Congratulations to new member Craig Bailey! We are so excited you've decided to join our team! Together we can change the world one child, one community at a time!

Grow Our Club: Recruit New Members
People are busier than ever, and finding the time to get involved in community service can be a real challenge. At the same time, thanks to global communication technology, caring people are more aware than ever before of children’s needs worldwide. There are children and families in our community who are struggling. With a dedicated team of volunteers, we can help. Recruiting more people to join our team, means more life-changing service to the community.

Who should you invite to join? Anyone who loves serving their community, meeting interesting people, or developing leadership skills. Invite a friend, coworker or neighbor to our next service project or meeting.

Get Details About Distinguished Member Status

Each month we feature one of our club members so our readers can get to know the people who make up our club. Enjoy! This month’s featured member is Alyson Gerwe, current club secretary and incoming club president.

Alyson first heard about Kiwanis when she was in high school. She joined Key Club in her sophomore year (1997) and was active throughout high school. When she graduated and was ready for college, she knew that she wanted to continue the fun and the service in college too. The University of Cincinnati DAAP program set her up with a student mentor, Melinda Binder, who just happened to be a member of Circle K.

Alyson believes it was fate. Through Circle K, she made some of her best friends from college (many of whom are in Kiwanis!) and her best memories. She also helped to change the world (at least the little part of our world in Cincinnati) and developed her leadership, marketing and event planning skills.

Circle K was a way to give back to her community, but she has gotten way more out of the Kiwanis family than she ever could have asked for. Not only did she gain friends, confidence, and skills, but she gained a husband. Jim and Alyson met through Circle K, dated and eventually married in May 2005 after Alyson graduated from UC.

After the positive and addicting experience of Circle K, there was no turning back. The next step was definitely Kiwanis. How could she leave behind a piece of her life that big? After moving to Alpharetta, GA in 2006, Jim and Alyson joined the local club there, making many dear friends and helping that community. When they moved back to Cincinnati in 2007, with so many of her Circle K friends joining the Cincinnati club, there was no other club they would rather have joined.

Alyson's favorite project is the Tom Geiger Guest House playroom project. In her spare time, Alyson loves to paint and do crafts. So the mural project in the playroom paired with the fact that it helps children who otherwise would not have a safe place to play, has quickly become her favorite.

"I am so proud of all the good we've done for the residents at Tom Geiger Guest House. I know how frustrating it can feel not having a safe place for children to play and how necessary it is for mothers to have time to themselves. The Kiwanis Playroom provides both."

Alyson grew up in a town 30 minutes east of Cincinnati, called Eastgate. She graduated from Glen Este High School in 1999 and then attended college at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning studying architecture. After about a year and a half, Alyson realized her heart just wasn't in it, so she switched majors to Information Engineering Technology through the UC College of Applied Science. Through design, Alyson wanted to help people achieve their dreams.

After realizing that her husband's job was to relocate fairly often and that she was pregnant with her first child (Ava, now 3 years old), she started her own website design and development business. After four years, Alyson still loves freelancing and consulting for non-profits, small businesses, start-ups and universities. It's the satisfaction of making a real difference in promoting their organization through their web presence that keeps her motivated.

For fun, Alyson loves to go on adventures. Sometimes the adventure is driving to new places in the city or traveling to different countries (England, Scotland, Mexico, El Salvador). She used to go on a spelunking trip every year with her dad down to a cave near Lexington, KY, which she wants to try to do again this year. Whatever she does, Alyson tries to live life to the fullest. As Alyson says, "Life is too short to be bored."

More club stars...

94th Annual International Convention in Nashville, TN
In late June (24-27), Kiwanians from around the world will gather to vote on candidates for International offices and to vote on proposed amendments to the Kiwanis International Bylaws. The convention is a chance to help direct the future of Kiwanis International, to celebrate our successes and progress with fellow Kiwanians, to meet and learn from Kiwanians from around the world, to reinvigorate your Kiwanis passion, and to learn ideas to help our club improve. If you've never been, it is an amazing experience and one you won't want to miss!

At our June board meeting, we will discuss these amendments and the candidates. While it may not seem like these changes at the International level have much of an effect on our local club, it does have a major role in that the Kiwanis International Bylaws are a part of club's our governing rules. And International officers, while not having an immediate effect on our club, do have a major part in setting the direction of Kiwanis International, which affects us all.

For full information regarding Proposed Amendments and International Officers...

The third Sunday in June is America's special day to celebrate our fathers. Here are some of the facts about our country's dads that you may not have known:

Did you know that the concept of Father's Day was first proposed in 1909 by Washingtonian native Mrs. John B. Dodd? Her inspiration for the holiday was to honor her own father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran and single dad, widowed when his wife died in childbirth with their sixth child.

Did you know that Mrs. Dodd's vision did not become reality until 63 years later? In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

Did you know that Americans aren't the only ones to celebrate their dads? In the United States and 52 other countries around the world, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. The first Sunday in June is when Lithuanian dads are honored; and on the second Sunday, dads in Austria and Belgium have their special day.

Exerpt from holidays.net

Screen Time
There are movie buffs, and there are Kiwanis movie buffs. Match these lines with their movies. Get all three right and you'll qualify as a Kiwanis movie expert.


The Line
1. "What am I to say? The Kiwanis club is having fall maneuvers here?"
2. "He pulled that job to pay for the band's room service tab from that Kiwanis gig in Coal City."
3. "Kiwanis. What kind of animal is that?"

The Movie
A. The Blues Brothers
B. Lilies of the Field
C. That Darn Cat

~ As seen in the June 2009 Kiwanis magazine.

Find the answers at www.kiwanismagazine.org.