Angelo “Monty” Maltaghati
Lieutenant Governor,
Queens West Division of Kiwanis International
Lindenwood
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Angelo Maltaghati became Lieutenant Governor of Kiwanis 14 years ago, at the age of 65. Now, at 82, his responsibilities are just as important. “My role is to make sure that my division grows so that they serve the community one child at a time,” he said.
His division is comprised of 16 different local clubs throughout western Queens. His own club, Kiwanis of Lefferts-Liberty, went from 35 to 55 members over the years. He has acted as their secretary, treasurer and president numerous times. “Our primary goal is to serve the children of the world and have a lot of programs within this community.”
Maltaghati is an active member of Our Lady of Perpetual Health in Ozone Park, where he is part of the Holy Name Society. He was also a member of Knights of Columbus in Wakefield.
In his spare time, Maltaghati enjoys bowling. He also owns an extensive collection of Kiwanis pins from Taiwan, Japan, Hawaii, Greece, Africa and other places around the world, which he displays on a vest jacket.
JOB: After serving in the United States Navy on the Enterprise and the U.S.S. Portsmouth, Maltaghati worked on Wall Street for over 20 years. He retired from the NYPD in 1969.
PERSONAL: Maltaghati’s background in Kiwanis comes from his parents, who ran a home for disadvantaged children in their own house in Astoria. “[My mother] cared for more than 32 children, from babies to teens, even though I had only two siblings,” he said. He now lives in Lindenwood with his wife and they have three sons and the memory of a fourth.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: According to Maltaghati, the hardest part of sustaining an organization is expanding it. “You can only achieve growth if you have a good community and an understanding of everybody in Kiwanis. You have to understand people, be nice to people. The achievement of my lifetime was when we brought in, 14 years ago, 48 new members.” Most recently, the division has introduced 90 new members, and Maltaghati expects at least 10 more.
FAVORITE MEMORY: Maltaghati’s favorite memory was when Kiwanis raised $25,000 to get a mortgage for HeartShare’s Lefferts-Liberty Kiwanis First Step Early Childhood Center.
Proudest Moment: Becoming president of the Lefferts-Liberty Kiwanis club in 1989 is Maltaghati’s proudest moment. “It was quite an honor because I’d only been in the club for three years. I was very proud of it, and I’m proud of it today.”
- Marianna Nash
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