Program: Hazel England, director of education and outreach for the Great Swamp Watershed Association presented "Saved But not Yet Safe – The Ongoing Battle to save the Great Swamp".

Hazel England of the Great Swamp Watershed Association was welcomed to the September 25 Kiwanis Luncheon by Kiwanis President-Elect John Eyre. Hazel gave an interesting and entertaining presentation on the Great Swamp of New Jersey.

She started her illustrated talk with a primer on the subject of New Jersey’s Great Swamp, including ancient geologic history and recent steps taken to save it from being used for a huge airport. She went on to explain that there are continuing issues to be addressed so that this valuable resource, which serves as a pure water source for the Passaic River, will serve the area now and in the future.

Her presentation closed with a Q and A session followed by an enthusiastic round of applause. To learn more about the Great Swamp Watershed Association, please visit their website.

Announcements: Kiwanis September 25 Meeting

Nancy Boucher urged members to buy supermarket gift cards. The club receives five percent, which is used for contributions to worthy causes. Marty Sechehay reminded everyone to sign up for CPR classes to be held on Tuesday October 16, 7:00 to 10:00 PM and Monday October 22, 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Please send Marty an email to RSVP for this important training. Gary Arnesen gave the latest info on the upcoming October 18 Pasta Diner to be held at the CHS Cafeteria. Price per meal from Tony Arminio is the same as last year. Mary Anne Maloney reported that the St. Pat’s Builders Club is quite active – they have many good service projects under way. She passed around an article that appeared in St. Pat’s newsletter. She and Betty Anne Keat attended the installation of Builders Club officers. Mary Anne thanked Rich Behling for producing the new club directory. Monty Montague announced that a proposed budget for next year is available.

September 18, 2012 Kiwanis Installation Dinner at Brooklake Country Club

In photo (L to R), Joseph Teti (Kiwanis New Jersey District Governor Designate), Joan May (Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club President 2012-13) and Lt. Gov. Gordon Meth (Division 9) were all present for the 82nd annual Installation of Officers of the local Kiwanis Club.

Former Kiwanis President Dick Plambeck (L) and Treasurer Monty Montague (R) served at the registration desk, handing out the 2012-13 annual directory and name badges.

Good friends Alan, Joan, Diane and Pat (L to R) found seats with a good view before the installation ceremony began.

Dick Ligertwood and Sharon Johnson enjoyed a quiet time before the installation ceremony began. Sharon was inducted as the 2012-13 Vice President of the club.

Gordon Meth, Division 9 Lt. Governor (at podium) officiated at the installation ceremony. In the above photo, he installed the new members of the board of directors (L to R): Simon Mandal, Nancy Boucher and Dave Mutchler.

Mary Anne Maloney (right in the above photo), who was recognized for her dedicated leadership as President of the club in 2012-13, announced a special recognition to all the women in Kiwanis. This year is the 25 anniversary of women membership in Kiwanis International. She recognized the past presidents who were women. In the photo are Sally Deatly (left), Nancy Boucher (middle, the first woman president of our club) and Mary Anne. She also recognized Cordelia Fuller, who passed away in 2010. The club’s fifth woman president will be Joan May, who was inducted for the 2012-13 year.

 Renowned Madison jazz pianist Jerry Vezza, for whom the annual Kiwanis Madison High School Music Award is named, highlighted the evening with his beautiful music.



September 11 Kiwanis Program: - Hal Wittlinger provided an illustrated talk: The Theremin, a "Space Musical Instrument", developed as early as 1918.

Hal Wittlinger with his wife Marilyn presented a talk entitled “The Theremin Space Musical Instrument developed as early as 1918". The talk and demonstration, presented at the September 11 Kiwanis meeting included several YouTube videos. Click here to view a video which provides a demonstration of how the Theremin works.

Hal demonstrated an actual working Theremin (a recently manufactured copy). The audience enjoyed the overview of this interesting musical instrument.

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, Representing the 11th District of New Jersey spoke at the September 4 Chatham-Madison Kiwanis luncheon meeting.

