American Idol” style fund raiser. Chatham band “Castle Park” placed third in the competition, which also raised funds for the Children’s Specialized Hospital.

CHS Key Club meetings are held in the evening in the school cafeteria. Outside speakers make presentations and members sign up for volunteer projects. Officers for the 2011-2012 school year will be elected at an upcoming meeting.

Sitting in the “Library room” at Charlie Brown’s are (Left to Right) MHS Key Club Treasurer VJ, Points Secretary Henry, 2011 Vice President Andrew, 2012 President Brenna, Publicity Caroline, 2012 Vice President Shannon, 2011 President Rebecca and Secretary Kelly.

Eight officers and the faculty advisor of the Madison High School Key Club made a presentation to the March 22 Chatham-Madison Kiwanis breakfast meeting held at Charlie Brown’s in Chatham Township.

The officers reported that funds were raised recently by selling “Pots O’ Gold” (a type of candy-gram which students give to their friends). Small leprechaun kettles filled with candy were sold for five days during lunch and then delivered to recipients on St. Patrick’s Day. A car-wash is also planned. The Key Club will be assembling goody-bags for the participants in a Special Olympics Bocce Ball Tournament to be held at Madison High School.

The club has been collecting funds for several years and now has $4,000 which will be given to the Children’s Specialized Hospital, located in Mountainside, NJ.

Madison High School Key Club Faculty Advisor Peggy Cox speaking to the Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club at the March 22 breakfast meeting held at Charlie Brown’s in Chatham Township.

Announcements: Kiwanis March 22 Meeting

VP Joan May officiated at the March 22 breakfast meeting and announced that Fish and Chips food was ordered for pick-up next week. She also has submitted a request to Madison Borough for the Kiwanis Community Yard Sale to be held at Cole Park on May 21. Karen Swartz reported that the CHS Key Club will hold officer elections at the 7:30 PM meeting tonight. Nancy Holt reminded members that the Awards Reception will be held at Charlie Brown’s on April 12 and there will not be a regular club meeting on that day. She also asked that nominations be submitted for the Community Aid Award.

Joan Thuebel Presents: Polar Bear studies with Earthwatch near Hudson Bay

Joan Thuebel presented an illustrated talk on her Earthwatch scientific research of Polar Bears at the Research Station near Churchill on Hudson Bay. The March 15 program was very interesting and well-attended. In above photo, Mary Anne thanks Kiwanis member Joan for giving the talk. Joan has been on 27 Earthwatch adventures.

She started with some facts: Male Polar Bears (1500 pounds) live 18 years; females (500 pounds) live 25 years. They range over an area the size of the British Isles so they are not “territorial”. They live on ice flows, eat seal blubber, and they carry about 6 inches of blubber. In April the ice melts and they come ashore, where there are no seals. From then until late October when the ice begins to freeze, the bears have nothing to eat.

Bears mate while on land. However, the babies do not develop until the bears return to living on the ice. Earthwatch tundra buggies travel on unpaved trails to serve the “DEW-Line”.  Joan’s Earthwatch was in October.  One task was to observe play-fighting between males. Earthwatch was trying to determine why the males do this. Females are friendly to each other but they avoid male bears. Another task was to determine the reaction by bears to helicopters, which flew over from time-to-time.

It is not safe to be outside of the buggies when bears are close. They are extremely aggressive. They are curious about people and come right up to the buggies (see above photo). People go out on the buggies from 8:00 am until about 3:00 pm. They observe them, photograph them, use range-finders to estimate their size and log the location with using GPS. Bears are identified and tracked via scars on their faces. Bears are lethargic when temperature is warm (over 35 deg. F). They roll around in snow when they find it.

Between about October 15 and November 15, you can go to website www.polarbearcam.com and watch the bears. Photos are taken every 30 seconds. They also saw wolves, Snowy Owls and Artic Foxes. Also, they saw the Northern Lights. See photo of Artic Fox.

Residents of Churchill manage the local Polar Bears when they come into town. There is a bear jail where some are put. From the library in the Research Station, they could see bears through a window at night. She went to Churchill via airplane.

