By: Ana Pichardo—
Muncie, IN —At the Muncie Community Schools (MCS) School Board meeting on Tuesday, November 15th, the Kiwanis Club of Muncie presented the corporation with 472 dictionaries—one for each third grade student—in partnership with The Dictionary Project. The Kiwanis Club provided dictionaries to enrich students’ learning experiences. “If a child has their own dictionary to take home with them, it increases their ability to learn and their ability to be involved,” said James Warrner, Lieutenant Governor of the Muncie district. Michael Long, MCS Board President, presented a certificate of recognition to Dr. Charles Payne, President of the Muncie Kiwanis district and Ed Moran, Treasurer.
The Kiwanis Club partners with MCS for a variety of projects. On an ongoing basis, Kiwanis covers the cost of eye exams and glasses for students referred by a school counselor. This program has assisted hundreds of students since its inception in the 1950s. The club also provides the annual Harvey Thomas Scholarship for a Muncie Career Center graduate who plans a career in the dental field, as well as donates $1000 annually for Muncie Career Center’s Icerman Dental Clinic to purchase supplies.
At the end of the school year, the Kiwanis Club will hold their annual Juniors Honor Banquet to recognize the top 25 outstanding juniors from Muncie Central High School. “Scholastic achievement, involvement in activities, citizenship, and personal integrity are all part of the nomination process,” said Warrner.
The Kiwanis Club has also served as official sponsor for Muncie Community School’s anti-bullying efforts. They provided funds to bring Stephen Bargatze, an internationally acclaimed comedian and motivational speaker, to MCS to speak about bullying.
The Kiwanis Club is always looking for new members to join. Meetings are held at noon on Wednesdays at Vera Mae’s Bistro. “If you like trying to improve the community, and you like working with young people, this is a great group to be a part of,” said Warrner.
The Muncie Community Schools (MCS) serve approximately 6000 students from Muncie and the surrounding area. MCS provides a range of diverse opportunities for children as well as adult basic education. For more information about MCS events, programs or services, please contact Ana Pichardo, Director of Communications at 765-747-5210 or apichardo@muncieschools.org. Follow MCS on Twitter @MuncieSchools and like us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/MCS1Official.
