community service

Serving Your Community During a Global Pandemic

by Brenda Long

Each time our country experiences a catastrophe, people step forward to offer aid and heroes are discovered. Depending on the circumstances, these heroes come from different places with varied talents that aid in making the current conditions more bearable. In our current pandemic we have heard songs of praise for our health care workers, food service and retail employees, and mask makers among others. But in the background, often unacknowledged or unnoticed, are the many volunteers that give of their time and talents to help others in need, most of whom are strangers to them. Volunteers and volunteer organizations find ways to meet needs, soothe fears, and show appreciation to those on the front lines. I am proud, as a Transfer Kiwanis member, to be a part of a wonderful group of volunteers, many of whom have dedicated years to our club through the service of their community and its residents. So today I am singing my song of praise for this amazing club and its members. We proudly serve, even when no one else sees.

Kiwanis Club of Transfer Shows Appreciation for Local Essential Workers

Our club recently was looking for opportunities to continue serving our community through the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining social distancing. Our minds immediately went to our local essential employees that are going to work everyday and keeping our community moving. “Delivering a small token of our gratitude allowed us Kiwanians to make essential workers feel appreciated,” said James Rust Jr. We decided to distribute goody bags to these workers to show our appreciation for their hard work and to provide a bit of cheer during their surely tiring days.

While we would have loved to get together and put together these goody bags in person, we had to take a more cautious approach to this project. The items were purchased, and then Jeff and Brenda Long tackled packing all 197 bags. “It felt very satisfying to be involved in such a positive and encouraging club project.”

Once packed, the bags were divided up into larger bags for easier distribution. Numbers had been collected so we knew how many good bags each business needed. On Friday, April 17 the bags were distributed by Sharon Rust, James Rust Jr., and LeRoy Cotton to local essential businesses, fire departments, and township buildings. Sharon said, “Seeing the appreciation in everyone’s face was a ray of sunshine during this dark time.” Each delivery was met with a smiling face.

Our club continues to think about how we can continue community service during this time. Have you or your Kiwanis Club participated in social distancing service recently? Do you have ideas for service projects? We want to hear them! Comment below!

2019 Dictionary Project

Third graders pose proudly with their new dictionaries.

Each year the Kiwanis Club of Transfer purchases dictionaries to distribute to third graders in the Reynolds School District. This service project is part of a larger, nationwide effort called The Dictionary Project, which aims to “assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary.”

“Reading makes a country great,” said Dan Resinger, club secretary. ” This program allows each of our students to have a dictionary with them all day long.” The students are able to use these dictionaries in class, for their homework, and when they discover new words while reading.

Transfer Kiwanians have been participating in the project for nine years and have distributed 840 dictionaries. 2019 was the first year that they also distributed thesaurusi to fifth graders, and they passed out 96. Many fifth graders commented that they still had and used the dictionaries that they had received two years prior.

This project has proven to be a success year after year. “The platform for all knowledge is online, the internet,” said Dan, “But the bedrock of knowledge is in books and in print.” One teacher noted that not only did her students appreciate the dictionaries but they found the extra information in the back very interesting. Each dictionary comes with a large reference section in the back with information on things like the states and the presidents.

  • Fifth grade students at Reynolds Elementary hold up their new thesauri.
  • Secretary Dan Resinger hands out thesauri.
  • Fifth grade students hold up their new thesauri.
  • Transfer Kiwanis show off the new dictionaries they are helping to distribute.