Kiwanis clubs still serving children
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Service clubs seem to share a common problem. People just don't have time to join these days, but two separate Kiwanis Clubs are still serving the children of Rogers.
The Rogers Breakfast Kiwanis Club is looking for new members. President Bob Matlock believes the early morning meeting time might be a deterrent to some. The group meets at 7 a.m. for breakfast at the Rogers Municipal Airport each Wednesday.
The Noon Kiwanis Club also meets on Wednesdays, at Pizza Hut in Rogers. Sometimes the two groups exchange members as people's schedules change, Jeff Thacker, past president of the Noon Club, explained.
There was no shortage of energy at a recent breakfast meeting when members joined in the traditional singing. Later, a "sheriff"was appointed who had the option of fining members for offenses ranging from a cell phone ringing to the failure to wear a name tag. When the sheriff couldn't find an offense, a few members cheerfully volunteered their own. The fines ranged from a quarter to $ 1.
"We're a working club. We're not just a knife and fork club. Everybody works," Matlock said about the Breakfast Club, which has about 19 members.
While the meetings give members a chance to socialize and have fun, both groups have serious work to do as well.
"The one thing that keeps me involved is the difference we make," Thacker said about the noon club," I'll put us up against any club in northwest Arkansas."
The noon club has about 30 members, but only about half are active, Thacker said. All the money the club raises is donated. The few administrative costs are paid by membership dues and the fines collected at the noon meetings, he said.
All Kiwanis Clubs have the same mission - "Young children: Priority one," according to literature supplied by Kiwanis International. There are more than 8, 000 clubs with 600, 000 members in 80 countries that share the mission. Kiwanis International also sponsors organizations for children and young adults, including the Key Club for high school students.
The international organization started in 1915 and the Rogers Noon Kiwanis Club was organized in 1924. Members from the Noon Club organized the Breakfast Club in 1978. The Rogers Noon Club also organized a club in Lowell that is still active.
Both Rogers clubs take part in a national initiative to recognize "Terrific Kids. "The morning club partners with Eastside Elementary to recognize students selected by teachers once a month. The noon Club helps both Jones and Grace Hill Elementary recognize their outstanding students.
The Breakfast Club supports 4-H Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership program, the Rogers Recreation Association soccer teams, Special Olympics, the Arkansas Children's Hospital, Odyssey of the Mind and the Single Parent Scholarship Fund.
The cause that's closest to Matlock's heart is the support offered to homeless students in the Rogers School District. A counselor calls a club member when a student needs help.
"We try to help the ones who aren't covered by other programs," he said," Maybe once a month, we go to Wal-Mart and get a gift card and tell them when you run out we'll get more. "The gift cards are meant to be used for clothing and school supplies, he said.
The Club bought flags to replace the ones stolen from the Rogers Activity Center and provides a scholarship each year.
Most of their funds are raised by sponsoring performances, including the three ring circus that came to the parking lot of the Frisco Station Mall last year. There's also an annual magic show and the occasional chicken sale with Whitey Smith. Recently they raised over a thousand dollars for Restoration Village with a pancake breakfast at Applebee's.
The noon club also holds chicken sales with Whitey, but much of their budget comes from an annual golf tournament. They also sell poinsettias each Christmas.
Each year one of their largest expenses is scholarships. They present a $ 1, 000 scholarship each year that's always renewable for four years.
In addition, they've donated money to Grace Hill and Jones Elementary Schools for equipment, They helped renovate the pond in the outdoor classroom at Grimes with both money for materials and man power. They donated to the Arkansas Children's Hospital.
It's the noon club that sponsors the annual Buddy Picnic each spring. Special needs students in elementary schools in Rogers are often assigned a buddy to help them throughout the year. Towards the end of school, each pair is invited to the picnic at Lake Atalanta with their teachers and parents. Club members grill hamburgers and hot-dogs for the children.
The club members solicit donations for events like the picnic so their budget may not tell the whole story, Thacker said. Occasionally the club receives monetary donations, including large ones from the Wal-Mart Family Foundation.
David Engle of Restoration Village was at the Pancake Breakfast sponsored by the early morning club.
The club, he said, earned more through tips then through the proceeds from breakfast.
"That a compliment to your members," he said.
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