Kiwanis International Convention Convenes in New Orleans June 27-July 1, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2012

Kiwanis International Convention Convenes in New Orleans June 27-July 1, 2012
Convention honors 25-year anniversary of women in Kiwanis

WHAT: Kiwanis International Convention

WHERE: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (MCCNO), Halls B-D

WHEN: Wednesday, June 27-Sunday, July 1, 2012

DETAILS: The 97^th Annual Kiwanis International Convention, to be held June 27-July 1, will celebrate the 25^th anniversary of women in Kiwanis. The Kiwanis convention is also being held concurrently with the convention for Circle K International, Kiwanis' university service organization with clubs on more than 500 campuses. Additionally, Kiwanis members will celebrate early fundraising success for The Eliminate Project: Kiwanis eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus.

The convention's opening reception will honor 55 women from around the world with the Legion of Honor award for 25 years of Kiwanis service. In 1987, delegates of the 72nd annual convention voted to allow women to join Kiwanis. Currently 26 percent of the Kiwanis International is comprised of women, and today, women are able to hold leadership positions on both the district and club levels.

Founded in 1915, Kiwanis International is a global organization of members dedicated to serving the children of the world. Kiwanis and its family of clubs-nearly 600,000 members strong-raise more than $100 million annually and dedicate more than 18 million volunteer hours to strengthen communities and serve children.

Kiwanis International's last meeting held in New Orleans was in 2002. This year's convention is expected to attract more than 5,000 attendees and generate an estimated $5.8 million in economic impact.

WEBSITE: sites.kiwanis.org
TWITTER: @kiwanis
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/kiwanis
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/kiwanisinternational

MAJOR EVENTS (All events held at MCCNO, Hall C, unless noted otherwise):

• Wed, June 27; 4 p.m.: Opening reception honoring 25 years of women's service in Kiwanis and presenting 55 women with the Legion of Honor award; Local New Orleans resident and Kiwanis leader, Ellen Mudock, will be among the women being recognized (INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY), Hall B
• Thursday, June 28, 6 a.m., The Eliminate Project walk; More than 500 participants and volunteers are walking to raise funds for The Eliminate Project and awareness about this terrible disease. Aquarium of the Americas

EXHIBIT HALL: MCCNO, Hall B
HOURS: Wed, June 27; 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thurs, June 28; 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Fri, June 29; 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kiwanis: On-site contact: Jo Lynn Garing, 317-508-6337, jgaring@kiwanis.org; Kelly R. Young, 317-753-3258, kelly@baisecommunications.com
New Orleans CVB: Tara Letort, 504-566-5019, tletort@neworleanscvb.com; Kelly Schulz, 504-421-0962, kschulz@neworleanscvb.com

MCCNO: Rosalie Mortillaro, 504-582-3027, rmortillaro@mccno.com