The Health Careers Scholarship deadline for application requests is fast approaching, March 1, 2020. We ask for student information (name, field of study and year in program), so that we can alert those that may not be eligible before they complete the application process. The completed applications are due April 1, 2020. The recipients and…
A Moment in IOKDS History Ladies Home Journal Article Excerpt from Margaret Bottome’s featured column, “Heart to Heart Talks with The King’s Daughters”…January 1891 “Two Windows” “A friend in Berlin last summer told me the following story which helped me so much that I give it to you: “The dingy panes of glass in the…
Since before Christmas, I’ve been trying to get over this “nagging cough”… I can’t seem to get rid of it! It made me miss out on many of my family and friends’ Christmas traditional events, but my cough has also made me want to look closer into 2020. To help battle my cough, I’ve been…
Just like it is important to have an annual physical for your body, it is important for IOKDS members to regularly examine their Circle, Branch, City Unions, Chapters, and the International facets of our organization. Perhaps you have experience in SWOT analysis which involves brainstorming internal strengths and weaknesses along with external threats and opportunities.…
We count money…we count birthdays…we count the number of days until Christmas Day…we count lots! What we don’t count enough of, though, are the blessings of kindness touching our lives and the lives of those around us. Yesterday I was reminded. I stopped over to my brother’s camp to return his thermal coffee mug…he brought…
On November 9, 2019, I had the privilege of celebrating 30 years of the Fall of the Wall in Berlin, Germany. On a casual walk in East Berlin, my eye caught these words painted on a courtyard entry way arch: “We know who you are… We know what you do.” I caught my breath. As…
A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of having a wonderful lunch with one of the remaining members of our old Omicron Circle, who fortunately like me, has stayed connected with IOKDS through her membership as a Member-At-Large. As we were sitting at a table awaiting our fancy lunch to arrive, I noticed she…
How many times have you looked in the mirror and wondered, “Who is that person looking back at me? Surely that face does not belong to me, because I’m not nearly that old!” When someone makes the statement that we are only as old as we feel, that age can make very dramatic swings from…
As patterns of religious and philanthropic participation are changing across all types of groups and organizations, I think about IOKDS, an international, interdenominational, and intergenerational Christian organization. Trends of lower religious affiliation and activity may be leading to less charitable time and money giving as well as less community engagement. Can our local, state/province, and…
Our daughter has recently co-authored an educational enrichment book entitled, “Better Together.” The book focuses on how working together eases the workload, brings new ideas into the classroom, strengthens the learning process and builds relationships. When applied to KDS, having a Circle Project can bring new life to the group, which strengthens the circle, the…
My husband, David, grew up with parents who both had “green thumbs.” Their love of gardening planted a seed in him so that as an adult he took classes and became a Master Gardener. During our years of summer trips to Chautauqua, he and Ron Carter spent many days working to make the properties sustainable…
Music, particularly singing, has always been a part of my life. I grew up singing in all the groups I could join all through my public school years: mixed choirs, girls’ glee clubs, Madrigal choir, and of course my church choir. I also played trumpet in our Jr. High-High School bands. I took a break…
Like many others around the world, I was stopped in my tracks by the news that the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was burning. This majestic, seemingly indestructible, ancient seat of faith was vulnerable to destruction. The work of centuries of builders, stone masons, architects, carvers, glass workers, and artists had created a legacy –…
You have met at least one connector – maybe you are one! These members are engaging, warm, people-persons. They start conversations in grocery store lines, on train platforms and in church halls. Gifted and personable, they may or may not also be leaders. They don’t need to be leaders to have a real and lasting…
In May, we will be gathering together to take care of IOKDS business. IOKDS Conference 2019 will be held at the historic Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. Why historic? The story goes that President Theodore Roosevelt on a stay at the hotel said of his morning coffee that it was “good to the last drop”. That…