Kids and Kiwanians ... a perfect match, and a great way to start out the day at Roosevelt Elementary School.

The Roosevelt Breakfast Club, a project initiated this year with Roosevelt's fourth- and fifth-grade breakfast bunch, fits wonderfully with the Light Capitol Kiwanis Club's emphasis on youth and helps to meet a recognized need with the kids, said Roosevelt principal, Pam Klenda.

When three members of the Light Capitol Kiwanis Club -- Nancy Malone, Mary North and Janice Haldi -- came to Klenda last June to suggest the idea, she felt it was something that would work.

"I thought this would be something new and different to grab the attention of this age group," said Klenda. "These kids are at the developmental level to hear the message about giving back to the community and they need something to keep their interest."

The club meets from 7:30 to 8:05 a.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, in the library at Roosevelt. While 26 to 32 kids eat their breakfast, six or seven Kiwanis members meet with them around the tables to visit, and work on various projects together.

"It gives the kids a good atmosphere to start out their day and makes a positive difference in many of their lives," said Bill Snyder, Kiwanis member, who helps to head up the program. "It is neat to have this contact with these kids, and to then see them out in the community -- like at the Kiwanis Pancake Feed -- and have them run up and give us a hug. It is developing relationships that many of these kids really need."

The first project the kids and Kiwanians took on was to design a T-shirt for the club, explained Snyder. The kids came up with the idea and design, which depicts a cereal box, the Roosevelt bear and "Roosevelt Breakfast Club" across the front. The Kiwanis Club had them printed and one was given to each member, including the adults.

At Thanksgiving and Christmas time, kids designed and created greeting cards to be distributed to "Meals on Wheels" recipients. The kids had a great time making them, said Snyder, and they were then given to Connie Grennan, Meals on Wheels director, who included them in each tray distributed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days.

Another recent project which complimented activities during "Read Across America Week" presented the fourth- and fifth-graders with guidelines for reading to younger children. Club members then participated in reading books to the kindergarten and first-grade students.

"It was fun to watch the kids with their little groups of five or six little ones around them, listening as they read," said Snyder.

Malone, a Kiwanis member who works with the state-wide library association, also brought in some books to be donated to the school library. The breakfast club spent time putting labels in the books for the library and then each child was presented with a book of his or her own to take home.

Ideas for the next project to be taken on were discussed and voted upon at the most recent meeting of the club. Suggestions for a service project to help the school were passed on to the Kiwanians by Klenda. Among the suggestions were: picking up litter around the school, helping the librarian to shelve books and doing miscellaneous projects for the kindergarten through third-grade teachers. The latter suggestion received the most votes, so at their next meeting, the breakfast bunch will be working on various projects requested by Roosevelt teachers.

"This has been a lot of fun," said Snyder, who noted that there are only three or four more club meetings scheduled before school is out for this year. "We are now looking at coming up with more projects for next year." A community field trip of some sort is being planned for an end-of-the-year activity and the Kiwanians are considering some kind of activity to connect with the kids over the summer as well.

"Kids are our No. 1 priority, and if we can make a difference in just one of these children's lives, it is worth it," Snyder concluded.

McPherson Unified School District 418
514 N. Main
McPherson, KS 67460
620-241-9400
It is the policy of McPherson USD 418 not to discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race,
religion, color, age, or national origin in its educational programs and/or activities, nor in its employment practices.

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