Welcome to the CDKF Board

Ed C. Daley, President and Director for Division 10.

Bob Wright, President-elect and Director for Division 2, joined Kiwanis to serve kids in his community. A fun fact about him is that if he is not working on Kiwanis related activities then he would rather be walking. Bob is looking forward to this year in the foundation is getting the sustained giving program up and running and holding quality hybrid meetings for the board.

Hiawatha Nicely, Vice President and Director for Division 15

Mike Dasovich, Immediate Past President and Director for Division 12, joined Kiwanis because of his grandchildren, to make a better world for them. A fun fact is that he likes cats as much as dogs, well not quite as much, but he does like cats. This year he is looking forward to continuing to spread the word of how the Capital District Kiwanis Foundation supports the divisions and clubs and their communities.

Larissa Cason, Immediate Past President of West Virginia Foundation, joined Kiwanis to be able to perform community service on a regular basis. When writing this she was wearing clothing/jewelry representing four things she is a fan of: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Star Wars, Disney, and Harry Potter. She is looking forward to incorporating West Virginia clubs into the operations of the Capital District Kiwanis Foundation.

Nancy Simonelli, Executive Secretary, joined Kiwanis to help children in her community. A fun fact is that she taught 2nd and 3rd grade in Meridian, Missiissippi. She says it was a culture shock since she had just graduated college in Massachusetts; she had a northern accent and her students had a southern accent so there was a communication gap. She is looking forward to communicating to the clubs this year in the Capital District about what the Foundation does to support communities and children.

David Lurie, Treasurer, started out in Key Club and has never left the Kiwanis family. A fun fact is that he loves miniature golf. He is looking forward to watching the Foundation continue to grow this year.

Elana Gardner, Governor of the Kiwanis Capital District, started out in Key Club and later on joined Kiwanis. A fun fact about her is that won 3rd place in the Washington DC city-wide Spelling Bee. This year she is looking forward to sharing how giving to the Foundation is an investment that goes back into our clubs and communities.

Dennis Baugh, Immediate Past Governor of the Kiwanis Capital District, watched his father who was a Kiwanian and once he was settled somewhere that allowed him the time to join, he did. A fun fact about Dennis is that he loves cats. He says they are very unpredictable but so friendly. This year he is looking forward to seeing the shift in making donations and grants by increasing their giving to the foundation.

Eric Fithyan, Immediate Past Governor of the West Virginia District.

Jeff Wolff, Executive Director of the Kiwanis Capital District, joined Kiwanis to continue giving back to his community after his involvement in Key Club and Circle K during his education. A fun fact about Jeff is that he loves to travel bother personally and professionally and at last count has visited 42 countries and 45 of the 50 United States. He is looking forward to the increased capacity of funds this year for the Capital District Kiwanis Foundation to assist more clubs with their service projects through grants.

Bernice Oden, Director for Division 1

Jennifer Hiscock, Director for Division 4, joined Kiwanis because she has always had an interest in helping to better her community through service. She has been involved in service-oriented organizations since the age of 5. Through Kiwanis, she can serve her local community to continue improving the lives of children which directly aligns with her professional experience as a teacher. She has thoroughly enjoyed her Kiwanis experience, she has met amazing individuals who have turned into friends, and she is am able to work with others who have the same goal in wanting to better the world! A fun fact about her is that her maiden initials and married initials are the same, which is good since she is a huge lover of monograms! Through social media, the Foundation has been sharing updates, but this year, the board is starting a new Facebook Live series which she is excited about! Through the Facebook Live presentations, members throughout the Capital District, as well as fans of our social media accounts will be able to continually stay informed. The Foundation does so much good within our communities and she is excited for people to learn about our efforts!

Charles Marks, Director for Division 5, joined Kiwanis in 1988. He is enjoying the retired life after 47 years in the work force. He is looking forward to helping other in DelMarVa and in the Capital District this year.

