Over 750 Kiwanians gathered on August 26-29, 2010 for a weekend of fun and celebration. The 93rd Annual District Convention of the Florida District of Kiwanis was held at the beautiful Renaissance Orlando Resort near Sea World. The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County was well-represented by George & Ann Langguth, Jeremy & Prairy Riehl, Judy Stewart, Jan Henson, Beth Paris, and Stacy Peterson.
The weekend kicked off with a plethora of educational workshops and exhibits for members to enjoy. On Friday afternoon, Kiwanians enjoyed fellowship of others during an Interclub Luncheon. The keynote speaker, 2000-2001 Kiwanis International President Bo Shafer, entertained those who attended with his Southern sense of humor. He spoke of "how blessed we are to be Kiwanis members" and reminded everyone "not to sweat the small stuff". Following more workshops and dinner, Suzi Cruz gave everyone "An Act to Remember" with her songs from the 50s to Broadway.
Delegates organized at 7:45am on Saturday morning (who else would wake up this early in the morning but dedicated Kiwanians!) to elect the 2010-2011 leadership team for the Florida District of Kiwanis. Reports were given from the Florida CKI District Governor Tim Wolfinger (from our very own service leadership club at UCF!) as well as the Florida Key Club District Governor Rene Miller. Tim charmed everyone with his whit and thanked the mentors in his life with a token of appreciation in the form of a brick (yes, real bricks - symbolizing foundations for which greatness can be built). Rene drew from his experience when speaking of the newest Worldwide Service Project - Project Eliminate MNT (http://www.theeliminateproject.org).
Kiwanians enjoyed a fabulous retirement/installation dinner on Saturday night. Our Lieutenant Governor Gene Leonard was retired that evening, and Past Club President Jeremy Riehl was installed as the 2010-2011 Division 10 Lt. Governor. Thank you Gene for all that you've done this year! Jeremy is wished the best of luck in his new and challenging role! The 26 remaining Florida Lt. Governors were installed for the upcoming Kiwanis year, which begins October 1, and numerous awards were given to individuals and clubs for their outstanding service.
The following individuals were installed as the new Florida District Board for 2010-2011: Tom Ramiccio, CEO of the Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce, was elected Governor. Eddie Lee, a retired Contractor who resides in Madeira Beach, was elected Governor-Elect in preparation of becoming Governor at the next District Convention. Allen Whetsell of Flagler Beach was elected District Treasurer in preparation of becoming the Governor-Elect at the next District Convention. Governor Donna Parton closed the evening with her retirement from the board and Kiwanians witnessed her dream of becoming a "princess" coming true.
A big thank you to George & Ann Langguth and the rest of their staff for making the weekend so enjoyable!
After a weekend of fun and celebration, the Kiwanis Club of East Orange County has been re-energized with new ideas for the new Kiwanis year. The "Time to Serve" has come!
Excellent recap of DCON... Congrats to Jeremy Riehl, our new LG. Governor and Gene Leonard for his two years of leadership and service. Looking forward to seeing my EOC'ers soon!
ReplyDeleteStacy,
ReplyDeleteGreat job as always! Huge congrats to the District Office Staff - George, Ann, Drew & Jose for a job well done and a very successful convention!
Thanks, Judy Stewart, President EOK