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Some Recent Division 15 Club Projects We would love to share with you some recent Kiwanis Club Projects!
Students donate books for child victims of fire
By Lori Consalvo, Staff Writer, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
November 9, 2007
Some children who were victims of the fires in the San Bernardino Mountains lost almost everything.
While the fires burned, children and their parents sat in an evacuation center created at the North Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino with only the items they were able to grab moments before they fled their homes.
To help curb the growing boredom, and share a little compassion, several Upland schools and local Kiwanis clubs donated 2,358 books to the children at the evacuation center.
"You hear so many negative things about kids these days, about how they don't want to do anything," said Jeff Miller, principal at Sycamore Elementary School. "It feels good to see them reaching out to others."
Students from Sycamore Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, and Hillside High School collaborated with the Upland Foothill Kiwanis, Upland Noon Kiwanis, and the Ontario Parkway Kiwanis to collect the books.
The idea to donate books started in the Step-Up Preschool program at Sycamore Elementary. Becki Modereger, a teacher in the program, Director Marcia Lovelady and husband Phil Lovelady, a member of the Upland Foothill Kiwanis, approached Miller, who immediately spread word of the book drive.
On Oct. 24, Sycamore Elementary sent out a letter to parents and made phone calls requesting new or gently used books from the students. The next day, there were already 360 books turned in. On Oct. 30, there were about 400 to 500 more.
"We were hoping by the time we were done (on Oct. 31), there would be one book per student at a school of 480 kids," Miller said. "It looks like we will have about two books per student."
Although Miller never had the chance to visit the evacuation center, he was told that the children who received the books "rushed the tables and squealed with excitement of having something to do."
"When the fires started, we asked the students, `How would you feel if something like this happened to you?' We asked the kids, `What would you want?,"' Miller said. "The (students) rose to the occasion."
The schools collected a majority of the books during a three-day period. The local Kiwanis clubs helped bring in the rest.
"Part of this was to test if the Kiwanis clubs could respond overnight in case of an emergency and (they) passed," Phil Lovelady said.
When asked why the students gave books instead of other necessities, Lovelady had several different answers.
"The books are a gift from a child to a child," he said. "Books are age appropriate, portable, fun and they don't require batteries."
Picture books, primary books, chapter books, short stories and novels were all handed out.
lori.consalvo@dailybulletin.com
(909) 483-9391
| Kiwanis Club of ... | Project | Project | Project | | Chino | Aug. 23 - Chino Ca: 6th Annual Chino Kiwanis Corn Feed Run Held at Chino City Hall, corner Central & Chino Aves. Parking will be on the city hall lawn, city parking lots and surrounding streets. Open to Pre '72 cars. Any motorcycle. Working Show trucks.Hosted by Kiwanis Club of Chino. Cost-$20.00 before Aug. 9 & $25.00 after. Free tee shirt to all participants. Cruising 10 to 1. Open header contest. Music by DJ Gary. Terrific raffle. Awsome trophies. Food. Vendors. Chino Kiwanis uses all proceeds towards their charities for children and seniors. General info- Walt Pocock 909-591-4162. Mail: Chino Corn Feed Run, 12411 Oaks Ave., Chino, Ca. 91710 E-Mail: Cornfeed08@aol.com | | | | Chino Hills | | | | | Claremont | | | | | Greater Pomona | | | | | Montclair | | | | | Ontario | | | | | Ontario-Parkway | | | | | Pomona | | | | | Rancho Cucamonga | | | | | Upland | | | | | Upland-Foothill | | | |
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