Kiwanis
Kiwanis Club of New London, CT

Serving the Children of the World

2010 Kiwanis Club of New London

NB King Scholarships Awarded

Gayle Moriarty and Kathleen Cicchese

Two graduating Montville High School seniors, Gayle Moriarty and Kathleen Cicchese have been selected to receive the prestigious Kiwanis Club of New London N B King Scholarship Awards. Each recipient will receive $3000. Gayle Moriarty was founder and Charter President of the Montville High School Key Club, a member of the National Honor Society and active in the school’s jazz, concert and marching bands. Gayle will be heading to Central Connecticut State University in the fall and major in History. Kathleen Cicchese served as Key Club Lt. Governor for Division 29-A this past year earning Outstanding Lt. Governor status. She has participated in two varsity sports while also working at Shop Rite in New London. Along with her parents, she is very active supporting the Special Olympics. Kathleen has managed to maintain a GPA in the top 15% of her class along with her very busy and well-rounded schedule. Kathleen is heading to the University of Hartford and will undertake a dual major of Special Education and Elementary Education. Gayle was joined her parents Tom and Selina at the program and Kathleen by her parents Vic and Eileen. Thanks to the Scholarship Committee chaired by Glenn Hamler, including Ted Nelson, Sherry Lombardi, Rich Cheatham and Jim Sylvester for a job well done.

Actions of the Board

The Board of Directors took the following actions at their meeting on July 13th:
♦ Accepted with resignation the resignation of Andrea Kaiser as Vice President of the
   Board of Directors for the balance of the 2009-2010 year and her seat on the Board of
   Directors for 2010-2011.
♦ Recommend the following to fill the board and officer vacancies for 2009-2010 and
   2010-2011 with an election by club members at the July 28th meeting:
          Pam Stevens Moriarty: Vice President for balance of 2009-2010
          Carol Ballestrini: Board of Directors for balance of 2009-2010 to fill
          vacancy created by Pam Stevens Moriarty’s elevation to Vice President
          Robert Grills: Board of Directors for 2010-2011
♦ Elected Rich Cheatham, Bob Grills and John Russell to be delegates to the New
   England District of Kiwanis Convention in Mansfield, MA, August 19-22, 2010
♦ Approved the following funding requests
          Waterford Country School, Kaberet for Kids: $300
          Neighborhood Alliance, Children’s Fishing Tournament: $500
          New London Youth Affairs, Whales Tails Book Bank: $300
          New London Homeless Hospitality Center Benefit Dance, Turning Homeless
          Into Hopeful: $1000
          Connecticut Adoptions: $300
          Nastasia Humphries, Key Club Lt. Governor Division 29-A, Key Club
          summer fundraiser supplies: $50
♦ Accepted an invitation by Carol Ballestrini to hold a Club Picnic at her home on
   Saturday, August 14th.
♦ Authorized Marty Olsen to coordinate a Baseball and BBQ with Connecticut Tigers

Call to 92nd Annual District Convention

August 19-22, 2010
Register Online at http://newenglandkiwanis.homestead.com
Holiday Inn, Mansfield, MA

Reading is Fundamental

Program Coordinator: Rich Cheatham

Volunteer Readers Needed

                         Riverview Children’s Center
                            476 Thames St., Groton
                             Tuesdays at 10:00 AM
July 6 Marty Olsen                        August 3: Need Volunteer

   Salvation Army
                     Governor Winthrop Blvd., New London
   Fridays at 2:00 PM

July 23: Need Volunteer

Baseball & BBQ

                 New York-Penn League Single A Baseball
Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Mets) at Connecticut Tigers (Detroit Tigers)
                           Saturday, August 28th
                      Dodd Stadium, Norwich
          Pre-Game BBQ 5:35 PM and First Pitch 7:05 PM
           Adults $25 and Children 12 and under $15
             Reservation and Final Payment due by August 20th

