Our Kiwanis club had a very busy year helping numerous families and children have fruitful and positive life experiences.
Our mission is “taking care of children, priority one,” though Kiwanis also supports other worthwhile projects in the greater Kingston area.
January was mainly spent helping plan the gala, organized by Judy and Dick Osborn, which we sponsor in support of the Boys & Girls Club. A great time was had by all at the pre-Valentine’s Day event — with champagne, chocolate and hors d’oeuvres — thanks to help from local volunteers.
Duffy Selter was there with clowns from Caring Clowns International to keep smiles on everyone’s face. Craig Smith, owner of the Firehouse Theater, showed “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and many folks dressed in period clothes to make it a special occasion. Professional photographer Tim Todd made sure that everyone attending remembered how much fun they had.
Ross McCurdy, owner of the Oak Table Café, who gives us his restaurant for the gala, also served as auctioneer for the live auction, assisted by Duffy and B-Bo who raised the paddle and collected another $5,000 from generous residents in support of our youngsters.
In combination, the silent and live auctions raised more than $18,000 for the Boys & Girls Club. This year’s gala is scheduled for Feb. 9, so get your tickets now at Columbia Bank and Kitsap Bank.
Kiwanis also sponsored a joint dinner meeting with Kingston Rotary at the fire station to make sure we support each other’s agendas and work together for the good of our Kingston community, especially the kids. Both clubs worked together with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe to provide a summer food program for children eligible for free or subsidized lunch. We hope to have more of these events in the future. In March, Kiwanis member Jane Mack chaired a committee that sponsored a benefit performance at the Jewel Box Theater in Poulsbo, raising more than $2,000 for this summer food program.
Another project we support each year is the Kingston 4th of July celebration, both with money and volunteering. President Pat Bennett-Forman handed a check to Kingston 4th chairman Pete DeBoer for $500 to support the fireworks, and I distributed hundreds of buttons with the help of local businesses, other Kiwanians, and Doug Hallouck from Rotary.
Kiwanis had three successful food drives in 2013, collecting thousands of dollars and hundreds of bags of groceries for the local food banks from shoppers at IGA and Albertsons. It’s a good thing to make sure families in and around Kingston have food, especially the kids so they are able to concentrate in school.
Margaret Lemay, the Kiwanis liaison for the Kingston High School Key Club, has the group motivated and the teens were all over the place helping with the Halloween Carnival, Santa’s Workshop and at all our food drives and other projects.
Berry sales were strong and we grossed more than $12,000 because of the dedication of our coordinator, Dave Muller, and helpers Dave Wetter, Larry Anderson, Tom Davies and Mary Lou Iverson, who work to insure Kingston supports its sweet tooth with yummy jam and pies.
Dahlia Malin chaired the Mustang Raffle which was a success again, though less so than in previous years (an effect of the economy, we believe). Consequently, the Kingston Kiwanis Club is going to try some other venues for fundraising in 2014 to support our projects: scholarships for North Kitsap High School seniors, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Village Green, to name a few.
In December, Judy Osborn was able to turn in more than 300 toys to ShareNet from our toy drive, which started in August. Recently, Kiwanis has been participating in the Kitsap County Homeless Youth Task Force to find places for these youngsters to stay during emergency weather. Progress is also moving ahead for finding a place for these kids to hang out, get jobs, and have adults and peer mentors to talk to, similar to the Coffee Oasis in Bremerton and Poulsbo.
To give community members a chance to learn more about Kiwanis and the various ways they might become involved, Kingston Kiwanis is hosting a open house on Jan. 28, at 5:30 p.m., at Columbia Bank. Refreshments will be served and Kiwanis members will be present to share our excitement about our service projects. A slide show about Kiwanis will be presented.
We meet at the Oak Table Café each Thursday at 7 a.m. Come down and join us. If you san more information, please contact our president, Pat Bennett-Forman, 360-697-4849; or me at 360-509-9752.
— Contact Bob Lee at GLENCARIN@aol.com
