KIWANIS CLUB OF NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT
The Continuing History of the Kiwanis Club of New London
By Martin OlsenThe Kiwanis Club of New London was organized and chartered December 2, 1940.
Locally the club has expanded it presence in New London and throughout southeastern Connecticut. Three additional Key Clubs have been added to the Kiwanis Family with Groton’s Fitch Senior High School joining Waterford, East Lyme and Ledyard High Schools.
A Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program was initiated at the Waterford branch of Ballestrini’s Childcare Center in 2001. This has grown to encompass their Salem and East Lyme facilities as well a summer reading program at the New London Salvation Army and our newest endeavor at Riverfront Children’s Center in Groton.
The Kiwanis Club of New London NB King Scholarship Endowment under the stewardship of UBS Financial Services and has grown to over $130,000. Currently the endowment supports three $3,000 scholarships that applicants now compete for annually. The scholarship program, as well as most of our charitable contributions via the John Kashanski Community Service Fund, are supported by our annual golf tournament that has been guided in recent years by Ted Nelson, John Russell and Marty Olsen.
A Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program was initiated at the Waterford branch of Ballestrini’s Childcare Center in 2001. This has grown to encompass their Salem and East Lyme facilities as well a summer reading program at the New London Salvation Army and our newest endeavor at Riverfront Children’s Center in Groton.
The Kiwanis Club of New London NB King Scholarship Endowment under the stewardship of UBS Financial Services and has grown to over $130,000. Currently the endowment supports three $3,000 scholarships that applicants now compete for annually. The scholarship program, as well as most of our charitable contributions via the John Kashanski Community Service Fund, are supported by our annual golf tournament that has been guided in recent years by Ted Nelson, John Russell and Marty Olsen.
The Club has continued to have a significant presence at the district level punctuated by Marty Olsen’s ascension to the office of Governor of the New England District of Kiwanis in 2000-2001. Marty has also served three years as President of the Kiwanis Foundation of New England between 2002-2005.
Club President Marty Olsen has the club positioned to grow and continue to provide more service to greater southeastern Connecticut and beyond!
Supporting the new Kiwanis International Worldwide Service Project to eliminate Maternal Neonatal Tetanus and the Kiwanis Pedantic Trauma Institute are two of President Olsen’s primary goals.