Hi there, from sunny Arizona. I was not able to attend the Valentine’s Day Gala this February; it’s the first one I missed in its five years, but they did just great without me (amazing).
President Pat Bennett-Forman and Secretary Eric Roth kept me up to date, and it appears that it was another successful and rewarding experience with fun had by all.
The Boys and Girls Club Gala earned approximately $25,000 with a combination of donations and silent and live auction. The following Kiwanis members worked on the Gala Committee: Wendy Armstrong, Rick Eveleth, Hal (and Helen) Hoover, Marylou Iverson, Margaret LeMay Deni and Bobby Lee, Jane Mack, Dahlia and Glenn Malin, Dave (and Ann) Wetter and Dick and Judy Osborn. That amounts to 50 percent of the committee, and the Osborns chaired the event for the fifth year — a big round of applause for all their efforts as the event raises about half of the annual operating costs of the program.
Other Kiwanis members donated to the silent and live auctions, including Rick Eveleth, Wendy Armstrong, Hal Hoover, Dave Muller, Pat Bennett-Forman, and Dahlia Malin.
Kiwanis Business Partner Kitsap Bank (Lucy Walters and Lael Alecci) were on the committee and always make sure the money comes out and the auction items are marked properly. This year, they had entertainment by the Barbershop Quartet Heartbreak (including Hal Hoover, one of our long-time members, singing bass) and comedienne Bridget Young, who helped make it a hilarious event.
Caring Clowns Inter-national helped with the live auction and made balloon corsages for all the ladies. Professional photographer Tim Todd took photos. Craig Smith donated use of the Firehouse Theater for the show, as usual. Ross McCurdy generously let us use the Oak Table to house the event again, and served as our auctioneer. Great job by all.
Kiwanis is gearing up for several spring events, including a food drive in March; and our annual Kiwanis One-Day Service Project on April 5, when we will help with the refurbishing of Camp Beausite in Chimacum. Camp Beausite is a Kiwanis-sponsored camp for children and young adults with disabilities. The camp has worked with children for many years and always needs volunteers to get it ready for summer.
We will also be sponsoring another family-builder event, to be announced soon. And we will be assisting Windermere with Kites Over Kingston, which raises money for local charitable needs.
Kiwanis is a winning combination of 3 Ks: Kiwanis + Kingston + Kids. Anyone who is interested in kids and Kingston will want to be a part of Kiwanis. People can participate as full members, business partners or Kiwanis boosters. For information, come to a meeting Thursday mornings at 7 at the Oak Table Cafe. Visit our website, www.greaterkingstonkiwanis.org, or call. Like us on Facebook at Greater Kingston Kiwanis.
Scholarship applications are now available on our website. We look for high school seniors in North Kitsap with a record of community service and hard work in school. Applications are due April 1. Seniors should be talking to their advisers now to get an application.
Come on down and join us. If you have questions about Kiwanis, please call our president Pat Bennett-Forman at 360-697-4849, or me at 360-509-9752.
— Contact Bob Lee at glencarin@aol.com.
