Last week I had the opportunity to put together a press release on the achievements of the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville.
Here is the release:
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.--Kiwanis defining statement, adopted October 2004. Our motto is “Serving the Children of the world.”
The 43-member Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville is open to adult men and women volunteers from all walks of life. We sponsor youth organizations at the University of Virginia (Circle K clubs) and Key Clubs at five area High Schools. (Albemarle, Charlottesville, Covenant, Fluvanna, and Monticello High Schools). We meet for dinner on Monday nights at 6:15PM the Ponderosa – except for the 4th Monday when we perform service projects. (See below)
Taken together, we represent a total volunteer force of approximately 425 persons, responding to needs of the community as a whole and of the individual schools that we serve. (See below for short description of specific projects and a comprehensive list.)
In addition to direct service, Kiwanis, Circle K and the Key clubs contributed $118,826 to the Charlottesville community during the past calendar year.
FUNDS CONTRIBUTED TO THE CHARLOTTESVILLE COMMUNITY
• Thanks to a ten to one matching grant our contribution made it possible for Children Youth and Family Services (CYFS) to provide $76,000 to Head Start.
• $5,766 to the Salvation Army Child Care Center
• $5,000 from the Kiwanis Capital District Foundation to the Kluge Children’s Medical Center
• $3,600 to Boys and Girls Club for the Triple Play Program
• $2,400 to Camp Holiday Trails
• $1,500 in scholarships for graduating high school seniors
• $1,060 for Disabled Persons Christmas Party
• $ 800 sponsorship of our Little League team.
• $11,200 to various community projects from Albemarle High School Key Club.
• $3,000 to various community projects from Charlottesville High School Key Club.
• $1,500 to various community projects from Covenant High School Key Club
During its 83 year history the club has contributed an estimated $750,000.
SELECTED SERVICE PROJECTS FROM KIWANIS FAMILY YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS (see below for complete lists)
• Circle K at The University of Virginia, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville, has been active in support of the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter for more than ten years. Volunteers prepare and serve lunch for the homeless and hungry on a recent first Saturday, the meal traditionally reserved for Circle K service. Circle K also participates in a leadership capacity at the annual shoe drive in February, vigorously rings the kettle bells in November and December, and is developing an outreach to the Salvation Army's Child Care Center's Tuesday evening enrichment program entitled "Reading is FUN".
• AHS Key Club supported Jeffery’s Gift Foundation, set up in memory of an AHS Student (Jeff Centini) who died of cancer in 2004.
• AHS Key Club members, supported "Triple Play" program, an innovative holistic approach to helping 8-12 year-olds develop a healthy lifestyle (Details and photo, below)
• Charlottesville High Key Club members spent their Saturday mornings tutoring and reading books to children in the English as a Second language Program
• Covenant High School Key club invited children from Southwood community to use computers at their school in order to learn typing. They helped Kiwanis club prepare Camp Holiday Trails for its opening and rang bells at Christmas time for the Salvation Army.
SELECTED SERVICE PROJECTS FROM KIWANIS CLUB
• Continuing its 40-year holiday tradition, the club hosted a Christmas party for more than 100 persons with disabilities, Club members served banquet provided by Big Jim's Barbecue. The party was held at WorkSource Enterprises, an important local non-profit agency that provides job training and employment to people with disabilities.
• Kiwanis and Key club members volunteered on three separate occasions to help Camp Holiday Trails prepare for its summer sessions for children facing illness and other medical problems.
• Other service projects include assistance with the Dept. of Health triathlon fundraiser and the Martha Jefferson Hospital 5K run.
• On the fourth Monday evening of each month, the Kiwanis club completes a service project for the community. These included landscaping efforts at Johnson and Buford schools, preparing a mailer for Union Grove church, painting and landscaping at the Salvation Army Child Care Center, the Community Bike Shop, and Habitat for Humanity.
• Kiwanis sponsors a Little League team with funds, a visit to a UVA baseball game, and an end of the year picnic.
