Sunday, September 20, 2020

Leigh Zeitz Awarded the Hixson Fellowship Award for Service

Leigh and Kathy Zeitz
Leigh Zeitz (with wife Kathy) receiving the award.

Monday, September 14, 2020 - The Cedar Falls Rough Risers Kiwanis Club has given its highest award to Leigh Zeitz, honoring his years of work with Kiwanis helping the children of the Cedar Valley. Zeitz, who is an associate professor of Educational Technology at UNI, was given the George F. Hixson Fellowship award, and the Rough Risers donated $1,000 to Kiwanis International’s Children’s Fund in his honor.

Zeitz has been a member of the Rough Risers Club for 28 years.  He has served as president and built and maintains the club’s website at https://cfkiwanisroughrisers.blogspot.com/.  He fully understands the mission of our club, which is “Serving the Children of the Cedar Valley,”  so he takes the initiative on many other projects.  For years he has raised money for the local Grin and Grow Daycare by riding RAGBRAI; he raised more than $15,000 over the 19 years he has ridden RAGBRAI.

 

Another of Zeitz’ favorites is the annual Gift of Giving, sponsored by the Jaycees and the Rough Risers.  About 100 needy children gather at the UAW hall and ride buses with adults (Jaycees, Rough Risers, and UNI volunteers) to Blain’s to purchase Christmas gifts for their family with money provided by the sponsors.  Then they return to the UAW Hall for pancakes and sausage prepared by the Rough Risers while Santa Claus mixes with the kids.  Santa looks suspiciously like Dr. Zeitz, we think. 

 

When we pop Kettlecorn (and we will again, when normal times return!) you can often find Zeitz as our lead salesman, explaining that the extra special taste of Kettlecorn is charity – the fact that all our profits go to local organizations helping children.  He also helps solicit our wonderful sponsors who double the money we raise. 

 

But during these past six months, Zeitz has been invaluable. When we were forced to cancel our in-person meetings, Zeitz put our meetings on Zoom.  Half of our members had never been on Zoom before but he taught us all.  He even arranged a fun joint meeting with another Kiwanis Club in Nebraska, also on Zoom.

 

Kiwanis Rough Risers meet each Wednesday morning at 6:45 by Zoom.  After a brief fellowship, we have a 30-minute program informing us about something interesting going on locally so we can be better-informed citizens of our community.  If you wish to be our guest at a meeting or join our club, please contact Jim Larson at djlarson@cfu.net.

 

Written by Tony Reid


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