Kiwanis Club of Adrian notes growth in membership, funding for projects during 2022-23

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·4 min read

ADRIAN — With a growing membership of more than 85 community members, the Kiwanis Club of Adrian recently highlighted its impact within the community during its past fiscal year.

Throughout 2022-23, $130,264 was invested by Kiwanis in 22 area organizations and projects such as the Kiwanis Trail that connects the cities of Adrian and Tecumseh; the gymnasium renovation project at the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee in Adrian; March is Reading Month activities at local schools and more.

Dusty Steele, chairperson at the Adrian Downtown Development Authority and the Kiwanis Regional Trail Authority, talks about the Kiwanis Trail updates at a River Raisin cleanup event Aug. 27, 2022, in downtown Adrian, held in support with the River Raisin Watershed Council.
Dusty Steele, chairperson at the Adrian Downtown Development Authority and the Kiwanis Regional Trail Authority, talks about the Kiwanis Trail updates at a River Raisin cleanup event Aug. 27, 2022, in downtown Adrian, held in support with the River Raisin Watershed Council.

Nearly 4,000 volunteer hours were logged last year by members of the club, according to Kiwanis Club of Adrian member Sara Herriman, who also is a past president of the club serving from 2020-21.

The club’s popular Avenue of Flags project, which serves as both a volunteer project for club members and as a fundraiser, generated $45,000 all of which was invested back into the community last year. Partners with Kiwanis on the flag project include two youth groups, Adrian Public Schools and the APS Band Boosters, two high school athletic teams, and American Veterans (AmVets) Randy P. Hill Post 1957. Club members together with its partners installed 1,550 American flags throughout the Adrian area during patriotic holidays during the calendar year.

More: Kiwanis Club of Adrian's 'Avenue of Flags' project grows as community shows patriotism

“Our club experienced growth in membership, funded several big and small projects, introduced new service projects, assessed our community’s need and updated our strategic plan,” said 2022-23 President Lynne Punnett.

Cary Carrico, account executive with Kemner Iott Benz, is now Kiwanis’ president, serving in the leadership role until Sept. 30. Additional officers include President Elect Heather Pearce, Vice President Drake Lolley, treasurer Joe Williams and secretary Paula Trentman.

Pictured are Kiwanis Club of Adrian Past-President Lynne Punnett, left, and newly inducted President Cary Carrico, right, during the ceremonial “passing of the gavel," which signals the transfer of the presidency from the current, outgoing president to the new, incoming president for the next year.
Pictured are Kiwanis Club of Adrian Past-President Lynne Punnett, left, and newly inducted President Cary Carrico, right, during the ceremonial “passing of the gavel," which signals the transfer of the presidency from the current, outgoing president to the new, incoming president for the next year.

“I, along with the board, believe the most effective way to make a lasting impact is to invest in ideas that will benefit the community for years to come,” Carrico previously said when he accepted the presidency gavel from Punnett. “Whether it is through grants, partnerships or other forms of funding and collaboration, the board and I will work together to ensure that projects are well-funded and well-executed.”

More: Passing of the gavel ceremony marks change in leadership for Kiwanis Club of Adrian

Here is a snapshot of some of the organizations and projects supported by the Kiwanis Club of Adrian:

Adrian Community Preschool; Adrian Rea Literacy Center; Adrian Symphony Orchestra; downtown Adrian’s Artalicious Fine Arts Exhibition; Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee; Catholic Charities; City of Refuge Ministries International; C.S. Mott Children's Hospital; Croswell Opera House; Habitat for Humanity; River Raisin Ragtime Revue Haviland Hall restoration project; HOPE Center; Kiwanis Trail, Tecumseh Extension; League of Michigan Bicyclists; Lenawee 4-H; Lenawee Community Foundation; Imagination Library; Manitou Beach Youth Arts Club; March is Reading Month programs at eight Adrian-area elementary schools; Salvation Army Christmas presents; Southeast Michigan Migrant Resource Council; Special Olympics; and the YMCA Splash N' Dash.

The former chapel on the former Adrian Training School campus is pictured. Renamed Haviland Hall, the building is undergoing renovations by the River Raisin Ragtime Revue, which has raised at least $150,000 for phase one of the project, consisting of exterior renovations, including a $60,000 grant from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and funds from Adrian Kiwanis Club, Maurice and Dorothy Stubnitz Foundation, PlaneWave Instruments and other donors. R4 plans to raise $1 million through grants, crowdfunding and donations.

Some of the highlights of the 2022-23 fiscal year include:

  • Providing dinner for 700 guests on Thanksgiving Day as part of the club’s three-decade strong holiday event that engages more than 40 volunteers and is made possible because of partnerships with Adrian Public Schools and Alpha Koney Island.

  • Continuing the annual cheese fundraiser raising $4,000, which went directly back into the community.

  • Funding for games and prizes, and volunteering at the Special Olympics.

  • Packing food boxes at the Associated Charities and I-92 Ministries.

  • Continuing the support of Adrian Community Preschool by paying all utilities and mowing the lawn each week throughout the summer.

  • Providing 40 weekly lunches to Share the Warmth, Lenawee County’s homeless shelter based in Adrian.

  • Fulfilling pledges of $50,000 to the Boys and Girls Club and $77,500 in support of the Kiwanis Regional Trail Authority (KRTA) and completion of the Kiwanis Trail connection to Tecumseh.

  • Funding 15 nonprofit mini grants totaling $26,225.

  • Welcoming 10 new club members.

Members of the Kiwanis Club of Adrian, which has a mission of taking action to positively impact the community, meet every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch at the Christian Family Centre in Adrian, 1800 U.S. 223. The public is welcome to attend any of the meetings where they can learn about Kiwanis projects and the benefits of membership.

The Kiwanis Club of Adrian can be contacted at P.O. Box 179, Adrian, Michigan 49221 or online at adriankiwanis.org.

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Kiwanis Club of Adrian highlights community impact during 2022-23 year