Golf Tournament

The club’s Annual Golf Tournament held Thursday, May 20th, at Shennecossett Municipal Golf Club in Groton was, once again, a big success. A field of eighteen teams went out with a shotgun start at 12:30 PM. It was a great day! The weather was wonderful; our sponsors were acknowledged through signage, programs and participation; the golfers had fun; the food was good; and the volunteers worked hard to make it all happen. While final numbers are not available, it looks as though the event will net close to $12,000, and may be yet another new record for our tournament! A committee co-chaired by Sherry Lombardi and Ted Nelson oversaw the tournament. Joining Sherry and Ted on the event committee were Rich Cheatham, Bill Everett, Tom Moriarty, Marty Olsen, Pam Stevens-Moriarty and John Vincent. The other club members who contributed to the success of the tournament were Bob Grills, Carol Ballestrini, Ed Brailey, Marla Champagne, Glenn Hamler, Paul Holden, Gordon Jackson, Robert Jones, John Kashanski, Rob Krawic, Mary Ellen Leone, Andrew Lockwood, Helen McCartin, Bruce Patterson, John Russell, and Jim Sylvester. The club also wants to thank and recognize our major sponsors: Robert Grills; L & M Hospital; TJ Nelson Home Improvements; Easy Street; Secor Subaru; Bartol Air Conditioning; Bottinelli Monuments; Fallon Insurance; Senkow Builders; Cross Sound Ferry; Jackson & Harrison Lombardi; and TVCCA. There were four Golf Cart sponsors, forty Tee sponsors, five Patrons and thirty items that were raffled and/or auctioned off. A special note of thanks must be extended to the following guest volunteers who were absolutely necessary in making this tournament function: Carol Artino, Rusty Ballestrini, Mary Christina, Donna Green, and Sarah Kate Ragsdale. Editor’s Note: A big thank you to event chair Sherry Lombardi for a job well done!

Bike Rodeo at St. Mary’s School

On Tuesday, May 18th, a total of twenty-five kindergartners and first graders from two classes at St. Mary’s School in New London received free bike helmets donated by the club.
Each student had their helmet properly fitted and had club member and New London Police Sergeant Trish Lieteau give the children a course in a bike safety, as well as skateboard,
roller skates and scooters. Other club members participating were event coordinator Bob Grills, Pam Stevens Moriarty, Rich Cheatham, John Russell and Marty Olsen. Photo
submitted by Rich Cheatham.

Division 29-A Key Club Spring Dance

Montville High School Senior Kathleen Cicchese, the immediate past Lieutenant Governor of Key Club Division 29-A, recently held a Spring Dance Fundraiser to benefit the New London Salvation Army. It was held at the Groton Municipal Building on Saturday, May 22nd from 7-11 PM and there were over 240 people in attendance and over $3,000 was raised. Along with having a DJ, pizza and soft drinks were served and there were raffle prizes. The dance was sponsored by the Key Clubs in the Division(East Lyme, Fitch, Ledyard, Lyme-Old Lyme, Montville, New London and Waterford) but was open to any high school student in the area. The cost attend was a $15 ticket and a non-perishable food item. Three large boxes of food were collected and the food will be going to the Gemma Moran Food Bank. Key Club Division 29-A met regularly to plan details for the dance and their hard work paid off. There were no problems at the dance and the night was a huge success. Photo and article submitted by Kathleen Cicchese.

Kiwis Little League Opening Day

The Kiwis Little League team sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of New Lond kicked off their season on Sunday, May 2, 2010, at the Mitchell Woods Little League Complex.

Photos submitted by Rich Cheatham

Annual Meeting

Officers and Directors elected at the Annual Meeting on April 28th for 2010-2011:
President: Rich Cheatham                    President-Elect: LCDR Andrew Ely, USCG
Vice-President: Pam Stevens Moriarty         Treasurer: William Everett
Directors (1 Years): Jim Sylvester, John Vincent, Andrea Kaiser
Directors (2 Year): Glenn Hamler, Sherry Lombardi, Tom Moriarty and
Loreen Lockwood                             Immediate Past-President: John Russell
There were no nominations from the floor on April 21st. The 2010-2011 Board of
Directors will elect its secretary.

