Marla Schneider, President and CEO of Cornerstone Alliance, started her job at Cornerstone in January of 2025. Cornerstone Alliance is the longest-running economic development program…
Marla Schneider, President and CEO of Cornerstone Alliance, started her job at Cornerstone in January of 2025. Cornerstone Alliance is the longest-running economic development program…
Club Secretary Ashley Schulte presented several different service opportunities available locally and internationally. She included options from the American Empathy Project, the United Way, and…
St. Joseph Township Supervisor, Roger Seely, and Township Manager Denise Cook shared that St. Joseph Charter Township is a community of approximately 10,000 people on…
Alexandra (Alex) Newman, Communications and Outreach Coordinator for the Area Agency on Aging, Region IV, has been with the agency for the past 3 years. The Area…
Our Speaker, Maureen Adams, Director of Berrien County Veterans Services, was named “Michigan Veteran Service Provider” of the year in 2025. She won the award…
Co-owner and Chef Aravind Ale was born in India, where his love of cooking started in his family’s kitchen. He always believed in food and community and is…
Nick Culp, Senior Manager for Government and Communications for Holtec International, and Mick Middaugh, Director for Community Affairs and Communications, gave us an update on the re-commissioning of Palisades Nuclear Plant since their last visit to our…
Our guest speaker was Chris Mason, co-owner of the Watermark Brewery Co. He and his partners, Jason Shull and David Cockel, shared a mutual interest in microbrewing and opened Watermark Brewing Co.…
Our speakers were Danielle Grandholm and Sarah Kwak, who were inspired by her daughter, Sammie, who was born with a surprise diagnosis of Down Syndrome. In their…
Steve Neubecker, Public Safety Director for SJ, and Emily Hackworth, City Manager for SJ, spoke on October 9, 2025. Steve told us that they now have a full…
Scott Sanford has been with the Public Defender’s Office since its inception in 2017. He was named the Chief in March of 2023. Currently, he supervises…
Marcy is the Executive Director of “Visit Southwest Michigan.” The majority of members are Hotel owners and other business owners who focus on tourism with…
CEO and co-founder James Gutner shared that the organization empowers men to thrive through community, education, and resources. James emphasized the importance of Dad being present…
Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson, Tom’s wife, talked about her and Tom’s 501 (c) (3) organization, “Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC)” in Uganda. It is home…
Lainie Adams, shown above with President Dave, is the Director of Corporate Partnerships for LOGAN Community Services, Inc. LOGAN is a non-profit organization, based in the…
Pam Klyn, President of the Whirlpool Foundation, reviewed many of the Whirlpool Foundation’s activities. She said that the Foundation uses a House and Home framework to guide its global giving. House…
Tess Ulery, a St. Joseph City Commissioner, and Kate Ulery, Tessa’s mom, have both been integral to resuming the popular North Pier Lighthouse tours since…
In 2009-2010, the city’s emergency manager merged the Police and Fire Departments, causing Police Officers and Fire Fighters to become cross-trained. However, the fire school…
Edgewater Resources is a global, full-service engineering company specializing in coastal and marina engineering, established in 2010. Greg states that, as they attempt to solve…
Luke reviewed the purpose of SWMAR, which includes being an advocate for realtors, providing education, offering training, and ensuring oversight. He provided a review of…
Dan reviewed all the activities needed for maintaining the St. Joseph Harbor and River, ensuring they remain open for both commercial and recreational boating. The Corps of Engineers is responsible…
Katie Woodard, Lakeshore Key Club Advisor, welcomed us to lunch at the High School. Then the Key Club Officers gave a PowerPoint presentation of their…
Mick gave us a review of Holtec’s history with the Palisades Nuclear Plant. In 2022, Holtec bought Pallisades with the aim of decommissioning it. With…
Rhiannon has served as Director of the BHCA for the past five years. She informed us that BHCA is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, operating under the direction of the County.…
Brian has been the B.C Administrator since 2020. Previously, he served as the City Manager of South Haven for 20 years. During the pandemic, they recognized the need…
Chris is the Managing Director of Harbor Shores Community Development. Currently, development in the Benton Harbor Parcels includes 137 homes and apartments. That accounts for $…
Al is the Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Government Relations at Lake Michigan College (LMC). He told us that there are “lots of exciting things…
What is Kiwanis? We are an eclectic mix of ages, genders, occupations, backgrounds, and interests. We are all passionate about making our community and the world a better place for children so they can thrive.
So proud of these outstanding young leaders!This weekend, 360 Michigan high school members from 32 schools gathered to celebrate a year of service, leadership, and impact through Key Club. Students participated in breakout sessions focused on leadership skills, club organization, hands-on service projects, and fundraising techniques.
