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!
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
Kiwanis One Day encourages service in all Kiwanis and K-Family clubs across the globe! This year, on Saturday, April 6th, the Kiwanis Club of East Orange County took place in multiple events around the state.
Members joined together on Saturday morning to participate in a community cleanup with Orange County's Commissioner Jennifer Thompson. Liberty Middle School and surrounding communities were cleaned up that morning thanks to the volunteers from the K-Family and other service groups. Thank you to UCF CKI, Odyssey Builders Club, Waterford K-Kids, and East Orange County Kiwanis (Heather, Daryl, Jeremy, Prairy, Lori-Ann) for taking part!
Florida Key Club invited K-Family members to walk to Eliminate MNT at their District Convention at the Shingle Creek Hotel on Saturday afternoon. The dollars raised will go to eliminate maternal neonatal tetanus in third world countries. Jeannette, Jeremy, Todd, and Prairy (photo below) represented us well!
Several other projects included Just 1 Book's book distribution at Lake Eola's Spring Festival in the Park (Sharlene), University High School Key Club car wash fundraiser (Joe), Taylor 4 Teens Walk-4-Change (Stacy), and Wounded Warrior Run (Sean).
What great ways to spend Kiwanis One Day!
The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County organized a great service project on Saturday, March 30th at the Coalition for the Homeless. The kids enjoyed an egg hunt, visit from the bunny, and a special trip to Just 1 Book's book mobile. Thanks to Jim and Chris for coordinating, George, Ann, and Jeannette for supplying the goodies for the kids, and Sharlene and her family for bringing out the J1B book mobile! We also had a wonderful turnout of volunteers - in addition to Jim, Chris, George, Ann, Jeannette, and Sharlene, thank you to Phyllis, Mike, Jeremy, Prairy, Daryl, Alix, and Michelle for spending their afternoon helping make Saturday special for the kids at the Coalition.
Kiwanis clubs from Division 10 were well-represented at Mayor Teresa Jacob's "Jazz in the Park" event for service organizations on Thursday, March 22nd. Kiwanians from the East Orange County Kiwanis Club present were Sean, Prairy, Sharlene, Alix, and Stacy.
Check out Orange TV featuring President Elect Sean Osmond! The video can be found online at http://www.orangetvfl.net/orange-county-update/jazz-in-the-park-video_4b33a0ec0.html
