Valparaiso Magazine Fall 2021
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VALPARAISO NOON KIWANIS CLUB<br />
VALPARAISO NOON<br />
KIWANIS<br />
CLUB<br />
By Doug Ross<br />
photo provided<br />
“KIWANIS IS A GOOD FIT FOR ME.<br />
BECAUSE OF THE LESSONS LEARNED<br />
HERE, I’VE BEEN ABLE TO BETTER<br />
MYSELF AND DO MORE FOR MY<br />
COMMUNITY.”<br />
— Ahna Campos, Kiwanis Club President<br />
he <strong>Valparaiso</strong> Noon Kiwanis Club is<br />
the largest in Indiana – seventh largest<br />
in the world – and for good reason.<br />
The club, celebrating its centennial this<br />
year, remains extremely active in service<br />
to youth.<br />
Past-President Lenny Corso, a member<br />
for 25 years, said he only knew a handful<br />
of people at the club when Paul Knauff<br />
recruited him in 1995. “I made friends<br />
so fast,” he said. “You will meet some of<br />
the most unselfish and compassionate<br />
people in the world in the Kiwanis Club.”<br />
The <strong>Valparaiso</strong> Noon Kiwanis Club<br />
is known for its annual Pancake Day<br />
breakfast, which has been around since at<br />
least the early 1950s, Past-President<br />
Steve Bobinski said. “It’s one of our larger<br />
events every year” and raises around<br />
$20,000 for charity. “It’s a great turnout.<br />
It’s great community involvement.”<br />
Bobinski said the comments he generally<br />
hears falls into one of two categories.<br />
Either they don’t know what service clubs<br />
are and what the Kiwanis Club does, or<br />
they say thanks for building a relative’s<br />
wheelchair ramp or sponsoring a Key<br />
Club at the high school.<br />
Installing metal wheelchair ramps for<br />
residents who need them is one of the<br />
Kiwanis Club’s signature projects, but<br />
there are plenty of other opportunities to<br />
volunteer. “Everybody has a skill they can<br />
share,” Corso said.<br />
Kiwanians also help deliver food for<br />
Meals on Wheels. Often, those clients<br />
don’t have a lot of family and friends to<br />
check on them frequently. “Sometimes<br />
it’s not about the food, it’s the<br />
socialization,” Bobinski said. “One<br />
person bringing them a lunch is huge.”<br />
Among the children’s issues the<br />
Kiwanis clubs focus on is developing<br />
an attitude of service leadership.<br />
Affiliate clubs include the Key Club at<br />
the high school level, Builders Club for<br />
middle school students and Circle K<br />
Club for college students.<br />
The Aktion Club is for people at<br />
Opportunity Enterprises, helping<br />
build leadership skills among adults<br />
with disabilities.<br />
10 VALPARAISO MAGAZINE | FALL <strong>2021</strong>
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