The "K-Family
Weekend" Brings Together the Key Club & CKI Boards with Kiwanis Leadership Team
a Photo Essay by Immediate Past Governor Bob Cressy
Click here for the event Photo Album
Have
you ever been on a "K-Family Weekend"? You'd never forget it, I'll tell you. Just what is a K-Family weekend anyway?
Well, its definition is really the Kiwanis Family
Weekend. Its purpose is to gather the current Key Club
Board,
the CKI Board and the new Kiwanis leadership team,
especially all of the 2008-2009 Lieutenant Governors,
SLP advisors and K-Family Governors. They assemble
for most of three days to work and play together,
to share ideas, plans and to get to know one another
while
coordinating their goals. This year's was September
5th - 7th.
The weekend was held again
at the 4-H Center in Front Royal, Virginia. The Center
is a retreat with modern, comfortable motel-like housing,
cafeteria style dining, large meeting rooms and two
great K-Family cook outs, one Friday and Saturday night.
The food is very good and the cook outs are terrific.
This is principally organized each year by Capital
District Kiwanis Key Club Administrator Joe Stankus
and assistant administrator Bill Hand, assisted by
Zone Administrator Tom Wagstaff. Everything must be
planned and coordinated thoroughly for a smooth operation
and this core team has got it down pat. Everyone else
just jumps in to help out and have fun.
But best of all is how
Key Club, CKI and Kiwanians all come together in a
beautiful rural Blue Ridge setting to share Service
Leadership plans for the year. The friendly interaction
between all attendees sharing in both the serious planning
sessions and the crazy 'ice-breakers' throughout the
weekend builds our spirit. The ice breakers are inspired
by former CKI-er and now Kiwanian Justin Garrow. You
simply cannot appreciate the laughter from the nutty
games we enthusiastically play at his suggestion.
Ever try to raise a hula
hoop with eight or ten people with one finger each?
Well, it's a teamwork exercise and it ain't easy. How
about a K-Family version of musical chairs where everyone
sits in chairs in a large circle and one player in
the center says something like "I'm wearing green" and everyone wearing green must run to a new chair opposite them. The person
without a seat goes next. By the time it's over you'll
have had a real workout ... and lots of laughs! How about
building the tallest structure with Styrofoam cups
and plastic spoons? Drawing posters to represent our
regions? (Ours was awful.) Skits using toilet paper
to create costumes? Who thinks of these games? Answer:
Justin Garrow.
Its all about teamwork, interacting, creativity ... and FUN! It works! Take a look at the photos. When next year's K-Family weekend is scheduled, those of you directly involved with SLP, you Lieutenant Governors, zone chairs and advisors, invite a Key Clubber or CKI member to joint in the fun with you. Sign up. You'll never forget it.