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, Representing the 11th District of New Jersey spoke at the September 4 Chatham-Madison Kiwanis luncheon meeting. Mary Anne Maloney, President of the club, welcomed Congressman Frelinghuysen. Kiwanis meets at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse on Southern Boulevard in Chatham Township.

Frelinghuysen thanked Kiwanis for the work they do in their community. He mentioned that he visits many community organizations – “in many ways they are the backbone of the community.” He also thanked the audience for letting him be their Congressional Representative. With Congress out of session this summer, he enjoyed the opportunity to come home to New Jersey and get “out and about” with his constituents.

The feedback he has received is that “a lot of people are struggling”. New Jersey unemployment rate is 9.2 percent and the national rate is 8.3 percent. He said that the percentages don’t tell the whole story, and many qualified people, including recent college graduates, can’t land a job. Member of Congress, regardless of political party, are acutely aware that they have to do something.

He talked about the New Jersey redistricting caused when the number of New Jersey Representatives went from thirteen to twelve.  District 11 now extends into additional areas of Essex County. He has represented six towns in Essex for almost 18 years. Redistricting added many constituents in West Orange, Bloomfield, Montclair, Nutley, Wayne, and other towns. After the November election he will represent close to 730,000 people. He has enjoyed the opportunity to listen to his new constituents.

Frelinghuysen has been working on the House Appropriations Committee. He said that Republicans and Democrats have worked together pretty well over that past two years.
Frelinghuysen heard from constituents that there is a lot of uncertainty and lack of confidence out there. Small businesses are reluctant to hire employees because of uncertainty about the new healthcare law. Also, banks are not lending money. Many realtors have told him that the real estate situation is even worse than the numbers indicate. Many of these problems can be addressed by relaxing overly tight rules and regulations.

After a brief question and answer period, the Kiwanians in the audience gave Congressman Frelinghuysen an enthusiastic round of applause.

Kiwanis August 28 Program: Dr. Joseph J. Murphy spoke on Chiropractic Service Benefits.

Dr. Joseph J. Murphy spoke on Chiropractic Service Benefits at the August 28 Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Joe is a long time member of Kiwanis, a certified Chiropractor and Director of the Suburban Chiropractic Center in Chatham. Chiropractic means “to work with the hands.” This comes from the Greek language. “Chiro” means with the hands and “practic” is to do work.

To explain how Chiropractic developed, he gave an overview of the history of medical treatments. As recently as the late 19th century, people had no idea how our bodies work. They didn’t know what health was about or what sickness was about. There were various theories about why diseases developed, like blockages in the circulatory system or blockages in the nervous system. At that time, there were many alternative treatments which were not proven scientifically.

In the early 1920 period, the introduction of drugs like antibiotics and sulfa was based on real scientific understanding of what health was about.
 
Today, most of the health problems we have are not caused by organisms, but are chronic malfunctions of our body, like cancer.
 
At the end of the 20th century, Chiropractors believed that blockages in the nervous system causes the body’s immune system to not be able to fight off infections or not be able to repair itself as it should. Removal of the blockage would help the body cure itself when under attack.

Joe distributed a brochure from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners explaining the scientific studies that support Chiropractic services. The body will be able to better fight of problems if we eat the right food, exercise, drink good water, breath good air, etc.

Even though the citizens of the USA spend a lot on medical service and have the best services available, we are the 37th healthiest nation in the world. Improving the outcome of medical treatment is probably not to use more technology. Instead, it could be use of alternative treatment methods.
Chiropractic treatment removes nervous system interference. Chiropractors are trained to treat disorders that don’t require surgery or medicine. Examples of problems Joe treats are a sore shoulder or back. People also come to him for headaches. He treats sports injuries.

Joe used a model of the human spine to explain the function and importance of the spine, which contains the main nerves going from your body to your brain. The spine is the first part of an embryo to develop – it is probably the most important part of the body.

After a question and answer session, the audience enthusiastically applauded Joe’s entertaining, interesting and helpful presentation. To learn more, please visit Dr. Murphy’s website.