Mitchell College Circle K Receives Charter

The newly formed Mitchell College Circle K Club received its Charter on Friday, April 2, 2010 at a spirited celebration held at the Weller Center on campus. The club, which was formed last fall, recognized the Charter Members and Officers. The Charter Officers were Heather Yablin- President; Lauren Chiaramonte- Vice President; Caitlin Brown- Secretary and Skye Cavise- Treasurer. Officers elected to serve for 2010-2011 are Dena Slotoroff- President; Lauren Chiaramonte- Vice President; Caitlin Brown- Secretary and Mark Mancusi- Treasurer. Heather Yablin has been appointed Lt. Governor for the Mystic Division and will be a representative on the New England Circle K District Board for 2010-2011. Presiding officer for the celebration was Circle K Governor Abbe O’haire from Keene State College in Keene, NH. Six members of the Kiwanis Club of New London, the sponsoring Kiwanis club, were in attendance (see Interclubs). Visiting Kiwanis dignitaries included Governor David Koohy (Newport, RI), District Treasurer Bill Jenkins (Sandwich, MA), Circle K Administrator Tim Daly (Hingham-Weymouth) and Division 23 Lt. Governor Toni Walker. Photo credit Rich Cheatham.

Mitchell College Circle K last meeting of school year

Actions of the Board

The Board of Directors took the following actions at their May 11th meeting:
♦ Appropriated $500 to support two bike rodeos: Tuesday 5/18 at St. Mary’s School in New London and Sunday 6/13 at the Whaling City Cyclone Bike Race
♦ Appropriated $500 to help support Immediate Past Outstanding Key Club Lt. Governor Kathleen Cicchese to attend the Key Club International Convention in July being held in Memphis
♦ Approved the purchase of 144 Commemorative Mugs to celebrate the club’s 70th Anniversary

Bob & Valeda Grills Honored

Event Nets Over $14,000 to Kick Off Valeda Grills Pre-K Reading Scholarship Endowment, John Kashanski Community Service Fund and Kiwanis Club of New London NB King Scholarship Endowment

Over ninety people attended the honor banquet at the Alumni Center at the US Coast Academy to recognize Bob and Valeda Grills for a lifetime of community service on February 5th. Featured speakers were New London Mayor Rob Pero who presented Bob with a Proclamation . Father Joseph Castaldi from St. Joseph’s Church discussed Valeda’s tenure as church secretary in a thoughtful, yet humorous manner. Former Congressman Rob Simmons offered insight into his relationship with the Grills and how he and Valeda share the same birthday- February 11th. Dick England, Immediate-Past Governor of the New England District of Kiwanis, shared his
memories of Bob and Valeda in their roles with the district and Kiwanis Foundation of New England. Carol Ballestrini, fellow club member and owner of Ballestrini’s Childcare Centers, enthusiastically spoke about joining Kiwanis and the impact both Bob
and Valeda has had and how their friendship has grown. It is now ten years that the New London Kiwanis has sponsored Reading is Fundamental (RIF) at the Ballestrini Childcare Centers. New London City Councilor and Past Distinguished Governor of the
New England District of Kiwanis Marty Olsen discussed his longtime friendship with the Grills that spans over twenty-five years. Bob Grills closed the speaking with a thoughtful, and at times emotional, overview of Valeda’s and his community service and
thanked club members- over half the club in attendance- Kiwanians who traveled from afar along with friends and neighbors for attending and their support. Although this dinner was planned last July, much thought went into how Bob and the club could
recognize Valeda in perpetuity after her sudden passing last October for her outstanding contributions, especially working with children and her love of reading. It struck a chord to initiate the Valeda’s Pre-K Scholarship Endowment, which will provide opportunities
for preschoolers to gain access to books, literacy and the joy of reading. In an effort to get this worthy endeavor going, Bob Grills and the Grills family has contributed $10,000 with the club donating $1000 of the function proceeds. Approximately $2000 will
support the John Kashanski Community Service Fund and $1000 the Kiwanis Club of New London NB King Scholarship Endowment. The club thanks all those who contributed to this very special evening. A special thanks to Jim Sylvester, event coordinator, and his committee consisting of Rich Cheatham, Bob Grills and Marty Olsen.