Announcements: Kiwanis March 15 Meeting

Betty Anne announced that the CHS Key Club made about $200 for Children’s Specialized Hospital at the New Providence Friendly’s Restaurant Night. Mary Anne reported that the CHS Key Club held a well-organized meeting last Wednesday. Karen announced that the CHS Key Club will have a field trip on March 28 to the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside. Kiwanis members can attend, drive themselves and should arrive by 10:00 am.


Alan reported that things are going pretty well for the Fish and Chips Dinner. He has more tickets if people need them. Also, please place posters where they can be seen. Ron and Betty Anne handed out posters to members who need them. Nancy Boucher announced Parsippany Club Wine Tasting on March 24. Nancy Holt asked for more nominations for the Community Aid Award. Rich announced that the recent Wine Tasting event will be discussed first at the March 16 Board Meeting. All members can come and leave the meeting when they want to.

March 8 Kiwanis Meeting Program: Time-travel to Mackinac Island

A multimedia show describing Mackinac Island, Michigan was presented by Ron Whalin. Located in Lake Huron, the entire island permits travel only by walking, bicycles, horseback and horse-drawn carriages. The island is about 8 miles in circumference and has about 15,000 visitors on a typical summer day. Ron and his wife participated in a “Road Scholar” program which began the day before Labor Day, 2010. People can travel to Mackinac Island via ferryboats, other types of boats or small airplanes (there is a small airstrip).

Ron showed photos of the many attractions which were viewed while riding in carriages and walking on some of the 60 miles of trails. The photo above shows Fort Mackinac.

One afternoon, the class toured the Grand Hotel, one of the finest hotels in the USA and the site where the film “Somewhere in Time” was filmed. High Tea was served after which Road Scholars were free to explore the hotel on their own.

The above photo shows the class on a walking tour of historic summer cottages. These homes are generally occupied only in the summer and were built on land leased from the Michigan State Park on the island.

After Labor Day, almost all of the 700 horses leave the island for farms on the Upper Michigan Peninsula. Only about 20 horses remain on the island in the winter.

About 500 residents live on the island year-round and they can use snowmobiles to get around - to make the best of the difficult winters. The last ferryboat leaves the island in mid-January - the ice freezes solid. Some years, the ice is thick enough to support the “Ice Bridge”, a trail across the ice marked by left-over Christmas trees. Length of the bridge is about three miles. This year, the warm, windy February weather melted the Ice Bridge after only a few weeks of operation. Ron showed part of the movie “Ice Bridge”.

The above photo shows a ferryboat returning to St. Ignace on the mainland with the Mackinac Bridge (which links the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula) in the background. There is no bridge to Mackinac Island.

Announcements:Kiwanis March 8 Meeting

Charlie Brown's delicious lunch buffet

Betty Anne Keat announced that CHS Key Club is holding a Restaurant Day fundraiser at Friendly’s in New Providence on Thursday, March 10 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. CHS Key Club is meeting Wednesday at 7:30 pm in the cafeteria. She also has Fish and Chips posters for placing on bulletin boards. Alan said preparation for Fish and Chips is going fine. Nancy Boucher announced that Parsippany Kiwanis will be having their 9^th wine-tasting event on March 24 at Bretton Woods in Morris Plains with a served dinner and silent/live auctions, all for $65.  Nancy Holt spoke about the April 12 Awards Reception, 7:30 pm at Charlie Brown’s. NJ District Governor Marc Litwack announced that Nancy Boucher will be the 2011-12 NJ District Coordinator for the Kiwanis International Foundation.

"Waterfalls in your Back Yard" by Mark Lloyd - March 1 Kiwanis Program

Madison lawyer, naturalist and photographer Mark Lloyd presented an outstanding digital slideshow featuring waterfalls you can visit in a “day trip”. The above photo shows Mark (left) being introduced at the Kiwanis meeting by his father, David Lloyd.

Mark described named and unnamed waterfalls. First were Silver Thread Falls (80 ft. high) and nearby Dingmans Falls which are both in Dingmans Ferry area, just off of PA route 209 at milepost 14. These two falls are an easy, pleasant walk from an NPS Visitor’s Center.

Next, he showed Raymondskill Falls, which is off of 209, north of Dingmans Falls and closer to the rt. 206 bridge to New Jersey. He hiked on a treacherous, washed-out trail to view and photograph the falls, which is the highest (208 ft.) in Pennsylvania. He showed a photo of the deep pool of water which feeds the falls.

