It is hard to believe that our Kiwanis year is two thirds gone, and that I have only 4 short months left in my year as Governor of the MNDAK District. For Phyllis and me it has been a busy time, and we look forward to even more opportunities as we complete our year. I look at the beginning of June as somewhat of a turning point in our year. Now is a good time to reflect on our accomplishments and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead. We have enjoyed meeting many new friends as we visited all seven Regions of our District in the past several months. In addition we have attended the District conventions of our Key Club and Circle K groups, the District mid-winter board meeting, and Lt. Governor training. We have seen new K-Kids, Builders Clubs, Key Clubs and Aktion Clubs chartered. Along with that we have visited numerous clubs in the District, both to celebrate their successes and milestones, and in some cases to help them find direction.

In the next several months, we hope to help members complete the building of several new Kiwanis Clubs in our District. I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the International Convention in Las Vegas later this month, and even more of you at our District Convention in Fargo in August.

I am pleased to announce that former Lt. Governor Mary Sieling of Fergus Falls is our new District Director of Service, and is planning a great service project at our District Convention. Look for an article about it in this MINNEKOTAN.

Even though our membership push for May is over, keep up the effort to bring new members into your clubs. An active and growing Kiwanis club is an organization that every community needs, and now is the time to publicize ourselves. Many towns will have a summer community celebration soon, and consider having a booth or a parade float to share the fun and service we do in Kiwanis.

As you may know, I suffered a mild heart attack on May 22. I am happy to report that thanks to the quick response of my family, our local ambulance service, our local hospital, the Mayo One helicopter and the doctors and nurses at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, I am well on the road to recovery. I would like to thank everyone for the phone calls, e-mails and cards, as well as your thoughts and prayers.