Bruce Patterson enters Legion of Honor

Past Distinguished Governor Marty Olsen welcomed Dr. Bruce Patterson into the Legion of Honor and presented him with a certificate and twenty-five year president’s pin. Bruce joined the Kiwanis Club of New London on September 12, 1984 and served as President 1987-88. The Legion of Honor is a Kiwanis service award that requires twenty-five years of membership. Dr. Patterson has served on the Scholarship Committee and Golf Committee over the years. Recently he has actively supported the Defenders partnership, Ham & Turkey Sale and been a Golf Tourney sponsor. The photo,submitted by Rich Cheatham, features from left to right: President John Russell, Marty Olsen and Dr. Bruce Patterson.

Connecticut Sun

                              Only Four Games Remain!
Club members are asked to buy or sell a Connecticut Sun game for 2010. Each game
consists of ten tickets each for $80 per game. They are great for family, business or to
donate to a local youth group or charity. Contact Marty Olsen for your tickets.
7/17, Saturday, Atlanta Dream, 7:00 PM            8/15, Sunday, Indiana Fever, 5:00 PM
7/24, Saturday, LA Sparks, 7:00 PM               8/17, Tuesday, Tulsa Shock, 7:30 PM

Odds & Ends

Board of Directors: Tuesday, July 13th, 4:30 PM, Waterford Public Library

Need batteries? Buy Interstate Batteries and support our club. The club receives 30% on
all retail purchases through this program. Visit our club website in the Members area at
http://www.newlondonkiwanis.org for more details!

Farewell to a Good Friend

Valeda Grills 2/11/40-10/17/09

From the moment Valeda Grills joined the Kiwanis Club of New London on January 12, 1999, she immediately stepped into a leadership post as club treasurer. Her love of children and dedication to Kiwanis at the local, district and foundation levels manifested itself with nine years of perfect attendance. During her entire tenure with the club Valeda served in leadership positions: club president, treasurer, secretary and board director. She also served as Lt. Governor for one and a half years from October 2004 through March 2006, earning Distinguished Lt. Governor honors. Valeda also served with distinction as a Director of the Kiwanis Foundation of New England (KFNE) including Vice President for 2008-09. Valeda also supported the Kiwanis Foundation of New England’s Red Jacket program as a Friend of the Foundation that signified a $1000 contribution to the KFNE endowment, which supports the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute (KPTI) at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Valeda also supported the Kiwanis International Foundation’s Hixson Fellowship program with a $1000 contribution that is dedicated to supporting the Kiwanis International Worldwide Service Project to eliminate Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD), which is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation as well as goiters and other thyroid related disease. Over time, Valeda convinced her husband, Bob, to join Kiwanis, especially to earn an interclub credit to the Kiwanis International Convention in Taipei in 2001. As a team Bob and Valeda have traveled throughout New England, the United States and the world, including numerous trips to Bermuda in their roles as Kiwanians.

Valeda, you have been a wonderful friend and you will be missed. Rest in peace. A complete obituary is available in the October 20, 2009 edition of The Day. Donations
in her memory can be made to The Kiwanis Club of New London, P.O. Box 333, New
London, CT 06230; Saint Joseph Endowment Fund, 17 Squire Street New London, CT
06320; and Saint Mary Star of the Sea Capital Fund, 10 Huntington Street, New London,CT 06320. Cards can be sent to Robert Grills, 105 Thames St., New London, CT 06320.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing

