Crofton Kiwanis Club Activities
by Joe Narcavage
The Crofton Kiwanis Club stays quite active and visible in the community during the period from Halloween through Christmas.
Among the more visible of the Kiwanis community activities is the annual Kiwanis Halloween parade (upcoming on October 30), which has been a tradition for children of Crofton for over 30 years. Prizes are awarded and refreshments are provided to the more than 300 kids that usually attend the event.
During the month of November, the club is especially active with charitable activities such as Adopt-A-Families at Thanksgiving and Christmas, where the club provides food and gifts for a number of area families in need.
The club's largest fundraiser is its annual Charity Auction, to be held this year on November 20. The Crofton Kiwanis "Pat Wilson Memorial" Charity Auction is an annual event that is held each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It is named after its founder, a devoted and much beloved Crofton Kiwanian who was taken from us before his time. All proceeds of the auction are used to support the club's many charitable programs during the year. The event will be held this year at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Rte. 3 in Bowie. Starting humbly, the auction has grown into a much awaited annual event with over 400 items in a live and silent auction format, Usually there are about 25-35 live high value items and about 375 silent items of varying cost from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.
The Crofton club also participates in the Salvation Army Bellringing at a local shopping center as well as the Holiday Angels Program.
The above programs are carried out during the holiday period and are in addition to our many events taking place throughout the year. These include providing several meals a month for Sarah's house ( a local homeless shelter for families), monthly Bingo and Birthday parties at the Crofton Care and Rehabilitation Cente, significant support to severely wounded veterans with an ongoing special project.
In addition, every April, the club participates in the Rebuilding Together home renovation project for a needy and/or elderly family.
Several times a year the club sponsors a Blood Drive in conjunction with the Anne Arundel Medical Center Bloodmobile.
