Portage Kiwanis Club is celebrating 20 years in the community by doing what it does best…helping Portage Township children, families, and local nonprofit organizations in Portage, the State of Indiana, and around the world!
“We support many nonprofit organizations in town that help our local children” states Nancy Simpson, club President. “And our affiliation with Kiwanis International also brings attention to the needs around the world”. Kiwanis International has partnered with UNICEF to eliminate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) in developing countries. It is a project that has been going on since 2010 when Kiwanis pledged to raise $110 million to eradicate a deadly disease afflicting newborn babies and their mothers. UNICEF and Kiwanis previously worked together for the Worldwide Service Project to virtually eliminate Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) from the globe. “We hope to do the same with MNT”.
On the state level, Portage Kiwanis and Kiwanis clubs throughout the state have traditionally been strong supporters of Riley Children’s Hospital, raising funds for a helipad, construction of their newest hospital wing and other projects, big and small, as needed.
Here at home, Kiwanis proudly raises funds for their Myron Fessler Scholarship fund, awarding graduating seniors pursuing higher education with a $500 scholarship. The club also raises money for the Dictionary Project in which dictionaries are provided, annually, for all 3rd grade students in the Portage Township School system. “We’ve been doing The Dictionary Project for 10 years now, I believe this is the first high school graduation class coming through school that received a dictionary from us”, states Shannon Burhans, club member and Dictionary Project chair.
Recently, the club awarded several worthy nonprofit organizations with donation checks. Organizations included: Family Youth Services Bureau, Portage Township Food Pantry, Rebuilding Together-Portage, Chasing Dreams, Portage Fire Department/Police Department for the DOS Program (Infant Mortality Education.) and Royal Family Kids Camp.
To learn more about Portage Kiwanis, the club is inviting the community to attend a “Meet the Club” membership/information breakfast meeting on Tuesday, May 23rd, in the café at Porter Hospital-Portage Campus at 7:30a.m. For more information call 219-781-3295 or visit the club @PortageK.
“We’re a great group of caring individuals with a mission to make our children and our community stronger”, states Simpson, “please bring a friend and join us on the 23rd there’s so much more to learn about what we’ve done and plan to do”.