Next, he showed Tillmans Ravine, which is in Sussex County, New Jersey just off of Rt. 206.

He told the audience about a beautiful New Jersey secret, Buttermilk Falls (see above photo), which is located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area near Walpack. Mark mentioned the recent Star-Ledger article about “ghost town” Walpack Center, NJ.

Mark showed photos from Shawangunk Mountain Ridge (The Gunks). This is a beautiful area in New York State, about 10 miles west of New Paltz, exit 18 on Interstate 87. The Minnewaska State Park Preserve has 5 lakes, like pools trapped in an uneven asphalt road. Mark showed the Awosting creek on the mossy glen trail and Rainbow Falls. There is some difficult hiking (and wading) to see a number of waterfalls between more easily traveled carriageways in the park.


The former George W Childs State Park in Pennsylvania is a few miles upstream from Dingmans Falls. Mark showed photos of a few of the many waterfalls in this area. The park is now called the George W. Childs Recreation Site and it is part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Ricketts Glen State Park is in Pennsylvania, exit 236 on rt 80 and then north on 487. A park ranger told Mark that this place was one of the most spectacular places he had seen. Mark and David traveled there during peak leaf season and they agree it is a special place. The park was once owned by lumber magnet, who thought it was so nice he never harvested the trees and now the forest is very old. Rickets left his property to the state of Pennsylvania. There are 23 named waterfalls and Genoga Falls is the largest, about 90 ft high.

After introducing scenic areas and falls, Mark showed photos of the attractions in different seasons and from different viewpoints. He gave anecdotes and showed the rivers feeding and leaving the waterfalls.

Mark ended the show with icy winter photos of Dingmans Falls (see photo below), Raymondskill Falls, and Awosting Falls, which is in Minnewaska Park.

Announcements - March 1 Kiwanis Meeting

The Chatham High School Key Club is holding a Restaurant Night fund-raiser to benefit the Children’s Specialized Hospital on Thursday, March 10 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Friendly’s Restaurant in New Providence (75 South Street). Betty Anne announced that Ten percent of customers’ bills will be donated to the Hospital. You can do take-out as well as eat-in. Alan Robertson reported that Fish and Chips placemat adds are doing fine. Other preparations are going fine. Gary Arnesen reported that Chatham Boro clean-up will be rescheduled from April to May or later in the year. Nancy invited members to the 7:30 PM April 12 Awards Recognition Reception to be held at Charlie Brown’s. Checks will be given to Benevolence recipients and a special Community Aid Award will be given to someone selected by Kiwanis. Members are requested to nominate candidates.  Rich gave a quick update on the successful Wine-Tasting event. He asked for feedback on the event. Members were asked to submit any last minute bills within the next two weeks. A very high percent of members participated in the event. Dick noted that the Wine-Tasting was a great Kiwanis Team event. 

Kiwanis Wine-Tasting Event a Success

The February 24 "Wine Tasting - Wines from Around the World" was a success.  Funds from the event will be given to ECLC of NJ and Kiwanis Scholarships. Kiwanis thanks all the people who came and contributed items for the event. Here are a few photos taken at the event.

Naturalist James Peck spoke at the February 22 Breakfast Kiwanis Meeting

Jim Peck, Executive Director of Cora Hartshorn Arboretum spoke about the arboretum and other nature areas in New Jersey. In photo above, Melanie Sze introduced Jim at the meeting.

Jim Peck authors the “Trail Mix” nature column published in the Home News Tribune, a central New Jersey newspaper. In six years he has visited 70 or 80 places and has written about beautiful places from High Point down to Cape May. He has given tours in the Pine Barrens. During the talk he showed beautiful pictures from Island Beach State Park, Cheesquake State Park, and other nice places.

Jim described the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum, which was started as a non-profit in 1961. There is a beautiful stone house and beautiful woodlands on the 16 acre property. It is a nice open-space park within Milburn, NJ. Most educational programs are for children, some of whom come from other cities like Newark and Union. They have an observational beehive and also have raised Monarch Butterflies. The Arboretum is open dawn to dusk and there is no admittance charge. Click on this link to visit the website.

