Kiwanis mourns Trustee Salembier 

Kiwanis mourns Trustee Salembier 

Oct 31, 2023 | News | 28 comments

Kiwanis International Trustee Vincent G. Salembier of Kooigem, West-Flanders, Belgium, died on Monday, October 30, 2023. He was 71. 

A member of Kiwanis in the Belgium-Luxembourg District since 1989, Salembier was elected to the Kiwanis International Board of Trustees during the 2022 Kiwanis International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.   

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and fellow Kiwanian, Vincent Salembier,” said Kiwanis International President Katrina Baranko. “Vincent was a champion for growing clubs in Europe and for making life better for children around the world.  

“He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered for his passion and dedication to Kiwanis. Our thoughts are with his family and friends around the world.”   

Salembier founded and served as past president and past treasurer for the Kiwanis Club of Avelgem, Land van Streuvels, and was president of his current club, the Kiwanis Club of Kortrijk. He was also a member of the Kiwanis Centennial Internet Club.  

He served as governor for the Belgium-Luxembourg District in 2006-07 and president of the Kiwanis International-European Federation in 2014-15. He mentored Kiwanis clubs in the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and the United Kingdom and was involved with training, new-club building, communications, youth services and meeting/convention planning at all levels of his Kiwanis experience. He also received a George F. Hixson Fellowship and a Walter Zeller Fellowship for his support of the Kiwanis Children’s Fund.  

Salembier held a degree in civil engineering in construction and was CEO of a timber company. He served as a mariner in the Belgian Naval Component of the Belgian Armed Forces and as a social board counselor in Kortrijk.  

Salembier is survived by his partner, Linda, three children and five grandchildren. 

Working with others to do more good

Working with others to do more good

Oct 31, 2023 | Club building, Leadership, News | 0 comments

Kiwanis clubs around the world joined other service organizations to help even more communities. 

Community service took center stage September 11-17 for the third annual Celebrate Community, a weeklong joint initiative from Kiwanis International, Lions Clubs International, Optimist International and Rotary International. 

Why collaborate with other service organizations? To help even more communities and kids! Plus, members of participating service organizations had the chance to learn more about one another — and see how teamwork, not competition, makes our world better.  

Kiwanis clubs around the world highlighted their projects on social media using the hashtag #CelebrateCommunity. Here are just a few: 

  • The Kiwanis Club of Hendersonville, North Carolina, U.S., collaborated with two Rotary clubs and a Lions club to collect and deliver 3,760 diapers and 136 packs of baby wipes to the Children & Family Resource Center. Aktion Club was involved too. “Children & Family Resource Center is so thankful to be the recipient of such generosity in our community,” says Jamie Wiener, the center’s executive director. “We provide roughly 400 children each month with diapers and formula so moms and dads don’t have to choose between food, utilities and other expenses over the health and safety of their baby.” 
  • Kiwanians in India, a provisional Kiwanis district, joined forces with Lions Clubs International by painting smiles on the faces of children through the distribution of stationery and vibrant painting colors, all in the spirit of spreading boundless joy.  
  • In Evanston, Illinois, U.S., service clubs collaborated to perform a range of community service activities, culminating in a cleanup at the International Friendship Garden. “The International Friendship Garden is a symbol of community unity, and we are eager to make it shine,” says Evanston Rotary Club President Shawn Iles.  
  • The Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman co-organized a beach walk with Lions, Optimist and Rotary club members, raising more than $1,000 for the Cayman Islands Community Food Bank.   
  • Club Kiwanis Playas in Panama teamed up with a Lions Club to donate food to students at the El Farallón School. “El Farallón is a fishermen community. These kids mostly belong to families whose economy depend on the catch of the day,” says club President Lanny Lowe. “Food insecurity and malnutrition are issues that the school helps solve, and Club Kiwanis Playas looks forward to the school having enough food supply to feed the kids.” 
  • The Kiwanis Club of Lebanon, Indiana, U.S. co-hosted an intergenerational ice cream social for more than 120 senior living community residents, family members and Lebanon High School students. “It was a great night for all involved,” says Amy Hammerle, Lebanon Kiwanis Club president. “Coming together with the Lebanon Lion and Rotary clubs to serve these special seniors was rewarding and so much fun.”  
  • Kiwanis and Circle K International members in Ontario, Canada, collaborated with Rotary Club members to fill backpacks with school supplies for kids in need. “I enjoyed working alongside people I knew who genuinely wanted to help their community,” says University of Windsor CKI member Abdullah Nadeem. “The energy was amazing. I remember how everyone was smiling and trying to match the notebooks with the color of the backpacks, and it was these small gestures that made me realize how much this project meant to the volunteers and how they knew they were making a difference.”

“We are thankful for this wonderful opportunity to have worked with other service clubs to create stronger communities around the world as part of Celebrate Community,” says 2022-23 Kiwanis International President Bert West.

Did you participate in Celebrate Community this year? Don’t forget to submit your joint project for possible inclusion in upcoming Kiwanis communications. 

 

Emergency training pays off

Emergency training pays off

Sep 26, 2023 | News | 6 comments

Thanks to guest speakers at a club meeting, a California Kiwanian helps save a life. 

By Phil Abrams, president, San Carlos Kiwanis Club, California, U.S.

We all know that being a Kiwanian is a great way to support one’s local community and the larger worldwide population. And sometimes, being an active member and attending meetings translates into something beyond everyday service. 

On April 11, 2023, the San Carlos Kiwanis Club in California, U.S., held a dinner meeting.  In attendance was club member James Dean “Reggie” Regino, (pictured below), who coaches tennis and pickleball. The seven guest speakers that evening — local firefighters and EMT/paramedics — focused on how to help someone who experiences a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Club members focused, asked questions and learned — not knowing those skills would be called into play just months later.

In mid-September, on his day off, Regino stopped by the pickleball courts in town. He was watching some of his adult students play a game when one collapsed, and he quickly realized that she was not breathing.

Remembering the training from the club meeting months earlier, Regino got help from other players and initiated an emergency call to the fire department. With support from the dispatcher, Regino gave the student CPR, using the technique he learned on that April night. He kept her alive until emergency help arrived some minutes later and the paramedics took over.  
 
Today, Reggie’s friend and student is recovering more each day. We are proud of you, Reggie — an amazing Kiwanian!