By Wellington-Waverly Kiwanis Club

This new club registered with Kiwanis International on January 8, 2019. It’s been a crazy, fun ride this year and my term ends September 30- after our annual fundraising event…Oktoberfest!

The mission of our club is to serve children and the community they live in. We accomplish this in many ways, including sponsoring local events that bring neighbors together in a family-friendly environment. Hitting the ground running like typical Kiwanians, we immediately co-sponsored (with Soul Squared Brewing) the wildly successful Knit-A-Thon during the entire month of January. With the help of many community participants, over 60 scarves were knitted for local families in need.

Next up, we sponsored a Mother’s Day Flower Pots event at the Wellington Boys and Girl Club. The kids had so much fun choosing flowers, filling their pots and decorating them for Mother’s Day gifts.

A truly wonderful experience was the Historic Wellington Walking Tour for over 100 Eyestone Elementary Second Graders. On May 3, Kiwanis members that were posted at various “stops” along the way shared stories about people and structures during the early 1900s. This project was developed to support the second-grade local history curriculum. Rice Elementary Second Graders will enjoy the same tour this October.

That’s not all…

We also served the community by volunteering for events sponsored by the town of Wellington: the Easter Egg Hunt in April and the Fishing Derby in May, just to name a few. Anyone attending the Fourth of July parade in Wellington would also have seen our parade float!

To round out the year we will finish with a Big Bang: Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 28, in Centennial Park, Wellington. So far, this is our only fundraising event where our club keeps the proceeds. Our club events are supported by this funding.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers, striving to be a positive influence in communities worldwide. It has been an honor to have been of service to our Wellington-Waverly Kiwanis Club.