Aktion Club enjoys annual convention
September was the month that the Burbank For Fun Kiwanis Aktion Club joined a lot of other Aktion Clubs at Wonder Valley for their annual convention. This event continues to grow exponentially every year. It is a great time for learning and renewing friendships. The Aktion Clubs are the Kiwanis service clubs for developmentally disabled adults.
The amount of time the members spend serving their communities and the projects they undertake is amazing. They all are eager to help in any way they can. Each club made a presentation of all their accomplishments during the past year. They are all so proud of one another’s achievements, as they should be.
Burbank For Fun’s Karen Young won first place in the poster contest at the California-Nevada-Hawaii District of Kiwanis level and went on to win first place again in the Kiwanis International competition. The subject of the poster was “Leadership.” The club also won first place at the Cal-Nev-Ha District level in the scrapbook contest and proceeded to win second place at the Kiwanis International level.
The clubs were entertained by their favorite, an Elvis impersonator. Needless to say, pandemonium reigned that evening. Their service project for convention was to make blankets for the homeless in their communities and with everybody working they completed it. Each club took home 10 to 15 blankets to give away. It was a great finish for a wonderful year for all of them.
For more information contact Jan Loporchio at (818) 843-0535 or at panette@pacbell.net.
Kiwanis Cares about Children
I recently attended a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Burbank where a presentation was made by member Steve Veres regarding all the projects that the club has undertaken in this community over the years. There are so many that it would be impossible to name them all in this column. I will name a few so you get an idea of how much our service clubs contribute to our community.
A few years ago, the Burbank High School Band had very few instruments, so many of the members donated their own instruments to the band, and the club financially brought back to life the school band. The club raised and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the new Roy and Patricia Cancer Center in Burbank, which is a landmark in our community. Veres was on the eight-person original organizing committee that brought Relay for Life to Burbank to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Do you remember a few years ago when a good Samaritan stopped on Glenoaks to assist a woman whose car had broken down, and they both were hit by a drunk driver? The woman died, but the good Samaritan was badly injured, had a family and could not work after the accident. The club supported the family for 31 consecutive months and helped him find a job.
Since its inception in 1997, “Kiwanis Cares About Children” has raised and given more than $155,00 to needy families. They have contributed to the Red Cross for Kosovo Relief Fund and Katrina’s Gulf Coast Relief, among many others. They are constantly getting requests from BTAC, Family Services, the YMCA, their club members, as well as from other Kiwanis clubs on the California-Nevada-Hawaii district.
The Kiwanis Club of Burbank meets at noon Wednesday at the YMCA, 321 E. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. For more information, contact Harvey Branman at (818) 954-9294 or at hbranman@pacbell.net.
ISABEL ADAMS can be reached at (818) 842-7359 or at izzieadams@sbcglobal.net.