The Kiwanis Club of Wellington created the Champion of Children Award in 2021 to honor a community member for their donation of time, talent or treasure to improve the lives of children in the Wellington community. The recipient may initiate a program or event that improves the lives of children by providing services needed or enjoyed by children. The club hopes to issue an award quarterly. Recipients receive an engraved Champion of Children Yeti mug, purchased from Farm and Home Hardware.
Ayers Ratliff, K-Kids Advisor, Duke Pride Festival, Morris Furcron Peterson Nut Sale, Wellington School Board Member
Tina Drake, Wellington High School Principal
Karen Wright, Wellington High School Secretary
Karen Wright Retired Wellington High School secretary Karen Wright was honored October 21, 2021 with the Wellington Kiwanis Club Champion of Children award. Wright retired in June after 30 years with Wellington Schools. She opted to retire when Principal Tina Drake announced she was leaving to take a similar opportunity in Cincinnati. She said Drake was the 14th high school principal that she worked for her during career. She also noted there have been 15 different superintendents leading the district during her tenure. A graduate of Midview High, she was named an honorary alumni of Wellington High for her work with the Wellington Alumni Association. Her high school associates said she was very organized and she knew the many ins and outs of the school’s everyday operations. She was an advocate for Duke pride and traditions. She told the Kiwanians she considered working through the pandemic the last two years the most challenging period of her career. She said she worked closely with Drake to make sure there was a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020, which was held outdoors in the parking lot, followed by a parade through town following the graduation ceremony. “The problem we faced was it seemed every time we made plans, things changed because of the pandemic,” she said.
She trained many office aides, teaching them the importance of customer service, phone etiquette, filing and taking and delivering messages in a timely manner. She said many students have returned and told her the soft skills they learned in the high school office were skills they have come to value in their professional careers. Over the years, she has been invited to several weddings and baby showers of former office aides.
The third annual Wellington Kiwanis Parade of Flags is underway as we honor those who gave their lives serving our country this Memorial Day weekend. We placed about 190 flags in residents' yards and in front of the Town Hall, around the Vietnam Memorial and Union School Park. Thanks to John and Amy Kiley of Kiley Tree Service for sponsoring the 20 flags in front of the Town Hall and Steve Neff of the Wellington Music Store for sponsoring the flags at Union School Park. The American Legion Post 8 is sponsoring the flags at the Vietnam Memorial for each of the five patriotic holidays in 2023. New this year is placing individual sponsored flags on Duke Pride Hill on the north side of the Wellington underpass on N. Main St., also known as O'Keefe Way for former mayor Barb O'Keefe. We are still taking subscriptions to have flags placed in front yards for the next four holidays, Flag Day, Independence Day, Patriot Day, and Veterans' Day. The cost will be prorated at $24, but we will gladly accept the full donation of $30 for the year. All proceeds go to our Playground Fund. #kids Need Kiwanis! ... See MoreSee Less
Join live at 179 East Herrick Ave. [SLCAD] or zoom into the meeting noon, Thursday, May 18th to listen to speaker Tiffany Sumpter with New Care Behavioral Health
Also stopping by college-bound Marshall Mull, one of four recipients of the Kiwanis Leadership Scholarship.
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...
Champion of Children Recipients
The Kiwanis Club of Wellington created the Champion of Children Award in 2021 to honor a community member for their donation of time, talent or treasure to improve the lives of children in the Wellington community. The recipient may initiate a program or event that improves the lives of children by providing services needed or enjoyed by children. The club hopes to issue an award quarterly. Recipients receive an engraved Champion of Children Yeti mug, purchased from Farm and Home Hardware.
Champion of Children Award Criteria
2021
Karen Wright
Retired Wellington High School secretary Karen Wright was honored October 21, 2021 with the Wellington Kiwanis Club Champion of Children award. Wright retired in June after 30 years with Wellington Schools. She opted to retire
when Principal Tina Drake announced she was leaving to take a similar opportunity in Cincinnati. She said Drake was the 14th high school principal that she worked for her during career. She also noted there have been 15 different superintendents leading the district during her tenure. A graduate of Midview High, she was named an honorary alumni of Wellington High for her work with the Wellington Alumni Association. Her high school associates said she was very organized and she knew the many ins and outs of the school’s everyday operations. She was an advocate for Duke pride and traditions. She told the Kiwanians she considered working through the pandemic the last two years the most challenging period of her career. She said she worked closely with Drake to make sure there was a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020, which was held outdoors in the parking lot, followed by a parade through town following the graduation ceremony. “The problem we faced was it seemed every time we made plans, things changed because of the pandemic,” she said.
She trained many office aides, teaching them the importance of customer service, phone etiquette, filing and taking
and delivering messages in a timely manner. She said many students have returned and told her the soft skills they
learned in the high school office were skills they have come to value in their professional careers. Over the years, she has been invited to several weddings and baby showers of former office aides.
Facebook Posts
The third annual Wellington Kiwanis Parade of Flags is underway as we honor those who gave their lives serving our country this Memorial Day weekend. We placed about 190 flags in residents' yards and in front of the Town Hall, around the Vietnam Memorial and Union School Park. Thanks to John and Amy Kiley of Kiley Tree Service for sponsoring the 20 flags in front of the Town Hall and Steve Neff of the Wellington Music Store for sponsoring the flags at Union School Park. The American Legion Post 8 is sponsoring the flags at the Vietnam Memorial for each of the five patriotic holidays in 2023. New this year is placing individual sponsored flags on Duke Pride Hill on the north side of the Wellington underpass on N. Main St., also known as O'Keefe Way for former mayor Barb O'Keefe. We are still taking subscriptions to have flags placed in front yards for the next four holidays, Flag Day, Independence Day, Patriot Day, and Veterans' Day. The cost will be prorated at $24, but we will gladly accept the full donation of $30 for the year. All proceeds go to our Playground Fund. #kids Need Kiwanis! ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Proud donor!
I love these displays.
Thank you for sharing!
Join live at 179 East Herrick Ave. [SLCAD] or zoom into the meeting noon, Thursday, May 18th to listen to speaker Tiffany Sumpter with New Care Behavioral Health
Also stopping by college-bound Marshall Mull, one of four recipients of the Kiwanis Leadership Scholarship.
Join Zoom Meeting
us02web.zoom.us/j/87248891749?pwd=OVJCUzFqQVVicFA5RERyWkIrSlpNdz09
Meeting ID: 872 4889 1749
Passcode: 862921
Wellington Kiwanis Board Meeting Agenda ... See MoreSee Less
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
us02web.zoom.us
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...Comment on Facebook