Community Stewards

By Carol La Valley

Photos courtesy Kiwanis

A riddle:
They flip golden, fluffy pancakes
Dress up flea market aisles
Lend wheelchairs to the elderly
And send teens to college with anticipation and smiles

Who are they? If you guessed the busy Kiwanis of Carefree (and Cave Creek) members who are meeting the needs of people young and old in their community, you would be correct. Kiwanis’s pancake breakfasts are a signature event of the club that chartered in 1973. However, their accomplishments are not financed by pancakes alone.

At least 500 people fill the amphitheater in the heart of Carefree twice a year for breakfast, served up by Kiwanis volunteers. As fun (and tasty) as that may be, the club’s worthy endeavors have been fueled for the past 15 years by giant flea-market sales that take place about every other month. Medical-assistance items that are donated may find their way to the loan closet, and a person in need can leave a message at (480) 488-8400 and make arrangements to borrow a walker, wheelchair, or other aid. The next flea market will be held March 27 at the Kiwanis Warehouse, 7177 E. Ed Everett Way.

The club received $2.5 million in the form of a charitable trust this past year. The trust and normal fund-raising efforts enabled Kiwanis club to give the community $800,000, which includes donations to the Desert Foothills Food Bank, YMCA, Foothills Community Foundation, and Caring Corps, an organization that provides transportation for the homebound. Because of Kiwanians’ $100,000 scholarship commitment, area students are able to further their education.

“We must be good stewards of that money,” says Susan Vanic, 2009–10 club president.

Children remain priority one for Kiwanis International. The science fair, in cooperation with the Cave Creek Unified School District, is one way in which the local club makes that goal a reality. At four years old, the event is in its infancy, yet 3,325 students from 11 schools submitted 2,079 projects this past year. Kindergarten through high school students and their parents can find information about the event on their Web site.

The AKTION Club is one of three major programs that Kiwanians of Carefree have embraced this year. The volunteers will be working with professionals to fund, plan, and host social events for developmentally challenged young adults. Kiwanians are again active in the Junior Achievement program in partnership with local schools and the Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce. Vanic budgeted money for an unspecified project, and members came forward with a third idea. They are in the early stages of identifying ways to make a difference in the lives of autistic children. The president is delighted. “It just goes to show what kind of members we have in the club,” she says.

The 254-member–strong club is presently the sixth largest in the world. Members meet each Wednesday at noon at Harold’s Corral in Carefree for lunch and to hear an interesting speaker. When the Arizona weather is fine and “in season,” they number over 100. Active hands are always needed to continue traditional events and enthusiastically produce new ones.

“We have a great group of volunteers,” says past president David Bell. “Many have run big companies and now, here they are, working as laborers and having fun doing it.”

For information on volunteering and programs, visit kiwaniscarefree.org