Director’s Letter – October 2016
Path to the Sky On the afternoon of Friday, October 21, Rita and I stopped by to support the new Aktion Club of Aim Higher Elk Grove’s art auction. Among the pieces we purchased was one entitled Path to the Sky. Earlier in the day, we had learned of the passing of young mother Sandra […]
Director’s Letter – September 2016
We love our volunteers…you hear every nonprofit organization say it, but what does it mean? More than 32 years ago, Kiwanis Family House was started by volunteers—Kiwanians from Divisions 7 and 44 in the Sacramento area. Then, for many years, it was entirely run by volunteers, with no paid hourly staff until moving into the […]
Director’s Letter – July 2016
What truths have constituted the Kiwanis Family House legacy for the past 32 years? Serving families dealing with serious illness or injury. Offering a temporary home away from home. Housing guests from more than 30 countries and from every state in the U.S. Family members located within five minutes of their hospitalized loved ones. Saving […]
Director’s Letter – June 2016
As I write this, we are a week away from our trip to Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the 2016 Kiwanis International Convention. Once again, Kiwanis Family House will staff an exhibit booth in the convention’s great hall. This year, we are most excited that convention staff has produced a brief video segment promoting Kiwanis Family […]
Director’s Letter – May 2016
The Finance Committee of our Board of Directors met recently to begin drafting the annual budget that will support Kiwanis Family House operations beginning July 1. As do most nonprofit leadership teams, we experience angst about our ongoing fiscal position and thus our ability to effectively serve families in need. I believe that we are […]
Director’s Letter – March 2016
On March 12, 2016, we achieved a complete, unbroken human circle around Kiwanis Family House. Members of Key Club, Circle K, Aktion Club and Kiwanis joined several KFH guests in the “Hands around the House” portion of the annual March in March. It was a visual and symbolic experience in which approximately 180 people said […]
Director’s Letter – January 2016
“That’s just the way the Kiwanis people are – caring and giving. They just can’t seem to do it enough.” I can still hear the late Buddy Howard’s voice as he video-recorded his grateful remarks, thanking Kiwanis Family House for all we had done for him and his family during his eight years of cancer […]
Director’s Letter – December 2015
In our recent year-end message to our followers and supporters, we shared the touching stories of Ankit Bhuta, who sustained severe injuries in a motorcycle accident, and Sandra Gantt, a returning guest who continues her battle with leukemia. One Kiwanian from Fortuna, California sent me this email in response. Thank you for those heartwarming stories! […]
Director’s Column – November 2015
In 2009, during my tenure as Chief Operating Officer for the Coalition for Independence, a Kansas City nonprofit that served persons with disabilities, we invited a prestigious international accreditation organization to come onsite and assess how we measured up against its comprehensive set of excellence standards. Following a week-long visit by its team of assessors, […]
Director’s Column – October 2015
The families we serve while they endure serious illness and injury need Lt. Governors from all corners of the Kiwanis family! I address my comments this month to you, LTGs! We give continuous attention to Sponsor Clubs and their presidents. That is logical because we have promoted our Sponsor Club Program for many years. Club […]
