Throughout the United States, Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists and Rotary clubs joined together to serve kids during the weeklong Celebrate Community program.
In Richmond, Kentucky, a project called Children’s Focus on Reading had participation from the Kiwanis Club of Richmond and members of the Lions and Rotary clubs. They partnered with the Madison County Public Library to create posters and record videos of club members reading children’s stories.
In Brookings, South Dakota, the Kiwanis club joined with the local Lions, Optimist and Rotary clubs to address food insecurity and meet other household needs for area residents.
The clubs collected items in a truck donated by a local business. Residents could drop off non-perishable food; diapers, wipes and other baby needs; and cleaning supplies. Members will sort donations and provide the items to the Brookings Food Pantry, the Salvation Army and Harvest Table for distribution to people in need.
In New Braunfels, Texas, the Kiwanis Club cleaned Landa Park and issued a call-out for members of other service clubs to join them.
In Morehead, Kentucky, the mayor signed a proclamation for Celebrate Community Week, gathering members of all service clubs for an event.
The four major service clubs have collaborated at the international level during the past 18 months to share ideas for future projects. This first public effort encouraged local clubs to reach out to one another for collaboration on projects that improve and benefit their communities.
Peter Mancuso, 2021-22 Kiwanis International president, said, “The Celebrate Community initiative is one way to join together to work on a project that will have a measurable impact on communities around the world.”
During the Celebrate Community observance, service clubs were encouraged to work together on service projects including health and wellness, food insecurity and hunger, education and literacy and environmental projects.
If your club participated in a Celebrate Community event, please complete the survey at shorturl.at/jxMV4