Of the clubs sponsored by the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Kiwanis Club, both St. Joseph and Lakeshore were proudly represented by 34 members, along with advisors Katie Woodard (LHS) and Lauri Berry (SJHS). We are so grateful for the ongoing support, direction, and enthusiasm of our Kiwanis partners — and our members truly appreciated seeing the Good Luck ads scrolling across the conference screens!
Student Key Club State Elected Positions – We Are So Proud!
* Sukainah Saleem (St. Joseph freshman)* – Elected 2026–27 Lieutenant Governor for Division 8 * Aminah Garcia (St. Joseph junior)* – Elected 2026–27 Michigan District Bulletin Editor * Riya Veershetty (St. Joseph junior)* – Endorsed to run for International Trustee at ICON
We also want to recognize these outstanding student leaders for their year of district-level service:
* Samaira Suri (Lakeshore junior) – Division 8 Lieutenant Governor * Joe Berry (St. Joseph senior) – District Treasurer * Juhi Bhatt (St. Joseph senior) – District Secretary
Thank you for representing our schools with excellence!
Student Key Club Conference Awards: 1st Place – Partners in Service Award • $200 raised through our UNICEF Trick-or-Treat campaign • $400 raised for The Thirst Project through our Culver’s Give Back Night and bracelet sales Outstanding Executive Board Member Award – Juhi Bhatt 3rd Place – Traditional Scrapbook Early Bird Dues Award – Thanks to Riya Veershetty 2nd Place – Kiwanis Family Relations Award
We could not be more proud of the leadership, service, and heart our students demonstrate every single day. The future is bright! Go Bears! ... See MoreSee Less
This week we heard from club member and Assistant Superintendent of SJ Schools Amy Dirlam. She shared how professional development of teachers is a critical part of SJ Schools strategic plan. On this Valentine’s Day, we want to give heartfelt thanks 💗 to Amy and all of the area administrators, teachers and support staff who put in thousands of hours of work and study, year-round, to help our kids get an outstanding education. 📚🎭🔬💻🎼🧮 ... See MoreSee Less
Our club was happy to hear from Aravind Ale, Co-owner and Chef for @intaliarestaurant opening in March! He made our mouths water describing the flavorful fusion foods from India and Italy that he will prepare. Aravind also shared his big heart for helping children and the community. Be sure to check out Intalia on Glenlord Rd in Stevensville! ... See MoreSee Less
Program Presenters
Cornerstone Alliance
Marla Schneider, President and CEO of Cornerstone Alliance, started her job at Cornerstone in January of 2025. Cornerstone Alliance is the longest-running economic development program…
Read More
Cornerstone Alliance
Marla Schneider, President and CEO of Cornerstone Alliance, started her job at Cornerstone in January of 2025. Cornerstone Alliance is the longest-running economic development program…
Read More…
Service Opportunities
Club Secretary Ashley Schulte presented several different service opportunities available locally and internationally. She included options from the American Empathy Project, the United Way, and…
Read More…
Update on St. Joseph Township
St. Joseph Township Supervisor, Roger Seely, and Township Manager Denise Cook shared that St. Joseph Charter Township is a community of approximately 10,000 people on…
Read More…
Area Agency on Aging, Region IV.
Alexandra (Alex) Newman, Communications and Outreach Coordinator for the Area Agency on Aging, Region IV, has been with the agency for the past 3 years. The Area…
Read More…
Assistant Superintendent of SJ Schools Amy Dirlam
Amy shared that teacher development is an important and prominent part of the SJ Schools’ current Strategic Plan that aims to:
Read More…
Veterans Services
Our Speaker, Maureen Adams, Director of Berrien County Veterans Services, was named “Michigan Veteran Service Provider” of the year in 2025. She won the award…
Read More…
Intalia Bar, Restaurant & Pizzeria
Co-owner and Chef Aravind Ale was born in India, where his love of cooking started in his family’s kitchen. He always believed in food and community and is…
Read More…
Palisades Nuclear Plant Update
Nick Culp, Senior Manager for Government and Communications for Holtec International, and Mick Middaugh, Director for Community Affairs and Communications, gave us an update on the re-commissioning of Palisades Nuclear Plant since their last visit to our…
Read More…
Senior Care Kits
At this meeting, we gathered to finish up the Senior Care Kits. The Lakeshore Key Club Officers joined us for lunch and helped to assemble…
Read More…
Mike Hildebrand, Hildebrand Fruit Farms
Mike is the 4th-generation owner of the farm. Adolph Hildebrand, who immigrated from Ukraine in 1912, started the farm with 40 acres on Garr Rd…
Read More…
Senior Care Kits
Giving comes in many forms. ISo, instead of a speaker, several Kiwanians arrived early and stayed late to assemble Senior Care Kits. Our task was…
Read More…
Watermark Brewery
Our guest speaker was Chris Mason, co-owner of the Watermark Brewery Co. He and his partners, Jason Shull and David Cockel, shared a mutual interest in microbrewing and opened Watermark Brewing Co.…
Read More…
Rising Kites Coffee Shop
Our speakers were Danielle Grandholm and Sarah Kwak, who were inspired by her daughter, Sammie, who was born with a surprise diagnosis of Down Syndrome. In their…
Read More…
Installation of 2025-26 Board
Lt. Jovernor Jennifer Green shared that her goal for Division 13 in 2025-26 is “Connectiveness.” She would like us to be more cohesive as a division.…
Read More…
Steve Ross
Steve Ross, owner of the accounting firm, Stephen Ross & Company, reviewed some of the tax changes that occurred with the recent passage of the…
Read More…
Kristen Bawks, Supt. of St Joseph Schools
Kristen talked about the Bond Proposal coming up on the November 4th ballot. The proposal will keep the District’s tax rate at 3.7 mills, the…
Read More…
Steve Neubecker and Emily Hackworth
Steve Neubecker, Public Safety Director for SJ, and Emily Hackworth, City Manager for SJ, spoke on October 9, 2025. Steve told us that they now have a full…
Read More…
Chief Public Defender for Berrien County.
