By Krystal Weaver

The Kiwanis Family Conference was November 5–7, 2010 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, at the Blue Ridge Assembly YMCA.

The weekend’s events were neighborhood activities that we participated in. We divided up into teams with all three branches in each group and we competed in fun games and had an awesome speaker that talked to us and motivated us to not complain because we are blessed.

My role at the event was to represent CKI as an international board member. I was to answer questions that anyone had and I was able to be on stage with two Kiwanis International trustees and the Key Club International President for a forum where we answered questions from the members at the conference. These were questions like: “Why did you join the Kiwanis family?” “How can we bridge the gap between Key Club International and CKI and CKI and Kiwanis International?” “What are we doing as international boards to bridge this gap?” “What is the point in your life that you knew the Kiwanis family was for you?” I loved getting the opportunity to share these answers with conference members.

I was a team leader and my experience was great! I was paired up with the Key Club International president and we were the leaders of team “Courage” We bonded with all of our team members and really worked well together on how we can put courage into our everyday lives and into our home clubs.

I always meet new people in the Kiwanis family through this conference. I was able to talk to Kiwanians from all over the place and the Key Club International president is a really great guy! I had a lot of fun getting to know more people from the Carolina’s district CKI, the Kiwanis family as well as getting to know the people that I traveled with even more than I did!

Kiwanis Family Conference is an amazing experience and I highly suggest that if you have never been before…GO! It is something that every KCI, CKI, and KI member should experience at least once. It is an eye opening experience in a beautiful environment and it changes the way I look at life and the K-family every year I attend and I love it!