ORLANDO, Fla. (June 28, 2008) -Kiwanis International members from around the world elected new officers to lead the service organization during their 93rd annual convention, June 26-28, in Orlando, Fla. Elected were Don Canaday, of Fishers, Ind., as International President-Designate, Paul Palazzolo, of Springfield, Ill., as President-Elect-Designate, and Sylvester Neal, of Auburn, Wash., as Vice President-Designate. More than 5,500 international Kiwanis club delegates and guests attended the meeting.
"We are filled with gratitude and humility at your allowing us to take the reins of this great organization," said President-Designate Don. "We are excited and prepared to hit the ground running for another year of Kiwanis service and growth - in the tradition cultivated and nurtured by our predecessors - the past presidents and leaders of Kiwanis International."
Kiwanis International is an international organization of member-volunteers who give more than six million hours and more than US$100 million each year to help change the world one child and one community at a time. Any community need can become a Kiwanis service project, especially if the need involves children, who Kiwanians believe should have the help and the right to lead healthy, successful lives.
Canaday is charter president of the Kiwanis Club of Meridian Hills, Ind., near the Kiwanis International headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. He has been a member of three other Kiwanis clubs with a total of 38 years of membership. He served on Kiwanis International's board as a trustee, as vice president and president-elect in 2007-2008. He is a retired Army officer, serving 21 years in the Army and four years with the Indiana Guard Reserve, retiring with a rank of brigadier general, and a retired business executive.
Palazzolo, past distinguished president of the Kiwanis Club of Springfield-Downtown, Ill., served as governor of the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District in 1994-95, as district secretary and district treasurer and as president of the district foundation board. He served as chair or member of 10 international committees before his election to the Kiwanis International board. He holds a degree in finance from the University of Illinois and is auditor of Sangamon County, Ill. He is also a licensed real estate broker.
Neal has belonged to the Kiwanis Club of the Valley, Auburn, since 2003. He is a former member of the Kiwanis clubs of Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, and was Kiwanian of the Year four times. He served as governor of the Pacific Northwest District in 2002-03. He served as governor of the Pacific Northwest District in 2002-03, is a life member of Kiwanis International and is a Hixson Fellow of the Kiwanis International Foundation. Neal is a retired Alaska state fire marshal and an ordained deacon in his church.
Delegates also selected five Trustees at the convention, each for a three-year term: Tadao Oda of Sendai, Japan, Robert Vande Rieviere, of Nieuwpoort, Belgium, Garry Warner, of Sikeston, Mo., Jim Jennings, of Green Valley, Ariz., and Ed Hutchinson, of Cape May, N.J.
ABOUT KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL:
Founded in 1915, Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Kiwanis International and its Service Leadership Programs for young people, including Circle K, Key Club, Key Leader, Builders Club, K-Kids, Kiwanis Junior, and Aktion Club, dedicate millions of volunteer hours and invest US$100 million to strengthen communities and serve children annually. The Kiwanis International family is composed of 600,000 adult and youth members in 15,000 clubs in more than 70 countries and geographic areas. Kiwanis members make their mark by responding to the needs of their communities and pooling their resources to address worldwide issues. Globally, Kiwanis International has focused humanitarian efforts on eliminating iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) through the Worldwide Service Project, a US$75 million campaign in partnership with UNICEF, which began in 1994. For more information about Kiwanis International, please visit www.kiwanis.org or call 800-KIWANIS.
Posted
Jun 28 2008, 01:54 PM
by
Chris Hayworth