It’s been a couple of months since this column last appeared, so I’d like to catch up on some of the things we accomplished.
Our club was very busy in December and, along with all the work, we had a lot of fun. Kiwanis’s core mission is “Children Priority One,” and our annual “Santa’s Workshop” fit right into that theme.
It helps that we had a real Santa (aka Pete DeBoer) who made sure all the kids got a chance to pull his white beard — because it’s real. (I’m not sure if Santa has his hair in a ponytail, but he might!)
The Kingston Cove Yacht Club, Commodore Tony Clark and his board once again generously donated the use of the club for the workshop. Some special thanks go out to Borrowed Kitchen Bakery for all the wonderful cookies.
Our Kiwanis Club is an active participant (donating money and volunteers) in Food for Kids, which is a collaborative effort initiated by Kingston Cares to provide meals to qualified children during school breaks. For the winter break, our program provided boxes of food in December. More than 100 recipients were supported. That’s a lot of food to pack. It’s not just Kiwanis; many of the organizations in town participated. S’Klallam Tribe members made sure all qualified families got what they needed; that’s what’s so great about living in Kingston.
All of us are looking for an early spring, and Kiwanians buckled down on planning spring and summer events to help kids.
On March 25, Kiwanians will again join the Key Club of Kingston High School to sponsor a food drive at Albertsons and the Food Market. The goal: beat the 1,500 pounds of food gathered at the last drive.
April 15 is the deadline for local high school seniors to complete their applications for the Greater Kingston Kiwanis Scholarships. These scholarships range from $1,000 to $3,000 for advanced education and are based predominately on the applicant’s community service. Over the last 10 years, we have given some 25 scholarships to deserving high school seniors to continue their education.
In May, we kick off a new community service event for the club: a Bicycle Rodeo at Village Green Community Center. The event will emphasize bike safety. We’ll have coaches available to review the rules of the road and check to ensure that all bike helmets fit properly on all participants. We will also have a special visit from the North Kitsap Fire &Rescue.
It’s not too soon to think about summer and two of our major funding projects. On June 24, we will again host the Beer Fest at the port, and on Aug. 26 we will have the second annual Salmon Slam. Again, we will be selling whole salmon from Alaska the week before the dinner. I’ll provide more details in future articles.
I can’t say enough about our KHS Key Club. At our annual joint dinner on Feb. 2, eight Key Club members and faculty adviser Lori Camp spoke. They identified “service” as a driving force in their lives, evident in the many projects they participate in — from food and clothing drives to raising funds for a school in Malawi. Senior Emma Smith gave a presentation about her year in Colombia,
Kiwanis members Diane Tandy-Guerrero and Nancy Garing have assumed the club liaison position and are looking forward to engaging more with these young people.
Join us for breakfast at 7 a.m on Thursdays at the Village Green Community Center, or give one of us a ring. Call Rob Shoaf, our president, 907-306-7611; or me, at 360-297-4462.
— Bob Lee is a member of the Greater Kingston Kiwanis Club. Contact him at glencarin@aol.com.
