Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club
by Bruce Malkin
On October 30, members of the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club (MVKC) spent from 9-5 standing outside the Hollin Hall Safeway on Fort Hunt Road soliciting food from the generous customers entering the store. This is the fifth time this year that the MVKC has dedicated a day to supporting the good work done by UCM's Food Pantry on Fordson Road. Usually these Food Drives by the Kiwanians result in about 1,200 pounds of food and several hundred dollars in donations to UCM to buy more food for distribution to the needy families in our community. MVKC is grateful to the management of Hollin Hall Safeway for its complete cooperation with these events over the past years, and especially to the terrific people who come to buy food for themselves and end up donating much more to the community. The picture shows one of them, Jill Snow of Plymouth Haven, giving food boxes to MVKC member Joanne Malkin while Past President Bruce Malkin looks on. Other MVKC volunteers were Bob Valone, Richard Peterson, Kenny Blunt, Rich Keil Jeanette Wong, and JimTodd. For information on how to join in these events or other volunteer activities in the community, please see our website at www.mtvernonvakiwanis.org or our FaceBook page or send an e-mail to brucemalkin1@gmail.com
Plymouth Haven resident Jill Snow donates food to Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club's Joanne Malkin on October 30 to support UCM's Food Pantry, while Past President Bruce Malkin looks on approvingly.
On October 29, Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club (MVKC) member Bob Valone and Past President Bruce Malkin hosted a bingo game for about 15 of the PRS Day Center's clients at the PRS office in Sacramento Plaza. The players were happy to receive $5 gift certificates to either Wal-Mart or McDonalds as game prizes, and PRS Day Program Manager Kerri Lord always welcomes the MVKC support given. In addition, Malkin presented Lord with a check for $750 to help pay the salary of a much-needed Workforce Development teacher who works with the PRS clients to bring them into the workforce. The MVKC hosts 10 bingo or karaoke sessions at the Sacramento Plaza PRS Center annually, as we are partner organizations in our community. The photos represent these two activities.
Recently, other MVKC members have distributed free books to the Daycare Center at the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital (Betty Puscheck is the MVKC Program Coordinator for this), and delivered free bicycles and helmets to children participating in the after-school program of the Creekside Neighborhood Center (Charles Jones does the repairs and deliveries for MVKC and Heritage Presbyterian Church), which is a program supported heavily by UCM, another of our MVKC partners. On October 30, MVKC members collected food and cash and check donations to UCM outside the Hollin Hall Safeway on Fort Hunt Road from the generous customers shopping there from 9-5, which we do 5 times a year to stock the UCM Food Pantry. Usually we collect over 1,200 pounds of donated food and several hundred dollars that will be used to buy more food for distribution by the UCM Food Pantry on Fordson Road.
MVKC member Bob Valone (left) and Past President Bruce Malkin hosted a bingo for PRS Day Center clients on Octobr 29. At right, is Kerri Lord, Day Program Manager at the PRS Sacramento Center.
MVKC Past President Bruce Malkin presents check for $750 to Kerri Lord, PRS Day Program Manager at her Sacramento Plaza office on October 29.
On October 13, 10 members of the newly-chartered Kiwanis CKI Club at the Alexandria campus of NOVA Community College met to plan their fall inaugural community service events. Bruce Malkin, Past President of their sponsoring organization, the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club, was in attendance and offered ideas and information to help them choose their activities, including a joint Food Drive on October 30 outside the Hollin Hall Safeway, 7900 Fort Hunt Road, to benefit UCM's Food Pantry. They will begin with a fund drive for UNICEF, which is the partner organization with Kiwanis International, to eliminate maternal and neo-natal tetanus deaths in the next five years globally. They also will help with the setting up of the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club's annual Xmas tree sale at Belle View Shopping Center the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Nine of the Kiwanis Club members at NOVA Community College (Alexandria campus) posed after their planning meeting on October 6. At rear on left is VP Ryan Pierpoint, holding bell, and next to him is President "Ash" Elmelik, holding the gavel.
At a well-attended meeting on October 6 after school, the members of the West Potomac High School's Kiwanis Key Club finished their Club business and got right into their community service project work of designing posters to publicize the Walk-A-Thon for the Homeless in which they will participate in November. Another project will be collecting money for UNICEF, which is the UN partner with Kiwanis International in the global campaign to eliminate maternal and neo-natal tetanus world-wide. This Key Club is sponsored by the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club (see www.mtvernonvakiwanis.org), and is one of the largest in the area. It is well-run by Faculty Adviser Suzette Henry with the recent additional help of teachers Jackie Livelli and Kamy Bodaghi.
Several students working on the Homeless Walk-A-Thon posters
From left: Mr. Kamy Bodaghi, Mrs. Suzette Henry, President Julie Labelle, Vice-President Kelsie Whalen, Communications Officer Karley Zbedski, Secretary Hong Wang, and Treasurer Samiah Fatima; seated is Ms. Jackie Livelli.
The Lt-Governor of Kiwanis Capital District, Division 20, Marvin Crawford of Fairfax KC, presided over the Installation Ceremony for the 2011 Officers and Board of the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club (MVKC) at its Charter Night celebration on October 6 at the Mount Vernon Country Club. This night began the MVKC's 58th year of community service in this area. For a view of its wide range of activities, see its website at www.mtvernonvakiwanis.org or its FaceBook page. Officers installed are:
President: Kahan Dhillon
President-Elect (for 2012): Kahan Dhillon
Vice President: Dr. David Reynolds
Co-Secretaries: Joanne Malkin and Vivien Peterson
Co-Treasurers: Steve Vajs and Jim Todd
Members of the Board of Directors are:
Lee Palmer, Paul Mehler, Richard Keil, Dr. Donald Reynolds, Dr. James Zaletel, Betty Puscheck, and Richard Peterson.
Bruce Malkin is the Past President.
From left, Members of the Board Dr. James Zaletel, Lee Palmer, Dr. Donald Reynolds, and Paqul Mehler are installed by Division 20 Lt.-Gov. Marvin Crawford (not shown are Richard Peterson, Betty Puscheck, and Richard Keil)
Lt.-Gov. Marvin Crawford congratulates Co-Secretary Joanne Malkin (not shown is Vivien Peterson)
Lt.-Gov. Marvin Crawford (on right) installs Co-Treasurers Jim Todd (far left) and Steve Vajs (middle)
Lt.-Gov. Marvin Crawford (right) congratulates Vice President Dr. David Reynolds (left)
Lt.-Gov. Marvin Crawford congratulates new President Kahan Dhillon (on left)
Past President Bruce Malkin (on left) thanks Lt.-Gov. Marvin Crawford and presents him with the highly desirable MVKC cap.
This Halloween, Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club's Past President, Bruce Malkin, decided to play a new role as the Green-Haired Witch of the Faraway Land of NeksDure. He demanded that kids desiring candy as a treat must first perform a trick, such as a dance, a song, or a joke. While most trick-or-treaters were unable or unwilling to comply with his request, and, therefore, had to touch his magical, wart-covered pumpkin before getting candy, one resourceful group of neighbor's children along with two of their mothers did sing a song to him, and were thus exempt of further witchy demands. It was a Great Halloween on Orange Court in Riverside Estates! Pictured: Bruce (the Witch) with (from left to right) Ana Grace Dickerson, Addison Dickerson, Mackenzie Dickerson, and Annalise Collins.
