{"id":16018,"date":"2014-12-10T19:01:07","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T00:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2014\/12\/service-clubs-around-the-region-assist-nonprofit-groups.html"},"modified":"2014-12-10T19:01:07","modified_gmt":"2014-12-11T00:01:07","slug":"service-clubs-around-the-region-assist-nonprofit-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2014\/12\/service-clubs-around-the-region-assist-nonprofit-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"Service Clubs Around The Region Assist Nonprofit Groups, Aid The Less Fortunate"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"img-left\">\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"service clubs c.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2014\/12\/service20clubs20c.jpg\" class=\"alignleft\" height=\"225\" width=\"300\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"img-caption\">Don Wildermuth of the Wilton Rotary Club presented a check recently to Debi Zellan, center, and Connie Towers, both of the Wilton Food Pantry, to help feed those in need\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>BY JILL NAGY<\/p>\n<p>Saratoga area service clubs, such as Kiwanis,<br \/>\nRotary and Lions Club, raise money<br \/>\nall year but, around the holiday season,<br \/>\nmost of them are giving it back through<br \/>\ngifts and donations to nonprofit groups, and<br \/>\ncommunity activities.<\/p>\n<p>Saratoga-Wilton Kiwanis is typical. That<br \/>\nclub distributed 85 Thanksgiving baskets<br \/>\nto local families and bought gifts for some<br \/>\ndozen local organizations to distribute.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, Dec. 13, they will sponsor a<br \/>\nbreakfast with Santa at the Saratoga Senior<br \/>\nCenter, free for kids, $10 for adults.<br \/>\n&#8220;We fund-raise all year but Thanksgiving<br \/>\nand Christmas use up most of our budget,&#8221;<br \/>\naccording to immediate past president April<br \/>\nWeygand.<\/p>\n<p>During the year, Kiwanis participates in<br \/>\nReading is Fundamental. Once a month,<br \/>\nmembers read to pre-school children and<br \/>\ndonate enough books for every child to bring<br \/>\none home. Weygand estimates that they give<br \/>\naway 2,000 books a year.<\/p>\n<p>Kiwanis also sponsors the Key Club, a<br \/>\nsort of junior Kiwanis, at Saratoga High<br \/>\nSchool. &#8220;We are starting to work together,<br \/>\nfor example, with co-fundraising,&#8221; Weygand<br \/>\nsaid. Two adult Kiwanis members act as<br \/>\nadvisors to the high school organization.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, the Kiwanis chapter did a<br \/>\nlot of work with the Wilton Senior Center<br \/>\nbut, according to Weygand, &#8220;it was getting<br \/>\noverwhelming&#8221; and they had to stop.<\/p>\n<p>The Wilton chapter started in the 1980s; Saratoga Springs, at least 50 years ago.<br \/>\nLast year, the two separate groups merged.<br \/>\nWeygand estimates that there are between<br \/>\n35 and 40 members, about 20 of whom are<br \/>\nvery active.<\/p>\n<p>The largest and one of the oldest service<br \/>\norganizations in the area is the Saratoga Lions<br \/>\nClub, founded in 1925. At 100 members,<br \/>\nit is one of the largest Lions Club chapters<br \/>\nin the state, according to their president,<br \/>\nJoe Sporko. He characterizes the group as<br \/>\n&#8220;a very active vibrant club&#8221; and takes pride<br \/>\nin including several younger members.<\/p>\n<p>The club is &#8220;dedicated to sight, hearing,<br \/>\ndiabetes, youth and community causes.&#8221;<br \/>\nLions Club has depositories for used<br \/>\neye glasses and hearing aides. But the<br \/>\ndedication to eye health goes beyond that.<br \/>\nThe Saratoga chapter was instrumental in<br \/>\ncreating the Lions Eye Institute at Albany<br \/>\nMedical Center which treats 5,000 children<br \/>\nand 30,000 adults from a 24-county area<br \/>\neach year. Longtime board member Dave<br \/>\nCarr, who died in November at the age of<br \/>\n83, spearheaded the effort to create the<br \/>\ncenter. Support comes from Lions Club<br \/>\nchapters statewide.