Dun Dudey, Director for Division 6, joined Kiwanis because he wanted to help those in need within my community. He was asked by his son’s Boy Scout Master during a campout to join him in attending the Kiwanis Club in his community. Two weeks after this campout, he attended his first Kiwanis meeting. He was impressed with what they were doing in the community plus other parts of the Kiwanis District. He then joined the Kiwanis Club of Reisterstown two weeks later and has never regretted it. Kiwanis has so many way they can help others locally and globally. He has also benefited in becoming part of the leadership of Kiwanis in the local Kiwanis club to District wide positions. It has been a major part of his life ever since. A fun fact is that he joined his wife and son and sky diving over a California town and airport. “Very invigorating and exciting adventure to jump out of an airplane at 13000 feet and free fall towards the ground, then stop suddenly when the parachute opens and you float softly to the ground. I would do it again in a heart beat.” This year he is looking forward to working with various directors to make this the best year the Foundation has ever had.

Dennis Grubbs, Director for Division 8, says “My father was a Kiwanian, having served as Club President and LTG. Influenced by him, I was a Key Clubber in high school and was President of the club my senior year. I learned during those years that I enjoyed community service and making Winchester, VA a better community to live in for its citizens, especially those who were not fortunate as myself and my friends.” A fun fact about Dennis is that despite that his High School did not have a baseball team, he was one of two players invited by the Baltimore Orioles to its East Coast invitation only tryout held at Memorial Stadium his senior year. He actually pitched two innings off the mound that day against a semi-pro baseball team. He is looking forward to continuing to serve on the Grants Committee and reviewing and approving clubs’ grant requests that will hopefully assist them in making their communities better places to live for its citizens.

Roger Diehl, Director for Division 13, joined Kiwanis to have an impact on his community and help the children and others within. A fun fact is that he played semi-pro baseball from age 18 till 35 and then continued to play competitive baseball until age 57. He is looking forward to the board working harmoniously in conducting its business and as the Grants Chair, he would like to award as much as budgeted to help the clubs in the District do projects they would not be able to complete without the Foundation.

Milton Martin, Jr., Director for Division 14, joined Kiwanis as a way to connect with the community, learn about the community, and to be able to reach out to different segments of the community while doing civic duties and service. A fun fact is that he loves to travel, domestic and international. He has had lots of trips and travel adventures with Hopewell Twinning Association, where he has made life-long friends. He is looking forward to continued community service this year and civic service on a larger scale, with the opportunity to entice more Kiwanians to understand the Foundation and its broader impact.

Jon Rife, Director for Division 17, was President of his Key Club in High School and the Kiwanis club members were always helpful, friendly and leaders in the community. He decided, when he graduated from college, to join Kiwanis because of his Key Club experience. A fun fact about John is that he loves to water ski and snow ski, as long as hi body and age will allow. He is looking forward to making more our Capital District members aware of what the Foundation stands for and what we do in the District.

Rayman Richardson, Director for Division 19, joined Kiwanis so he could meet others who share similar values, particularly serving children of the world. A fun fact about Rayman is that he is presently teaching a class on the Vikings. He is looking forward to getting the clubs in the West Virginia district to make a good contribution to the Capital District Foundation and that it is a smooth transition this year.

Dava Laraba, Director for Division 20, joined Kiwanis because he was always at events with his wife, that was a long time Key Club advisor, and so he decided to serve as well. A fun fact is that he played the trumpet in the West Virginia Wesleyan College jazz band and still plays weekly at his local church. He is looking forward to bring the West Virginia clubs into full participation and to expand the foundations outreach especially in the southern West Virginia coalfields.

Jamie Arca, Webmaster for the Foundation, joined Kiwanis to have an activity to participate with her mother. She has since come to love serving in Kiwanis and is now a member of two clubs in the district. A fun fact is that she is a Gold Award recipient in Girl Scouts (same as the Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts). She is looking forward to expanding the outreach on social media this year and bringing more visibility to the Foundation.

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