Sunday, June 9, 2013

Volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank

On Wednesday, June 5th, several of East Orange County Kiwanis club members donated their time by sorting food at the Second Harvest Food Bank. Kudos to Joe for coordinating a great service event!  Thank you to Beth, Chris G., Jeannette, Prairy, and Jeremy for volunteering - we even had several family members come join us as well!  We ended the night with enjoying dinner and fellowship at Ruby Tuesdays. 

Promoting Kiwanis at Local Expo

Thanks to Jeremy Riehl, Prairy Riehl, Tim Wolfinger, Beth Paris, Chris Luczywo, Scott Kidd, Gene Leonard, Alix Saakes, Sharlene Saakes Dewitz and family for helping promote Kiwanis at the Waterford Lakes Family Expo on Saturday, May 18th! Special thanks to Chris for providing a tent, as well as Alix and Beth for their face painting skills. Love the teamwork!

Spring Service - Serving Dinner at WRCC and Recognizing Outstanding Students

Members of the Kiwanis of East Orange County ended April with a kick and began May with another kick!  Thanks to all who participated in our recent events.  

Serving Dinner at the Women's Residential and Counseling Center
The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County prepared and served an evening meal to women and children living at the Women’s Residential and Counseling Center (WRCC) on Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Residents feasted on a meal of roast chicken, pork, baked potatoes, veggies, and apple pie with ice cream. Many residents went out of their way to thank the club for the meal and fellowship. The WRCC is a transitional program for homeless women and children operated by the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. The East Orange Kiwanians have served many meals at the WRCC in the past. The WRCC is also the site of the East Orange Kiwanis playground that was erected by the Club in 2005.  Thank you to Jim Wright  (photo below) for organizing and cooking this wonderful meal and to all volunteers for attending, including Brent, Alix, Jeremy, Prairy, Joe, Mike, Stacy, and CKI members Carolina, David, Jamie, and Michelle!


Recognizing 11 Students During "Student of the Year" Program
The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County honored 11 students on the morning of Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at its Annual Outstanding Student of the Year breakfast and awards ceremony. The program recognized top students who excelled among their peers in academics, school, and community service.  The students also hold memberships of a Kiwanis sponsored service leadership program: K-Kids, Builders Club, Key Club, or CKI.

During the ceremony, students received individual plaques and academic neck ribbons. Their names were also inscribed on a plaque displayed at each school. Families were invited to enjoy a full breakfast at Steak 'n Shake and over 70 were in attendance.  All of this would not have been possible without the gracious nominations of the educators and the support of family members. Many thanks also goes to Daryl Flynn for coordinating the event.  OCPS District 1 Board Member Joie Cadle, OCPS Superintendent of Schools Barbara Jenkins, and several school principals were also present.  Congratulations to our outstanding students!

Just 1 Book Ribbon Cutting

Approximately 100 community leaders attended the Just 1 Book ribbon cutting on Wednesday, April 24th in Bithlo Park including Mayor Jacobs, several commissioners, and school board members.  The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County was represented by Daryl, Prairy, Joe, Brent, Sharlene, Alix, Ann and George.  Senator Martinez and Nelson were also represented.  Sarah and her family were fittingly and deservedly honored.  Our members were humbled to be acknowledged for our support. -George Langguth