KIWANIS CLUB a Long Legacy

Of Supporting Children In The Community

If you’re not familiar with the Kiwanis Club, chances are you’ve come in contact with one of their many public service events or enjoyed a visit to a community location which has benefited from their fundraising efforts. Since 1963, members of the Germantown Kiwanis Club have gathered weekly to enjoy fellowship and to collaborate on ways to bring new programs to the community.

Many endeavors impacting local residents are led by the Kiwanis Club, including the construction of the pavilion in Municipal Park. They support the children’s room at the Germantown Community Library and annual summer reading programs, as well as the Germantown Lions Club Fishing Rodeo for special needs children and adults held each year at Municipal Park. They fund Radio Flyer wagons to transport patients at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with Eagle Scouts to maintain them, and Kiwanis also brings a festive presence to the annual Germantown holiday parade.

The club’s legacy of providing support for childcentered programs is not just limited to events. Numerous local nonprofits and organizations are also supported by the Kiwanis Club, including Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, Madonna Learning Center, the Bodine School, Room in the Inn, Books from Birth, Germantown Children’s Theatre, Germantown Community Theatre, the Commission on Missing and Exploited Children and the Destination Imagination Tournament for creative problem solving.

“From the earliest years, Kiwanians have focused on improving the world, one child and one community at a time,” says Kiwanis Club President-elect Sue Olsson. “The club annually recognizes outstanding public servants and treats city employees to a pancake breakfast. Members also partner with Parks and Recreation on numerous endeavors involving youngsters, sometimes with funding, hands-on volunteer effort or both.”

Olsson explains how the local club’s impact reaches across the globe. “Kiwanians are also actively involved in the elimination of iodine deficiency disorder and maternal/neonatal tetanus in third world countries.”

Despite decades of numerous annual events supporting children in the Germantown community, Kiwanis has no intention of stopping the creation of new programs and endeavors.

Currently, Germantown Kiwanis also partners with Beth Sholom Synagogue to run a Team Read program at Germantown Elementary School. Team Read coaches 25 second graders in sight word recognition, phonics and decoding. Fundraising this year includes Pancake Day, a golf tournament, sales of hotdogs and snow cones at the Fourth of July and Germantown Festival.

Most recently, Kiwanis partnered with the Germantown Police Department, Germantown Parks and Recreation and the Germantown Community Theatre to host situational awareness and personal safety presentations at the Pickering Center and Germantown Community Theatre. These presentations are designed to provide training for residents and business owners who want to learn how to protect themselves and others in the event of a local disaster or active shooter emergency, among other scenarios.

The Kiwanis Club has generated financial support for programs and projects through concessions sales at the Germantown Festival, a turkey shoot, a golf tournament, a concert benefiting young artists in the community, a Fourth of July concert and fireworks show.

At the end of April, they hosted the annual Pancake Day which provides a hot breakfast to local residents in exchange for a small donation. The beloved Peanut Day allows roasted peanut lovers in the Mid-South to enjoy their favorite snack for a good cause.

Kiwanis Club member Sharon Goldsworthy, former mayor of the city and the first and only woman elected to the position, highlights the impact behind the club’s efforts.

“As important as those programs are to improving the lives of young people, Kiwanis also offers programs to enhance self-esteem, develop leadership skills and assist youth to contribute to those less fortunate through The Aktion Club at Madonna, K-Kids, Builder’s Club, Terrific Kids and Key Club,” says Goldsworthy. “Kiwanis also has a scholarship opportunity for Key Club members who intend to further their education.”

Members of the Kiwanis Club meet weekly at the Pickering Center. If you are interested in learning more about the Germantown Kiwanis club or how to get involved with their initiatives, please visit germantownkiwanis.org. ■