Announcements: Kiwanis August 28 Meeting

Announcements at the Kiwanis August 28 Meeting: Mary Anne thanked Tom for leading the very successful Chatham Library Summer Reading Club Picnic. Tom responded that it was an easy project to run. The kids loved it. Diane O’Brien thanked everyone for providing the food part of the celebration and she presented a special photo to Tom.

Mary Anne also invited everyone to attend the installation dinner on September 18. The NJ District incoming governor will attend the dinner meeting. She also announced that the Somerset Patriots minor league baseball team will have a Kiwanis Day on September 22. If over 30 people attend the 7:05 PM game, there will be a price of $7.50. Even without the discount the price is quite reasonable.  Also, there is a fireworks show at the end of the game. It should be a fun night. She reminded everyone to respond to Marty’s offer to hold a CPR training session.

Dick Plambeck thanked Monty and John for spending a couple of hours clearing parts of a fallen tree (a snag) which was blocking the Passaic River near Stanley Park. He invited all club members to join the team for another work session at the site.

Kiwanis Provides Picnic: “Dream Big - READ” Chatham Library 2012 Summer Reading Club

The annual Library of the Chathams Summer Reading Program picnic was held on August 23, 2012 in hot summer weather. Photo shows Kiwanians grilling hot dogs. Food and workers were provided by Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club.  Kiwanis picnic organizer Tom Mullin reported that 160 hot dogs were served.  He also reported that about thirteen Kiwanis members were on hand to grill and serve hot dogs, chips, fruit juice and ice cream.

“Dream big - Read” was the theme for the Summer Reading Club at the Library of the Chathams this year.  The program ran from June 25 to August 23 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.  337 children who read and reported on enough books were invited to enjoy the food.  Weinbrom said that 644 children read and reported on 13,589 books.

Summer readers were grouped into four teams with Carnival names: Tight Rope Walkers, Ring Masters, Trapeze Artists, and Jugglers. The Jugglers team read the most books.

The picnic at the end of this year’s program also had a Carnival theme with lots of fun things to do: a bounce-house with slide, three balloon sculptors, and 20 teen volunteers who did face painting and applied patches. The Chatham Women’s Club sponsored prizes for readers and the Friends of the Library sponsored the bounce-house and balloon sculptors.

The Summer Readers really liked the Carnival activities. Kiwanians were very happy to play part in this celebration of reading.

August 21 Kiwanis Program: Marty Sechehay and Peter Herslow spoke about the Chatham Emergency Squad and the importance of learning CPR.

Kiwanian Marty Sechehay (right in photo) introduced Peter Herslow, member of the Chatham Emergency Squad for 29 years, who spoke about CPR and choking first aid. Peter teaches CPR and heimlich maneuver classes. The presentation was a high level overview and Peter recommends that all Kiwanis members, friends and relatives take a class to learn the details.

Peter began by saying that everyone should know that the definition of a heart attack is that part of the person’s heart dies. He reviewed the symptoms of a heart attack. A definition of a stroke is that part of a person’s brain dies. He also reviewed the symptoms of a stroke. For both afflictions, the survival of the patient is improved dramatically if he or she is taken quickly to the hospital (Morristown or Overlook in our area).

CPR has changed. Mouth-to-mouth is no longer recommended. CPR now consists of pounding on the chest for 8-10 minutes. Of course, the first thing to do is call 911 for help. Peter described the heimlich maneuver, which is now called the abdominal thrust – it is the same thing. The universal distress signal for choking is to grasp your neck with your hands.

Working with a volunteer from the audience, Peter demonstrated how the abdominal thrust is done. Before doing it, ask the person: “are you choking?” If they answer, do not apply the heimlich maneuver. If the choking person is a pregnant woman or a very overweight person, the process is different.

Marty Sechehay came to the podium to offer a free, dedicated, hands-on, 1-2 hour complete, detailed CPR class to Kiwanis members, relatives and friends. Learning how to effectively do CPR requires classroom practice. Mary asked everyone to send him an email applying for the class, to be held after the middle of September.