Scott Sanford has been with the Public Defender’s Office since its inception in 2017. He was named the Chief in March of 2023. Currently, he supervises…
Read More…
Marcy Simpson
Marcy is the Executive Director of “Visit Southwest Michigan.” The majority of members are Hotel owners and other business owners who focus on tourism with…
Read More…
Present Pillars
CEO and co-founder James Gutner shared that the organization empowers men to thrive through community, education, and resources. James emphasized the importance of Dad being present…
Read More…
HHVC
Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson, Tom’s wife, talked about her and Tom’s 501 (c) (3) organization, “Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC)” in Uganda. It is home…
Read More…
Lainie Adams, LOGAN
Lainie Adams, shown above with President Dave, is the Director of Corporate Partnerships for LOGAN Community Services, Inc. LOGAN is a non-profit organization, based in the…
Read More…
Welch Center of Wine and Viticulture
Kiya Hudson, Welch Center Manager, was our host and guide on August 5, 2025. Kiya grew up in Van Buren County and received a degree…
Read More…
Greg Eding, Lakeshore Schools Superintendent
Greg, pictured with President Dave, graduated from Hope College and pursued graduate studies at WMU and UM. He was at Zeeland West High School for…
Read More…
Pam Klyn
Pam Klyn, President of the Whirlpool Foundation, reviewed many of the Whirlpool Foundation’s activities. She said that the Foundation uses a House and Home framework to guide its global giving. House…
Read More…
Jim Grandholm
Jim is the Owner and President of Green Earth Electronics Recycling on 4200 Niles Rd in St. Joseph. He also owns Maverick Asset Solutions in…
Read More…
St. Joesph Lighthouse
Tess Ulery, a St. Joseph City Commissioner, and Kate Ulery, Tessa’s mom, have both been integral to resuming the popular North Pier Lighthouse tours since…
Read More…
Dan McGinnis, Director of Public Safety for Benton
In 2009-2010, the city’s emergency manager merged the Police and Fire Departments, causing Police Officers and Fire Fighters to become cross-trained. However, the fire school…
Read More…
Greg Weykamp, President and co-owner of Edgewater Resources,and Mike Morphey, Chief Engineer and co-owner.
Edgewater Resources is a global, full-service engineering company specializing in coastal and marina engineering, established in 2010. Greg states that, as they attempt to solve…
Read More…
Laurie Marciniak, Executive Director of the Curious Kids Museum
Laurie grew up in the Sister Lakes area and worked as an electrical engineer for Zenith for 27 years. Upon her retirement, she took on the…
Read More…
Larry Wozniak, President of “Lest We Forget.”
