Dear Kiwanians,
Dearest friends,
here we are at the end of this wonderful Kiwanian experience that saw us at the forefront of defending children’s rights.
For this, my big and first thanks go to all of you who once again believed in our Mission. You are the beating heart of our large Kiwanis family and your dedication, the hours you dedicate to Kiwanis – which in our district alone have been hundreds of thousands – your sacrifices, your “giving yourself” have allowed us to reach everyone. the objectives of this year thanks also to the great work of the Chairs.
A big and stratospheric thanks to my Lieutenants who, alongside me, have carried out an excellent job that has given excellent results in terms of service, as well as visibility, throughout the territory, in a very difficult year that has been touched:
- from the pandemic, which has not yet left us. We continued to see each other online after a great experience of the first three months of this social year in presence, to then stop in the following months. Then, with the arrival of the hottest season, we resumed dating in the presence but always wary, given the great contagiousness of the variants of covid-19 which has not spared even the multiple vaccinated;
- from the war in Ukraine. In fact, the most alarming period began on February 24 with the invasion of Russia in Ukraine. This war has affected us all and is continuing to kill many innocent people and orphan millions of children.
It has been a very difficult year, not only because of the pandemic and the war, but also because of the pain of the disappearance of loved ones like our beloved Agata, treasurer of the District, who left us prematurely.
To her, wherever she is, thanks for everything she has given to our Kiwanis that she will surely continue to love.
But we haven’t given up. We have worked with all our strength and we have fully achieved all the objectives we had at the beginning of the year.
SERVICE
I had the pleasure of meeting the presidents and members of your Divisions and a wonderful friendship has been established with many of them.
Many testimonies of service carried out by almost all the clubs in the District.
This year, many of them were deliberately proposed to give all clubs the opportunity to choose, from the proposed “squad”, those that most required their territory. This year’s motto was “For their Kids need Kiwanis rights” and the rights chosen were “to Life, Health, Education, Socialization, Play, the Environment“.
And about 800 reports from the Clubs arrived in the District in just one year !!!!!
Here I list all those “New” services, that is, which were born this year for the first time.
For the service on Bullying, the book “Lillo e Billo the bully” was born, published by Carthusia and under the Kiwanis brand. Thanks to our Modesto (Tino) Lanci, member of the Pescara Club and author of the book.
For the first time a job done by a Kiwanian!
The book was donated by the clubs to thousands of children in our area and across the border. In fact, in addition to distributing them in our District, it was also requested in the United States and in Europe, as we had an adequate number of copies printed in English.
It is also in all bookstores in Italy and has had great success at the International Book Fair in Bologna, so much so that many, who appreciated the work that is intended as an educational tool, bought it from the bookstore.
Our “Lillo and Billo the bully” has crossed the borders !!! District Italy San Marino with the Pescara club participated in the Kiwanis International “Signature Project” competition and out of 400 works submitted by all the clubs in the world, ours was among the top ten, and precisely in 6th place and was awarded at the Indianapolis Convention in June this year.
And it doesn’t end there … The President of the Kiwanis Club of North Port in Florida, Elaine Emrich, requested a copy through our Counselor Gary Cooper, a copy that was promptly sent to her, because the phenomenon of bullying is strongly present in her territory, so it will also adopt it there.
Finally, great pride, our Kiwanis with Lillo and Billo arrived to the Holy Father Pope Francis (through the Apostolic Nuncio Emil Paul Tscherrig who received us in a strictly private form at the Apostolic Nunciature in Rome) who thanked, with a written document , as testimony, the Kiwanis District Italy San Marino for everything it does.
Another important birth was the “Doctor Kiwanis” service. With this service we have created a site within the site, thanks to our Federica Pellegrino, where several kiwanian medical operators have registered to give their free contribution to all children belonging to disadvantaged categories. Thanks to Alfio Cavallaro, Giancarlo Albanesi and Domenico Gattuso.
For the first time our District has promoted the “Minori in Rete” service with a periodic “Review” with press releases and videos, which are on our site, made by our Gaia Gozzi, responsible for privacy, who has as objective is to make families and minors reflect on the legal and psychological consequences inherent in the presence of minors in Social Networks.
Another great initiative this year thanks to the Chairs Piergiuseppe Motto and Maria Francesca Mosca: we were partners in the Giro d’Italia Handbike with our Service “I play too” and we rewarded about 90 Paralympic athletes with our “Pink sweater” in the 7 stages. Great success of the event and great visibility throughout the country and abroad.
Another new service this year with Unicef was “Ivory Coast: plastic recycling becomes a school”. Thanks to the Chair Antonio Amodeo who was able to involve the clubs of the District to achieve the goal.
We have entered into a collaboration with the Lattes Publishing House which has made links available, in collaboration with the largest Publishing House in Ukraine, where Ukrainian refugee children in our country and guests of our schools, by connecting, can access the school books of the their land: “Italy-Ukraine: a book to study. We study together in the Ukrainian language ”. Thanks to Giancarlo Benvenuto, Chair of the Service.
Thanks to Francesco Zicari who made his collection of cribs available to the “I Presepi ed i Bambini” Service for their joy and culture.
And again “Everyone on a bike” which saw hundreds and hundreds, between children and adults, all participate together, in a day dedicated to the family, pedaling through the streets of the cities proudly wearing t-shirts, caps and more with our Kiwanis logo. Thanks to the Rosario Lipari Chair also for the beautiful logo she coined. Thanks to the other chairs of the service: Giancarlo Micolucci, Antonio Siciliano and Alessandro De Faveri.
We talked about Invisible Children with Patrizia Mascolo and with a large number of Pediatricians and Psychologists.
We tackled the theme of the Environment with the service “Agenda 2030 – Ecological Transition, Circular Economy and Sustainable Mobility” thanks to the Chair Giancarlo Bellina who also drafted the First “Sustainability Report” of the District, a very important tool for the culture of safeguarding the our environment.
We have set up and donated “Scholarships” for deserving youngsters and those belonging to disadvantaged families, work done very well by our Chair Kiwanis Children’s Fund Maurizio Di Profio. We also donated tablets to 5 Ukrainian children who were hosted in our schools.
And again “Art and culture: light up the curiosity to feed the souls”, chair Domenico Morello. Service highly appreciated by the National President of the Pro-loco and those who were present at the Noto Convention who highlighted the importance of making our children aware of the great cultural heritage that our country possesses.
“A city, a K, a welcome” saw our plaques scattered throughout the country at the entrance to cities, schools and squares. Chair Tiziana Paulazzi Cannatà.
We then delivered to a structure, “Autism Center” in Alcamo, a “Robot for autistic children” complete with accessories, worth € 8,030.00, for which we had a valid sponsor from LuxAi S.A. of Luxembourg, within the Autism service, thanks to the work of the Chair for the South Center Silvana Giacone who spent a lot of effort to achieve this goal.
Here I also like to thank all the other Chairs who have continued to carry out, this year too, those services that have been repeated over the years.
Tino Lanci for the Safer Internet Day which, on the GotoMeeting platform, saw connected 254 classes of Comprehensive Institutes and Secondary Secondary Schools from all over Italy. There were about 6000 students present and unfortunately thousands were left out as the platform did not allow more than 250 connections nor was it possible to go in streaming due to unexpected events.
Alessandro Mauceri for UNACCOMPANIED FOREIGN MINORS and MISSING MINORS, and more. Thanks to him, through the presence and participation in the CRC Group, he brought Kiwanis to several consultative and operational tables.
Carlo Capone for KIWANIS FOR THE CHILDREN IN YEMEN WITH UNICEF. Thanks to his constant contact with the Clubs of the District we have concluded the Service and exceeded the sum destined to save the lives of thousands of children.
Domenico Gattuso for SAO: HEALTH, FOOD, ONCOLOGY.
Marco Orefice, Salvo Garraffo and Biancamaria Toccagni for RESEARCH RARE DISEASES.
Erminia Di Nobile for little STUDENTS, service already treated with another title in the past years.
Alfredo Cavallaro for CHILDREN AND INTELLIGENT USE OF MOBILE PHONES TO PROTECT HEALTH.
Antonino Papotto for FIBROMIALGIA.
Pietro Luccisano for THE SCHOOL I WOULD LIKE: CIAK SI GIRA.
Anna Fazio Chair for the North Center for AUTISM.
Loriano Lotti and Modesto Launches for BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING.
Saverio Gerardis for SPECIAL OLYMPICS.
Epifanio Giuffrida for ONE CLUB, ONE CITY, A GUARANTOR. Thanks to his commitment, only this year n. 3 Guarantors for Children in the municipalities of Bellizzi, Acicastello and Nicolosi.
Marta Piccioli with EPILEPSY and this year the service was enriched with a competition for schools.
Nicoletta Funghi and Margherita Trua for WE READ AROUND THE WORLD. New this year: the service was dedicated to visually impaired children.
We have set up the Strategy and Planning Committee, whose General Coordinator was Elio Garozzo (Promoter also of the “Awards”) who, with the coordinators of the three Areas, Alfio Cavallaro, Modesto Lanci and Giancarlo Bellina, together have done an excellent job with the Chair of the District who then led to these magnificent results.
GROWTH
Certainly the pandemic and the war have slowed down contacts with people. We were used, more than three years ago, to meet in conviviality and events in presence with a multitude of members and supporters.
The restriction has penalized, not only in our Kiwanis, the possibility of large membership. Despite this, we have worked in an excellent way in the area knowing how to sensitize new people who have joined our large family with great joy.
And here are the clubs that were born this year, that received the CHARTER and made us reach and exceed all our goals. They are:
- Kamarina – Division 5
- E-Gialai Palermo – Division 6
- Cosenza Città degli Enotri – Division 12
- Riccione – Division 20
- Roma Salaria – Division 14
- Barcelona del Longano – Division 1
- Esperia – Division 14
- Stabiae Sorrento – Division 14
- Palermo – Division 6 – restored
- Bari Metropolitana – Division 14
Here a big thank you to the Maintenance and Development Manager Giuseppe Azzarà.
Furthermore, n. 7 SLP have been created:
- K-kids Via Lanciano Primary School (Sponsor KC Chieti Theate)
- K-kids Primary School “De Petra Casoli” (Sponsor KC Chieti Theate)
- K-kids IC Cosenza III Roberta Lanzino (Sponsor KC Cosenza Città degli Enotri)
- K-kids “Carlo Angela” Primary School (Sponsor KC Vercelli)
- Builders Club Paides – Magna Grecia (Sponsor KC Cirò Marina Aleo and KC Palmi di Gioia Tauro)
- Builders Club Middle School “A. De Stefano” of Erice (Sponsor KC Erice)
- Key Club Palmosa Civitas Efebo (Sponsor KC Castelvetrano)
A big thank you to the SLP manager Anna Maria Borgonsoli.
FUNDRAISING
In just one year, despite the Pandemic and the War that were the causes of the economic disaster in which our country and the other countries involved are found, the District Italy San Marino, through all of you dear friends, has donated with your collection funds, sponsors and donations, in full transparency, a sum that exceeded 90,000.00 euros in addition to all the fundraising made by the clubs individually for service in the area and aid to Ukraine such as for example. Bergamo Orobico which paid 5,000.00 to a club in Romania, KC S. Marino 2,000.00 euros also to a club in Romania, Club Torino more than 2,000.00 euros for Ukraine, the Cremona club for a sum of approximately 6,000.00 and many other independent donations from other clubs and individual members. Surely as District Italy San Marino we have far exceeded 100,000.00 euros in donations. THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!
UNICEF: for the children of Yemen who die from malnutrition, we collected and paid another 7,250.00 euros, thus concluding and exceeding the commitment made by the District three years ago: a commitment of 15,000, 10,000 of which have already been paid in the last two years.
For the service “Ivory Coast: plastic recycling becomes a school” we paid 5,000.00 euros which allow the construction of 6 classrooms made of plastic bricks.
To the Kiwanis Romania Federation we have sent 2,000.00 euros as a District for the reception of refugee children from Ukraine welcomed in Romania.
Through the Italian Red Cross we have helped refugee children from Ukraine in other European countries and in Ukraine itself, by sending 18,500.00 euros and we have also purchased, as a District, 999.62 euros of basic necessities which, with the collection of further assets by other clubs such as Messina Zancle, Villa San Giovanni and Magna Grecia, with a TIR they were brought directly to Ukraine.
We have adopted a family with the service of Special Olympics with a donation of 4,000.00 euros.
Kiwanis Children’s Fund: More than $ 16,800.00 has been donated by the District and clubs to help the children of the world.
And then € 16,490.00 with the purchase of “Lillo and Billo the bully”, which was donated to more than 1,500 children in many schools.
For the service “Ciak si gira” 2.700.00 euros have been raised with which a LG TR3BF Digital Board was donated to the winning school as well as other material.
We raised 1,700.00 euros for the purchase of a Robot for autistic children worth 8,030.00 euros thanks also to the Sponsor with a value of 6,330.00 euros.
We donated € 1,300.00 for the purchase of the Pink Sweaters to the winners of the Giro d’Italia Handbike.
For the Scholarships, we gave 2,650.00 euros to children who had participated, having the requirements.
We paid € 10,000.00 to the Rare Disease Research Association as a contribution from the Kiwanis District Italy San Marino for a scholarship.
CONVENTION
For the first time ever, we had an extraordinary convention online. This marks a very important step as there will no longer be, we hope, meetings of the Delegates of Law only in the event that it will not be possible to hold a Convention in presence. As you will recall, it was necessary to call this Extraordinary Convention because as a Third Sector Entity within 120 days from the beginning of the fiscal year, and exceptionally within 180 days, the final balance of the previous year must be approved.
In the same Convention on February 17, important results were achieved with the amendments to the Statute. The figure of the Vice Governor has been established, electronic voting has been added and From The Floor has been specified.
In the XLIII Ordinary Convention of September, in Messina, and in attendance, we finally had the opportunity to meet and hug again after three long years.
In fact, the last Convention took place in Trapani in September 2019.
Messina is definitely a convention to remember.
For the first time, we had only one candidate for both Governor, Governor Elect and Treasurer, a message of great harmony in the District.
Many presences, numbers that we did not hope to have given the national and world situation. But the Kiwanians have overcome all obstacles and have come to Messina en masse with the great pleasure of meeting and embracing us again.
At the inauguration of the Convention, everyone appreciated the originality of the presentation of the services made by the artist Stefania Bruno who worked with the “sand” projecting the most significant moments on the screen. An exciting show that aroused an unforgettable “Standing ovation” in all those present.
The fireworks in the gala evening were a testimony to the great success of this Kiwanis year that has achieved all the objectives.
A big thank you to Pietro Luccisano and Giovanni Tomasello who are fully committed to this successful Convention.
TRANSPARENCY
As you may have seen on our website, since October 2021, I have appointed Anna Maria Borgonsoli as Chair for the “Social Report”.
We are a Third Sector Entity and as such the “Social Report” is an indispensable document for our organization.
The transparent “Communication”, responsible contents, the services produced are a positive message for us and for all those who read us.
The excellent work produced, and for this I thank the Chair Anna Maria Borgonsoli, published on the site also in browsable and editable form, accompanied by all the activities carried out this year in the District and which will remain in the Archive, so it can also be consulted in the future, it will be a historical memory of our work.
For the accounting aspect, the Treasurer and the Auditors will report at the next Convention of the District.
COMPETITIONS
- 27 scholarships have been set up for deserving children and young people belonging to disadvantaged families. We also donated 5 tablets to Ukrainian children who are guests in our schools.
- Some classes were awarded for the Epilepsy competition.
- For the contest “Ciak si gira con il Kiwanis” all participating schools were awarded with patches, while the winning school I.C. Cosenza III “R. Lanzino” Class II B Secondary school an LG TR3BF Digital Board was donated.
AWARDS
This year we have set up district awards. This is to recognize all those clubs that are active in district service.
The Award Competition for clubs saw more than two thirds of the clubs in the District participate and the first THREE PLACES were given Plaques to the Presidents, while the Clubs were given Patches for the banner and a tablet to be given to a child in their territory.
The three Lieutenants of the Divisions where the major district activities documented on the “Club Space” of the District website were then awarded.
Many participants and on the “podium” climbed:
- DIVISIONS
1st place: DIVISION 2 – Lieutenant Epifanio (Nuccio) Giuffrida and – ex aequo –
DIVISION 11 – Lieutenant Patrizia Mascolo
3rd place: DIVISION 16 – Lieutenant Diego Busatta - CLUBS
1st place: Bergamo S. Alessandro and, ex aequo, Pescara
3rd place: Chieti Theate
COMMUNICATION
The Press review has mentioned us hundreds and hundreds of times both through the newspapers and through the magazines on newsstands with the presence of personalities from the world of culture and entertainment !!!
We have been talked about on the regional RAI TRE TG and on national private TVs.
