Our Programs & Their History by Tom Voglewede
Safe Kid City
The first program to be developed was Safe Kids City. Local architect, Cameron Wolfe, designed the city; local businessman, Bill Grissom, built the city; several members collaborated in painting it. The result was several building facades, light enough to transport easily, and several wooden trees and signs. The buildings included a fire station, a police station, a hospital, a schoolhouse, Johnny’s house, and a bus where children could open a door and sit inside. In the past 28 years, it has been set up in the gyms of the local elementary schools and used to teach young children how to stay safe and healthy. Community volunteers as well as Kiwanian members have discussed such topics as bike safety, electrical safety, bus safety, dog safety, gun safety, as well as hand washing, bullying, and good nutrition practices.
Creative Writing
The next program to be developed was Creative Writing. Each year the elementary schools of Smyth County are invited to ask their students in grades one through five to develop a creative story. Each teacher will then choose the best story from their classroom. Each of these students will then receive a trophy and the student with the best story from each grade level of each school will have their name published in the local paper. In addition, each school will receive $150. to buy books for their library in honor of their winning students. The purpose of this program is to support the schools in helping to develop good writing skills in their students.
Snack-in-the-Pack
In 1997 the Kiwanis Club launched its Snack-In-The-Pack program to give extra food to young children on weekends. Last year we delivered packages of food each week to 122 young children at Sugar Grove Elementary, Atkin Elementary, and the local Head Start program. We purchase food from local stores as well as the Feeding SW Virginia food bank in Abingdon. Typical food items packaged into disposable plastic bags are pudding, no sugar added juice, fruit, oatmeal, Mac and cheese, cereal boxes, peanut butter, granola bars, and cans of tuna, lasagna, or chicken. We store our food at a local church and volunteers from the Industrial Development Center come each week to pack the food and help deliver it, along with Kiwanian volunteers, to the local schools.
Other Programs
-The Marion Kiwanis Club has also supported the local Head Start program for over twenty-five years by hosting a Christmas party each year along with Santa, lunch, and gift bags that will include clothes, toys, and candy.
-We also support the local high schools in giving out each year the Alvin CrowderScholarship Award, named for one of our outstanding members, to one or more deserving high school seniors.
-Grants are also made each year to local programs such as Imagination Library, the United Way, Smyth County Library summer program, the Mel Leaman Free Clinic, and the Wytheville Community College Scholarship Fund.
