The Kiwanis Club of East Meadow capped off another successful year, celebrating the transition of leadership at its 74th annual installation dinner, held at the Coral House in Baldwin on Oct. 9.
Immediate Past President Melody Schiller has finished her year-long term as the head of Kiwanis, and Donna Goldstein was installed as the club’s new president.
During the past 12 months, the club has made major advancements in its mission to help young people in their development.
“It’s been a wonderful year,” Schiller told the Herald. “Not only did we continue all of our traditional projects and make them bigger and better, but we also added new projects for our community.”
This marked the first year each school in the East Meadow School District ran a Kiwanis Service and Leadership Program, which was accomplished by including Parkway Elementary School and the opportunities made available for students enrolled in programs at Eden II, a school for students with special needs.
Among the year’s accomplishments was the first Kids’ Fair, a festive summer gathering featuring face painting, bounce houses and free books sourced from the new Barnum Woods K-Kids book drive.
During her term as Kiwanis president, Schiller, a reading specialist at Barnum Woods Elementary School, pursued the restocking and maintenance of book vending machines in each of East Meadow’s five elementary schools, often including game features to add excitement to the experience.
“It’s wonderful because it shows kids that reading is the prize,” Schiller explained. “They’re so excited about literacy. I love that.
“We definitely threaded literacy through a lot of our projects this year,” she continued. “I wanted to make sure that every child has the opportunity to have the right book in their hands and to understand the joy of reading.”
The club also expanded its autism awareness programs and meetings. The Kiwanis Club began sponsoring a new group, the Dare Boldly Club, allowing adult members to focus on strategies that make life and school a better experience for students with special needs.
For graduating students, the Kiwanis Club sponsored the district’s Flags for Freedom project, whereby graduating seniors received a folded American flag from a veteran. Other annual events ran smoothly, including fundraisers, an Arbor Day garden cleanup, the Ronald McDonald House pancake breakfast, and more.
Additional highlights included the addition of seven new Kiwanis members, six student scholarships, and more goods delivered during the most recent Kiwanis Club food drives than in previous years.
During the installation dinner, Goldstein was welcomed aboard as the club’s new president.
“She really has her finger on the pulse of needs in our community,” Schiller said of Goldstein. “She’s very passionate about helping her community and helping kids.”
Also joining the board this year are President-elect Alba Dougherty, Secretary Matthew Kamper and Treasurer Brian O’Flaherty.
Goldstein, a Lynbrook native who has lived in East Meadow for 30 years, became more driven to join local programs as her three children reached adulthood, serving as PTA Council President until two years ago.
“I wanted to take more of an active role in our community,” Goldstein said. “My kids have benefited so much through the years. I want to bring happiness and give back to my neighborhood.”
Goldstein, who began working in the East Meadow School District in 2015, serves as the school library’s secretary at Barnum Woods. She said she was first introduced to the Kiwanis Club through her involvement with the school district, adding that the club’s programs quickly became close to her heart.
“I was like, ‘I love this,’” she said. “I love that we do the food collection, that we give toys to our people in our community. I love to see the smile on these children’s faces.”
Goldstein’s term has already started out with new developments, including the Possibility Project — an exclusive initiative from Kiwanis International that supports literacy, nutrition, and leadership worldwide. The program aims to raise $25 million among participating communities.
“I feel truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful organization,” Goldstein said. “We’re like a great, well-oiled machine or puzzle that fits perfectly together.”
Goldstein’s first weeks as president also featured the rollout of holiday events, including the club’s Trunk or Treat, scheduled for Oct. 25 at the East Meadow Ball Fields, the Thanksgiving food drive on Nov. 15 and 16 at the ShopRite in Uniondale, and the Senior Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 23 at East Meadow High School.
For more information about upcoming events, visit k03823.Site.Kiwanis.org.