With a big snowstorm on the horizon, a full complement of Kiwanis and Key Club Bell
Ringers fulfilled their obligations on Saturday, December 19th and made their way to the
Crystal Mall in Waterford to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Volunteers staffed the
entries at Charlie’s Eating & Drinking Saloon, the Christmas Tree Shop and Food Court
from 9:00 AM until 7:00 PM in the evening. A plethora of Key Clubbers from all of the
clubs we sponsor- Fitch, New London, Montville, Waterford, East Lyme and Lyme-Old
Lyme- volunteered, including a group from the newly formed Ledyard High School Key
Club. Four Faculty Advisors aided the cause as well: Erin McGuire (New London),
Kim Glover (Montville) and Amanda Marchese and Ian Cheney (Waterford). The tally
at each location was as follows: Charlie’s Eating & Drinking Saloon- $481; Christmas
Tree Shop- $769 and Food Court $308. A big Kiwanis thank you to those members who
volunteered their time: Pam Stevens Moriarty, Gordon Jackson, Glenn Hamler, John
and Jack Russell, Sam Christy, Bob Grills (double shift), Andrew Ely, Paul Holden,
Ted Nelson, Carol Ballestrini, former member Rusty Ballestrini, Rich Cheatham
(double shift and more) and Marty Olsen.

Salvation Army Thanksgiving Dinner

Lead by Billie Hadley in the kitchen, the club provided its annual Thanksgiving feast
complete with turkey and all the trimmings at the Salvation Army on November 24th.
Over one hundred people enjoyed the meal. This annual service project was again very
successful and our Key Club participation was extraordinary with nineteen Key
Clubbers representing New London, East Lyme, Waterford, Fitch, Montville and
Lyme-Old Lyme High Schools volunteering their services! Ian Cheney, Faculty
Advisor at Waterford High School, along with Erin McGuire, Faculty Advisor at New
London High School, pitched in once again. We are proud of our Key Clubbers who did
an outstanding job at all of the various tasks. The following club members volunteered
and/or donated pies for dessert: Andrew Ely, Glenn Hamler, Pam Stevens Moriarty,
Sherry Lombardi, Gordon Jackson, Tom Moriarty, Bob Grills, Rich Cheatham, and
President John Russell. Submitted by Rich Cheatham.

Salvation Army Christmas Kids

Christmas Party Filled with Fellowship and Cheer Salvation Army Youth Guests Wowed by Santa and Mrs. Claus. Eleven children from the Salvation Army Youth Program, ranging in age from 4-14, joined the club for its annual Christmas Party on December 16th at the Officer’s Club at the US Coast Guard Academy. Bob Grills played the keyboard during the meeting and reveled us with seasonal songs. Santa and Mrs. Claus appeared right on time with bells a ringing! The children, young and old alike, were in Santa’s spell. Big smiles and sparkling eyes were to be found on every child. Each child received a gift(s) from club members who adopted them for the occasion along with donated gift bags and books donated by Bob Grills. Our young guests and their hosts are as follows: Zachary (John and Jack Russell), Ryan (Jim Sylvester), Crystal (Carol Ballestrini), Dylan (Gordon Jackson), Hailey (Bob Grills),George (Marty Olsen), Makayla (Rich Cheatham), Ariana (Sherry Lombardi), Everett (Sam Christy), Chris (Pam Stevens Moriarty), Matthew (Ted Nelson) and Makai (Loreen Lockwood).Thanks to Jim Sylvester for making the arrangements to use the “O” Club!

Ham & Turkey Sale

Bob Grills, event chair, reported that the Annual Ham & Turkey sale was another
success. A total of sixty-four units were sold for a net profit of $1150. Ted Nelson led the
sales effort with twenty units sold followed by stalwart Paul Holden with fourteen.

Circle K Club forms at Mitchell College

A new Circle K Club has formed at Mitchell College this fall. To date nineteen students
have signed on with great enthusiasm. The group has already embarked on a clothes drive and is seeking information on how to get involved at the soup kitchen on Montauk Ave.

Rich Cheatham is our Kiwanis Advisor to the club and he has worked with the students
as they have adopted the Standard Form of By-laws and elected officers. Formal
paperwork will soon be filed with Kiwanis International and a Charter Celebration will
be scheduled. Marty Olsen, an adjunct instructor at Mitchell College, will be the Faculty
Advisor. The officers for 2009-2010 are Randy Coons: President; Lauren
Chiaramonte: Vice-President; Karol Gejda: Secretary and Tom Henderson: Treasurer.

