Kiwanis Club of Poquoson

by Joe Discenza

The Kiwanis Club of Poquoson and their charter Key Club each had a busy month volunteering and giving in April, 2011.

On April 2, designated as "Kiwanis One Day," club members helped with demolition and renovation at the City's swimming pool. On April 11-26, members assisted Poquoson Friends of the Library in arranging their annual Used Book Sale. On the 16th, members directed traffic for the third annual TS Gates Memorial 5K Run/2 Mile Walk. Every week, Kiwanians donate their time for regular math tutoring at Poquoson Middle School and for reading tutoring at Poquoson Primary School.

Kiwanis regularly honors veterans and active duty military. Club members underwent training and coordination, and accompanied World War II veterans on an "Honor Flight" bus tour to Washington DC memorial sites. They also staffed the USO center at Patrick Henry Airport and served the famous Poquoson Kiwanis barbecue to spinal cord injury patients at the Hampton VA Hospital.
Other volunteer activities included assistance to victims of the Gloucester tornado, preparing food for the Red Cross Blood Drive at Poquoson Middle School, and helping out at Earth Day at the Poquoson Public Library.

In this one month, besides the 530 hours of volunteer work, the club donated $1,420 to several worthy causes including the SHARE Food program, Poquoson Education Foundation for Gloucester school relief, Brainy Camp student support, the purchase of cherry trees for planting at Earth Day, and the Emmaus Baptist Church scholarship program. Also, as a result of the club's management of and many hours of volunteer work for the twelfth annual "Go for the Goal" Christine Garvey Memorial Soccer Tournament in March of this year, the club forwarded a check to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the amount of $7,639.

Not to be outdone, in April the Poquoson High School Key Club, affiliated with and sponsored by Poquoson Kiwanis, volunteered time to Kiwanis One Day, Friends of the Library, Adopt-a-Spot, TS Gates Run/Walk, Out of the Darkness Suicide Awareness Walk, Earth Day, and Poquoson Museum Butterfly Garden. They also donated a total of $1,500 to charities: Relay for Life, March of Dimes, Invisible Children Inc., and Gloucester Red Cross.

On May 21, the Kiwanis Club of Poquoson, with help from the Key Club and the Middle School Builders Club, put on its annual Pig Roast in the Taylor's Do-It Center parking lot on Wythe Creek Road. This event, along with a June bulk barbecue sale and its booth at the Poquoson Seafood Festival in October, raise more than $40,000 every year, all of which is donated to charity.

Kiwanis Club of Poquoson and Poquoson Key Club volunteered as Road Traffic Controllers. Some family members also assisted. Purpose was to Raise Awareness of Aplastic Anemia, Paroxsymal Nocturnal Hemoflobinuria, and Myelodysplastic Syndrome. In the picture is Race Director Sally Gates (in blue)flanked by the many volunteers.

Pictured are Darlene and Butch Watkins, members of the Poquoson Museum. They held an open house and yard sale on 30 April 2011 and Kiwanis members helped them set up tables and articles for sale. The Kiwanis Club of Poquoson members pictures are Chip Petre, Bob Kerlinger, Penny Burns, Phil Prisco and Walt Burns.