Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs Spring Projects

Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs - Picture Caption: The Easter Bunny's helpers: Charlotte Buckman, right, cochaired a committee of Helderberg Kiwanians, including George Van Etten, left, who put together 28 Easter baskets for needy Hilltown families. - Altamont Enterprise, April 27, 2000

Kiwanians launch spring projects

Picture Caption: The Easter Bunny's helpers: Charlotte Buckman, right, cochaired a committee of Helderberg Kiwanians, including George Van Etten, left, who put together 28 Easter baskets for needy Hilltown families.

The Helderberg Kiwanis, on April 8, held its annual bowl-athon at the Altamont Lanes. The Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School Key Club, Junior High Builders' Club and members of the local Cub Scouts joined the Kiwanians to make the event a success. The entire fund-raiser was made possible through the Altamont Lanes' owners' donation of their facility.

The monies raised have gone to support worldwide eradication of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). World-Wide Kiwanis, working with UNICEF, has pledged $75 million to this effort.

IDD affects people, mostly children, in more than 110 of the world's countries; it causes thyroid disease, stunting, miscarriage, stillbirth, and, most frequently, mental retardation. Kiwanis International with all its family organizations, and in concert with UNICEF, the International Council for Control of IDD, and other concerned groups are seeking to eliminate iodine deficiency in the year 2000.

Easter cheer

On Saturday, April 18, members of the Helderberg Kiwanis gathered to assemble 24 Easter baskets containing ham, potatoes, and all the fixings for Easter dinner. Kathy Whitbeck, Hilltowns Communities caseworker, coordinated the project activities and participated in assembling the dinners.

The baskets, made to assist families who might not otherwise have resources for a holiday dinner, included apples and fresh cider donated by Indian Ladder Farms. Charlotte Buckman (Easter basket co-chair), Beverly Filkins, Homer Warner, Rudy Stempel, Janice and George VanEtten, Lew Buckman (co-chair), and Russ Gladieux comprised the Easter basket assembly line on April 18.

Staniels to speak

At its meeting of April 26, Helderberg Kiwanis will have as i t s dinner speaker, Peter Staniels, an owner of Noreast Real Estate Group and Realtor of the Year.

Mr. Staniels, as a board member of the Christmas in April Organization, will address the Kiwanians on home maintenance and repair activities his organization provides to senior citizens.

Spring cleaning

May 6 is scheduled by the Helderberg Kiwanis as Clean-up Day on the Hilltown highways.

BKW High School Key Club and Junior High School Builder's Club members will join with the Kiwanians to remove debris from the shoulders of Route 158, between Knox and Altamont, and from County Route 10 in East Berne.

Altamont Enterprise - Thursday, April 27, 2000