Editor’s Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on North Okaloosa County nonprofit organizations that improve our quality of life.
CRESTVIEW — Since June 1935, the Kiwanis Club of Crestview has existed to serve the community and improve area children’s lives.
Kiwanis is a global organization with over 625,000 members who annually raise more than $100 million, according to its website. Raised funds go to over 150,000 service projects that vary based on a community’s needs. The Crestview chapter has 33 members, said Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Roy, but that hasn’t slowed the group’s influence.
Crestview Kiwanis annually awards a scholarship to a member of the Key Club at Crestview High School. Key Club, a service program for high school students, focuses on teaching leadership skills. Over 5,000 Key Club chapters exist globally, according to the Kiwanis website.
Additionally, Crestview Kiwanis has three endowed scholarships through Northwest Florida State College. The college chooses the recipients, but one of the scholarships must go to a student enrolled to become a teacher, Roy said.
Beyond scholarships, Crestview Kiwanis works with the city to revitalize the John McMahon Environmental Center. The center — which features over 100 identified trees native to Florida and houses an environmental museum — is used as a tool for area students.
Through donations, fundraisers and volunteer work, the chapter constructed a walking path at the center and cleans and maintains the facility. The next major goal, Roy said, is to construct a children’s park in the area.
Kiwanis has also used social media to encourage community participation in several local events such as a town hall discussion on homelessness, veterans’ parades, health care fairs and the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Triple B cookoff.
For those looking to become involved with the Kiwanis Club, the Crestview chapter meets at noon each Wednesday at Samuel’s Roadhouse on John King Road.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Kiwanis members work to improve children's lives