Members of the audience enthusiastically applauded Peter’s informative and entertaining talk. To learn more about the Chatham Emergency Squad, please visit their website.

August 14 Kiwanis Program: Jamie Gormley spoke on Family First Home Care.

Tom Mullin introduced Jamie Gormley, who spoke about Family First Home Care. Jamie has been doing human and senior services work for over 20 years.

Robert Petroro started Family First Home Care about five years ago. The company provides services to seniors so they can stay where they are and services come to them. Some clients want to stay in their homes instead of moving to a facility. The company has certified home health aids – licensed and bonded care givers. She provided the audience with helpful hints and what to look for when services are needed.

The company is located in Morris Plains, NJ. They have about 148 home health aids and care givers. The company is licensed, bonded and insured. Before selecting a home care company, clients should ask the company a number of questions. Jamie left a list of top ten questions to ask. A difference to check on is registry versus full service. Lower cost registry services also provide fewer services.

Family First Home Care will help clients work with Long Term Care Insurance companies, for those clients who have coverage. Long Term Care policies require the client to pay the first 90 days of coverage. Family First provides documentation assistance for clients to get reimbursed.

Clients should make sure that care-givers are screened, that background checks have been done. First Home does extensive research into care-givers they provide.

Jamie left a brochure for everyone. The company can provide a variety of care givers covering a variety of time periods, from four hours to live-in. They also do an assessment to determine needs. Their aim is to be a full service agency. Follow-ups are provided. Fees are competitive. To learn more about Family First Home Care, please check their website.

Announcements: Kiwanis August 14 Meeting

Joan May announced that the NJ District Convention is this coming weekend. Nancy, AD, Betty Anne and Joan will attend. The Installation Dinner is September 18 at Brooklake Country Club. The District Governor will attend. Tom Mullins passed around a sign-up sheet for the August 23 Chatham Library Picnic.

August 7 Kiwanis Program: Professional Clothier Eric Hymowitz, Manager of “Tom James” New Providence Sales Office described how their customers are served.

Professional Clothier Eric Hymowitz, Manager of “Tom James” of New Jersey (center in photo) was introduced by Kiwanian Tom Mullin (left) at the August 7, 2012 Kiwanis breakfast meeting at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse in Chatham Township. Clothier Marco Giannetti is on the right in the photo.

Eric began his presentation by giving a brief history of his background, which included a two-year period playing professional soccer. He started his Tom James career in Baltimore and after about seven years was transferred to New Providence to start an operation in New Jersey.

He and his wife travelled to the new job in late October, 2011. Driving on the day of the freak “Halloween” snowstorm was a harrowing arrival into an unfamiliar place where there were power outages and traffic jams everywhere. There was no electric power in his new apartment and office. All restaurants in the area were closed because of power outages. He and his wife drove to Morristown where they found that the George and Martha restaurant was open. Sitting close to Tom Mullin and his wife, they struck up a conversation and Eric discovered that Tom is already an enthusiastic customer of Tom James. Since that dramatic starting day in New Jersey, Eric has built the local Tom James into a successful operation where he is serving many satisfied customers.

Eric went on to describe the company and its services. Tom James, has been in business since 1966, and has built up a successful business serving custom needs of customers. They don’t do traditional marketing and advertising - customers learn of the company through word-of-mouth. There is no store - at Tom James, “we come to you with fine clothing” is the motto. Eric is a trained Taylor and he will travel to the customer’s office or home to help them select their clothing, which includes shirts, suits, and accessories. Over 80 percent of the products are made in the USA.

Customers like the purchasing experience much better than going to a store and buying something off the rack and altering it. They also like the custom fit, the huge number of fabrics and styles to choose from, and having a personal clothing advisor. Tom James keeps a database of past purchases by the customer so fit and selections constantly improve over time.

Cost of clothes is on the high side but it pretty similar to high end prices found in stores like those found at the Short Hills Mall.

People who use Tom James end up with cloths that they really like and they last a long time. This is not often true for store-bought cloths. The process starts with Eric talking with a customer about what his particular clothing needs are.

