2012-2013 Club Officers

Title Name
President Jay Gardner
President Elect TBD
Secretary Jill Kaufman
Treasurer Kevin Brusk
Im. Past President Frank Sodnicar

 

Board of Directors

Jay Gardner
Kevin Brusk
Dave Ping
Das Ram
Rex Harper
Doug Huth
Mike Memmer
Frank Sodnicar
Jill Kaufman
Dan Bartik
Don Salsbury

 

Foundation Board

Jay Gardner
Frank Sodnicar
Doug Huth
Fred Burkhalter
Kevin Brusk
Bill Rittman
Jim McAllister

 

2012-2013 Meeting Schedule - click here

2011-2012 Meeting News:

Meeting Speaker: The Gathering Place - On July 26th, 2012, the Kiwanis Club of Brecksville heard Kris Austin speak about The Gathering Place. Kris explained the purpose of The Gathering Place and the services they perform for cancer patients and their caregivers...all at no cost to the patients or caregivers. The Gathering Place is interested in spreading their message to various groups to inform cancer patients of their services. You may contacte The Gathering Place at 216-595-9546 or at www.touchedbycancer.org.

 

World War II had just been concluded the preceding year, when the Kiwanis Club of Southeast Cleveland organized Brecksville Kiwanis on November 24, 1946. Brecksville was just a sleepy little town at the time with a population of 2,000. The first Kiwanis fund raiser was an Ox roast and Horse Show on the town square on Labor Day weekend, The rains came. Net for the weekend totaled $158.57! The first Horse Show was held in 1949 at the old athletic field on Stadium Drive. A Decision was made to move the show to the first Sunday in August and remains the major fund raiser for the club ever since.

The club organized Kiwanis Clubs in North Royalton in 1951, Bath-Richfield in 1953, Seven Hills in 1961, Broadview Heights in 1965, Nordonia Hills in 2001and Parma Morning Club in 2005. The Key Club at the high school and the Builders Club at the middle school remain active as part of the Kiwanis family in our city.

Early in the club's history a large parcel of land including a cabin on Parkview Road bordering on the Metropark property. The cabin was used by the Boy Scouts and other community groups for many years. In 1968 the property was sold to the Park District at a substantial profit to the club.

Fund raising by the Kiwanis club over the years has totaled of $800,000. Over all of the years of the club, scholarships to graduating seniors remains our major effort. Other recipients include the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, churches, relief funds in the city, Coats for Kids, Meals on Wheels and a myriad of other groups in the area. In 1976 as our Bicentennial project the club constructed a pavilion in what was then known as Nowaka Park on the site of Kids Place near the community center. The club received a Kiwanis International award for this effort.