Does your club want to grow — I mean REALLY grow? If so, listen to this Growth
Team 
The 2008 Capital District Convention will be held this year from Thursday, August
14 through Sunday, August 17th in Richmond Virginia at
the Downtown Marriot and the Richmond Convention Center,
just
a few blocks from the State Capitol. Hosted by the Heart
of Virginia Region of the Capital District, this year's
theme is "Prescription For Success,” and one of the big highlights-not
to be missed-is Friday night's Birthday Party at the Marriott
to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the District Convention. Toano
Club Helps with Gardening
by Joyce Craig
Burnt Ordinary is a low-income
housing complex in Toano, VA, and includes a small section
for 24 physically handicapped residents. Deane Gaston,
a member of the Kiwanis Club of Toano Community Services
Committee, noticed while there on a Meals on Wheels delivery
that their flower beds were in great need of some TLC.
Deane, along with Kristie Smith, Community Services Committee
Chair, arranged for our club to provide some help.
This evolved into more than
just weeding and preparing flower beds. Several club
members arrived at Burnt Ordinary on a Saturday with
gardening tools, flowers, a trailer full of mulch, and
transformed their weed-filled beds in lovely flower beds.
We didn't stop there! We also took a grill, cooked hamburgers,
and shared a nice lunch with them. The residents pitched
in to help with lunch and some of the flower beds. This
provided the opportunity to have meaningful conversations
with them as we shared the experience!
We made new friends, made
a big difference in their landscaping - one person at
a time. We plan to go back in the fall and plant bulbs!
We are also looking at other ways that we can continue
this relationship with them. It will be exciting to see
this grow too!
