strolling into the room in his full, ��owing black judge’s robe. He explained to the parents and the students present that K-Kids Club is about giving back. In his speech to the ��rst group at Braden River he said: “We have a lot of gifts, a lot of blessings. The idea is to share those gifts, those blessings, with those who are not as fortunate.” Judge Nicholas was proud to induct that group at Braden River after getting the call from Michele Rezpa, who volunteered to be their advisor. He would like to see a K-Kids Club in every one of Manatee County’s 32 elementary schools. At present, there are only clubs at the following seven schools: Miller, Palma Sola, Stewart, Samoset, Braden River, Willis, and Anna Maria. These are sponsored and monetarily supported by the Bradenton Kiwanis Club, except for Anna Maria Island Elementary, which is sponsored by the Anna Maria Kiwanis Club. To get a club in every school would simply take a leader to step forward and agree to be that school’s advisor. Each school has someone, a guidance counselor, administrator, or educator, who has chosen to volunteer with the program. Individual school clubs are a little different, and the club chooses the activities they wish to pursue, which makes each club unique to the students who participate in it. The projects the clubs choose to do all have purpose derived from conversations held in the initial K-Kids Club meetings. One club chose to raise funds to purchase a therapy horse for children with autism, because there was a student in their school with that specialized need. Another school does an annual canned food drive for folks in their community who might otherwise struggle with feeding their families. In December, Willis Elementary initiated a Teddy Bear Roundup to collect bears for children hospitalized over the winter holidays. Miller Elementary K-Kids Club actually teamed up with the Key Club from Manatee High and created and constructed a reading garden. “We could have a shepherd at every elementary school.” explains Judge Nicholas. “I feel passionately about Manatee County. I think it is the best place to live and raise a family. Yet, amongst all this natural beauty, there is great need. What if everyone got into the habit of looking out for their neighbors?” K-Kids is a fantastic way to instill that mindset in the next generation. However, K-Kids is only one component of the charity work done by Kiwanis. “Just about everything good in Manatee County,” Judge Nicholas proudly states, “has Kiwanis ��ngerprints on it.” If you would like more information on how you can get involved with K-Kids or Kiwanis, visit their website at www.bradentonkiwanis.org
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