Kiwanis Pasta Day Fundraiser Thursday!

Time for the Kiwanis Club of Middletown's PASTA DAY fundraiser featuring door prizes and a silent auction.

The Middletown Kiwanis support local non-profit programs and Club projects including our two largest projects Warm the Children and our College Scholarships for a student from each of the Middletown high schools as well as the Middletown High School Key Club, Middletown Little League, I Have a Friend After School Program, Bicycle Rodeo/Safety Clinic, Camp Sunshine, Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute, Mount St. John School, Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, Amazing Grace Food Pantry, MARC, Gilead Community Services, Even Start Program at Middletown Adult Education, Recognition of Graduating Valedictorians and Salutatorians from all Local High Schools, .  

Pasta Day is a great meal (lunch or dinner) at a reasonable price - $10 eat in or takeout, and we'll be happy to deliver lunch orders of five or more. Serving hours are 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 26. Christ Church Court Street. Tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting:

warmthechildren.middletown@gmail.com

Kiwanis & Salvation Army Thanksgiving Basket Collection!

Today Salvation Army is the collection and distribution center for over 50 Thanksgiving Baskets. Basket collection was facilitated by Kiwanis Club of Middletown. Pictured are Middletown Police officers delivering 4 baskets collected by the department. Other City departments such as Finance as well as a variety of local civic groups also donated baskets.The worship area of the Salvation Army will likely be filled. Area families in need, determined by the Salvation Army, will receive a basket with a meal for a family of 7 and a 10-20 lb turkey.

Kiwanis Peanut Day Sales To Benefit Warm the Children

Stop by Stop and Shop in Middletown this Sunday 11/13/11 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and next Saturday Nov. 19th. Purchases peanuts and mixed nuts being sold by Kiwanis Club of Middletown. Proceeds go to benefit all Kiwanis projects the latest of which is the annual Kiwanis Warm the Children project, co organized with the Middletown Press.

Kiwanis of Middletown is a co-sponsor of the Warm the Children Program. Kiwanis is providing $80.00 worth of new clothing and boots for about 700 needy children this year. Last year the group raised over $50,000 through donations. Every single dollar raised is used to purchase the clothing for the children, as there are no over head costs. Staff from Middletown, Portland, East Hampton, Durham/Middlefield and Cromwell Public Schools plus Middletown’s Salvation Army, HeadStart, EvenStart and Middlesex Hospital’s Family Advocacy Program identify families with needy children. Volunteer shoppers meet the families at Wal-Mart in Cromwell and assist them in selecting new clothing and footwear for their children. Each child is allocated $80. No money changes hands; Wal-Mart bills " Warm the Children" program for all purchases. If you are able to donate please fill out the form attached and send a check to the Middletown Kiwanis : Warm the Children Fund at the address listed on the form.

During the holiday season, Kiwanis members donate their time as bell ringers for the local Salvation Army. All money collected during bell ringing goes to the Salvation Army.

Contact Kiwanis Club for more information on "Warm the Children" and their many other events.kiwanis.club.middletown@gmail.com

Earlier this year Kiwanis of Middletown turned 60- Mac Stewart the original organizer of Warm the Children was honored at the anniversary celebration.

Kiwanis of Middletown turns 60!