In addition to the various communications published continuously on the District website and on social media such as FB, Twitter, Instragram, You Tube, etc., this year I also wanted an online magazine, KIWANIS DISM MAGAZINE, created by the talented Rosalba Fiduccia whom I thank. It was a much appreciated initiative. All the members of the District were able to visit it, read it and many also printed it, thus having an excellent magazine almost at no cost.
A paper copy of the same was given to the delegates of the clubs who came to the convention in Messina.
ORGANIZATION
We are now a Third Sector Entity and with pleasure I communicate that we are registered at RUNTS.
In addition to the District, many clubs have adapted and became ETS by then enrolling in RUNTS with all the benefits they derive from it.
Surely the other clubs will also adapt next year to become ETS and not run the risk of being cataloged as Commercial Entities with all the economic consequences.
RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER ASSOCIATIONS AND PARTNERS
This year, the traditional relations with UNICEF, a world organization with which Kiwanis International and our District have been partners for years, were confirmed. This year we had the honor of being included among the “Major Donors of Unicef”.
Our collaboration with SPECIAL OLYMPICS continues. This year all the Divisions participated in their Torch Run, consolidating our relationships.
Collaboration continued with the National Association of Deans – President Antonello Giannelli – and with the National Order of Psychologists – President David Lazzari. In fact, both presidents gave their contribution to the book “Lillo and Billo the bully” in the preface.
Our participation in the CRC Group and in the working groups for the problems of minors continues.
This year we started a collaboration with the Giro d’Italia Handbike, participating in all the stages of the tour and rewarding the winning athletes.
Finally, they have started, also at the district level, a great collaboration with the Italian Red Cross to help the less fortunate both in Italy and in countries beyond the border.
PAPER DIRECTORY
This year we did not produce the paper directory as a work of “reclamation” of the data was lacking in time.
Since the work has already begun this year, and since it took a long time to create a database parallel to the international one, I proposed to the Governor-elect Salvatore Chianello to make a “biennial” directory, that is, with all the clubs in the District of this ‘year and next year, highlighting the presidents of the two-year period.
The home pages will also have the two CDAs and the most salient information. Salvatore accepted with joy to collaborate also in this light. My thanks go to him.
Having then planned to create a brochure for our Convention, I wanted to transform it into a small publication where, in addition to information on the Convention itself, I had the pleasure of publishing the organization chart of the District so that all this year’s collaborators can have a memory, even on paper, of their precious collaboration that helped the District to achieve all its objectives.
A big thank you to them here too.
We know that if you want to find an email address or telephone number of any member of the District in the meantime, just go to our website, click on “Online Directory”, type in the member’s name or that of the club they belong to, and here is all the information they arrive.
Today everything is computerized …….
Furthermore, I wanted to enrich this publication with very important tools such as our Statute approved in the Convention on February 17, 2022 and which in October, in the first International Board, will have the go ahead in Indianapolis as we have already been assured.
Other important tools that you will find are the Police application to the Statute, the Treasury Regulations, the Code of Ethics, the Social Policies and the Ceremonial, everything that a Kiwanian from our District needs to know.
A copy was sent to all club presidents, secretaries and treasurers through their respective lieutenants.
Special thanks to Rosalba Fiduccia for this beautiful work and to Federica Pellegrino for the collaboration.
THANKS
Allow me special thanks to historical Secretary Giovanni Tomasello, to the Deputy Secretaries Giuseppe Azzarà and Pietro Luccisano, to the Treasurer Gino Ricciuto who have always been close to me at all times, without forgetting our Treasurer Agata Rinciari who left us prematurely.
My affectionate thanks go to all the staff of the Board of Directors, to the Chairs, to the President of the Past Governors Gianfilippo Muscianisi for the support given, to the Webmasters Federica and Rosalba, to the President of the Statute and Regulations Giuseppe Cristaldi, to the President of the Board of Auditors Nunzio Spampinato and to the Committees ALL without forget anyone.
A special thanks to my adviser Gary Cooper for the support given and to Maurizio Di Profio who has been my interpreter over the years.
Thanks go to my family, my children and my grandchildren, who gave me the opportunity to dedicate my time to Kiwanis, often taking it away from them, and a heartfelt thanks to my husband Palmiro, without whom I would not have been able to perform my mandate this year.
We have worked for children, for their rights and we always carry them in our hearts because Kids need Kiwanis.
Angela Catalano
Governor 2021/22
Kiwanis International District Italy San Marino
