Service Showcase
Coat Drive for Afghan Refugees Huge Success
Thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Poquoson and many other local organizations, a brief 3-week urgent coat drive appeal resulted in one big truck loaded with new and gently used coats successfully delivered to Fort Pickett. Ft. Pickett is one of the military bases in Virginia and across the nation that are housing Afghan refugees airlifted to safety from the chaos of Kabal, Afghanistan earlier this summer. The airlifted families are translators and other highly valued Afghan employees who worked side-by-side with our US troops, keeping them safe and away from harm during the almost 20-year war with the Taliban. The translators, who are generally well educated, abandoned their homes and fled with their families with only the clothes they were wearing. These families in Fort Pickett are awaiting processing to safe and secure housing in communities dotted across the United States. With winter months approaching, Hampton Roads Refugee Relief (HR3), received an urgent call from the Islamic Center of Virginia for warm winter jackets for the children and their families at Ft. Pickett. Poquoson Kiwanis was one of the first organizations to answer the call to help HR3 in its response. Members brought their donations to the weekly breakfast meeting and a representative from HR3 collected them to add to the greater collection depot. Participating organizations included an interfaith network of churches, synagogues, and mosques along with nonprofit organizations and caring individuals.
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The Capital Kiwanian
Kiwanians Ring the Bell for Salvation Army
Members of the Kiwanis Club of Toano and the Stonehouse Elementary School K-Kids worked together to ring bells for the Salvation Army!
Kiwanis Gives Book to Head Start Children
The Kiwanis Club of Lynnhaven has been reading and donating books to the children at Head Start groups in Virginia Beach for 20 years. The club purchases the books and members go to the facilities to read to the children four times each year. After reading, each child chooses their book and the teacher writes their name in the cover and it is their book to take home. Due to COVID-19, the club members have been unable to read to the children since early 2020. During the week of November 18, Dan Vitez, member of the Kiwanis Club of Lynnhaven picked up 170 books and distributed them to the Head Start groups and Mile High Kids locations in Virginia Beach.
