Kiwanis Club of Lewiston-Auburn Maine

Four local youths from our area high schools were awarded college scholarships in December. All have completed the first semester of college. Parents and winners were treated to a Ramada Inn luncheon and awarded their checks. Internationally, Kiwanis’s motto is “Serving the Children of the World, one child at a time. ” These four student recipients were selected to receive scholarships based on academic acheivements, and community service. The Auburn/Lewiston Kiwanis Club supports many youth programs within Androscoggin County. Pictured above are, left to right: Gregory St. Denis of ELHS, Lori Robinson of SDRHS, Stephanie Gagne of LHS and Brianna Dostie of Leavitt. Also pictured is Presiding President John Cronin of Federal Distributors and Secretary Craig Phillips of Common Ties Mental Health Services. FMI on Kiwanis or how to get involved, contact Jan Dwinal at 795-9614 or visit kiwanisauburnlewistonmaine.org .

Past President Mike Meservier was recently presented an LL Bean gift certificate by Auburn/Lewiston, ME Kiwanians as a token of appreciation for his leadership during his 2009 – 2010 term. He was very surprised and happy to accept.

Great Meeting!

On December 23, 2009, we presented the scholarship checks to the 2009 high school graduates. They each received $750.

 

          Awarded were, Gregory St. Denis, Edward Little High School, Lori Robinson, St. Dominic Regional High School, Stephanie Gagne, Lewiston High School, and Brianna Dostie, Leavitt Area High School.

 

NEW MEETING TIMES

 

          Our club will be meeting only the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, beginning THIS MONTH. We will continue to meet at Noon at the Ramada Inn, 490 Pleasant Street, Lewiston.

          We did this to try to make the meetings more engaging and productive. We will focus one meeting on club business and activities, and the other meeting on speakers.

          Our next meeting is January 27, 2010.

 

CAN WE HAVE FUN, OR WHAT?

 

At our joint meeting with the Rotary Club on December 17, our very own Past President Patti Gagne composed this Christmas poem, and read it to the meeting:

 

Twas the week before Christmas, when all through L-A

The Twin Cities were bustling in prep for the big day.

Rotary and Kiwanis met at the Ramada, a generous gang

In hopes that St. Nicholas would start them off with a bang

 

The members were nestled all snug in their chairs

Discussing the city and those types of affairs.

Now Rotary is charitable and one of a kind,

So is Kiwanis, changing the world one child at a time

 

When out on the lawn their arose such a clatter

They sprang from their seats to see what was the matter.

Away to the window John Cronin flew like a Flash

Outside in the snow bank? His Budweiser stash!

 

 

The sun glistened in the new fallen snow

Where the Ramada needed to sand, started to show.

When what to their wondering eyes should appear

A massive sleigh, and eight lively reindeer!

The little old driver so lively and slick

Jan Dwinal took him to Kiwanis, and signed him up quick.

More Rapid than Maineiacs, his courses they came

He whistled, and shouted and called them by name

 

Now Nancy! Now, Stephanie! Now, Jen and Phil

On John! On Dennis! On Andy and Bill!

I have named my deer after you all, Santa exclaimed

And said something about the Duck Race- it sounded profane.

 

Saint Nick pulled up a chair and went over the year

Jan did great at recruiting and John and Larry STILL like their beer.

John Belisle is Rotary’s President, and it’s not much of a chore.

But my gosh poor Kiwanis, they had to have 4!

 

The Jolly old elf decided he’d stop poking fun

He had some holiday work, which had to be done

Prepare the meeting today without Nick & Betty

And Without Gary Adams.  Who will get everything ready?

 

Santa brought some toys he’d made just for the gang

Show us the money! The Kiwanis group sang

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,

He said I aint got no money, just coal and some soot.

 

It’s been a rough one for the cities, so I brought lots of toys.

A slow economy for parents, but many good girls and boys

A mill fire? Losing money? Good lord you’ve had quite a year

The recession even hit the North Pole, I’ve been eating reindeer…

 

I’ve been going on, its time I get back to work!

And Santa left the gifts and toys and turned with a jerk

He looked over his glasses, past the tip of his nose

At good ole Alan Hahnel who had started to doze.

 

The old man sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a yell,

Had one last drink with Larry and John- ah what the hell

But they heard him exclaim his sleigh clean and iceless,

Happy Holidays to all, and peace in the Twin Cities? Priceless!

 

The Kiwanis Club of Auburn Lewiston, Maine, announces its activities for December, 2009.