• Kiwanis fund-raisers provide the monetary resources for much of our service. These are: 1) Christmas tree sales; 2) a Pancake Breakfast dedicated to the Salvation Army Child Care Center and ; 3) the Fourth of July Fun run dedicated to the Children, Youth and Family Services Head Start project.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECT
All branches of the Kiwanis Family help fund the Kiwanis effort to eliminate Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD). In 1990 only 20 percent of the world population had access to iodized salt. Kiwanis Efforts, in cooperation with the United Nations, has increased that number to 90 percent, meaning that every year 90 million children are protected from IDD. A population with IDD can average 15 IQ points below that of a population with adequate iodine. As a result of its efforts bring iodization of salt throughout the world, Kiwanis is literally making the world smarter.
KEY CLUB PROJECT LISTS;
Albemarle High School Key Club (contact faculty advisor’s Don Foss or Teresa Tyler 975-9300)
Adopt-a-Highway
Boys & Girls Club - Triple Play
Camp Holiday Trails
Cancer Society - Daffodil Days
Cancer Society - Relay for Life **
Club Read - English as a Second Language Council
CROP Walk
Elementary School Fairs
Exam Care Packages to alumni who are UVa Freshmen
Geraniums for Nursing Homes on Mothers Day
Habitat for Humanity - through Youth United
Hats for Cancer patients
Jeffrey's Gifts Foundation*
Kiwanis Art Auction
Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast
Kiwanis Project to provide school supplies to needy children
Kiwanis Tree Sale
Painting project at AHS
Pancake Breakfast for AHS staff
Salvation Army Angel Tree
Salvation Army Bell Ringing
School beautification projects at AHS
Socks for Tots
Toy Lift
UNICEF-Trick or treat
* Jeffery’s Gift Foundation was set up in memory of an AHS Student (Jeff Centini) that died of cancer in 2004, it provides TV’s. video games CD’s etc for youthful cancer patients so their treatment will be less of a strain.
** The Relay for Life team also did their work in Jeff Centini’s memory.
Charlottesville High School Key Club (Contact Faculty advisor Sherry Hodges 245-2729) From the CHS key club president
“I feel the biggest impact our Key Club made throughout the many projects we did, was for Relay for Life. We raised over $2000 and have started a tradition of having a student-teacher basketball game, which gets everyone in our school involved. Most particularly on the individual level, the amount of money fundraised was incredible. Other projects that really mean a lot to us, as a club, is the selling of Daffodil Days, which are fun to see around the school, spreading hope. We also did a fundraiser to support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and will be doing a similar fundraiser through the Blue Star Mothers this fall. That is a fundraiser everyone in our club and school feels most passionate and dedicated about. Unfortunately ESL no longer exists, but when it did for the previous years, many of our members enjoyed tutoring the ESL kids on Saturday mornings, always being biased and picking out books we particularly enjoyed, hoping that the kids would as well.”
Covenant High School Key Club (contact faculty advisor Brian Verbrugge 220-7329 7354)
1. Southwood Typing. We invited 12-15 boys and girls from Southwood, the mobile home community close to our school, to come and use our computer lab for learning how to type. This program lasted 7 months (2x month).
2. Operation Christmas Child. The Key Club helped organize the annual shoebox (full of toys, candies, and personal hygiene items) for needy children around the world. This is led by the Samaritan’s Purse organization.
3. Operation Easter Child. Samaritan’s Purse devised a program for those children affected by the Tsunami…again we participated.
4. Salvation Army Bell Ringing. We raised money ($250) by ringing the bell for the Army!
5. Coat and Hat collection. We collected coats, hats, scarves, and gloves for the needy homeless children in the Ukraine. One of the teachers in our school brought them there over Winter Break.
6. Shoe Drive collection. We participated in the local shoe drive for the homeless organized by the Charlottesville podiatrists and The Salvation Army.
7. Socks for Tots. All of the local Key Clubs participated in this event where we stuffed the socks with fun stuff for the local kids.
8. Unicef Trick or Treating for Hunger. We raised money by trick or treating for change and gave it to UNICEF.
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