Run for the Kids - Superhero Dash!

The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County hosted its 3rd Annual Kiwanis “Run for the Kids” on the morning of Saturday, February 2nd at Jay Blanchard Park. Over 230 runners and walkers took part in the superhero-themed 5K and 10K races. The event was coordinated by Kiwanis members as well as student volunteers from East Orange County's 17 service leadership clubs. The money fundraised from the event will go directly back to the students in these clubs – K-Kids in Elementary School, Builders Clubs in Middle School, Key Clubs in High School, CKI at UCF, and Aktion Clubs for disabled adults.

The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County thanks its sponsors for their support. The Title sponsor for the event was Carrier Air Conditioning – the world leader in air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration systems.  Additional sponsors included Impress Ink, Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ, Centura Institute, Publix Supermarkets, Sylvan Learning Center, YMCA at Jay Blanchard Park, Bounce Orlando, Orlando Physical Medicine, and Orlando City Soccer.  Photos were taken courtesy of Ksel Photography. The 1st through 3rd place winners in various age groups received trophies.

After the 5K and 10K, kids’ races were held for ages 1-5 and 6-8, in which all kids received race ribbons. Following the race, kids enjoyed inflatable games, provided by Bounce Orlando. A big thank you also goes out to the almost 100 volunteers that helped make the event happen, including East River, Colonial, Timber Creek, and Boone High School; UCF CKI; and Orlando City Soccer. For complete race photos, visit http://www.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?eid=0TQK005H.

Fun time at the Aktion club meeting

The Wildcats Aktion Club had a blast decorating inspirational posters for our race on February 2nd. The racers will be excited to see these!

Breakfast with Santa a Success!

This year, Saint Nick flew in from the North Pole for breakfast and photos courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of East Orange County’s Breakfast with Santa event on Saturday, December 1, 2012.  Over 1,400 pancakes were served at the club’s 15th annual holiday event held in Simon’s Waterford Lakes Town Center.

In addition to visiting with Santa and enjoying pancakes, kids and families enjoyed other fun activities including school chorus and dance performances, bounce houses, face painting, games, crafts, and more.  The breakfast is hosted each year by Kiwanians as well as student club members from East Orange County's 16 service leadership clubs. 100% of the money raised will go back into those service leadership clubs in the community.  Santa and the Kiwanis Club of East Orange County look forward to returning next year at the same location on the first Saturday of December, rain or shine.

Kiwanis of East Orange County thanks the following organizations and individuals for making this event possible:  Kiwanis of Greater Orlando-Winter Park; Orange County Public Schools, including Corner Lake Middle School, Odyssey Middle School, Union Park Middle School, Arbor Ridge School, East River High School; CKI at the University of Central Florida; Orange County Sheriff’s Department; DJ Dennis; Bounce Orlando; Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market; Ashley Furniture; Business Archives; Sweet! By Holly; Home Depot; Lowe’s Home Improvement Store; Chic-Fil-A; Mark Wayne Adams; Just 1 Book; Painted by Hue; Salvation Army; Cub Scouts Pack 59.

Join us at Breakfast with Santa!

Visit http://www.facebook.com/events/337216556376332/ for more information!

October Kicked off with A Focus on Service Leadership Programs

October was a big month for a focus on our Service Leadership Programs –Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids, and UCF CKI!  It began on the last Saturday of September where the Faculty and Kiwanis Advisors were trained on all aspects of running a Service Leadership Program.  On Saturday, October 13th, students were invited for a special Officer Training where they learned about how to be a great leader in their respective clubs.  Cypress Springs Elementary K-Kids, Odyssey Middle School Builders Club, and numerous other schools from within Division 10 were represented.  On Thursday, October 18th, advisors, students, and their families joined for the annual K-Family Dinner.  Represented that night were individuals from Cypress Springs Elementary K-Kids, Waterford Lakes Elementary K-Kids, Odyssey Middle School Builders Club, Legacy Middle School Builders Club, University High School Key Club, and CKI at UCF.  Following dinner, the group participated in an icebreaker, gained knowledge about what the “K-Family” is, and had a chance to share information about their club with the group.  It was a successful night and month of October for our Service Leadership Programs!