Your foundation has been busy with the Youth Leadership Conferences during the month of July. Tom Tolly and his staff have done an excellent job as usual. They had two sessions (July 10 through 16 with 26 children and July 24 through 30 with another 28) with a total of 53 children attending.
For the first time in my 29 years as a member of this District I attended both commencement exercises. We have all heard people talk about how moving these exercises are but you cannot understand the changes in these children and the development they experience until you attend this event and hear them speak.
Tom and his staff are truly marvelous in what they accomplish in one week. There is more about the Youth Leadership Conferences in Governor Ted's report.
In order to attempt to expand the Youth Leadership Conferences and to fill every seat available we are going to publish the brochures for next year's conferences at the district convention and advertise it at every district function next year.
As you have read in my past reports your foundation has undertaken to develop a project in conjunction with Children's Specialized Hospital.
I hope that you have had an opportunity to hear a presentation on this exciting project so as to be come informed as to the scope of the project, the number of children expected to receive a direct benefit from it, the parents who will receive an indirect benefit, and the impact this will have on the reputation of Kiwanis in New Jersey.
If you have not has this opportunity then I ask that you to contact your Lt. Governor and ask for a Divisional interclub with the Foundation Project as the program before the convention or Sue Philpot at SPBCHIS@aol.com for reservations for the Division 7 Interclub to be held August 18th. See the District web site for details.
Children's Specialized Hospital is the largest children's rehabilitation hospital in the United States, operating 9 facilities at this time. It has also been confirmed in July that it is the BEST children's rehabilitation hospital in the United States and the standard against which all such hospitals in the United States will be measured for the next 5 years. You will hear more about this at the Convention.
The hospital is about to undertake a major construction project and has asked New Jersey Kiwanis along with PSEG to be a partner in that undertaking. This will be the construction of a $55 million new hospital that will serve all children of New Jersey and the region from New York through Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania.
If you approve this project at this year's convention in Wildwood Kiwanis, through your foundation, will undertake to raise $500,000 over a 10-year period. The funds will be passed to the hospital's foundation: $250,000 toward the construction of the most modern hospital in which to provide treatment for more than 16,000 of our children, and the balance to become the endowment for a fund to be used to pay for the treatment of children who are not insured, children who are under insured or whose insurance will not cover the cost of their needed treatments.
Come to the Convention and learn more about this and vote on the following resolution:
RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZING THE FOUNDATION OF THE NEW JERSEY DISTRICT OF KIWANIS INTERNTIONAL TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH CHILDREN'S SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL AND TO ESTABLISH THE NEW JERSEY KIWANIS CHILDREN'S TREATMENT FUND
WHEREAS the House of Delegates assembled of the New Jersey District of Kiwanis International has been asked to authorize participation in the establishment of the state of the art children's rehabilitation hospital in conjunction with Children's Specialized Hospital, and
WHEREAS the Foundation of the New Jersey District of Kiwanis International has requested that it be authorized to raise $500,000 and to enter into a partnership with Children's Specialized Hospital for the purpose of aiding the hospital to construct a state of the art children's rehabilitation hospital and a cash fund to defray the cost of treatment for children who are uninsured and/or underinsured, and
WHEREAS the proposed program will be a direct benefit to the children of New Jersey:
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Delegates of the New Jersey District of Kiwanis International that the Foundation of the Foundation of the New Jersey District of Kiwanis International is hereby authorized to enter into partnership with the foundation of Children's Specialized Hospital to raise the sum of $500,000 to be $250,000 toward the cost of construction of the hospital Building and $250,000 toward the establishment of an endowment fund to defray the cost of treatment for children who are uninsured and/or underinsured under the terms and conditions of the Proposed REQUEST FOR PARTNERSHIP.
As our year is coming to a close you need to know what your foundation has accomplished. We have supported the youth of our District by underwriting the Key Club and their convention; provided scholarships for Circle K and Key Club; made major donations to diabetes and various autism projects; participated in major fund raising projects such as the Martell's dinner; co-operated with clubs to raise funds for their projects; made grants to provide social service information to the middle of our state; and participated in the Tuva, Russia project. I will have a more detailed report at the district convention.
John D. Wilson,
President
