LIPSA President,
Kyle Chaikin
First off, I would like to announce that the successful Kidswim LI program is in full swing for 2010 and we are booking up dates throughout March and April for our presentations to Kindergarten children.
Secondly, this will be my last President’s report for the Long Island Chapter as my term as President is coming to a close in March and Frank Collora will be the incoming President.
On a more personal note…
I have spent 18 months as the President of LIPSA, it has been both a learning experience and an incredibly satisfying endeavor. I appreciate the board for “taking a chance” and providing me this opportunity to learn and grow. It has been an honor to work with all the fantastic people that comprise the LIPSA board and I look forward to remaining involved for years to come. In particular, Thank You to all those that are involved with Kidswim for your dedication and efforts. The people that have devoted tremendous amounts of time and energy from the inception I would like to give special thanks: Michael Minogue, Michael Truehart, Ed Cohen, Amelia Chiaramonte, John Lochren, Mike Demas, Sheryl Heather, and our heart and soul, the driving force behind most of the important programs on Long Island, Karen Pinto!
It is with the deepest gratitude and pride that I can say the award that I was given naming me the NESPA member of the year for 2009 is shared with each and every one of the wonderful, dedicated Kidswim Volunteers I have listed!
To any of you that wish to volunteer your time to present our program, bring schools on board, or raise money to name a few different ways to pitch in, we welcome your participation. We have seen an influx of membership participation recently and hope that this type of spirit continues as more of our membership realizes that being involved, on any level, with our association and Kidswim in particular is a fulfilling endeavor that you will look back on as time well spent!
We are, with the utmost confidence and conviction, continuing the Kidswim program and actually looking to expand it for many years to come throughout our region, eventually taking it to a national level. Any of our fellow chapters that would like to bring this important program to their area, please don’t hesitate to contact me! The LIPSA Board would love to partner with you to bring this essential and significant program to even more children.