The audience enthusiastically applauded this interesting and entertaining presentation. To learn more, please visit the Tom James website.

July 31 Kiwanis Program: Brian George from St. Barnabas Medical Center, co-leader of Chatham Mayor's Wellness program, spoke on Arthritis

Brian George (right in photo), on the staff of St. Barnabas Hospital, is co-leader of Chatham Mayor’s Wellness Campaign. He presented a very informative talk on Arthritis at the July 31 Kiwanis breakfast meeting held at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse. Tom Salvas, Manager, Governmental Access TV for the Township of Chatham is on the left in the photo. He recorded the presentation for use in developing programming material for the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign.

His talk primarily covered more conservative treatment of Arthritis. Most of the time was spent on Osteoarthritis, which is more prevalent than Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Joint anatomy and treatment options were covered.

Many people have Arthritis and don’t seek treatment. They should seek professional diagnosis and treatment.

Arthritis usually affects the hips, knees, hands or back. Pain and reduced mobility can result.  Ligaments are involved. Tendons connect muscle to bone. Cartilage, which serves to lubricate and pad the interface between bones in joints, can wear away. This results in pain caused by bone-to-bone contact. Cartilage can also be damaged by injuries.  We need to try to preserve our cartilage.
Arthritis is defined as an inflammation of the joints. One in six Americans has Arthritis. In general, Osteoarthritis attacks certain joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis attacks a large number of joints at the same time.

Brian showed X-rays of good and bad joints where the Arthritic joint has clearly lost cartilage. This causes pain, stiffness and swelling.  This reduces physical activity and causes some deformity. Patients should seek a qualified orthopedic physician, who will diagnose their condition using X-rays. They also do range of motion tests and press on the affected joint. Bone to bone rubbing and friction can be very painful.

Weight control and management is the number one treatment because it reduces the load on the joints. Exercise is good because it reduces weight and gives patients more energy. They also sleep better. Exercise won’t make the pain worse. Walking is the best choice but aquatic exercise also works well.  Alternative forms like Yoga and Tai Chi work well. Recently, the Mayor’s Wellness program sponsored training by the Chatham Club at the Farmer’s Market.

High impact exercises are not a good idea.

Heating the joint with a heat pad before exercise helps. Start slowly. Ice after exercise helps recovery.

Be sure to lift heavy objects with your leg muscles, not your back muscles which are the smallest in the body. Improve your posture. Don’t spend too much time in one position, like sitting during a lecture. Use a cart to carry heavy objects. Don’t start an activity which cannot be stopped safely. Get help if necessary.

Orthotics is helpful. Properly fitting footwear is important. Inserts that fit in your shoes can be helpful. Long “reacher” tools to reach and grab objects are useful. Larger pencils and pens can be helpful.

Supplements Glucosamine and Chondroitin (not FDA regulated) were discussed. Glucosamine is a building block of cartilage. It may be effective as a pain reliever but it is not a cure. It is extracted from shellfish. Chondroitin helps make cartilage spongier and can help preserve cartilage. It is taken from sharks. Doctors advise trying these but recommend stopping if they don’t work. Multivitamins are recommended. Too much calcium is not a problem for Arthritis. Check with your doctor before taking medications.

Topical creams can be pretty effective. Capsaicin cream contains a substance found in red peppers. It provides heat, like what you get when you bite into a red pepper. We have a fast neural path reaction to heat. The reaction to pain is much slower. The heat tends to block the pain signals and the patient feels better.

Patients close to end stage Arthritis sometimes turn to injections.  Hyaluronan is an injection which can be given in an orthopedic office. Not available for the hip, it is injected into the knee. It relieves pain, restores function and lubrication for 6-12 months. It helps some patients but not others.

Cortisone is frequently used for athletes for pain relief. Relief is variable and it is not recommended for long term use. Repeated injections into the same joint can further damage the cartilage.

Orthoscopic surgery is sometime done to fix injuries to the knee.

Surgical joint replacement is used in cases where patients have bone-to-bone rubbing in their knee or hip. Brian showed and explained X-ray images of hip and knee replacement joints.

