February 23, 2005
K-Kids provide needed winter wear
Cherry Knoll club raises money to buy boots, winter coats for Father Fred
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Amassing their stash a bit at a time, last week students in the K-Kids club at Cherry Knoll Elementary School were able to help needy children in the area.
These fifth- and sixth-grade students donated 16 pairs of boots and three winter coats Thursday to the Father Fred Foundation. Members of this Kiwanis Club service organization for elementary school youth raised $253, about half from monthly bake sales held at the school. The other half came from their work in the Pepsi tent last summer during the National Cherry Festival.
Since the school year began, students have baked, packaged and sold cookies, cupcakes, brownies and Rice Crispy treats.
"They were individually wrapped and we sold them every second Friday of the month," said Martin Solberg, a sixth-grade student and member of the K-Kids.
A week ago Saturday, club members shopped at Wal-Mart with their earnings. Accompanied by Marge Roman, their Kiwanis Club advisor, they selected boots in a range of sizes and styles for both boys and girls.
"We bought all sizes because you never know when you come into Father Fred, what people are going to need," said Roman, who escorted the young shoppers to lunch after the spree. "They were all really good boots."
Mike Shockley, administrative director of the Father Fred Foundation, was thrilled to see youth involved in service projects and with the donation. He noted that the foundation recently handed out 119 pairs of boots, donated from the Boots for Kids program, in just two weeks.
"There's a very big need for warm boots and warm hats, mittens and coats," said Shockley, who has been with the foundation four and a half years.
Kids working together to help other kids is a growing, and welcome, trend, he noted.
"We have seen that a lot, just recently during our Frostbite Food drive, we had two children who at their birthday party, instead of wanting gifts for themselves asked for donations to the food pantry," Shockley said. "It's always work to keep the message out there that there are needy individuals and families in our area, but it's also a very generous community."
Roman, a member of the Monday noon Kiwanis Club, started as the Cherry Knoll K-Kids advisor this school year. The program began at Cherry Knoll three years ago and a number of other elementary schools also have a K-Kids club.
In the fall, she will follow her sixth-grade students to Traverse City East Junior High to start a Builder's Club chapter at the school. Builder's Club is Kiwanis International's junior high school-age service club; the Key Club is the service club for high school students.
"Our organization is devoted to helping children," said Roman of Kiwanis International.
K-Kids members meet every Tuesday during their lunch recess and discuss proposed projects and activities. In the past, they have cleaned up the playground as a service to the school. In March, club members will attend an adult Kiwanis Club meeting and also this spring they will serve at a weekly community dinner held at St. Francis.
These 11- and 12-year-old students show that it is never too young to aid the less fortunate.
"I decided to join because it sounded interesting and I wanted to help people," Solberg said.
Rod Ross, a sixth-grade teacher at Cherry Knoll, is the club's advisor at the school. He is looking to recruit more fifth graders into K-Kids this year and interest younger students to keep it viable next year.
"I think we have a pretty small core group that I'm proud of because they've kept it going," he said. "It's something that I know a couple of the guys in fifth grade last year really looked forward to stepping up and running the show this year."