Community Projects
Kiwanis members are committed to providing their communities with service. In fact, Terrell members dedicate hundreds of service hours per year participating in charitable projects.
K-Toys
For more than 50 years, Kiwanis continues their contribution to the community with K-Toys For Kids. The Kiwanis Club of Terrell helps local families in need at Christmas, by distributing gifts for children, a turkey, food and household items.
This year, with economic conditions tougher than in recent memory, this need is anticipated to be especially great. Kiwanis invites the Terrell community to open their hearts by donating gifts for those who have experienced difficulties which have diminished their ability to provide gifts for their children.
Families request, and especially appreciate, books and educational toys. All items should be new and unwrapped, and can be of any size or value. Drop off locations are setup through out the community. Come back and visit our site around Thanksgiving for a list of drop off sites.
The Kiwanis Club also accepts cash donations which will be used to buy additional toys, food and household items. These can be sent to Kiwanis Club of Terrell, PO Box 12, Terrell, TX 75160
Terrell State Hospital
Monthly Parties- Kiwanis and Circle K hosts monthly parties for up to 90 adults, and the adolescent patients. TSH patients enjoy snacks, drinks, music and dancing at these events. They look forward to the party each month and have a really great time.
Annual Watermelon Party- Each year in July, Kiwanis members serve watermelons to the TSH adults. Special efforts from Jeff Woolverton & Sutton Produce help make the event possible.
Angel Tree & Christmas Party- Each year during the Christmas season TSH children and adolescent patients (ages 8-17) write down gifts they would like to receive for Christmas and Kiwanis members try their best to fulfill those wishes.The kids are visited by Kiwanis, Lions, Pilot and Rotary Club members, and Santa comes to distribute the gifts. They are also served pizza, drinks and cookies by the various clubs.
Christmas Day Visit- It can be a lonely time for some adolescent patients who are spending Christmas apart from family due to travel or other circumstances. Kiwanis members, along with other people in the community, visit TSH adolescents each year on Christmas day where we play Bingo, eat lots of junk food and sing songs. A blessing is received by each one who has an opportunity to participate.
Educational Scholarships
Applications are accepted, Six Scholarships ranging from $250 - $500 are commonly awarded to graduating high school students. The scholarships are used for educational pursuits. Application forms can be obtained through TISD. The selection committee is composed of Kiwanis members. Scholarships will be awarded in May. Educational scholarships have been awarded for over 30 years. In the past 10 years, over $40,000 in scholarships have been awarded.
Children- Priority One
Young Children: Priority One is an ongoing service program of Kiwanis International, addressing the needs of young children, ages 5 and under. These children are currently being served through our dental hygiene project and some receive dental care provided by dentist and Kiwanis member, Gwendolyn Kines.
Literacy Program
Children who grow up in homes where parents do not read, or have only marginal reading skills, often lack early exposure to reading. They do not have stories read to them by a parent. They do not see books or print materials in their homes. They often do not have parental help with schoolwork. Because of this widespread lack of reading skills, nearly one-third of all young families are poor, and millions are unemployed. Some 15 million children live in these households, and the cycle of illiteracy often is perpetuated. A child in this environment enters school with little understanding of the importance of reading. In short, these children have little motivation to learn to read, and the result, as statistics on adult illiteracy indicate, is that many never learn. Educational research repeatedly has recognized the importance of introducing early learning and literacy, the value of reading for pleasure, and the need for adult role models. Access to books remains a key factor in children’s reading achievement.
Dr Seuss Party- Each year in celebration of Dr Seuss Birthday, youth are invited to a party with snacks and birthday cake. Dr. Seuss books are read to the children, and they are given prizes and books to take home with them. Terrell Kiwanis has recently joined efforts with The Terrell Public Library to be able to reach more children.
Lakes Regional MHMR- A library has been established at Lakes Regional MHMR to service children
Dental Hygiene
Give Kids a Smile Day- In an effort to enhance the awareness of good oral hygiene, Kiwanis Club of Terrell partners with the office of dentist and Kiwanis member, Gwendolyn Kines who is host to the nationally sponsored program, “Give Kids a Smile Day,”
The first Friday in February, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Kiwanis member, Dr. Gwendolyn Kines, along with staff, volunteers and fellow Kiwanis member and dentist Dr. Alan Nix, provides free dental screenings and sealants for children 1-18 at the Rockwall and Brin Church of Christ gymnasium. Children also receive free toothbrushes and toothpaste and will have the opportunity to participate in fun and games.
Sealants are given for children with permanent teeth so that it prevents cavities from getting in their molar teeth. Insurance is not a factor, the main objective is to ensure that children in the community have healthy teeth. In addition to assisting the hundred or so children, the group also selects some children to be sponsored for full dental care. Kiwanis members, Circle K and Key Club members are on hand to assist with the project.
Oral health presentations are given by Kines, her staff, along with Dr. Nix at both Kennedy Elementary and Furlough Middle schools to teach students the importance of taking care of their teeth. Targeting the age groups who are just losing their “baby teeth” or who have acquired all their permanent teeth so they know how to properly care for them. Dental care is not just about “having a pretty smile” and “flashing your teeth,” but it impacts the overall health of one's body and that's the message Dr. Kines and staff seek to provide to Terrell students.