Oct 5
The installation of new officers and board members for the 2009-10 year was the focus of the October 5 meeting of Kiwanis Club. Allen Herrboldt, past lt. governor of the Minnesota-Dakotas District presided over the ceremonies. New officers include Mary Henning, president; Kami Canfield, president-elect; Mike Johnson, vice president; Rita Wiese, secretary; and Alan Taecker, treasurer. Becky Krause and Jeff Anderson are newly elected board members and Tim Oviatt was re-elected to the board of directors. Doug Austin was awarded the Legion of Honor award for his 50 years of membership in Watertown’s oldest service organization. Al Vanderlaan was recognized for being nominated for the Kiwanis Regional Star award and was also presented with the Legion of Honor award for his 25 years of service to the club. Jody Driscoll was inducted as a new member. Kiwanis meets every Monday noon at the Elks lodge.
Oct 12
Cub Scouting in Watertown was the program presented by Webelos scout Nick Vockrodt and his dad Joel at the October 12 meeting of Kiwanis Club. All five public elementary schools and Immaculate Conception School have an active Cub Scout program and there are two Boy Scout troops as well. The Vockrodts emphasized that scouting is where the younger kids learn from the older ones, and the various activities often involve family participation. Activities include tours of places of interest such as the police station, the pine wood derby, hiking and camping. Joel, who is a den leader for the Mellette Elementary School Cub Scout pack, added that the program is very reliant on the parents who volunteer their time and skills for the program. Kiwanis participation in Junior Achievement’s Bowl-a-thon on October 24 was reviewed by Jeff Anderson, and Kami Canfield described plans for the Kiwanis family picnic and silent auction on November 5th. Guests included Adam Henning, son of club president Mary Henning, and Gene Doutt’s daughter and her husband Johanna and Al Hancock, visiting from North Carolina. Kiwanis meets every Monday noon at the Elks Lodge.
Oct 19
“Internet Crimes Against Children” was the focus of Sergeant Detective Tim Toomey’s presentation at the October 19 meeting of Kiwanis Club. Det. Toomey, the Watertown Police Department’s Internet crimes specialist, detailed the frequency that the 10’s of millions of young persons who regularly use the Internet are exposed to sexually explicit material and pictures on-line.
Det. Toomey said that 1 in 4 Internet users had an unwanted exposure to sexually explicit content, 1 in 7 had received a sexual solicitation on-line, 1 in 17 had been threatened or harassed on-line and 1 in 33 had received an aggressive solicitation on the Internet, often through the many social networking web sites. On-line predators troll these web sites that are frequented by kids and can easily target and compile information about specific individuals who are posting personal information on web sites such as Facebook and then contact their targets. Internet pedophiles like the privacy, anonymity, security, easy accessibility and instant gratification the Internet offers.
Det. Toomey listed many ways that parents can monitor and supervise their children’s usage of computers, reviewed signs of when kids are at risk and suggested specific ways to educated kids on the dangers of reckless use of the Internet. He indicated that more than 200 Internet crimes against Watertown area kids are currently under investigation.
Kiwanis’ Junior Achievement Bowl-a-thon team was reviewed by Jeff Anderson. Ole Kristensen, a 1966-67 WHS foreign exchange student from Denmark, attended as a guest. Kiwanis meets every Monday noon at the Elks Lodge.
