East Meadow Kiwanis Honors Award Winners

The East Meadow Kiwanis Club recently had its annual awards dinner where those who have gone above and beyond to give back were honored.

The awards that were given out have a dual purpose. In order to obtain them, awards known as the Tablet of Honor require a substantial donation to the Kiwanis New York District and Kiwanis International Foundations. Based upon the awards given this week, that was over $4,000.  

"Therefore, last night we not only honored Kiwanians but we supported Kamp Kiwanis, scholarship programs and the new Kiwanis International Foundation's ELIMINATE project (to eliminate a disease know as Maternal Neonatal Tetnis "MNT")," Jim Mancuso, the president of East Meadow Kiwanis said.  "We gave the gifts of Kamp Kiwanis to under privileged kids, lessened the burden of attending college and saved lives on the African continent. "

The award winners are as follows.

• George F. Hixson served as the fledgling organization's president for two years and remains the only person ever to have held the job for more than a year. During his tenure, Kiwanis became an International organization by chartering a club in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Hixson played key roles in the early years of Kiwanis while the organization was transformed from a commercial to a community service organization. He remained active in Kiwanis until his death in 1967.  Hixson's memory is preserved through the George F. Hixson Award, an award presented by the Kiwanis International Foundation.

• Tony Kaiser, of Bethpage, served as International President in 1987-88. An attorney, Kaiser presided over a critical year in Kiwanis history. At the International Convention in Washington, D.C., in June of 1987, delegates from Kiwanis clubs around the world elected Kaiser as their president and also voted to include women as members of Kiwanis for the first time.  By the end of Kaiser's term, clubs around the world had inducted 7,000 new women members. Kaiser's service to Kiwanis is remembered through the Anton "Tony" Kaiser Award, an award presented by the New York District Kiwanis Foundation.