In summary, getting a correct diagnosis is key to receiving treatment. For more information, go to The National Arthritis Foundation, The New Jersey Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or The Joint Institute at Saint. Barnabas websites. The Kiwanis audience enthusiastically applauded this informative presentation.

Mary Anne Maloney presented a Kiwanis pen to speaker Brian George following his helpful and interesting talk on Arthritis.

July 24 Kiwanis Program: Earthwatch participant Joan Theubel spoke about researching a “Crusader Castle in Cyprus”.

Joan Theubel (left in photo), who spoke about an Earthwatch research project “Crusader Castle in Cyprus”, was introduced by Mary Anne Maloney.

First, Joan gave some background on the Earthwatch project. Saranda Kolones (meaning 40 columns) in Cyprus is an archeological site of historical significance.  The name was given by the people of Paphos (Pafos), Cyprus, on the Southwestern part of Cyprus, who talked about marble columns projecting out of a field. Historian and archeologist John Rosser wondered what they were talking about so he started research in the area. He found that in 1191 AD Richard the Lionheart conquered a castle in Cyprus. Rosser wondered if remains of a castle on the site were from the one Richard conquered. The objective of the Earthwatch project was to determine if the marble columns have anything to do with the castle.

As archeologists dug down in the fields they reached the original level of Bronze Age settlements. On top of that are Greek Hellenistic ruins. On top of that are Roman remains. On top of that is the Byzantine layer. Finally, on the surface are the castle fortifications under study. The question was, “were these fortifications built before 1191?” If true, this would suggest that it was the castle conquered by Richard the Lionheart.

We do know that there were some Arab raids in the area around 650 AD. If the site was the conquered castle, it had to be built between 650 and 1191. It is known the Richard the Lionheart was on his 3rd Crusade when the castle surrendered to him. It is known that the existing castle under study was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1122 AD.

The research is of interest to historians who study military techniques over the years. Castles could be European, where there is a wall surrounding a Keep building. Or else they could be Arab and built with concentric walls. The subject castle had concentric walls. It is possible that the castle was constructed by Crusaders following the Arab style because it might have been easier to defend.  It also had a “Sally Port” (like sally forth). This is a doorway and tunnel leading out of the castle.

Joan showed many very beautiful slides of Paphos, Cyprus.  The Earthwatch workers resided in a nice modern condo style apartment. The site is a great place to go for vacation, with many lovely flowers. Her photos showed how later generations reused construction materials from old ruins to build new structures.

Joan dug outside and between the castle walls to see if there was any sign of construction between 650 and 1191. Workers found, washed, identified and stored objects which they uncovered using a trowel, dental tool and brush. Professional workers used laptop computers to research items as they were uncovered. The remaining walls are in pretty good shape. For example, they found charcoal left by ancient residents cooking a meal. They also found remains of human bodies. Joan showed many excellent slides illustrating details of the castle, including arches, millstones, walls and plumbing. She showed examples of reusing the Hellenistic marble columns in construction of the castle. 

Earthwatch workers found no evidence of construction between 650 and 1191. Clearly, this castle was not there when Richard the Lionheart arrived. The Crusaders built it in an Arab style using some of the found marble columns. At the end of the talk, the audience applauded this very interesting and entertaining talk. To learn more, click here to check out this Cyprus Castle web site. Also click here to view John Rosser document website regarding the project.

July 17 Program: Nora Parker, Executive VP at St. Hubert's Giralda, Inc., presented a program on St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center

Nora Parker (left in photo), Executive Vice President of St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center (St. Hubert’s Giralda, Inc.) spoke at the July 17 Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Betty Anne Keat on the right arranged this interesting and inspiring presentation. To learn more, please visit http://www.sthuberts.org/

Announcements: Kiwanis July 17 Meeting

Mary Anne reminded everyone about the Sparta Kiwanis August 2 Steak Bust. Call Nancy Boucher to learn more. Also, the NJ District Convention is August 17-19 in New Brunswick.  Tom Mullin reminded everyone about the Chatham Library picnic to be held on August 23 behind the library from 3:45 pm to 5:15 pm. Member volunteers are asked to arrive at 3:15 pm to set everything up for this fun event. Looking ahead, mark September 18 on your calendar for the Installation Dinner at Brooklake Country Club.

