Historic club reactivates commitment to others

IF YOU GO

WEST ORANGE KIWANIS

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month

WHERE: Urban Flats, 132 W. Plant St., Winter Garden.

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WEST ORANGE — The motto is “Serving the Children of the World,” and West Orange Kiwanis is living up to this expectation with continual programs and activities geared toward residents 18 and younger — local and abroad.

Each month, students benefit from Kiwanis events, sometimes as the recipient, more often as a participant.

In October, a Reading Pajama Party was held at Maxey Community Center. Children were able to take home books through the Just 1 Book mobile program, listen to stories and enjoy a bedtime snack. In December, members helped build a Kiwanis-sponsored playground for the families at the Matthew’s Hope homeless ministry in Winter Garden.

A few months later, members were participating in a bowl-a-thon with students in the Lakeview Middle School Builders Club.

In April, the club hosted a cleanup of a portion of the West Orange Trail with students in Dillard Street Elementary School’s Honor Society and made crafts with Aktion Club, members of the Down Syndrome Association in Winter Park. A house-painting project took place in Winter Garden in May.

Through a partnership with the Winter Garden Squeeze, Florida’s collegiate summer league team, the club received a portion of ticket sales from one game last month.

In the fall, West Orange Kiwanis will continue sponsoring the Builders Club, a service leadership program at Lakeview Middle School, as well as the Bringing Up Grades academic achievement and character development recognition program there.

HISTORY

The local club was originally started in December 1974. Until the mid-1990s, the members were teachers and school employees from West Orange County schools, said Past President John Hambuch. At that time, he was a member of the Pine Hills Kiwanis Club, which would ultimately close in 1999. He and other Pine Hills members then joined the revived West Orange Kiwanis Club.

In 2000, Hambuch became president. Meetings have been held at a barbecue restaurant and IHOP, both in Winter Garden.

Bill Marquis, a member since 2006, was club president in 2012 and 2013. 

“It’s a service club that actually does service,” he said of Kiwanis. “Most clubs will take money and send money to people, but the Kiwanis is hands-on. We get in there, and we do the job.”

Kiwanis is a service-oriented mission, and community projects are at the heart of every club, including West Orange.

“Over the years, I’ve done just about everything,” Marquis said. “Cleaning the roads; serving pancake dinners; working with the schools … and the reading program, judging at science fairs. When students are testing, we have been in the classrooms helping with monitoring. We’ve also helped with the elections, manning the polls.”

In the past, club members have made dolls and shared them with the police and fire departments to be given to children in emergency situations. They have made blankets for kindergartners and handed out backpacks to children in need.

“Kiwanis is really out in the community doing things,” Marquis said. “We find where the need is.”

GAINING STEAM

In recent years, membership waned until a few people started getting together in the evenings and started calling themselves Kiwanis After Hours, Club President Jeremy Carter said. The main club wasn’t active at the time, but interest has slowly picked up. The after-hours satellite club merged into West Orange Kiwanis.

“It’s a voluntary thing, and most people are young with young families,” said Carter, a Winter Garden resident.

After 18 months of meeting informally, attendees decided to make the meetings more formal, he said. He was elected president.

The group is always looking for ways to serve the community, and Matthew’s Hope has provided many opportunities.

“That’s kind of what got us excited; doing the hands-on service projects and getting our hands dirty,” Carter said. 

Today, there about 15 active members. Besides Carter, other officers are Patti Riley, secretary; and Todd Leda, treasurer.

“There are a lot of things we want to do,” Carter said. “It’s just a matter of time and resources.”

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Kiwanis International

The worldwide organization is a coeducational service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. More than 600,000 adults and youth claim membership.

Its original motto was “We Trade.” This was changed to “We Build” in 1920 and represented Kiwanis for more than 80 years. The current motto, “Serving the Children of the World,” was adopted in 2005.

The club’s original purpose was to exchange business between members and to serve the poor. In 1919, Kiwanis adopted a service-focused mission.

Kiwanis members participate in nearly 150,000 service projects, devote more than 6 million hours of service and raise nearly $100 million every year for communities, families and projects, according to the Kiwanis International website.

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Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at [email protected].