Club Programs & Activites Young Children: Priority One This program places continuing focus on projects addressing the needs of children in pediatric trauma, safety, child care, early development, infant health, nutrition and parenting skills. Under this program, Kiwanis is engaged in its first Worldwide Service Project. We have teamed with UNICEF to eliminate Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) by the year 2000. An early preventable but extremely harmful disease, IDD occurs when people do not receive enough iodine in their diets. This may lead to a series of complications including mental and physical retardation. This disease affects over one billion people worldwide, many of them children. IDD will be eliminated by raising enough money to build salt iodization plants in regions affected. Community Activites We conduct numerous projects that focus on the special needs of our community. We help to fight substance abuse through the Kiwanis Law Education Against Narcotics (KLEAN) program, help the elderly by participating in Meals on Wheels, and promote literacy through Reading is Fundamental (RIF). Wyandotte Kiwanis serves the community in other ways, including assisting the Salvation Army and supporting youth sports and other projects involving children or persons in need such as the handicapped children at Joe Brighten Center and the Madison School. We have also been involved in supporting The Information Center, the Association for Retarded Citizens, the Wyandotte Sports Hall of Fame, the Wyandotte Christmas Parade, Wyandotte KIWANIS park, and the Wyandotte Youth Choir Ensemble. Local church and ministry support are provided through our Spiritual Aims projects. Leadership Opportunities Kiwanis helps develop leadership skills in young people through our sponsorship of youth groups such as the high school Key Club, boy scouts, girl scouts, educational scholarships, Hugh O'Brien Youth (HOBY) leadership training, Law Enforcement Camp, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Michigan District sponsored youth. Kiwanis of Michigan Foundation This foundation was started in 1922 with the purpose of helping hospitalized children in Michigan. We accomplish this primarily by distributing, at no cost, over 15,000 coloring books and crayons to any hospital in the state with a pediatric unit. Hospitals supported in our area are Mercy (Monroe), Riverside (Trenton), Seaway (Trenton) and Henry Ford's Wyandotte Hospital. Every child entering these hospitals receives a coloring book and crayons. The book tells the story of "Buford Bear's visit to the hospital" and is designed to orient children to the hospital environment and to the people who work there, thus taking the mystery out of their hospital stay. Support is also provided for continuing education of these patients, new educational games, computer programs, and daily incentives for students. The foundation has long been supporting hospitalized children at Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Petosky area hospitals. In 1997, Children's Hospital of Michigan in the Detroit Medical Center was added. Other Fundraising and Service Programs Fund raising and activity projects support many other civic, governmental and private organizations. Some of the current and past projects and activities include: Salvation Army Bell ringing; Kiwanis peanut sales; Heartsaver Tuesday (free CPR instruction); Gumball sales; Travelogue Series; Pancake Breakfast; Spaghetti Dinners; Boat Shows; Skate-A-Thon; Wyandotte Street Art Fair; Steak Roast; Heritage Days; Golf Outing; Auctions; and Santa breakfast.

 

 

Updated by Tom Jankowski on April 15, 2002.  Copyright ©1998-2002 Kiwanis Club of Wyandotte  Page design by Tom Jankowski, "Jr."