The Kiwanis Club of Kirkland would like to extend its deep appreciation to the Kirkland community and surrounding neighborhoods for its continued support of its Christmas Tree Lot. The annual sale of trees, wreaths, nuts and candy is the club’s largest fundraising event. This year’s tree lot was a huge success and due to that success the programs the club sponsors will be well supported in the coming year.
The all-volunteer Kiwanis Club of Kirkland is one of the oldest and largest service organizations in Kirkland with 80+ members. All proceeds from fundraising go directly to children and families in need, including student scholarships, Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing (KITH), March of Dimes, Eastside Baby Corner, Special Olympics, Kiwanis Camp Casey, scouting and many other charitable causes. The club also sponsors four different leadership youth groups in our local junior and high schools, known as Builder’s Club and Key Club, as well as offering mentoring and support to the Kirkland Teen Union. Each year Kiwanis sponsors a Pancake Breakfast in support of KITH over Memorial Day Weekend and hosts the community Easter Egg Hunt held at Peter Kirk Park as well as offering support to many community events such as the annual Music in the Park Program.
Separate from other Kiwanis Club activities, the Kirkland Kiwanis Foundation assists with fundraising for the Eliminate Project, a joint effort between Kiwanis International and UNICEF, whose goal is to eliminate the scourge of maternal neonatal tetanus that kills so many tiny newborns around the world. In addition, the Foundation administers the Jack Keller Memorial Fund, a program whose goal is to help selected young people received quality orthodontic care which they might not be able to afford otherwise. Another soon-to-be launched program is the Bill Petter Memorial Scholarship, which will focus on helping young high school graduates pursue technical careers in Transportation Technology at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology. The Kirkland Kiwanis Foundation has also been instrumental in helping to raise money to replace the dilapidated playground equipment at Kirkland’s Woodlands Park “Tot Lot”. This work will take place in late Spring.
If you are interested in being a part of a group of volunteers who truly make a difference in your community please contact Club Secretary Matt Gregory at 425 828 0231, attend one of their weekly Wednesday lunch meetings at 12:00 p.m. at the Crab Cracker or visit their website at: http://kirkland.kiwanis.org.
