Monday Morning
We had 10 members and no guests at Monday’s New Year’s Eve Roundtable. Dan Leeds announced that he is a proud grandpa with the birth of his first grandson, Liam Leeds, on Saturday. Mother and baby are doing fine. Monday was John Cooper’s last day of real work as he is retiring after more than 40 years in the banking business. Good luck, John, and make sure you wake up in time for next Monday’s meeting. General topics of conversation were what Santa brought for Christmas, which appeared to have a heavy emphasis on technology, the Packer’s loss to the dreaded Vikings, and the anticipation of the upcoming Rose Bowl. There was no 50/50 Raffle so the next drawing on January 7th will have 41 cards with eight pay cards and a pot of at least $141.

2012-2013 Governor’s Project on Autism
WI-UM Kiwanis District Governor Lynn and First Lady Merita Messer are passionate about helping children on the Autism Spectrum learn and communicate. Their granddaughter, Kelsey, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, so the Messers have firsthand experience with the unique challenges for children on the spectrum. It has been proven that autistic children benefit from the use of software Apps available for the Apple® iPad. An iPad with a protective case and one app will cost approximately $500. Governor Messer’s goal is to raise over $500,000 during his term, which will be used to furnish iPads, Autism software Apps and protective cases for at least 1,000 children on the Autism Spectrum in the WI-UM Kiwanis District.
Former Lt. Governor Tonya Alling also has a son who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and is actively involved with Governor Messer on this important project. We’re hoping to have Tonya speak at one of our January meetings to update us on this project and how we can help to reach this aggressive $500,000 fund raising goal.