Submitted By: Charlene Golden
The Kiwanis Club of Lehigh Acres ended 2023 with several activities. On Friday, December 15th, we had our Christmas party at Wildcat Crossing. Dino provided a delicious spread of hot and cold subs and desserts. Janet made sure that glasses remained filled as everyone had a good time visiting and reviewing what our club has done and our plans for 2024.
Saturday, December 16th, Tom Vonderhaar arranged for members to ring the bell for The Salvation Army at the Publix in Lehigh Acres. Phil and LaVon Koenig and John and Joanne Miner are in the picture. Jim Nestler (dressed as Santa); Larry, a volunteer at the Kiwanis Thrift Store, Damon Shelor, Charlene Golden and Jerry Liddle braved the rain to ring the bell. Thank you to our Lehigh Acres neighbors for their donations.
Monday, December 18th found many of our members at the Lehigh Acres Boys and Girls Club. Tina Pegler explained the traditions of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa through stories and songs. The children enjoyed loading their waffle bowls of ice cream with a variety of toppings. Then they were broken out by age group to visit Santa to receive a gift from their wish lists. Thank you Denise Gergley, Chief Executive Officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lee County, and the staff at the Lehigh Acres Boys and Girls Club for the opportunity.
2024 will see a few changes as the club is looking at having a breakfast and a lunch informal but informative meetings along with their monthly evening meeting on the third Thursday. Check the club’s facebook page for the latest details.
On January 13th, our Lt. Governor, Denny Sharma, presided over the Division 19 Council Meeting at ECHO Global Farm in North Fort Myers. There were 7 clubs and 4 Key Clubs (high school Service Leadership Programs) represented. Each club shared what they are doing, enjoyed a delicious lunch from Mission BBQ and heard from Linda Martin, State Service Chair, on the Florida wide special project to provide duffle bags to foster kids.
The Kiwanis Club of Lehigh Acres is known for providing secondary education scholarships to Lehigh Acres students. Thank you to those who shop at our Kiwanis Thrift Store located at 15 Homestead Road South. The proceeds go to our projects, especially the scholarships.
Details on what activities are coming up are available on our website www.LehighKiwanis.com or on our Facebook page: facebook.com/
“Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.” Come join us as we improve Lehigh Acres and the education of our children.
Charlene Golden
Club Secretary
239-369-6336
