The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Kiwanis celebrates 50 years
PUBLISHED: January 17, 2008
The Saline Kiwanis Club marked 50 years in 2007.
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The club was chartered Sept. 30, 1957. At a recent celebration, founding member Al Ealy was honored for his 50 years of service and Mike Crossey was recognized for 45 years of service. Don Wagner celebrated 40 years of service.
The first meeting place was L.Z. Stills Hotel and Restaurant, which later became the Wooden Nickel. A few years later, the club moved to Walker's Bakery, better known today as Benny's Bakery.
Back then, Gotlieb Walker let the club use his bakery to prepare popcorn balls for the Christmas party that the club put on for area children.
Over the years, the club has had many different meeting venues, including the Masonic Hall, Saline Community Hospital, the Busch's ValuLand training room and Brecon Village.
The club has tried a variety of fund-raisers, including pancake suppers held in the Union School gym, showing movies to kids on Friday evenings while their parents shopped downtown and selling admission tickets for the Saline Community Fair, which has been taken over by the Rotary Club.
In the late 1970s, a food wagon was purchased and soon became the prime way to raise funds for the club. It's used at the Saline Celtic Festival, Rentschler Farm special events and Saline Community Fair, serving hot dogs, knockwurst sausage with sauerkraut, drinks, popcorn and pulled pork sandwiches.
At the Saline Holiday Parade, hot chocolate and popcorn were handed out as a way to say thank you to the community for supporting the club during the year.
Funds raised go back into the community with a primary focus on kids and youth through sponsorship of youth baseball and softball, high school scholarships, T-ball, Saline High School Leadership Conference and dictionaries for third-graders.
A new project this year was a baby shower for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Many of the Kiwanis clubs in Michigan supported the effort with the aim of minimizing the stress and anxiety while helping children and families to have a positive memory and experience associated with hospitalization.
Kiwanis, started in Michigan, has more than 600,000 members in 90 nations around the world. The first club was formed in Detroit in 1915 and it was called The Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order Brothers. Later, the name Kiwanis, which came from an Indian phrase, "NunKee-wan-is," which translates to "We have a good time -- we make noise," as adopted.
In the first six months, the club attracted 200 members. A male-only organization until 1987, women now account for about 40 percent of the new members for the last five to 10 years.
The Kiwanis slogan is "Serving the Children of the World." In one year, Kiwanis clubs sponsored 147,000 service projects. To do so, members raised and spent nearly $100 million and contributed 19 million hours of volunteer time.
For more information about the club, call Betty Danneffel at 429-4176 or Phil Haigh 944-2301.
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