By Dan Gilbert

Kiwanians from the Weston, Bridgeport, and Norwalk Kiwanis clubs laid out and served a buffet on Super Bowl Sunday, February 8, 2026, for the 38 male veterans residing at Homes for the Brave and provisioned the game-day meal for the 10 female veterans at the PFC Nicholas A. Madaras Home.

Weston Kiwanians prepared or purchased food for the feast and delivered it to the Norfield Congregational Church in 0-degree weather on Sunday morning to a team of members for transport to Bridgeport. Bridgeport Kiwanians delivered beverages, and Norwalk Kiwanians delivered individual snack bags directly to the two homes.

At Homes For the Brave, Weston Kiwanians reheated spiral ham, roasted chicken, chili, mac and cheese, baked beans, rice and red beans, and pulled pork. Tasty treats included cake, cookies, brownies, chips/salsa/guacamole, soda, and a mixed green salad with tomatoes. As they have since 2011, after serving the veterans, club members washed the dishes and headed home.

In the photo at the top of this post, from left to right are Kiwanis kitchen team members Frank Ferrara, Steve Thomas, Harry Spencer (president), Barbara Gross, Dave Burns, and Dan Gilbert.

Harry Spencer and Dan Gilbertcontributed the photographs below. See them at full size in the event album.

Many thanks to all donating food, including Billy Arce, and Kiwanians Reed Ameden, Susan Baron, Jennifer Barron, Louise Brady, Theresa Brasco, Dave Burns, Joan Clayton, Frank Ferrara, Dan Gilbert, Barbara Gross, Dan Lerner, Harvey Luft, John Moran, Samantha Nestor, Harry Spencer, Steve Thomas, Bob Uzenoff, and David Weber.

Shout-out to Steve Thomas and Barbara Gross for organizing this event, and to the delivery and serving crew: Dave Burns, Frank Ferrara, Dan Gilbert, Steve Thomas, Barbara Gross, and Harry Spencer.

Applied Behavioral Rehabilitation Institute, Inc. (ABRI), doing business as Homes for the Brave, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with a mission of providing housing and services to individuals experiencing homelessness, especially Veterans. By operating one permanent and four transitional supportive housing programs in Fairfield County, Connecticut, ABRI aims to help individuals return to productive and meaningful lives. ABRI staff work with clients to create personalized goals to help them achieve stable income and housing and increase their self-determination.

Homes for the Brave is a 42-bed transitional housing program available to male Veterans and non-veterans who are experiencing homelessness. The program provides housing, case management, and vocational services.

The PFC Nicholas A. Madaras Home, Connecticut’s first and only community-based transitional home exclusively for women veterans experiencing homelessness and their young children.

Weston Kiwanis is dedicated to helping build a vibrant, sharing Weston community. Club members gather at the Norfield Congregational Church parish Hall at 8:15 a.m. on Saturdays, with meetings running from 8:30 to 10 a.m. All are welcome.

By Harry Spencer

The Kiwanis Club of Weston proudly joined Friends of Lachat and the Hurlbutt Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization on Monday, January 19, 2026, to produce the seventh annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Lachat Town Farm at the Juliana Lachat Preserve.

The event was a success. Kiwanians Dan Lerner, Barbara Gross, Theresa Brasco, Lance Mald, Harry Falber, and Harry Spencer helped set up and take down the great room at the Daniel E. Offutt III Education Center. Weston kids and adults successfully packed every one of the available snack bags, filling many bins, a family day of fun and service.

Kiwanis video by Lance Mald

Kiwanis photographs by Harry Falber and Harry Spencer

By Dan Gilbert

The Kiwanis Club of Weston’s food and healthcare products drive last Saturday was an outstanding success, with the support of Weston High School’s Key Club and Senior Connections Club. and volunteers from the Weston Food Pantry.

While Mother Nature didn’t honor my request for a dry day with mid-30s temperatures, our volunteer team showed up big time. On a cold, wet Saturday morning with a steady snowfall, our volunteers helped Westonites help their neighbors in need. Our team was composed of: Key Club President Alice Sullivan and Edhen Young, Abby Aulenbach, and Hailey Samuels; Weston Food Pantry President Anne Bigin, Weston High School Senior Connections Club Co-founder Ryan Bigin; and Weston Kiwanians Reed Ameden, Dave Burns, Karen Chrisley, Phyliss Gary, Barbara Gross, Steve Haas, Harvey Luft, Jim McMorris, Harry Spencer, Steve Thomas, and Lauren Traum.

Anne Bigin, appreciating the success, noted:

“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Weston and our Weston High School’s Key Club and Senior Connections Club for making the recent food drive for the Weston Food Pantry such a success. Despite braving the elements and the holiday weekend, our amazing volunteers and supporters came together to collect over 60 full bags of shelf-stable food, along with$266.30 in generous cash and Venmo donations. 

This event would not have been possible without the leadership and continued support of Weston Kiwanis and Dan Gilbert. Thank you to the Kiwanis members for your ongoing commitment to our town, especially to the Weston Food Pantry. A special thank you goes to our Weston High School Key Club volunteers this morning. I’m also incredibly grateful to the Weston High School Senior Connections Club, and especially to Ryan Bigin, who is always there to help load, transport, and unload the bounty from our food drives. Because of all of you, families in our community will have access to much-needed food and support. Thank you again for showing what true community spirit looks like.”

