County's Kiwanis clubs dedicated to helping children, communities
By LEE B. ROBERTS
lroberts@journaltimes.com | Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009 12:00 am
Have you ever put a coin into one of the many gumball machines around town? Or maybe you've stuffed a dollar into a volunteer's canister in exchange for a couple bags of peanuts outside of the grocery store … or devoured a stack of warm, buttery pancakes smothered in syrup in the Festival Park hall. If you answered "yes" to any of the above, chances are you've supported one of Racine County's Kiwanis clubs.
The above examples are just a sampling of the ways that area Kiwanis clubs raise funds for the many community service projects they do each year in Racine County and beyond. Each club - five in Racine and one each in Burlington, Union Grove and Waterford - has its own projects and its own fundraising activities.
What they all have in common is their mission - that of changing the world, one child and one community at a time. Their work helping kids is something the Racine area Kiwanis clubs not only share with each other, but with a global Kiwanis family of nearly 600,000 adult and youth volunteers in about 8,000 clubs in 96 countries.
Each year, those clubs sponsor approximately 150,000 service projects and raise more than $107 million to fund those efforts, according to the Kiwanis International Web site (http://www.kiwanis.org). In addition, all of the clubs working together have contributed more than $80 million toward the global elimination of iodine deficiency disorders, the leading preventable cause of mental retardation.
Working together
Ask a member of an area Kiwanis club about their projects and you will likely hear a long list of efforts ranging from mentoring kids in an after - school program a few hours a month to building a handicapped-accessible building in a county park so that all children can enjoy the outdoors. The Kiwanis Club of Racine - which is the area's longest-running Kiwanis group - for example, sponsors a number of youth organizations in town, including the Kiwanis Youth Symphony Music Program, which provides orchestral and choral opportunities for kids in elementary through high school. They also sponsor a Learn to Swim program, a Kiwanis baseball team for older youth, and have done a lot of work at Mount Pleasant's Haban Sports Park with the Racine Youth Sports league, according to Dave Voss, an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Racine for more than 10 years. And that just scratches the surface of the work the club has done in the community in its nearly 100-year existence.
"We give close to $50,000 a year to the community through a variety of programs," said Voss.
For Voss, a retired police officer who also works with the Volunteer Center of Racine County, being a member of a Kiwanis club is an opportunity to see another side of people - both kids and adults - in the community. As a police officer, much of his time was spent dealing with people in situations where something was wrong, he said.
"My work with the Kiwanis helps to balance things out," Voss said. "I get to see many good things happening in our community."
Right for you
No matter which club you are a part of, chances are you will find a project that interests you, said Cheri Esch, a member of the Kiwanis Club of West Racine and past lieutenant governor of the Wisconsin/Upper Michigan Kiwanis district.
"We encourage people to go and visit each of the clubs before deciding to join," said Esch, who worked as a librarian and principal in the Racine Unified School District for many years.
Some Kiwanis clubs are very proper and orderly in their structure, while others have a different feel, she explained. Some have their weekly meetings at lunch time, while others meet for breakfast.
As long as they are working to make a difference in children's lives, when and how they meet is up to each club.
"The basic premise is that it is all about the kids," Esch said. "That is who we are and what we do." And, as members of any of the Kiwanis clubs, people can devote as much time as they choose to those efforts, she explained.
"Some people work on only one project, while others donate up to 50 volunteer hours because that's what they want to do with their lives," Esch said.
"You do as little or as much as you can," said Voss.
Membership in a Kiwanis club costs $34 a quarter, and the benefits are worth the cost, Voss said.
"It is fun," he said. "If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it."
Funds from dues go toward administrative costs of the Kiwanis organization, Voss said, and are kept separate from donations made to Kiwanis. One hundred percent of all donations to Kiwanis go towards community service projects, he said.
Kiwanis is always looking for new members, and there is always more work to be done, said Esch.
"We don't have enough people or money to do everything that we see a need for among the kids and families in our community," she said.
With the 100th birthday of Kiwanis International approaching in 2015, Esch said she and other members would like to see the organization reach a membership of 1 million.
"Just think of how much of a difference we could make in the lives of kids around the world if we had a million people spending their time helping them."
County Kiwanis clubs
Kiwanis Club of Greater Racine, meets at noon Wednesdays at the First United Methodist Church, 745 Main St.
Kiwanis Club of Racine, meets at noon Thursdays at the Racine YMCA, 725 Lake Ave.
Kiwanis Club of Greater Mount Pleasant, meets at noon Tuesdays at the Elmwood Plaza Bowling Center, 3701 Durand Ave., Mount Pleasant.
Racine Golden K (retirement age), meets at 9 a.m. Tuesdays at The Atrium, 3900 N. Main St.
Kiwanis Club of West Racine, meets at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays in the Sturtevant Room at Wheaton Franciscan Hospital-All Saints, 3801 Spring St.
Union Grove Kiwanis Club, meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays at the Old Settlers Inn, 1500 15th Ave., Union Grove.
Burlington Kiwanis Club, meets at 6:30 p.m. Mondays at the Waterfront Restaurant, 31100 Weiler Road, Burlington.
Waterford Area Kiwanis Club, meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays at Bruno's Restaurant, 720 Cornerstone Crossing, Waterford.
These clubs belong to the Wisconsin/Upper Michigan District of Kiwanis. More information can be found both at the Kiwanis International Web site (http://www.kiwanis.org) and the district Web site (http://www.wiumkiwanis.org).