Venue: Laconia Fire Department Community Room

Attendance: 10 members and 8 guests members

...one nation under God....
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

Invocation: Phil Bonafide

Members Present:
Bill Gile – President
Scott Laurent – Treasurer
John Walker - Secretary
Betty Ballantyne
Phil Bonafide
Kathy Calvin
Muff Kruse
Steve Loughlin
Larry Murphy
Kara Stanley

Guests:
Rosemary Murphy - wife of Larry
Dave Levesque - guest speaker and Principal of Pleasant Street School
Jordan Levesque - daughter of Dave Levesque

Meet Dave and Jordan Levesque
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

Key Club Guests:
Chloe Bertocchi – Vice President
Emily Perry – Secretary
Gabi Djuric – Public Relations Officer
Aleksandar Djuric
Lydia Tucker

We were happy to welcome this smiling contingent from the Laconia Key Club
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

From the President:
Bill began the meeting by introducing the five Key Club members present, as well as Rosemary Murphy (wife of Larry) and our guest speaker Pleasant Street School Principal Dave Levesque and his daughter, Jordan.

Bill then reviewed the plan for all future meetings and announced the March program meeting will feature guests from Central NH VNA & Hospice, April will host the Salvation Army, and, in May, we will host guests from the Boys & Girls Club.

President Bill Gile addresses the group
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

From the Members:
As the outgoing Kiwanian of the Year, Betty Ballantyne introduced this past year's winner Kathy Calvin. Betty's remarks included her personal observation that Kathy had earned this award many times over but, as an officer of the Club, Kathy had not been eligible. Tonight, she received the recognition she has long deserved. Congratulations, Kathy!!

To hear an audio of Betty's presentation, "click" here.
To view a video of Betty's presentation, "click" here.

L to R: Betty Ballantyne, President Bill Gile and Kathy Calvin, Kiwanian of the Year
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

While she had the floor, Kathy announced we need members for two upcoming KARES events March 8th at Woodland Heights, and March 9th at Pleasant Street.

Gabi Djuric, incoming Key Club President (2018-2019), briefed the Club on upcoming Key Club events.

Food Pantry: $61 collected

HAPPY DOLLARS:

$1 from Phil Bonafide for Kathy being in attendance tonight
$1 from Steve Loughlin also for Kathy being in attendance and being our Kiwanian of the Year
$3 from Bill Gile: $1 for Kathy Calvin winning the Kiwanian of the Year and $2 for guests Dave and Jordan Levesque
$3 from Kathy Calvin just being happy
$2.50 from Muff Kruse: $1 for Kathy Calvin helping her in learning the Secretary job last year, and $1.50 for her upcoming Colorado trip
$2.50 from John Walker: $2.50 evenly divided for Kathy Calvin and Dave & Jordan Levesque being in attending tonight
$3 from Kara Stanley in honor of the birth of a brand new grand-daughter
$10 from Larry & Rosemarie Murphy just for being here tonight
$2 from Betty for Kathy Calvin, the Putnam Fund upcoming events, and Dave and Jordan Levesque being with us

Guest Speaker:

Betty Ballantyne introduced our guest speaker, Dave Levesque.

Dave has worked in the Laconia School District for 18 years and, for the last five years, has served as the Pleasant Street School Principal. Prior to that he was the Assistant Principal at Laconia High School. In 2017, under Dave’s leadership, Pleasant Street School was awarded Elementary School of Excellence. In 2017, the school also received the Volunteer Award from the Granite United Way. In 2018, Dave Levesque was named Principal of the Year by the New Hampshire Association of School Principals.

Dave Levesque first gave an overview of the many programs going on at Pleasant Street School to include their motto Pride, Safety, Self. He then gave a thorough description of the P.A.W.S. (Providing Awesome Weekend Suppers) program which provides weekend groceries for families who ask for that help. Sixty One children, which is approximately 20% of the school population, receive that help, paid for by community donations.

To hear an audio of Dave's presentation, "click" here.

The following are the slides used by Dave Levesque during his presentation to reflect the identity and some of the goals & challenges of Pleasant Street School.
"Click" on individual slides to make them larger.

Following his presentation, Dave was informed that an additional $500 will be given to the PAWS program by the Laconia Kiwanis Club, which will bringing our total contribution to $1,000 for the school year.

For more information on what’s happening at Pleasant Street School, visit their Facebook page or the Pleasant Street School website.

Dave Levesque is congratulated by President Bill Gile for his informative presentation.
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

Meeting adjourned at 7:57 p.m.x

Monday - March 12th Venue: Hector's Restaurant & Lounge - 53 Beacon Street West., Laconia
6:00 pm - Board of Directors Meeting - all members invited to attend

Monday - March 26th Venue: Laconia Fire Department Community Room - 848 North Main Street, Laconia
6:00 pm - Club Meeting - Guest speakers from Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice

Monday - April 9th Venue: Hector's Restaurant & Lounge - 53 Beacon Street West., Laconia
6:00 pm - Board of Directors Meeting - all members invited to attend

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