Ann Arbor's service clubs make our town a better place
The Kiwanis Thrift Sale helps raise thousands of dollars for charities in Ann Arbor.
Kiwanis Thrift Sale
Did you know that the Rotary Club is not a group of Mazda enthusiasts? Or, that the Optimist Club is not just a bunch of jolly men and women? And, what the heck is a Kiwanis, anyway?
The answer, of course, is that the Kiwanis Club, the Rotary Club, and the Optimist Club are three of the very fine service clubs we have in Ann Arbor.
What is a service club? A service club is a group of men and women dedicated to community service. They sponsor thrift sales, award scholarships, plant trees and even sponsor parades, all with the goal of making our town a better place to live.
Take, for example, the Ann Arbor Kiwanis Club. Founded in 1921, the Kiwanis Club has helped hundreds of area charitable organizations provide a wide variety of community services. Its major fund-raising effort is the Kiwanis Thrift Sale. Every year, the Thrift Sale raise more than $100,000, which the club then awards to deserving nonprofit groups.
The oldest service club in the area is the Ann Arbor Rotary Club. Founded in 1916, it, too, has helped hundreds of charitable organizations in the Ann Arbor area. The Rotary Club sponsors local and international service projects. Here in Ann Arbor, members award scholarships to deserving high school student and plant trees in our parks. International projects include a literacy project in Peru and vocational training in the Philippines.
The Ann Arbor Jaycees is a service club for young adults, age 21 to 40. The service projects include sponsorship of the Fourth of July parade, a summer carnival and a health and wellness fair. In addition, they provide leadership training and business networking for young professionals.
The Junior League of Ann Arbor is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Their latest initiative is called Healthy Living. The goal of this program is to reduce hunger and improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable women and children in Washtenaw County.
The Ann Arbor Optimists Noon Club was formed in 1946. It currently has only 11 members but sponsors service projects such as Beginners Golf for kids and an essay contest, and members prepare meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. It also raises funds for charitable groups, including Friends in Deed, Dawn Farms, Faith in Action and TLC.
The Ann Arbor Host Lions Club was the first Lions Club to be chartered in Ann Arbor in 1929. The Lions are perhaps most well-known for working to end preventable blindness. Here in Ann Arbor, they sponsor a program called Project Kidsight, which helps to detect serious vision problems in children under the age of 5.
These clubs and others in Ann Arbor are making a difference every day here in Ann Arbor, and every couple of weeks we will be reporting on not only what the service clubs are doing, but how you, too, can help. You can find out more about these clubs, and other service clubs in the area by visiting the Fellowship and Service pages of the Ann Arbor City Guide. We invite you to visit their websites and find out more about them.
Comments
Sandy
Mon, Jul 11, 2011 : 12:34 p.m.
Perry Nursery School of Ann Arbor could not do our good work (preschool and intervention servies for at-risk children ) without the financial and volunteer contributions from the Ann Arbor Kiwanis and the Ann Arbor Rotary North! Thank you!!