Kiwanis Club of West Visalia

Kiwanis Club of West Visalia meets each Thursday at noon, for about an hour. We enjoy the food of Amigo's Restaurant & Cantina, 5113 West Walnut Avenue near Akers, in their banquet room (click on the address to view a map). You are invited to visit with us and learn about our community service activities. We hope to see you soon!

TOMMY EMMANUEL, CGP




TOMMY EMMANUEL, CGP is performing at the Visalia Fox Theater on Saturday September 20, 2008. Tickets are available NOW at $35, please call the club's Secretary at 559-627-0754.

VISALIA TIMES-DELTA June 5, 2006 - Staff reports

Local Kiwanis clubs teamed with students to raise about $16,800 for Children's Hospital Central California over the weekend. The Miracle Mile of Quarters is an annual event that finds Kiwanians taking quarters they have collected throughout the year and lining them up to try to make a mile.

"We made it about three-fourths of a mile," said Celeste Thomas, the event chairwoman and a member of the Noon Kiwanis Club of Tulare. The event, held Saturday at the Visalia Mall, totaled about $12,800, Thomas said.That was combined with about $4,000 that was raised during a May 27 golf tournament that was also hosted by local Kiwanis clubs.

Money raised will go toward purchasing a fun center for the hospital in Madera County. Fun centers are areas that are created especially for youngsters - patients as well as those that are waiting around - to watch movies, play video games and generally stay entertained. The money will also help the hospital's Genetic Medicine and Metabolism department, Thomas said.

Students from high school Key Clubs and middle school Builders Clubs also helped at the event, Thomas said. The fundraisers were hosted by Division 18 [of the California-Nevada-Hawaii district of Kiwanis International], which includes the many Kiwanis clubs throughout Tulare and Kings counties.

Learn more about volunteering at

Kiwanis International

What do the members of West Visalia Kiwanis actually do? Sorry, but there's no secret handshake, no memorization of archaic oaths or greetings, and no funny garb (except on Goofy Tie Day). We are volunteers who believe that serving the children of Visalia is worth it to us, and here is a list of just SOME of what we do:

• rebuild playgrounds
  
• rebuild national park trails
• distribute free helium balloons at Visalia's annual Christmas Parade
• adopt Crowley Elementary School and recognize the Kiwanis Student of the Month
• fund ag-related youth activities by selling concessions at "The Farm Show", also known as World Ag Expo - our booth is at the corner of South Greenbelt and "O" Street"
  
• assist with community clean-up days
• encourage altruistic community service and leadership opportunies though our support of the "Builder's Club" at Divisidero Middle School
  
• sell fireworks as our major fundraiser, to finance year-long community services
• design "fun"- fundraising activities and participate in the Special Olympics
• offer college scholarships and low-cost student loans
• sponsor the Key Club at El Diamante High School, encouraging leadership and community service
• listen to and support KVLP Visalia Local Power 101.5 FM
  

So while there is no "secret" in our handshake, a deep sense of community makes us proud to volunteer under the banner of Kiwanis. Come by, join us and meet us at our regular Thursday lunch, and say that KVLP and your own good heart sent you.

Click here to read The Objects of Kiwanis International, adopted in 1924.

2005-2006 KIWANIS CLUB OF WEST VISALIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President - Patrick Salazar
President-Elect - Jo Anne Jensen
Vice President - Jim Rakich
Secretary/Treasurer - Marge Balsley-Neufeld
Past President - Don Black

Stan Huddleston
Kay Weber
Bob Lewis
Ming Li
Jim Wainwright
Fred Weber
Bill Balsley

WHO makes a difference?
The doors of Kiwanis are open to service-minded men and women looking to volunteer their time and resources to enhance the lives of needy children throughout the world. We invite you to learn more about the nearly 300,000 Kiwanians currently making an international difference one child at a time.

WHAT makes a difference?
One hour of volunteer time can translate into countless opportunities for a child. Kiwanis clubs and members have sponsored as many as 147,000 service projects in one year, contributing nearly $100 million and 6.2 million volunteer hours to take on causes such as literacy, leadership, and the special needs of children.

WHEN Kiwanis makes a difference.
Today. Tomorrow. Always. When you help a child, you're building a bridge between generations and toward the future. Your kindness, generosity, and knowledge will influence that child's life forever. Sometimes in very small ways, sometimes in very great ways, but always in a lasting way.

WHERE Kiwanis makes a difference.
Volunteering starts with you and spreads outward - a ripple in the pond that begins to turn the tide. Kiwanis service projects touch children in communities around the world by starting at the grassroots level and reaching out to myriad groups and causes - a global network powered by you.

WHY Kiwanis makes a difference.
Those who join Kiwanis want to do more than contribute financially. They want to find fulfillment in volunteer activity, community involvement, and fellowship. Kiwanis gives them the chance to shape their communities through hands-on activities and interaction with children. The ability to change the course of a child's life is a compelling reward.

HOW Kiwanis makes a difference.
A child's smile can turn any bad day upside down. When you become part of Kiwanis, you become part of an organization committed to these smiles. We're changing tomorrow by helping however we can today. Your skills, your dedication - our children, our world.

ONE PERSON makes a difference.
One community
One organization
One project
One volunteer
One child.
Kiwanis makes a difference worldwide because we never underestimate the power of ONE.

World Ag Expo is the perfect way to support Kiwanis and satisfy your hunger at the same time. The eighteen clubs throughout Kings and Tulare counties volunteer every year to bring the very best breakfasts items (like funnel cakes, or biscuits and gravy) and lunch (tri-tip plates or sandwiches, hot chili, and even hot dogs) to visitors during this three-day event.

West Visalia Kiwanis volunteers served lunch on Tuesday Feb 14, 2006, and we set a new record for daily food revenue. Thanks to all those who made a purchase, and more thanks to those Kiwanians who took time from their regular day to raise fund to "serve the children of the world". The permanent Kiwanis booth is located on South Greenbelt at "O" Street, next to the Case exhibit. It is near New Holland and the Dairy Pavilion, and south of Kubota.