Charlottesville Kiwanians Take Fellowship on Location

by Jim Hart

More than ten years ago, when it turned out that the restaurant for the weekly Kiwanis meeting would not be available on fourth Monday evenings, the club decided to make every fourth Monday evening a "service work night" and take on location what has long been a night of fellowship celebrated with a fine restaurant meal. Instead of a speaker providing a program, Kiwanians volunteered to learn directly about the work of an excellent community non-profit organization by providing about ninety minutes of hands-on service activity for that organization. On Monday evening, January 24, more than 20 Kiwanians were joined by two guests (prospective members) and by an Albemarle High School Key Clubber at the Culinary Arts Center of the Charlotteville-Albemarle Technical Educational Center (CATEC). The club members accomplished a number of important maintenance projects involving scrubbing, sweeping, mopping, cleaning, moving and rearranging equipment in the center's massive kitchen. At the end of the chores, which were coordinated by Kiwanian Charlie Krizek, the Kiwanians enjoyed a marvelous meal prepared by the CATEC students earlier in the day Culinary Arts Instructor Robert Bressan explained to the club how CATEC provides high school and adult education programs in Auto Body Repair, Auto Technology, Barbering, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Building Trades, Masonry, EMT/Firefighting, Dental Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Music Resource Technology, and Nurse Aide. All of these programs offer competency-based academic and technical training that supports workforce standards, industry certification requirements and Virginia Standards of Learning. Pictured are (from left) the newest Charlottesville Kiwanian, Ed Schmitz, and past Club Secretary, Dick Lear, showing their pride in a job well done.