Larry was drafted into the army in 1969 and enlisted for a three-year term as a cook. He went to Vietnam in May of 1971…
Read More…
Luke Jeffries, CEO of Southwest Michigan Realtors Association (SWMAR)
Luke reviewed the purpose of SWMAR, which includes being an advocate for realtors, providing education, offering training, and ensuring oversight. He provided a review of…
Read More…
Dan Fette, Community Development Director for Berrien County
Dan reviewed all the activities needed for maintaining the St. Joseph Harbor and River, ensuring they remain open for both commercial and recreational boating. The Corps of Engineers is responsible…
Read More…
Marla Schne
Marla is the new President and CEO of Cornerstone Alliance. She shared that Cornerstone’s goals for the next year are:
Read More…
Amy Byrd, Berrien County Prosecutor
Amy discussed the workings of the Prosecutor’s Office, which cover:
Read More…
The Lakeshore Key Club
Katie Woodard, Lakeshore Key Club Advisor, welcomed us to lunch at the High School. Then the Key Club Officers gave a PowerPoint presentation of their…
Read More…
Nick Culp, Holtec’s Communications Director & Mick Middaugh, & Public Relations Director
Mick gave us a review of Holtec’s history with the Palisades Nuclear Plant. In 2022, Holtec bought Pallisades with the aim of decommissioning it. With…
Read More…
Donna Sauers, Executive Director of the Water Street Glassworks (WSG) and Jordan Rose, Studio Manager
Donna was recently appointed as the Director. WSG is a school, studio, and gallery dedicated to the fine arts of glass and metal. “We are…
Read More…
Rhiannon Cizon, Executive Director for the Berrien County Historical Association (BCHA)
Rhiannon has served as Director of the BHCA for the past five years. She informed us that BHCA is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, operating under the direction of the County.…
Read More…
Glenn Youngstedt
Glenn is the newly elected Lincoln Township Supervisor. He plans to be responsive to all the citizens of the townships. He reviewed the current state…
Read More…
Cathy Yates
Cathy took over the job as Supervisor in 2019. She discovered that the agreement with St. Joe for sewer treatment was set to expire in…
Read More…
Brian Dissette, Berrien County Administrator
Brian has been the B.C Administrator since 2020. Previously, he served as the City Manager of South Haven for 20 years. During the pandemic, they recognized the need…
Read More…
Chris Cook
Chris is the Managing Director of Harbor Shores Community Development. Currently, development in the Benton Harbor Parcels includes 137 homes and apartments. That accounts for $…
Read More…
Bonita Mitchell and Iris Watts, ISM.
Bonita Mitchell is the Executive Director of “I’m Saving Myself (ISM)”, and Iris Watts is the BH Supervisor of ISM. Bonita started a program in…
Read More…
Al Pscholka
Al is the Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Government Relations at Lake Michigan College (LMC). He told us that there are “lots of exciting things…
Read More…
Facebook
Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph Benton Harbor
What is Kiwanis? We are an eclectic mix of ages, genders, occupations, backgrounds, and interests. We are all passionate about making our community and the world a better place for children so they can thrive.
So proud of these outstanding young leaders!This weekend, 360 Michigan high school members from 32 schools gathered to celebrate a year of service, leadership, and impact through Key Club. Students participated in breakout sessions focused on leadership skills, club organization, hands-on service projects, and fundraising techniques.
Of the clubs sponsored by the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Kiwanis Club, both St. Joseph and Lakeshore were proudly represented by 34 members, along with advisors Katie Woodard (LHS) and Lauri Berry (SJHS). We are so grateful for the ongoing support, direction, and enthusiasm of our Kiwanis partners — and our members truly appreciated seeing the Good Luck ads scrolling across the conference screens!
Student Key Club State Elected Positions – We Are So Proud!
* Sukainah Saleem (St. Joseph freshman)* – Elected 2026–27 Lieutenant Governor for Division 8
* Aminah Garcia (St. Joseph junior)* – Elected 2026–27 Michigan District Bulletin Editor
* Riya Veershetty (St. Joseph junior)* – Endorsed to run for International Trustee at ICON
We also want to recognize these outstanding student leaders for their year of district-level service:
* Samaira Suri (Lakeshore junior) – Division 8 Lieutenant Governor
* Joe Berry (St. Joseph senior) – District Treasurer
* Juhi Bhatt (St. Joseph senior) – District Secretary
Thank you for representing our schools with excellence!
Student Key Club Conference Awards:
1st Place – Partners in Service Award
• $200 raised through our UNICEF Trick-or-Treat campaign
• $400 raised for The Thirst Project through our Culver’s Give Back Night and bracelet sales
Outstanding Executive Board Member Award – Juhi Bhatt
3rd Place – Traditional Scrapbook
Early Bird Dues Award – Thanks to Riya Veershetty
2nd Place – Kiwanis Family Relations Award
We could not be more proud of the leadership, service, and heart our students demonstrate every single day. The future is bright! Go Bears! ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
This week we heard from club member and Assistant Superintendent of SJ Schools Amy Dirlam. She shared how professional development of teachers is a critical part of SJ Schools strategic plan.
On this Valentine’s Day, we want to give heartfelt thanks 💗 to Amy and all of the area administrators, teachers and support staff who put in thousands of hours of work and study, year-round, to help our kids get an outstanding education. 📚🎭🔬💻🎼🧮 ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Our club was happy to hear from Aravind Ale, Co-owner and Chef for @intaliarestaurant opening in March! He made our mouths water describing the flavorful fusion foods from India and Italy that he will prepare. Aravind also shared his big heart for helping children and the community. Be sure to check out Intalia on Glenlord Rd in Stevensville! ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook