Happy New Year to
all Kiwis,
The time for us
to gather and “celebrate” with our Kiwi friends is quickly
approaching as it is only a little over one hundred days until the
29th Biennial Convention to be held in
Philadelphia
on April 30 – May 2, 2010. The Philadelphia Kiwi Chapter is hard at
work preparing for our arrival.
The traditional
Opening Luncheon will be held on Saturday, May 1st. The
Delegates Meeting and Closing Banquet both take place on Sunday, May
2nd. Philadelphia Kiwis have planned as your optional
event a fun evening aboard the Moshulu which is the world’s
oldest four-mast sailing vessel still afloat and is docked just a
few steps away from the hotel on Friday, April 30th. The theme of
this party will have a Caribbean flavor and the cost is $35, which
includes hors d’oeuvres (with a cash bar). This will be a special
time for us to visit with friends we have not seen for a while. A
lot of Kiwis are planning to come early to enjoy this event and to
visit the many historical sites
Philadelphia has to offer.
Your individual
Kiwi convention packet will be mailed by the American Airlines
Federal Credit Union on January 4th. We are extremely
grateful for the support of the Credit Union as a corporate sponsor
and for mailing these packets to all our members – plus they are
donating the “welcome bags” each Kiwi will receive upon arrival in
Philadelphia. Please be certain to return your registration form no
later than March 15th. And, if you have not made your
hotel reservations as yet, please do so by calling 1-800-233-1234 or
215-928-1234 as soon as possible. The hotel cut-off date for
reservations is April 1, 2010. Cancellation penalties for hotel
rooms will be assessed to canceling Kiwis after this date.
In preparation
for our convention, the National Board will hold its fourth Board
meeting on January 13th and 14th. Please
submit to me any agenda items you would like considered at this
meeting no later than January 4th. Your Board will be
reviewing many items including the Official Call to Convention,
which will be mailed to all Chapter Presidents, Past National
Presidents, and Candidates for national office on February 26th.
Chapter presidents will review with their members the information
regarding proposed changes in the Club’s Bylaws and/or Standing
Rules, as well as biographies of the candidates running for National
office.
If you are
considering running for a National office for the 2010-2012 term,
please complete the Candidate Officer Form and mail to me, along
with a black and white photo, by January 29th. The form
is available on this website under the Forms link. Serving on the
National Board and giving back to our organization is a very
rewarding experience.
We look forward
to a wonderful turnout for the convention and know you will enjoy
the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Penn’s Landing in the Society Hill area
of Philadelphia. Come join in the fun and help us “celebrate” our
club, its history, our charity works, and the legacy of The Kiwi
Club.
