As a freshman at Armwood High, Angelena Baldi started her four-year association with the Key Club sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon, which in May celebrated its 65th anniversary.
“Kiwanis gave me an opportunity to develop leadership skills and to give back to my community in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise on my own,” said Baldi, now 24. “It provided the structure you need to give back, to have that experience, which in turn allowed me to get what I needed to apply for college scholarships. Kiwanis helped set me up for life.”
That an anniversary tribute begins with a kid’s Kiwanian experience is by design, as the decades-old club is known for its focus on youth initiatives, including the Terrific Kids character-building program in elementary schools. Kiwanis International supports also the K-Kids program for grades one through five and the Builders Club for grades six through eight.
Baldi offered her remarks at the 65th anniversary celebration for the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon, held at Ford’s Garage in Brandon in May. The club charter was signed May 11, 1960, including by a member of the pioneering Mulrennan family, for whom the middle school in Valrico, off Durant Road, was named.
“I joined the club in 1997, at the behest of my uncle, Bud Mulrennan, who was a charter member,” said past club President Jim Young, for whom a burger is named at Ford’s Garage, in tribute to his Kiwanian association. “I was starting to miss my time in the service, and Uncle Bud suggested I get involved with Kiwanis. I’ve loved everything I’ve done with the club, but mostly my work with teenagers, and their Key Club programs at area high schools.”
Beyond its youth support, Kiwanis for adult members allows for connections that transcend casual friendships.
“Kiwanis is like an extended family,” said Kiwanian Dustie Amatangelo. “If you’re someone who is in child-raising years, you need to build a community around you, and that is what the Kiwanis Club does better than anything else I know.” Indeed, for all age groups, including retirees with more time to volunteer, “Kiwanis is a great place to get involved with community events,” Amatangelo added, “and to surround yourself with a ton of love.”
President-elect Lynn Langowski said she got involved because of her friend Sandy Weicherding, who took Langowski to a Kiwanian-supported health fair, where community eye exams, hearing exams and immunizations were offered.
“After Sandy passed from ovarian cancer, I felt the calling to try and fill her shoes,” Langowski said. “Kiwanis truly is a family, and it’s all about giving back to the children, which I love.”
Past President Julie Knurek said she joined when her grandchildren were enrolled at Symmes Elementary, where there was no Terrific Kids program and she wanted to start one. The program now is in more than 20 area schools.
“It’s all about giving back,” Knurek said. “It’s all about watching kids grow up and become good citizens.”
Baldi’s mother can attest to that, having been a Key Club member herself in high school. And now, as an adult Kiwanian, “I find myself with a second family,” Jeanne Baldi said. “I get to volunteer a lot in Gibsonton, and that really speaks to me, as it addresses food insecurity, here at home in the United States.”
The Project Smile program at Gibsonton Elementary is a major club initiative, founded to ensure children and their families have enough food to eat over the weekend and during the school breaks, as well as necessary school supplies.
For more on the club and its initiatives, including scholarships and the annual golf tournament fundraiser, visit www.brandonkiwanis.org.