This past weekend Kiwanis Club of Middletown, a service based non profit organization made up of professionals in Middletown who share a common interest in volunteerism and dedication to children in need held it's 60th anniversary dinner at the Middletown Inn. The actual calendar anniversary of the club was in May of this year. The club was founded in 1951. The anniversary dinner was dedicated to former City Councilman, Kiwanis member & past Kiwanis Lt. Governor Jesse Salafia, who could not attend due o health reasons. Salafia is the oldest member at age 96. Many of the current members Regional presidents and various chapter leaders were on hand to congratulate the club for staying active all these years and growing it's list of annual charitable projects. Christopher Conely, a CPA, life long Middletown resident, and MHS graduate, who is employed at Guilmartin, DiPiro & Sokolowski was sworn in is as the new president. Christopher Conely, a CPA, life long Middletown resident, and MHS graduate, who is employed at Guilmartin, DiPiro & Sokolowski was sworn in is as the new president. Conely expressed his goals to continue the charitable projects of Kiwanis such as Children’s Bike Safety Rodeo, the scholarship fund, and peanut sales. Conely also spoke of updating the club’s website to allow donations to be made directly online and engaging more members via social media to accommodate more complex work schedules. Conely and Mike DiPiro, a partner at Guilmartin, DiPiro & Sokowski survived the building collapse of the firm's Main Street office this past winter. I spoke to Conely in the days after this happened and his description of what happened was something out of a "Die Hard" movie- literal running from crashing debris. At the dinner, DiPiro expressed his belief that the reason they survived was because of the positive energy and good karma the building held, having had so many great individuals who had occupied the space & positive memories. A truly remarkable note is that DiPiro has plans underway to rebuild the building in the footprint of the collapsed building this year. Main Street will not be marked with a vacant- trash collecting -lot, but will have a sorely missed facade built anew less than a year after the original building's demise. The new building closely resembles the historic design, but with updated materials.

Past president Guy Russo was master of ceremonies. Past president Christopher Holden was congratulated as the new District 22 incoming president- a position where he will serve as a leader to other clubs in the area. Holden was presented with a special club banner by New England District Governor Vesta Brown who traveled from Vermont. Originally, the Meriden Kiwanis sponsored the Middletown branch of Kiwanis. Mayor Sebastian Giuliano and Phil Caccicola awarded for their 30 years of membership and service. Past president Guy Russo presided as master of ceremonies.

Extremely exciting for all members was the honoring of Mack Stewart with a coveted red jacket. A red suit jacket is awarded to members who have gone above and beyond the normal service of the typical club member as far as volunteering- and in Stewart’s case this is not understatement. Stewart began the “Warm the Children” charitable project 12 years ago in Waterbury and brought the project to Middletown. “Warm the Children”- which has partnered with the Middletown Press – goal is to provide warm winter clothing to children who’s families cannot afford to provide it for them. The program is facilitated by the Middletown Press, which partners with schools and social workers to identify families in need. These children are then provided with $80 worth of warm winter clothing – such as pajamas, snow boots, hats, gloves, and coats purchased from Cromwell in Wal-Mart. Cromwell of Wal-Mart works with Kiwanis and the Middletown Press so that all money is accounted for and parents and children just show up to Wal-Mart, meet with a volunteer Kiwanis shopper, choose items, and can go home with clothing for each child. No money is given directly to families, and Kiwanis members help to ensure that no toys or other items are purchased, just warm clothing for that child. 56 towns in 15 states are now running their own Warm the Children projects based on Mack Stewart’s model. A special award was also given to the Cromwell Wal-mart & Middletown Press for its working in helping to coordinate the project with Kiwanis. Because of Stewart, last year $56,000 was raised and over 750 children in the area were provided with warm clothing that might otherwise gone without. In his honor, the local Kiwanis Club of Middletown gave a substantial donation to the Kiwanis Trauma Care Institution in his name and presented Stewart with the distinguished honor of his own red jacket.

Club member and also a past president Dr. Jeffrey Palmer closed the evening asking members to recall fond and historic moments in the club's history. Giuliano recalled when the club became open for women to join. "That's really when we took off and grew both in club dynamics, and organization of our projects. If it weren't for the women we would not be here today." Linda Arrigoni was the first woman to join Kiwanis of Middletown. She also served as the first female president in 1991. Arrigoni was honored with flowers. George Dunn, a member for over 20 years spoke fondly of showing children who were recipients of warm clothing thru the club’s annual “Warm the Children” project, the fire engines at the fire station where was chief. Many guests expressed gratitude to Maureen Darling, current club secretary and event organizer and husband and past president David Darling who have spear headed many projects over the last decade and have contributed tremendously keeping the inner workings of the club functioning and charitable activities possible. Both Darlings have been past lieutenant governors of the club and red jacket recipients. Many members of the club spoke of memories of being involved with the club originally with their fathers or uncles- half a dozen current members are second generation members and service with Kiwanis was a family tradition, something that has become lost of the years, but is greatly missed by members. The entire club was honored with a plaque for distinguished service by state representatives Lesser, Suzio and state senator Doyle, and a decree by Mayor Giuliano.
“Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.”