There is a large range of topography in the state of New Jersey. The small area between the inner and outer coastal plains is called a cuesta. Rainfall on the south side ends up in the ocean. On the north side, it goes to large New Jersey rivers. Water is clean and pure in the south side of the cuesta.

A little known fact: the highest point on the USA eastern seaboard is Highlands, near Sandy Hook. He described the history of Sandy Hook lighthouse and other features on the Sandy Hook spit. He also mentioned Dismal Swamp in Edison, Rutgers Gardens, Delaware and Raritan Canal, Hackensack meadowlands and Lakota Wolf Preserve near Delaware Water-Gap. There are so many nice places to see, people should focus on places in the state that match their interests (birds, trees, etc.). For example, there are 700-year-old Black Gum trees in South Jersey. You can watch the sun rise in Cape May and then at the end of the day go over to Sunset Beach to watch the sun set into the Delaware Bay in the West.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the talk.

Kiwanis February 22 Meeting Announcements

Betty Anne reported that the CHS Key Club will be holding evening meetings for the rest of the school year. With regard to the Wine-Tasting event, Rich asked all members to show up on Thursday. Mary Ann reported that over 100 tickets have been sold. Nancy reported that Chatham Bakery is donating desert. Alan passed around the work assignments for the Fish and Chips Dinner. Members were asked to indicate “OK” if they agreed with the assignment. March 15 is the deadline for members to run for District offices.

Diane Mann, President and CEO of the Madison Area YMCA, spoke on February 15 about the mission, values and goals of our local YMCA.

Diane Mann graciously thanked the Kiwanis club for the opportunity to speak about the YMCA.  She shared the YMCA mission statement and values. As a 501(c)3 organization, the Y raises money and uses it for good causes.

Jerry Cunningham introduced Diane Mann, the new President and CEO of the Madison Area YMCA. She recently moved to New Jersey from California to take the position.

The YMCA finances are in good shape (no debt), but they need to continue encouraging people to contribute money to the organization. She wants to encourage partnerships with other organizations of like mind to strengthen the community and support children and others in need.

They provide health and exercise facilities; but, the Y is more than that – they are a support facility. They provide services at two locations: the Kings Road Family Center (with a complete fitness center) and the F. M. Kirby Children’s Center on East Street. The former school can serve up to 350 children (infant through Kindergarten) in accredited classes.

The Y has a $9.2 Million operating budget, about 500 employees when fully staffed in the summer and about 9,000 members who use the fitness center. The Y raises $250,000 to $300,000 in contributions each year from several hundred donors. The Y is predominant in the community, highly valued by the community and has a strong Board of Directors.

They are dealing with the “post-2008” economy. More support has been needed and given to members hit hard by the recession. While the Y has been successful in keeping members, there has also been a reduction in revenue.

The Y is building their contributions campaign for the coming year. Volunteers are needed to go out in the community, tell people about wonderful YMCA experiences, and grow the number of donors. The campaign will raise awareness of the Y mission and raise money as well.

The Y is also doing a program cost study to find the most efficient way to meet their mission. They are looking at everything they do to find savings. Data is being collected and analyzed. Also, community focus groups are being used to determine how to meet the highest priority needs at the least cost.

Kiwanis offered to be one of the focus groups providing input and assistance to the YMCA.

The Y needs a larger swimming pool and is analyzing the situation to determine how this need can be met. To learn more, please visit the YMCA website.

February 15 Kiwanis Meeting Announcements

Betty Anne announced that the CHS Key Club will meet at 7:30 PM on 2/15/11 in the cafeteria.  Rich reported on the Wine-Tasting, saying that Karen still needs a couple of volunteers to help with the tricky trays. He passed a sign-up sheet around. Dick reminded members that the February Board Meeting starts after the program. Alan handed out Fish and Chips tickets to members. Gary discussed the Chatham Borough spring clean-up, which will be scheduled for April 20.

Kiwanis February 8 Valentine Luncheon at Charlie Brown’s

The attendance was very good at the Kiwanis Valentine Luncheon. Members introduced their guests and everyone sang love songs.



Alan Robertson leads the members in song while Bob Stannard plays accompaniment on his keyboard.