Third Annual Holiday Gathering

An intimate number of club members and spouses enjoyed a delightful evening at the
home of Andrea and Michael Kaiser on December 5th. The club thanks the Kaiser’s for
again opening their home for seasonal fellowship and cheer.

2010 Golf Committee

Sherry Lombardi: Co-chair

Ted Nelson: Co-chair
Rich Cheatham
Marty Olsen
Bob Grills
Pam Stevens

John Russell Installed as President for 2009-2010

Jack Russell Celebrates 88th birthday

On his father Jack’s 88th birthday, John Russell was installed as President of the Kiwanis
Club of New London for 2009-2010 on September 29th at Ocean Beach Park by
Governor Designate David Koohy. President John has established a goal of twelve new
members for the upcoming year- or one new member a month! A total of forty-two
members and guests celebrated the installation of officers and directors including District Treasurer Designate Bill Jenkins, Division 29-A Key Club Lt. Governor Kathleen
Cicchese, an interclub from the Guilford/Shoreline club, representatives from the
Waterford, Montville and Ledyard High School Key Clubs and two Mitchell College
students working on chartering a Circle K club at the school.. Governor Dick England
installed the following officers and directors for 2009-2010: President-elect Rich
Cheatham; Vice President Andrea Kaiser; Immediate Past President Tom Moriarty;
Treasurer William Everett; Secretary Marty Olsen; Directors One Year LCDR
Andrew Ely, USCG; Sherry Lombardi; Ted Nelson; Glenn Hamler and Directors
Two Years Jim Sylvester, Sam Christy and John Vincent. Lt. Governor Designate
Toni Walker retired the 2008-09 Officers and Board of Directors. The following
members were recognized for Perfect Attendance: Rich Cheatham (2), Bob Grills (5),
Tom Moriarty (5), Valeda Grills (9), Ted Nelson (11), Marty Olsen (21) and Gordon
Jackson (38). John Kashanski (56), Frank Penny (40) and Gordon Jackson (38) were
acknowledged for their years of service as members of the Legion of Honor. Glenn
Hamler did an outstanding job as Master of Ceremonies.

Serviceperson-of-the-Month

YN1 Brian Lewis was recognized as Serviceperson-of-the-Month at our club meeting on September 30th. This important program is co-sponsored by the Navy League and the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. Each month a different service organization hosts this program. Denny Hicks, Director of Strategic Planning for the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, made the presentation to Mr. Lewis. Joining the celebration was Lewis’ wife, Veronica, along the following officers and enlisted Coast Guard personnel from the Coast Guard Academy: Lt. Tammy Michelli, Command Master Chief John Niece, Chief Yeoman Kathy Pliska, Fireman Nathaniel Gerson Vega, CWU Sam Pederson and YN3 Melissa Beeker. Lena Blanche, Community Liaison from the Naval Sub Base, also attended. Mr. Lewis was recognized for his superior work at the academy as well as his volunteer work in the community, especially with children. On behalf of the Kiwanis Club of New London, President-elect John Russell presented Mr. Lewis with a $100 US Savings Bond along with a club mug, program certificate and certificate recognizing a book being donated to the Otis Library Children’s Department in his name.

Kiwanis Funding Policy

The Board approved a new funding policy that was prepared by the Giving and Standards Committee at its last Board of Directors Meeting on September 8, 2009. This new policy has been mailed out to all members for their information. The primary focus of this new policy is to address requests outside of the Kiwanis Family. Andrea Kaiser chaired the committee and was joined by Sherry Lombardi, Andrew Ely and Rich Cheatham.
Click here for more information

Team Kiwanis

On a glorious day Team Captain Andrea Kaiser led fellow club members Sherry Lombardi, Rich Cheatham, John Russell and Marty Olsen at the American Diabetes Association StepOut Walk held September 20th at Harkness State Park. Each member made the three-mile trek and enjoyed a morning of fellowship and camaraderie. The team has collected a total of $590 to date. Donations and pledges are still being accepted.

All photos submitted by Rich Cheatham.