Annual local Middletown Kiwanis Club Projects Include work with:
Warm the Children
Salvation Army
Bike Safety Rodeo
Middletown High Key Club
Amazing Grace Food Pantry Food Drive
I have a Friend Program
Mount St. John’s School for Boys
Gilead House
Kiwanis International Fund
Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute
College Scholarship Program for Middletown Students
Valedictorian/ Salutatorian Awards
M.A.R.C. – The Middlesex Association for Retarded Citizens
Holiday Food Baskets Given to Salvations Army

Kiwanis of Middletown Scholarship Golf Tournament

Kiwanis 9th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament
August 23rd, at Lyman Orchard Golf Course in Middlefield.
All proceeds raised go to benefit the Kiwanis of Middletown Scholarship fund which gives scholarships to students at all 4 local high schools; Mercy, Xavier, Vinal Tech, and Middletown High. Registration is at 8 am and shotgun start at 9 am. Prizes and many raffle items. $125 per person to play includes lunch, or $40 for lunch only. Sponsors needed for holes.
For more information contact Kiwanis of Middletown at : kiwanis.club.middletown@gmail.com

Photos from the 5k Citizen's Bank Run Today

Read about the sponsors, participants, beneficiaries & volunteers in the earlier post here.

View from intersection of College and High Street.

Lap 2 runners are lead by police motorcycle and Citizen's Bank coordinator (right) as they round College Street.

Street performers from ArtFarm and Oddfellows keep the crowd entertained with acts on stilts, unicycles and tumbling.

Bounce house provided for children.

Middletown Republican Committee hands out free water and cookies on Main Street.

Chief Mc Mahon on bike patrol.

Middletown Kiwanis Club volunteers.

Kiwanis Golf Tournament Scholarship Fundraiser- Sponsors, Players needed

Middletown Kiwanis is having a golf tournament at Lyman Orchard Golf Club in Middlefield on August 23, 2011. Rain or Shine. $125 per person to play & have lunch ( see whats included in the forms attached) and $40 for lunch. Prizes and awards will be given, as well as a variety of raffles will be taking place. The tournament will benefit the Kiwanis Scholarship fund of which money is awarded annually to students from Middletown High School, Vinal Tech High School, Mercy and Xavier High Schools. Last year $9,000 was fundraised. Gift certificates ad raffle items are needed at this time to make this event as special as last year. Sponsors are also needed- $50 minimum for a sign bearing your name, the name of your business etc. at the entry of the course and sponsorship packages to have your own hole is detailed below for higher amounts. Registration must be completed and sent to the P.O Box listed below by August 15th. Click forms to enlarge below. email: kiwanis.club.middletown@gmail.com

Save the Date: Kiwanis Charity Golf Tournament

SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - The Kiwanis Club annual Golf Tournament

will be held at Lyman Orchard Golf Club. 9:00 AM shot gun start. Entry fee $125.00 hole sponsors $50.00

Players - Hole sponsors - Cart Sponsors - Volunteers - Raffle prizes are needed and appreciated, especially by the kids/

young adults that benefit from the work that every one does to support the Middletown Kiwanis Club.

Please share this with all of your friends. Additional details, sign up format, etc. will be forthcoming.