July 10th Lunch Program: Shannon Maldonado, Health Education Coordinator for Atlantic Health, presented "Laughter in Medicine."

Shannon Maldonado (left), Health Education Coordinator for Atlantic Health is introduced by Betty Anne Keat. Shannon presented “Laughter in Medicine.” She works at the Morristown Medical Center. They recently changed their name from “Memorial Hospital” because the campus has grown to cover much more the hospital services.

Shannon started her presentation by asking everyone to laugh as loud as they could. The room filled with laughter and everyone else in the restaurant wondered why we were laughing. She said that our laugh was the best she had ever heard. We are filling our lungs with air while we laugh, which is a very good thing to do. More importantly, “Laughter is the best Medicine.” Laughter is a human trait that extends across all cultures and ages. Some laughter is appropriate; some is not (like making fun of someone). Also, we laugh at different humorous situations because of our personal preferences. Laughter is controlled by our brain, working with muscles.
 
Laughter is good for our health. Laughter reduces our stress hormones. In a stressful situation, try to laugh it out. It boosts our immune system. It lowers our blood pressure and increases blood flow. It is a natural pain killer.

Laughing 100 times is equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. Instead of a lot of hard exercise, try to laugh a lot. An average six-year old laughs 300 times per day and adult laughs 17. We adults should be less serious and laugh more. Watching a couple of hours of funny TV reruns will burn 100 calories. No chips allowed.

When you are in a stressful situation, we need to Laugh Out Loud (LOL is used a lot in texting, email, etc.). Remind yourself that life is about having fun. Lighten up. Read a funny book. Laugh at yourself. Tell jokes. Browse humorous books at Barns and Nobel. Browse funny cards at Hallmark. Build your own laughter library. Figure out what makes YOU laugh. Wear a smile.

The audience happily applauded this great presentation.

Announcements – July 10, 2012 Kiwanis Meeting

Nancy Boucher (right in photo) welcomed Ed and Doris Gluck from the Kiwanis Club of Youngstown, Ohio. Nancy met them at the 2001 Kiwanis International Convention in Taipei. Ed said that his Kiwanis club has met or 96 years in the same room in the YMCA located in downtown Youngstown. He and Doris were happy to attend the Chatham-Madison Kiwanis meeting and to be part of the camaraderie.

Mary Anne noted that the Kiwanis participation in the HOT, HOT Independence Day parade was a huge success. She thanked Mal for leading the project and other members for participating.  She asked members to look at postings of photos by Ron and videos by Stu. Mary Anne thanked Weichert and Coviellos for providing the trucks. She also noted that Karen’s Lady Liberty torch received many complements. Chatham Band sounded great, as usual. She also announced that several scholarship winners had sent thank-you notes and she passed these around the tables.  She also mentioned a wonderful email from 2009 Chatham Scholarship winner Erin Boehmer.

Keep in mind the Steak Bust offered by the Sparta Kiwanis Club on August 2. The NJ District Kiwanis Convention is August 17-19 in New Brunswick.

Kiwanis Honors Chatham Girl Scouts Gold Award Winners – June 19, 2012

On June 19 Mary Anne Maloney, President of Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club, presented the “you make a difference” award to each of the Chatham Gold Award Winners. The ceremony was held at Brooklake Country Club to honor the Girl Scouts in Chatham Borough and Chatham Township who earned the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Kiwanis marches in Chatham July 4th parade for ELIMINATE

On July 3rd, the Lady Liberty float was decorated at Chatham Main (photo by Stu Shippey).

Early on July 4th, the Chatham Community Band float was decorated at Coviello’s.

Members congregate before the parade started.

Chatham Community Band float.

Kiwanis members marching down Main Street.

Lady Liberty float.

Kiwanis President Mary Anne Maloney poses with Lady Liberty at the end of the parade. It was

a great parade!