Every Christmas the Kiwanis Club of Bonita puts together a food basket filled with ham and canned goods and delivers them to families who cannot afford a Christmas dinner. Their giving does not end there.
Recently they filled the bookshelves at Ira Harbison Elementary School in National City because their library needed books.
And next week Kiwanis Club of Bonita members will be hitting the streets to raise money for Rady Children’s Hospital.
These are just a small sample of community services the club provides.
“If there is a need and they come to us and we feel we can help, we’re there,” said the club’s Lt. Governor Fernando Orozco.
Bonita Kiwanis has been serving communities in the South Bay and around the county since its inception in 1971.
The group, part of the Kiwanis International Network, started as an offshoot of the Chula Vista Kiwanis Club because several of the Chula Vista club members then had lived in Bonita and wanted to meet on their own.
The 23-member group and 10 board of directors meet the first, second and third Thursday of each month, at 7 a.m. at the Bonita-Sunnyside Library’s community room, 4375 Bonita Road. Meetings are used to discuss current and upcoming events, have guest speakers such as the police chief and host networking opportunities.
On the fourth Thursday, the group meets in the evening to accommodate members who can’t make the morning meetings.
Each member has to pay $61 every quarter. Dues pay for supplies and it supplements the cost of breakfast before each meeting.
Walter Groves and his wife Sandra joined the Bonita Kiwanis Club six years ago after they went out for a walk at Rohr Park and were given a flyer about the club.
They said they attended one meeting and immediately liked what they saw.
“What we liked was that they were hands on, they weren’t just handing out money,” Groves said. “They weren’t just handing out a check and being done with it. They were getting involved in the community.”
Bill Sears,74, the club’s president and a member since 1994 said the club is all about doing good.
“We can actually do a project and nobody knows who did it and go home and feel good about it,” he said. “It’s good people, having a good time, doing good things.”
He said attracting new members is always a challenge because of the commitment that is involved. He said the club just looks for people who are active and want to serve the community.
Bonita Kiwanis Club fundraises money for community projects through its nonprofit the Kiwanis Club Foundation. The service club’s signature fundraising events include the Bonita Chili Cook Off and an annual golf tournament. All proceeds from both of those fundraisers go directly into the foundation for community service projects.
If interested in joining the Kiwanis Club of Bonita, visit www.bonitakiwanis.org and click on the contact/join tab. Anyone can join and it’s not a requirement to live in Bonita.
