Pictured above is Troop Leader – Kristen Abreu, Genevieve Small, Mila Garcia, Caroline Goodall, Riley Richards, Caroline Bautista, Addy Kistler, Madison Prince, Victoria Abreu, Sofia Abreu, Maddie Small, and Abby Aulenbach.

Weston Girl Scouts opened the first meeting of The Kiwanis Club of Weston’s 2024/2025 year last Saturday, September 28, 2024 by performing a flag ceremony and leading us in The Pledge of Allegiance and The Star Spangled Banner.

Scouts from 10th grade Troop 56620 and 8th grade Troop 50029 licked of our discharge and installation breakfast meeting at Norfield Congregational Church parish hall where we thank board members completing their service and inducting directors and officers beginning their terms of office.

Following the opening ceremonies, the scouts joined us for breakfast. Some of these service-minded scouts signed up to volunteer for the Weston Kiwanis Reservoir Run half marathon and 5K foot races and kids fun run on Sunday, October 13, 2024, including Kristen’s daughters.

By Harry Spencer

At Tom Glass’s celebration of life last Saturday, I had the great fortune to share time with two friends who are renewing their Kiwanis membership: George Moraitis and Diana (Didi) Heisinger. We are thrilled and looking forward to playing and working with you more often!

George Moraitis (center) with Tom Glass and Paul Schultz at the 2023 Kiwanis family picnic at President Amy’s home.

Didi Heisinger (left) and Denise Murillo at the 2018 Weston Kiwanis Dog Jamboree.

By Dan Gilbert

Members of our Reservoir Run Flyer Distribution Team were on the road again on Labor Day.  On a beautiful Monday morning Dave Burns, Ed Hutchins, Tom Johnson, Steve Thomas, and Dan Gilbert distributed flyers at the Faxon Law Road Race (New Haven).  According to World’s Marathons, “The half marathon and the 5K field over 6,000 runners.”

Hutch, Steve and Tom covered cars parked at the 1 Temple Street Garage.  Dan and Dave covered cars parked along the streets in the area of the New Haven Green, as well as, handing flyers to runners who had completed the 5K.  One of the cars covered was from Channel 3 Eyewitness News. 

Two of the team’s members had also volunteered at the Lachat Town Farm Pancake Breakfast the previous Sunday.  Tom Johnson and Steve Thomas along with Kiwanians Karen Chrisley, Frank Ferrara, Dan Lerner, and David McConnaughey helped flip and serve around 1,000 pancakes to just under 300 customers.  A number of Westonites may still be enjoying summer vacation, but Weston Kiwanis club members never take a break from serving our community.

Above: Dave Burns, Steve Thomas, Ed Hutchins, and Thom Johnson distributing Reservoir Run flyers at the Faxon Law Road Race (New Haven) on Labor Day. Kiwanis photograph by Dan Gilbert.

By Harry Falber

Kiwanians served our community by cheffing at the the Labor Day Pancake Family Breakfast at Lachat Town Farm’s Daniel E. Offutt III Education Center for the second year in a row. This year celebrated the first anniversary of the education center.

Building bonds within the Weston community is an important goal of Weston Kiwanis, and if it takes flipping pancakes to bring us together, that’s where we’ll be. Once again, that’s where we were—serving up well over 200 breakfasts for four sittings out of Brian’s Kitchen.

While prep started early in the week, the main Kiwanis work began before Sunday at 7 a.m., when Dan Lerner, with help from Harry Falber, prepped and cooked over 580 sausage links, not to mention some vegan sausage patties. By 8 a.m., the rest of the Kiwanis crew, Steve and Vicki Thomas, Frank Ferrara, and David McConnaughey, were hands-on in the kitchen serving up what seemed like nearly a thousand pancakes, with Karen Chrisley working from the front to the back of the house, ensuring all the guests were happily fed.

WHS students that Kiwanian Dawn Egan brought to the farm fielded table service and bussed tables, as well as kept up with all the dishwashing throughout the meal service.

Pictured above: Geoffrey Hollander, Dan Lerner, Harry Falber, Tom Johnson, Frank Ferrara, Steve Thomas, David McConnaughey and Taylor Holtz preparing pancakes in the kitchen of the Daniel E. Offutt III Education Center at Lachat Town Farm. Kiwanis photograph by Vicki Thomas.

Nobody bothered to tell Steve Thomas that a barista spells with microfoam in espresso, not pancake with batter on plate. Kiwanis photograph by Vicki Thomas.

Steve Thomas and Frank Ferrara were out on Thursday, August 29, 2024 placing signs promoting the 2024 Weston Kiwanis Reservoir Run half marathon and 5K foot races and kids fun run.

Steve Thomas contributed pictures of signs placed at two locations on Weston Road. One is across from the Weston Shopping Center and the other is near the Merritt Parkway.