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Gowanda Class of 2023 gets Kiwanis donation

Submitted Photo Jerry Greenlee of the Gowanda Kiwanis Club (pictured center, right) presented Middle School Principal Todd Miklas with the club’s $2,000 donation to the eighth grade class trip. Also pictured are Gowanda eighth grade students and members of the Gowanda Kiwanis Club who attended the recent Gowanda Board of Education meeting.

GOWANDA — The Gowanda Kiwanis Club recently donated $2,000 to the Gowanda Central School Class of 2023 at a recent school board meeting. The donation amount is the largest amount that the club awards, and only a handful of local groups have received that amount in recent years. “Kiwanis International’s mission is to build stronger communities, one child at a time,” said Kiwanis member Jerry Greenlee on behalf of the other club members present at the meeting. “It’s with that spirit that one of our members, after reading an article in a local paper about the middle school class trip, though that we might play a role in that.”

Earlier this fall, board members approved the eighth grade class trip to Boston, Massachusetts in June, where students will learn about the early history of the United State through a variety of hands-on experiences.

Greenlee said that the club invited a student to share information about the trip with members. “Our club had a very intensive discussion and felt that this was such a worthwhile trip that we thought it would be truly unfortunate if any student who wanted to go wouldn’t be able to go because of a lack of funding,” Greenlee stated. “We decided to donate to the eighth grade trip $2,000 to establish a grant and aid or scholarship fund of their choosing, of their design, to assist students who would like to go on this trip but have inadequate funding.”

Greenlee presented the school board with the check, which Middle School Principal Todd Miklas gratefully accepted. “The interest for the trip is huge,” he reported to the board. “We have 82 students in the class, of which 65 have submitted applications for the trip…40 students have applied so far that have financial need.”

Miklas added that he would find out if any of the 23 students who have not submitted applications have hesitated due to financial need. Miklas called for a round of applause and thanked Greenlee on behalf of the eighth grade class.

Despite being a small chapter, the Gowanda Kiwanis Club has managed to play a significant role in the community, as they have also presented their largest donation amount of $2,000 to the Gowanda Ambulance Fund, and they make annual donations to the summer reading programs of the Collins and Gowanda libraries. Additionally, the club co-sponsors the co-educational soccer program by Gowanda Recreation at Gateway Park. The club is a regular contributor to Gowanda Central School, as members hand out school supplies at Gowanda Elementary on the first day of school each year and present a scholarship to a graduating senior.

The Gowanda Kiwanis Club is seeking a new generation of members interested in supporting and promoting the community via acts of goodwill. Currently, membership is very small, but the club is hoping to raise the organization’s profile and continue a legacy of giving for decades to come. Those interested in joining can contact Greenlee at 532-4544.

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