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By Harry L. Spencer

Organized and led by Frank Ferrara, Weston Kiwanis donated and delivered 145 new winter coats to needy elementary school students at Head Start in Norwalk today. In addition to Frank, volunteers included Lauren Traum, Geoff Hollander, Bill Brady, Tom Failla, Juan Negroni, and President Harry Spencer.

The adorable children and teachers were very appreciative. This is the seventh year that Weston Kiwanis has donated coats. It’s noteworthy that prior recipients often pass their coats down to family members after they have outgrown them.

As Frank says, “We don’t want kids going cold in this winter. We want them to have nice warm coats”.

Kiwanis photographs by Harry Spencer.

Doogie Sandtiger (yes, that’s his real name) wowed the audience at his talk after breakfast at the club meeting last Saturday, November 1, 2025. Sandtiger, self-billed as the Croc King, is so named for his Guinness World Records title as the holder of the largest collection of Crocs™.

But that is only a small part of the story. Sandtiger grew up in foster care. He tells of missing so much growing up. He emancipated himself as soon as he was legally able. He now shapes his life to make up for what he missed as a child through setting goals and having experiences.

Here it is story in his own words:

I’ve lived in Connecticut my entire life, and I spent my entire childhood bouncing around foster homes, orphanages and group homes, up until I was 16 years old.

When I turned 16, I went to court and emancipated myself from state custody, because I wanted to experience life as a real human being. Being thrown around the system for nearly 15 years- it stunts growth and development, hides you away from society, and you don’t get to experience regular child things like birthday parties, holidays, dressing up on Halloween, going to the park after school to pay with your friends. I missed everything, and I wanted to experience life, on my own terms, despite having nowhere to live after emancipating myself.

While growing up in the foster care system, I was a very shy kid, struggled to make connections with others, so I resorted to reading and writing as my escape from the horrors of the system.

As an avid writer, I explored all genres, including poetry. I also enjoyed journaling and documenting my daily life as a kid in the system. It was all very healing to me.

From there, I realized that I loved writing down goals, no matter how small or big, and I started a goals list. It helped keep me focused and motivated, and gave me a sense of purpose and identity to my life. My goals list eventually evolved into a Bucket List, where I just wanted to rewrite my childhood, rewrite my entire life, and experience everything the world has to offer.

I still add things and cross things off my Bucket List all the time: from setting a Guinness World Record, to traveling the world, to hiking some of the most dangerous mountains, to publishing a book, adopting a dog, to meeting childhood idols, running in marathon, the list goes on and on and on.

I want to experience the entire world.

Kiwanis photograph by Jim McMorris

Doogie Sandtiger, known as the “Croc King,” has set the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Crocs shoes, amassing over 3,800 pairs as of late 2025. A native of Connecticut, Sandtiger started collecting footwear as a child because he didn’t know how to tie his shoes —a skill he had missed during his time in foster care.

Sandtiger is the speaker at the club breakfast meeting Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. at Norfield Congregational Church’s Norfield Room, 64 Norfield Road, Weston.

Weston Kiwanis meets most Saturdays from September through June at Norfield Congregational Church’s parish hall. Doors open at 8 a.m. for coffee and conversation, with the breakfast meeting beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending no later than 10 a.m. After breakfast, we have a speaker or a community service activity.

Meetings are open to all, drop-ins are welcome, and your first breakfast, normally $10 for a full breakfast or $5 for a continental, is on us.

Weston Kiwanis supported the 2025 Trident Swimmer Scholar Program with a $500 donation, President Harry Spencer announced, noting the great success of the Trident Swim Foundation in helping youth and recognizing the AMAZING contributions of Weston Kiwanian Phyllis Gary to the club’s success.

Trident Swim Foundation founder Kristin Gary, in acknowledging our donation, wrote:

Dear Harry and Team Kiwanis,

Thank you so very much for your generosity and support of Trident. And even more so—thank you for recognizing my mother’s lifelong contributions to making the town of Weston a better place—from her work at Weston EMS, to Norfield Church, and now Kiwanis. She is indefatigable!

Best of luck in your Reservoir Run—it looks like you will have perfect conditions for a GREAT race!

Again, many thanks and sending our best wishes from Team Trident,
Kristin

Kristin Gary

The Great Relay is the biggest, longest pool-based relay competition in the United States. Teams of eight or more swimmers see how fast they can finish 5000 yards or meters. There are many different types of teams that can compete to be ranked and receive national recognition: different ages, types of swim teams (summer league, high school, club, etc.), pool lengths, and more.

The Great Relay is critical to helping the Trident Swim Foundation fund and support its inner-city Swimmer Scholar program. The Great Relay encourages fun competition in swimming and raises awareness of the need for better access to swim lessons, competitive swim teams, and academic support in inner cities.

The 2025 Great Relay New York was held the day before our Reservoir Run, on Saturday, October 25th, at the Columbia University Dodge Fitness Center Uris Pool.

Kristin Gary is a founder of Trident Swim Foundation and the daughter of Weston Kiwanian Phyllis Gary. Weston Kiwanian Rev. Dr. Bernard R. Wilson is a member of the TSF board.

Photographs contributed by Kristin Gary.