          1. This weekend is the Advocates For Children’s Holiday Fair. It is at St. Dominic’s Regional High School, Gracelawn Road, Auburn, Maine, on Saturday December 5, 9 AM to 2 PM. We will be lending some of our tables, helping set up, operating our own table, and helping to disassemble.

          You can volunteer! Friday afternoon to deliver tables, Saturday helping to set up and staff our table, or helping in take-down.  Contact Past President Patti Gagne at PattiGagne@allstate.com or call her at 783-4529 8 AM to 5 PM.

           Also remember that our own member, Ruth DeCoster, works for Advocates For Children to plan and carry out this event, so lets support her as well as Advocates.

          2. We will be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, on December 12. It will be at K-Mart on Center Street, Auburn, Maine (inside, I hope!). Be sure to sign up for a two hour slot. It is nicer to have two or three at a time, so get your friends to stand with you. I am always amazed at the number of friends I see.

          Sign up at the following link: http://www.doodle.com/tu8p3hquyk6mdd5n

          3. We will have our annual joint meeting with the noontime Rotary Club. It will be Thursday, December 17 at Noon, at the Ramada Inn, 490 Pleasant Street, Lewiston, Maine. This is always a relaxing holiday gathering, so don’t miss it. Mark your calendars today!

          4. We will be meeting and celebrating with our College Scholarship recipients. It will be our regular meeting on December 23^rd , at noon. These young people are the reason for our Pancake Breakfast fundraiser. Our meetings are held at the Ramada Inn, 490 Pleasant Street, Lewiston, Maine.

The Kiwanis Club of Auburn Lewiston, Maine, will be changing its meeting times. Beginning in January, 2010, we will meet the SECOND and FOURTH  Wednesdays of the month. The first meeting in January will be January 13, 2010.

The club meets at Noon at the Ramada Inn, 490 Pleasant Street, Lewiston, right off teh Maine Turnpike exit and Lisbon Street (State Route 196).

          Recently, the Kiwanis Club of Auburn Lewiston, Maine, recognized its Kiwanian of the Year.  President Mike Meservier presented the award to Jan Dwinal. She has been bubbling over with enthusiasm, energy and great ideas this last year. She heads the Membership Committee, which brought in eight new members in 2008-09! She shows no signs of slowing down, either, as she adding being the Incoming President-Elect. We are proud of all she has done for our club.

          The award is presented to the Kiwanian who, in the past year, has shown commitment to our club, outstanding leadership, and living out the Kiwanis ideals in their daily life.

          Jan is a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Millett Realty, with offices in Auburn, Maine. She is married to Past President Doug Dwinal, and lives in Lewiston.

          Congratulations, Jan! We appreciate all that you have done!

          On October 28, 2009, the Kiwanis Club of Auburn-Lewiston, Maine, inducted our new officers, for the year 2009-10. We had a special guest to administer the oaths of office, Lt. Gov. Keith Wass, from the Rockland, Maine, club. In his remarks following, he brought messages from the International President and District Governor.

          We are going to try something a bit different this year. Instead of one President, we will have a board of Past Presidents running things. In October, Dan Goff was in charge, this month we will have Patti Gagne (and her golf jokes!). In coming months, John Cronin and Bud Nelson will return to the lectern, with second stints for Dan and Patti.

          Rounding out the slate is Jan Dwinal as Incoming President, Secretary Craig Phillips and Treasurer Larry Lauze. Jan also is the Membership Committee chair, and is behind the wonderful growth in new members in the last year.

          Each and every officer and director look forward to your ideas on how to make our club better. We make “Children Priority One”, to build our community one child at a time.

The club meets every Wednesday at Noon, at the Ramada Inn, Pleasant Street Lewiston, just off the Maine Turnpike. We invite all guests and prospective members to join us.

The Kiwanis Club of Auburn-Lewiston inducted another new member, Todd McCollough. He is the manager of Hudson Bus Lines. He joins many new members in the last year. We are growing, and happy for it!

          New member Todd was inducted byPast President Dan Goff, with help from Membership Committee Chair/2008-09 Kiwanian of the Year/Incoming President Jan Dwinal, and Immediate Past President Mike Meservier.

 

Good day everyone! We are now officially in our summer schedule, where the club meets at the Ramada Inn, Lewiston Maine at noon on the second and forth weeks of July and August. Guest speakers will resume in September. We wish you all a fun and safe summer! See you in September.