Kiwanis Sponsors Youth Active In The Community

Kiwanis strongly supports Key Club for high school students, Builders Club for middle schoolers, K-Kids for Kindergartners, Circle K for college students and Aktion Clubs for those with disabilities. Key Club is very strong with activities such as Trick or Treat for UNICEF, Bingo at Crestwood Inn, recycling at the high school, conducting activities with K-Kids every month, doing Talon at games, helping the Chamber and other organizations with their activities, attending weekly meetings of Kiwanis, providing food baskets for those in need, assisting with the Color Run and Out of the Darkness Walk, helping box apples, assisting at the pie social and so much more.

Sidney Middle School Builders Club under the direction of a school advisor and Kiwanis Club advisor Kelly Johnson. Builders Club is the largest service organization for middle school and junior high students, with more than 45,000 members worldwide. Its motto is "Building Leaders" and its objectives are to provide opportunities for working together in service to school and community, to develop leadership potential, to foster the development of strong moral character, and to encourage loyalty to school, community and nation.

Builders Club members meet each week to do a variety of service projects for the community. Builders Club members over the years volunteer during a variety of things in our community. They work at the Good Cents Store and the ROI Thrift Shop. The group makes homemade cards with personalized messages and these cards are taken to the Commission on Aging with a small treat and are delivered to the elderly in our community that receive Meals on Wheels. Builder's Club also works on individually packing food items for the Food Bank. For example, they take beans, rice, flour and sugar in large bags and measure them out into individual bags for the Food Bank to distribute. Additionally, the students of the club are in charge of paper recycling at middle school, doing a weekly collection of used paper products.

Builders Club also holds fundraisers throughout the year to help provide donations to the Food Bank, Sunrise Center, Vision of Hope, Matthew House and the Domestic Violence Coalition, and Martha's House. They also help with other charities efforts like Gifts from the Heart and give thanks and treats to our Law Enforcement officers, Fire Department, and Emergency responders. Builders Club also provides Thanksgiving meals to those in need. Builders Club members learn to work together and develop skills as they serve their school and community. In partnership with UNICEF and March of Dimes. This club even expands their outreach to babies and children of the world.

The list could continue on, but at the heart of every meeting and activity is the desire for the students in Builders Club to learn to serve and think of others while building leadership qualities.