Just a Reminder Kiwanis Pasta Fundraiser Thursday

Just a reminder for Thursday:

The Kiwanis Club of Middletown invites you to its Annual

PASTA DAY FUNDRAISER

Featuring the Annual

Raffle and Silent Auction

Thursday, April 28, 2011

First Church (side entrance) • 190 Court Street • Middletown

LUNCH 11:30am – 1:30pm

DINNER 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Tickets available in advance & at the door $10

PLUS! 5 or more dinners DELIVERED! • Call 833-6724

Bring Friends and Family • Good Food • Take Out Support Your Community • Have a Terrific Time

Supporting Local Charities and Projects for 60 Years read the list all here

Kiwanis Pasta Day Fundraiser

The Kiwanis Club of Middletown invites you to its Annual

PASTA DAY FUNDRAISER

Featuring the Annual

Raffle and Silent Auction

Thursday, April 28, 2011

First Church (side entrance) • 190 Court Street • Middletown

LUNCH 11:30am – 1:30pm

DINNER 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Tickets available in advance & at the door $10

PLUS! 5 or more dinners DELIVERED! • Call 833-6724

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bring Friends and Family • Good Food • Take Out

Support Your Community • Have a Terrific Time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supporting Local Charities and Projects for 60 Years including:

Camp Sunshine, Bicycle Rodeo, I Have a Friend After School Program, Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute, Middletown High School Key Club, Middletown Little League, Mount St. John School, Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, Amazing Grace Food Pantry, MARC, Warm The Children, Hospice Unit of Middlesex Hospital, Gilead Community Services, Even Start Program at Middletown Adult Education, Recognition of Graduating Valedictorians and Salutatorians from all Local High Schools, College Scholarships for a Student from Each High School and Middlesex Community Technical College

Kiwanis Take on Charitable Causes in Middletown

**Please notice updates to facts, as dates have been amended and clarification as far as proceeds have been corrected, 11/11/01:


The "Warm the Children" annual campaign is well underway for the local Middletown Kiwanis Club.

Kiwanis of Middletown is a co-sponsor of the Warm the Children Program. Kiwanis is providing $80.00 worth of new clothing and boots for about 700 needy children this year. Their goal, along with the Middletown Press is to raise $56,000. Last year the group raised $62,000 through donations. Every single dollar raised is used to purchase the clothing for the children, as there are no over head costs. Staff from Middletown, Portland, East Hampton, Durham/Middlefield and Cromwell Public Schools plus Middletown’s Salvation Army, HeadStart, EvenStart and Middlesex Hospital’s Family Advocacy Program identify families with needy children. Volunteer shoppers meet the families at Wal-Mart in Cromwell and assist them in selecting new clothing and footwear for their children. Each child is allocated $80. No money changes hands; Wal-Mart bills " Warm the Children" program for all purchases. If you are able to donate please fill out the form attached and send a check to the Middletown Kiwanis : Warm the Children Fund at the address listed on the form.

During the holiday season, Kiwanis members donate their time as bell ringers for the local Salvation Army. All money collected during bell ringing goes to the Salvation Army.

The Kiwanis will be out front of Stop and Shop in Middletown this Saturday , November 13 from 9am-4pm . Kiwanis members will be on hand to hand out bagged peants in exchange for donations. This fundraiser is held every year to raise money to support all of the Kiwanis charitable programs held through out the year such as the bicycle safety fair, our scholarship program and to provide financial support to various charitable organizations around Middletown (I have a Friend Youth Center, MARC, and numerous others).

For Thankgiving, Kiwanis is participating in the Salvation Army's annual Thanksgiving Basket campaign. Each donated basket collected must have a 10 lb frozen turkey and enough food to feed a needy family of four on Thanksgiving day.
Last year the Kiwanis pledged over 30 baskets to the Salvation Army.

The deadline for drop off at the Salvation Army on Main Street is Wednesday November 24. This is a fantastic fundraiser to do with your favorite community group,office, neighborhood, Brownie troop, sports team etc as the the basket can be decorated as a theme.
Please contact the Salvation Army on Main Street for more details about baskets.

