March 3, 2014 at 3:07 p.m.
Kiwanis uses Winter Escapes to fund charitable projects
Kiwanis uses Winter Escapes to fund charitable projects
There were raffles, silent auctions, food and drink for everyone to enjoy.
"We have card drawings for kayaks, we've got a special raffle for a trail camera, plus other raffles for cash prizes and jewelery from Wickersham Jewelery," said Kiwanis member Romelle Vandervest.
While the prizes and raffles often draw people in, the event is all about funding the charitable efforts of the Rhinelander Kiwanis Club.
"Everything goes back to the community for the children. We donate to the children's museum, the YMCA, all the sports and clubs at the schools," Vandervest said. "This is our one, main fundraiser of the year. This funds everything we do and everything we do is for the kids. That's what this is all about, making sure the kids of our community have what they need That's why we're here. That's our main focus, the kids."
They couldn't do it alone though, which makes the outpouring of community support that the group receives every year so important, Vandervest said.
"Because the community is so great in supporting us, we only have to hold the one, main fundraiser a year," she said.
"The community has been great. We've been doing this for so long, but it still gets better and better every year. The support we receive, which all goes to the kids, so it's really supporting the kids, but the community has just been fantastic. They show up in force every year and really are great about helping us get the money we need to do what we do."
"We just want to thank the community for doing what it can to help us. As long as they keep doing what they can to support us, we'll keep doing what we can to support them," she added.
Participant Jim Petersen said it's not hard to open the pocketbook for such a good cause.
"They do everything for the kids. That makes it all worthwhile. We live in tough times right now, but when you hear about all they do for the kids, that makes it easy to open up the checkbook and help out," Petersen said.
"When it's for the kids, it's easy to do."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.