<\/p>\n<p>Last summer, the club sponsored Camp<br \/>\nAbility, a one-week all-expenses-paid<br \/>\nprogram housed on the Skidmore College<br \/>\ncampus that served 20 blind children from<br \/>\nthroughout the state. It will repeat in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>The Lions also sponsor the Saratoga<br \/>\nIce Stars ice skating program for disabled<br \/>\nchildren. Club members teach and skate<br \/>\nwith the children once a week, beginning<br \/>\nin January and, in late March, everyone<br \/>\nparticipates in an ice show.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the year, the Lions Club<br \/>\nraises money through a variety of activities.<br \/>\nAlmost as big as the Lions Club chapter<br \/>\nand older by one year is Saratoga Springs<br \/>\nRotary, with 95 active and three honorary<br \/>\nmembers. Their main holiday activity is a<br \/>\nseries of cash donations to organizations that provide food and gifts to people in<br \/>\nneed.<\/p>\n<p>A major gift last year went to Saratoga<br \/>\nWarhorse, an organization that provides<br \/>\ntherapeutic horseback riding opportunities<br \/>\nto veterans with mental health issues. That<br \/>\ngift is made during the summer but the club<br \/>\nwill be gearing up in January to plan for it.<br \/>\nA separate Rotary Education Foundation,<br \/>\nfunded by the Rotary Club, awards college<br \/>\nscholarships to local students.<\/p>\n<p>The Saratoga Springs Rotary Home Show,<br \/>\nheld at the Saratoga City Center in late<br \/>\nFebruary or early March, is the major fundraiser<br \/>\nand the biggest project for Saratoga<br \/>\nSprings Rotary. According to club president,<br \/>\nCharles V. Wait Jr., more than 120 vendors<br \/>\nparticipated in last year&#8217;s home show. A<br \/>\nwine-tasting was introduced last year and<br \/>\nwill be repeated in 2015, Wait said. The bulk<br \/>\nof the funds raised go to a scholarship fund.<\/p>\n<p>The Wilton Rotary Club is a relative<br \/>\nnewcomer to the local service organization<br \/>\nscene. Chartered in 2002, it has 18 members.<\/p>\n<p>They recently made a $500 contribution to<br \/>\nthe Wilton Food Pantry and also help support<br \/>\nWilton Youth Baseball, Wilton Wildlife<br \/>\nPreserve and Park, Double H Ranch, Junior<br \/>\nAchievement and disaster relief.<br \/>\nAn annual golf tournament is a major<br \/>\nfundraising event for the organization.<\/p>\n<p>The Twin Bridges Rotary chapter draws<br \/>\nits membership from the Clifton Park-<br \/>\nHalfmoon area. It has about 40 members.<\/p>\n<p>They will sponsor a Breakfast with Santa<br \/>\nand Mrs. Claus on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the<br \/>\nClifton Park Elks Club. They also sponsor<br \/>\na Breakfast with the Easter Bunny and<br \/>\na Spirit of Thanksgiving dinner. Once a<br \/>\nmonth, members cook dinner at Ronald Mc-<br \/>\nDonald House near Albany Medical Center.<\/p>\n<p>Main fundraisers are a Karoake Night in<br \/>\nOctober and a Taste of Southern Saratoga<br \/>\nevent at the Sportsplex of Halfmoon in the<br \/>\nspring.<\/p>\n<p>Photo Courtesy Wilton Rotary Club<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Don Wildermuth of the Wilton Rotary Club presented a check recently to Debi Zellan, center, and Connie Towers, both of the Wilton Food Pantry, to help feed those in need BY JILL NAGY Saratoga area service clubs, such as&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[57,60,69,74,100],"class_list":["post-16018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-profit","tag-business-news","tag-charity","tag-events","tag-fundraisers","tag-nonprofit"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - 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