Kiwanis Club Extends Gratitude

Each of the boys from the troop earned up to eight hours of community service time by ringing the bell at Everybody's Grocery Store and Dennis Company in Raymond. In addition, troop leaders, parents of the Boy Scouts and Pastor Laurie Johnson – a member of the South Bend Kiwanis – also stood with a bell at the “bucket” for a minimum of two hours. Beryl Adams, a member of the Raymond Kiwanis since the 1980s, made arrangements with the two businesses and signed up volunteers for the four-day effort.

The fund-raising for all the good works of the Salvation Army comes back to the community in a somewhat unusual way. Each year, the Raymond club asks the Salvation Army for a grant to hire lifeguards for the free swimming lessons for local fifth graders. Those grants have been awarded for a couple of decades, ensuring that local young people are prepared to deal with the rivers, harbor and ocean in our area. That type of program is in keeping with the Kiwanis International goal of “Changing World, One Child and One Community at a Time.”

Thank you, Scout Troop 36, the Dennis Company, Everybody's, Pastor Johnson and all others for your help ringing the bells. Thank you, too, to all those who dropped coins and paper money into the buckets. It all adds up to benefit our community.

Sincerely,

Vivian Edersheim

President, Kiwanis Club of Raymond

Editor’s Note:This article first appeared on www.hometowndebate.com 12/17/13. If you would like to respond to this story go to hometowndebate.com