Contact Kiwanis Club for more information on "Warm the Children" and their many other events.
kiwanis.club.middletown@gmail.com


http://www.middletownkiwanis.org/middletown/npo.jsp?pg=home

Kiwanis Of Middletown Golf Tournament Scholarship Fundraiser

The Kiwanis Club of Middletown is hosting its 7th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament this Saturday, August 30th at the Quarry Ridge course in Portland. Lunch and registration to play begin at noon. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate. Entrance fee for each player is $115 which includes the game and dinner. Those wishing to watch rather than play are welcome. Dinner without the golf game is $33. At 6:30 pm winners will be announced and raffle items drawn. The event will take place rain or shine.
All Tournament proceeds benefit the Middletown Kiwanis Club scholarship fund. The scholarships are given out to students at Middletown High School, Vinal Technical, Mercy High School, Xavier High School and Middlesex Community College. Other fundraisers that have contributed to this fund are the Kiwanis Annual pasta dinner, and peanut sales, both of which took place in the spring. Last year Kiwanis of Middletown awarded $7,000 in scholarships to local youth. Donations are welcome anytime of year.

August 30 - Golf Tournament Scholarship Fundraiser at Quarry Ridge, 9 Rose Hill Rd. Portland, starts at 12:00 noon. Short fun start at 1 pm.
If you are interested in participating or would like additional information, please call Guy Russo at 860-345-2767

Christmas with Kiwanis Club

Today I got to stand in for a shift as pretzel-maker-person as Kiwanis Club of Middletown participated in Middlesex Chamber of Commerce’s annual weekends on Main Street where various holiday themed events are sponsored by the Chamber and local businesses and other organizations. (Left Kiwanis member Phil Cacciola chats with Santa. Looks like a very serious conversation.)
Kiwanis Club took up selling popcorn and hot pretzels in front of the Chamber from 10:30 am until 2:30 pm today. The Middletown Spartans Football Club, a semi pro league which is part of the New England Football League ( N.E.F.L.) gave out free hot chocolate and coffee also in front of the Chamber. The team is coached by local Jim Greco, and is made up of players ages 18-49 with and without prior football experience. The team is also seeking a variety of volunteer positions.
Near by on Main Street families bustled up and down the sidewalk enjoying free horse drawn hayrides sponsored by Liberty Bank, talks with Santa and Clifford the Big Red Dog outside of Holy Trinity Church, and rides on a motorized miniature train.
Kiwanis second vice president Christopher Holden (left)took care of set up this morning. Shortly after Kiwanis members braved the cold morning; member Tom D’Aquila(right) served popcorn and member Phil Cacciola collected money as I dished out pretzels in assembly line fashion. Through out the morning many other members stopped by to step in. All money collected from the sales goes to the “Holiday On Main Street” Chamber of Commerce fund.
The Kiwanis has a junior organization – Key Club, which is made up of community service minded Middletown High School students. The Key Club’s faculty advisor is Arts Department Director Marco Gaylord. The Key Club has a long standing history of Holiday related charitable activities such as working with the Head Start Program of Middletown.
Kiwanis has been responsible for a variety of other seasonal charitable events including bell ringing with the Salvation Army and the “Warm the Children Campaign” since the club was first chartered in Middletown in 1951. The "Warm the Children Campaign" is a project to provide needy families with warm winter clothing. Bell ringing this year will take place this coming weekend outside of A&P Super Foodmart on Washington Street in Middletown. Details can be found at the Club’s website. Current local chapter president is Mayor Sebastian Giuliano, who leads weekly meetings held in the Salvation Army building at the north end of Middletown.

To reach the Spartans football team email: vgreco64@hotmail.com

Next Weekend Dec. 20, 2008: Kiwanis helps out the Salvation Army's bell ringing fundraising effort at the A&P Super FoodMart on Washington Street. Get your jingle on!

For more information about upcoming events with Middletown Kiwanis drop by their website at: