• Click to view pictures from the convention:
  Picture of meeting room;

  Faculty Advisors Teresa Tyler & Jane MacMichael;

  Club Members in meeting room:

  AHS Group dressed for awards banquet;

  (L-to-R) Kiwanis Advisor Don Foss, Faculty Advisors: Jane MacMichael, Teresa Tyler. And Rick Ramey;

  Matt Truwit & Oratory Award Plaque;

  Talent contest winner – Jason Truwit, District Treasurer (AHS) at piano;

  WAHS Delegation at banquet; WAHS Girls & Advisor Caroline Bertrand;

  MHS delegation – Advisor Diane Clark in center, President Emily Johnson on the right;

  Brian Cofrancesco  CKI Presidential Region Lt Gov/UVA President – with the CKI contingent that assisted the Sergeant at Arms Committee

   

   

UVA CKI Harnesses K-Family Energy for Camp Holiday Trails

More than fifty CKI, Key Club, and Kiwanis volunteers pulled together on the weekend of March 14-16 for the first-ever Charlottesville K-Family Spring Service Retreat benefiting Camp Holiday Trails, a summer camp for children with special health needs. "It is always a pleasure working with CHT because they never fail to tell us exactly what they need done," commented Barb Ritter, the treasurer of the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville, which sponsors six Key Clubs in local area high schools, a Builders Club at Jack Jouett Middle School, and the Circle K International chapter at the University of Virginia. Hiking trails and stream beds were cleared from debris that had accumulated over the winter. The Challenge Course was made ready for the installation of obstacles and other devices, which will soon provide hours of summer fun and excitement for hundreds of campers. The volunteers happily took to canoes to set and clear algae traps on the lake and enjoy the spring sunshine and mild temperatures. A truckload of gently used furniture was removed for donation to The Salvation Army while new pieces of furniture were put in place. Even the windows in the cabins and dining hall received a good going over by the seemingly tireless K-Family members. "The whole effort was remarkably well-planned and coordinated," observed a grateful Tina LaRoche, Executive Director of Camp Holiday Trails. Brian Cofrancesco, lieutenant governor of the Presidential Division and president-elect of UVA CKI, was in charge of this 3-day project. UVA students were joined by students from James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Mary Baldwin College, including the Capital District CKI Governor, Sneha Bhat. Key Clubbers from Monticello High School and Albemarle High School, including the Lieutenant Governor of Key Club Division 5A, Christina Horton, enthusiastically pitched in. Kiwanis itself provided an interclub with four of its members, including current president Norm Gutzler, taking part in this outstanding example of intergenerational volunteering. Kiwanis has been an active supporter of Camp Holiday Trails for the entire 35 years of the camp's existence. Last summer, more than $8,000 was raised for CHT at the annual Kiwanis Independence Day 5K Race. "It is our privilege and honor to dedicate proceeds from the 25th annual race on July 4, 2008 to this unique organization so that kids can enjoy summer camp despite suffering from chronic illnesses," said Kiwanis President Norm Gutzler.

(Kiwanian Norm Gutzler and a few students in the K-family work hard to clean a stream bed at the Spring Service Retreat.)

Western Albemarle High School Key Club has Busy Agenda

Key Club President Alexandra Triana and Faculty Advisor Caroline Bertrand welcomed Kiwanis Club liaison Jim Hart to a recent Key Club meeting at Western Albemarle High School near Crozet.  Plans are already being made for Western's attendance at this year's Capital District Key Club convention to be held at the Richmond Marriott on the weekend of April 18-20.  Last year, the WAHS Club was recognized as "The Best New Key Club" in the Capital District.  This year, the club has 54 members and is active in tutoring and mentoring the kids at Virginia L. Murray, Brownsville, and Greer Elementary Schools.  They also volunteer in the soup kitchen at The Salvation Army Homeless Shelter as well as in the Enrichment Program for children in the shelter and the transitional housing unit.   They are planning to take part in the K-Family Spring Service Retreat sponsored by UVA's CKI on the weekend of March 7-9 at Camp Holiday Trails.  The energetic board has formed committees to raise funds for two District-wide projects:  "Nothing but Nets", an anti-malaria campaign providing mosquito netting for families in Africa and "Operation G.I.", collecting and donating gifts for service men and women returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville is very proud of the accomplishments of this wonderful group of young leaders in service to the community.

2004-2005 Funds Raised by Sponsored Clubs:

Albemarle High School Key Club  ......................  $11,200
Charlottesville High School Key Club  ................    $3,000
The Covenant School Key Club  ........................    $1,500
Monticello High School Key Club  .....................       $495