Kiwanis Club of Christiansburg 2024–2025 Annual Report

Celebrating 76 years of service through volunteer leadership, youth support, and meaningful local impact.

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A Year of Service and Community Impact

This year, the Kiwanis Club of Christiansburg celebrated its 76th anniversary of service to the local community and support for children. Most of this year’s programs were recurring and focused on meeting real needs for youth and families in Christiansburg and the surrounding area. In addition to significant financial support, members gave thousands of volunteer hours to sustain programs, strengthen partnerships, and advance the Club’s mission of serving one child and one community at a time.

Club Highlights

• The Club continued to support the Key Club at Christiansburg High School, helping sustain a student service organization that had been inactive for several years.
• Thirty-one Kiwanis members achieved perfect meeting attendance for the year.
• Steve Simmons completed three years of service as Lieutenant Governor of Division 16 of the Capital District.
• Bill Kennan was elected as the incoming Lieutenant Governor, continuing the Club’s strong leadership presence within the District.
• Jim Vanhoozier was selected as the Club’s Kiwanian of the Year.
• The Club continued to invest in its Endowment Fund to strengthen its long-term future and ability to serve the community for generations to come.

Programs and Community Support

Some of the Club’s major programs and contributions during the year included the following:

1. Head Start Backpack Program: Each Thursday, just before the Club’s weekly meeting, Kiwanis members meet at the Head Start building in Christiansburg and pack up to 40 backpacks for children in the Head Start program. The school meals program provides food during the week, and the Kiwanis Backpack Program helps ensure children have food on weekends as well. Members procure, inventory, store, and pack food to sustain this effort.
2. School Clothing and Supply Support: Two Walmart gift cards, worth $550 total ($500 from the Kiwanis Club and $50 from Walmart), were provided to each of the seven schools in Christiansburg. These cards are used to purchase needed clothing and school supplies for children whose families cannot afford them. Before this program was introduced, teachers and other school staff often paid for these needs out of pocket.
3. College Scholarships: Three $1,500 scholarships were awarded to Christiansburg High School students needing financial support for continuing education.
4. Christmas Party for Local Children: The Club hosted its annual Christmas party for approximately 70 children. Members purchased clothing for individual children based on needs and sizes identified by parents, and the Club funded toys based on children’s wish lists. Santa distributed gifts at the event, and food and drinks were provided for children and their chaperones. The combined cost to the Club and its members exceeded $16,000.
5. Youth Sports and Aquatics Access: For children who could not afford entry fees to participate in sports at the Christiansburg Recreation Center and the Aquatic Center, Kiwanis covered the cost.
6. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: The Club donated $4,000 to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and budgeted an additional $5,000 for next year.
7. Additional Community Contributions: The Club made cash contributions to Agency on Aging ($1,500), Intellectual Disabilities Agency of NRV ($2,000), Christiansburg Fire Department ($2,000), Sleep in Heavenly Peace ($1,000), CHS Cheerleaders ($1,500), MJAM ($1,000), and many other worthwhile local efforts.
8. Kiwanis Park: The Club continued to provide annual financial support and volunteer assistance to Kiwanis Park, where improvements on the five-acre expansion are currently underway.
9. Montgomery County Social Services Partnership: As part of the Club’s outreach efforts, a partnership with Montgomery County Social Services continued to provide supplies needed to support youth and elders served by the agency.
10. CHS Football and Cheer Support: The Club provided football programs for Christiansburg High School and financial support to the CHS cheerleading squad.
11. Town of Christiansburg Easter Egg Hunt: Kiwanis co-sponsored the Town’s annual Easter Egg Hunt by supplying volunteer labor and purchasing prizes.
12. Community Event Support: Members provided volunteer labor for the Montgomery Museum’s Heritage Day event, Town events, and other community activities.
13. Emergency Assistance Program: Members contributed hundreds of volunteer hours working with the volunteer-run Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program.
14. Endowment Fund: The Club continued to build its Endowment Fund to help ensure its long-term sustainability and future service capacity.

How Club Funds Are Managed

Other sources of Club income are derived from community fundraisers, donations, and grants. All such income goes into the Club’s Service Account, and 100% is funneled back into the local community, with most of it supporting youth activities. All administrative costs, including meeting meals, are paid by members’ dues.

Kiwanis is a global organization of members, clubs, and partners who are dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.

The Kiwanis Club of Christiansburg has provided service to our local community since its charter was granted in 1949.