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. 
The
final version of the proposed Strategic Plan for our District
will be presented to the House of Delegates for ratification
at
DCON
2008 in
Richmond,
VA
this
summer.
Once
ratified
by the District delegates, the plan belongs to the District
membership and the District Board will be charged with executing
it. Charlottesville
Kiwanis Spruces Up Ronald McDonald House
by Jim Hart
For the second time in 7 months,
the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville dedicated its monthly "work night" to sprucing up the grounds of the Ronald McDonald House, a place where for 25
years pediatric patients and their families have been able
to find affordable lodging while they are in town for medical
treatment. In August of last year and again in late March,
2008, fifteen energetic Kiwanis volunteers performed yard
work, light landscaping, gardening, and did some painting
around the exterior of the beautiful three-story brick
building located on a quiet street just blocks from UVA
Children's Hospital. Don Foss, recently retired faculty
member of Albemarle High School and long-time adviser to
the AHS Key Club, took the leaf blower to the walkways
surrounding the patio and its nearby brick walk of honor.
He pointed with pride to the brick acknowledging the support
given to Ronald McDonald House in 1995 by "his" Key Club. "This brick reminds everyone in the community of how Kiwanis and the K-Family
strives to help children's charities in general and UVA
Children's Hospital in particular, both by raising money
for great causes and by doing actual hands-on work projects," said Norm Gutzler, current president. "For more than eighty-five years, Kiwanis has been setting the example for enthusiastic
and effective community service and has conveyed the importance
of that practice to its service leadership programs, engaging
approximately four hundred area youth," he continued. The Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville sponsors Key Clubs at six
area high schools, a Builders Club at Jack Jouett Middle
School, and a Circle K International (CKI) chapter at the
University of Virginia. (Pictured with the potted plants
are workers Peyton Ledford and Virginia Rybolt.)