Club President Dick Plambeck passed around the District 10 award given to our club for growth. He asked all members to keep working at growing our club. Karen Swartz announced that the CHS and MHS Key Clubs will provide the program for the Kiwanis March 22 breakfast meeting. There is a CHS Key Club meeting next Tuesday February 15 in the cafeteria at 7:30 pm. Future CHS Key Club meetings will be evening meetings. Nancy said Wine-Tasting ticket sales are going well. Alan Robertson handed out Fish and Chips Tickets to members so that they can sell them. He said placemat ads are going well.  Dick reminded members that the Board of Directors meeting will be held after the breakfast meeting at Charlie Brown’s on February 15. Dick and all the members thanked Valerie Olpp for organizing the Valentine’s luncheon meeting at Charlie Brown’s.

Members had a great time at this year’s Valentine’s Luncheon. Valerie Olpp is the first person on the right.

Rich and Debbie Behling presented a program on their recent trip to Africa

Rich and Debbie Behling went on a trip to Africa recently. Rich showed many of his photos and, with Debbie, described their interesting experiences.



Debbie and Rich Behling model T-shirts brought back from their recent trip to Africa. The back of Rich’s shirt shows the route map. Debbie’s shirt sleeve has flags of the four countries visited.

They traveled first to Johannesburg, SA and from there by small plane to Victoria Falls. From there they flew to four camps in four wildlife preserves. Tourists slept in eight huts with canvas walls. Open bathrooms were behind the tents. There was a common dining area with at least one wall and a bar where there was a happy-hour every evening. Temperature reached 104 Fahrenheit most days.

Travel was by small single engine planes but some travel was by boat. Debbie told of a native making flower necklaces – “he hoped the romance would last as long as the flowers.” They traveled on “game drives” in Jeeps (safari vehicles) which carried three rows of people.

From their tent Debbie and Rich could watch animals at a water hole. Animals arrived by kind - elephants, Cape buffalo, etc.

They saw many species of animals. They photographed animals: antelope, hyenas, baboons, wart hogs, monkeys, crocodiles, monitor lizards, a bat, painted red frogs, ostriches with babies, lions, termites and more. The trip was taken in the dry season and had more animals. In the wet season, there would be more birds. Travelers frequently got very close to lions by stayed quietly in the open jeep. They saw two lions attach and kill a Cape buffalo which had foolishly strayed from the herd.

Victoria Falls, twice as big as Niagara Falls, had low water because it was the dry season. They walked on a trail to view the falls and also took a helicopter ride to see the falls. One of their photos showed a beautiful rainbow made by the mist from the falls.

They went for an “up-close-and-personal” walk with 6-18 month old lions (a sort of “tourist trap”). Debbie grabbed a lion by the tail and let it drag her along. A photographer took the obligatory group picture of the 13 travelers (3 were single, the rest couples).

During the cultural day, they visited local people living in a village and learned their customs. Natives live in huts with walls made from termite mound “dung” which hardens like concrete. There was a girl playing” jacks” using natural objects like seeds for the jacks. Photos showed how natives carry babies and other items. There was a tour of the school, which is sponsored by Grand Circle Foundation. Multiple bathrooms by grade and sex are provided and each class grade maintains their own bathroom. Students are taught English. They used a beach ball globe to study geography.

Villagers eat lunch in a common hut with men sitting on seats and women sitting on the floor. Women prepare and serve meals ordered by men. Debbie was selected by the Chief to help the native women so she cooked and served Rich, kneeling as she presented him the food he asked for.

Because Kiwanis has the ELIMINATE project, Debbie asked a village nurse whether they vaccinate women for tetanus. She answered that they do vaccinate pregnant women if they can travel to the clinic.

The trip was managed by Overseas Adventure Tours, which is part of Grand Circle Tours. Click here to learn more.

Kiwanis February 1 Luncheon Meeting Announcements

Argyle Restaurant in Kearny is having the Robert Burns “interclub” February 2. Two members will attend.  Mary Anne Maloney reported that quite a few Wine-Tasting tickets have been sold.  Nancy Boucher announced that more tricky tray auction items are needed. Dick Plambeck reported on the NJ District Kiwanis Mid-Winter Conference held January 29, where the ELIMINATE project was discussed. Chatham-Madison Kiwanis won an award for growth in District 10. He also announced that the Valentine’s Luncheon will be held next week and asked members to alert Valerie via email regarding plans to attend.