| Adopt-A-Precinct Committee | Each election year, this Committee becomes active under the guidance of the Chairperson. Committee members volunteer to work the full day on Election Day. Prior to Election Day, Committee volunteers take a course with the Collier County Supervisor of Elections. The Club is paid for this work, and that funding helps to support the many charitable initiatives of the Kiwanis Club of Marco Island. |
| Beach and Road Clean Up Committee | This Committee arranges for selected street and beach clean ups done by volunteer members. The Clean-up Event is usually followed by a brunch or luncheon at a member’s home or in a local restaurant. |
| Board of Directors | Board of Directors |
| Car Show Committee | An annual major fundraiser event that takes place the day before Presidents Day in February. The Committee makes arrangements for the Show, including advertising, food, car club notifications, ticket sales, sponsorships, car show parking, and visitor parking. This activity involves significant preparation and its success is critical to the work of the Kiwanis Club of Marco Island. Members agree to be Captains for the various functions required, and then they solicit and assign volunteers in the various categories listed above. They also assist in set-up on the day prior to the event, and clean-up afterwards. |
| Crab Claw Dinner Committee | An annual event that takes place toward the end of the regular season. Committee members make arrangements for the location of the event, order crabs, arrange for volunteers to prepare coleslaw and baked beans, arrange silverware, wine and beverage set-up, side dish and dessert, and handle clean-up. |
| Inter-Club and Social Committee | The members of this Committee arrange Inter-Club visits and the Club’s social calendar. Inter-club meetings are when another Collier County Club visits the Marco Island Club for one of their meetings or when Marco members visit another club. Members contact other clubs to arrange and schedule these visits. Members of this Committee also arrange for and schedule the Club’s social events, i.e. a golf outing, a catered sunset evening boat ride, mini-golf followed by libations, and the June, July and August summer socials in members’ homes. |
| Karing for Kids Committee | Karing for Kids grew out of a request by a local school Principal that the Kiwanis Club assist with students from needy families who had serious dental issues. Local dentists have volunteered to provide pro bono services for those children whose needs they can address. For more serious and costly issues, such as extreme levels of infection, Committee members seek to work cooperatively with the Health Care Network of Southwest Florida to define both treatment and payment plans. |
| Kiwanis 5K Annual Fun Run at Hideaway Beach Committee | Members handle arrangements for this annual event in which local students and community members participate along with experienced runners. Each year a specific project involving the children of our community is targeted for financial support with the proceeds from this event. Recent projects funded were the renovation of the TV Studio at Marco Island Charter Middle and the significant upgrading of library resources at Tommie Barfield Elementary School. Also, the Kiwanis Club of Marco Island is funding ongoing technology upgrades at Marco Island Academy, the local high school. |
| Marco Island Academy / Key Club Liaison Committee | This Committee maintains close contact with the Marco Island Academy Key Club by attending Key Club meetings and events. They also assist, as needed, in securing Key Club assistance at various Kiwanis activities. Members also inform Club Members and the Board about what is occurring at the school, and activities that Kiwanis might support with funding or in other ways. Committee members also arrange quarterly visits by the Key Club officers to the regular Kiwanis meetings so that information on their efforts and activities can be broadly shared. |
| Meals of Hope Committee | Working in conjunction with the two Marco Island Rotary Clubs, members of this Committee assist with the monthly Meals of Hope events, which take place in a broad array of local restaurants. Funds at these “cocktail party” type events are raised by entrance fees and by 50/50 drawings. Kiwanis Club volunteers set up for selected dates of this event and at every event sell tickets or Meals of Hope related items like hats and shirts. This culminates in a packaging event in November at which many hundreds of volunteers participate, and where over 200,000 meals are packaged within a few hours. These meals are delivered to local schools and given to families in need in Collier County. |
| Membership Committee | This Committee is responsible for outreach efforts to secure new members. They will insure that proper paperwork is submitted to the Secretary, and that all new members receive an orientation that familiarizes them with their roles and responsibilities as club members. They will also follow-up with the Kiwanians who may have sponsored new members to support them in mentoring and maintaining ongoing contact with the novice Kiwanian. |
| Priority One Committee | This Committee focuses on initiatives supporting the group identified as the highest priority by Kiwanis International, children from birth to five years of age. Annually the members decide on funding early learning or health or safety project that benefits these children. Also, a focus is on securing Literacy Buddies for the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida. These Buddies agree to receive three letters from local children enrolled in an early learning program and to respond with a letter to the child and the book or type of book requested. |
| Public Relations Committee | This Committee is responsible for trying to see that at least one Kiwanis Club related article, with photos, is published in each edition of local media. Articles might discuss Terrific Kids or a Beach Clean-up event. They might also address fundraising events for Toys for Kids, Christmas in July, or the Karing for Kids initiative. |
| Reading Is Fundamental Committee | During the school year, members of this Committee arrange to give away almost 2400 books to children at the two local elementary schools. Students get very excited about receiving their “free” books, and the Committee members / volunteers also find their days of participation extremely rewarding and lots of fun. The two book distributions at each school usually take place between October and April. Members of this Committee arrange book lay outs in each school as different grade levels of children arrive, and staff the days when children receive their books. |
| Scholarship Committee | This Committee starts their meetings in late winter and is charged with determining the recipients of Kiwanis Club of Marco Island Scholarships, according to the criteria identified by the Board of Directors, which are: Key Club contributions, service, and leadership. The Kiwanis Club provides several $2,000 non-renewable scholarships annually to local college or post high school program bound seniors. The monies awarded can be applied toward tuition, fees, books, supplies and/or equipment required for the courses at an accredited / approved educational institution. |
| Seafood and Music Festival Committee | This group works with the Chairperson and keeps the membership updated on arrangements for this annual Festival held each year in March. The Kiwanis Club joins forces each year with the two local Rotary Clubs to produce this three day festival, the major fundraiser for all three of the local civic organizations. The event includes many seafood vendors, non-seafood vendors, desserts, refreshments, music, children’s activities, arts and crafts vendors and other entertainment. Committee members are responsible for securing sufficient numbers of volunteers to staff the positions necessary to insure the success of this event. |
| Social Media / Website Committee | The members of this Committee insure that the Club’s website is properly maintained and provide instruction and support for Kiwanians who wish to use the resources of the website, such as signing up for activities. They also insure that postings on the Kiwanis Club of Marco Island are kept current and include photos and commentary on the Club’s many initiatives and activities. |
| Terrific Kids Committee | This is a student recognition program that promotes character development, self-esteem and perseverance. Committee members assist in this monthly activity in which students are invited to breakfast with their parents for recognition. Each child receives a Terrific Kids T-Shirt and various gifts to note their outstanding achievement at school. Each child is interviewed in front of the assembled Kiwanians, and comments are read at this time from the teacher and other students. Pictures are taken and shared with local media. This program provides teachers with a tool to reward students for special achievements that might otherwise go unnoticed. |
| Toys for Kids Committee | Members of this Committee work to insure the success of this annual event at which the Kiwanis Club of Marco Island distributes a Christmas gift to every student at Manatee Elementary School, which has a poverty rate of above 90%, and to selected children in need at Tommie Barfield Elementary School and the Marco Island Charter Middle School. In December, usually over 900 gifts are distributed at Manatee, personally by Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. Committee members assist in fund raising events targeted specifically for Toys for Kids, such as 50/50’s at Stan’s and CJ’s, and the Adult Christmas Sing-Along/Brunch, shopping for the many needed gifts, and staffing the event. Many of the Kiwanians staffing the toy distribution dress and perform the role of one of Santa’s many elves that day. |
