Fall & Holiday 2025 Newsletter
Community service, youth recognition, a new member, and strong volunteer support for Kiwanis Holiday Lights.
This season brought community service, youth recognition, a new member, and strong volunteer support.
October highlights
- October 13 — President Pat Thompson attended the initial Kiwanis Holiday Lights volunteer meeting.
- October 24–25 — Drew and Dawn attended the DMM District Meeting in Watertown, South Dakota. Thank you for representing our club.
- October 25 — The club provided a $100 AHG lane sponsorship.
- October 28 — Vice President Melanie Schmidt presided over the regular meeting.
Service and giving
Crossroads Campus Ministry Food Pantry. Members donated food and cash at the October 28 meeting, and the club made a $300 donation. Thank you to Teri Herder-Blahnik and Jim Blahnik for delivering the gifts to Pastor Jenna.
Members began discussing a possible bowl-a-thon to provide additional support for this ministry need.
A new creative opportunity
The club voted to pursue the Optimist Visual Arts Competition during the 2025–2026 year. The subcommittee includes Linnea Wilson, Patti Lokken, Sue Carlson, and Melanie Schmidt.
Competition theme: Be Bold — Be The Change
November news
- Holiday Lights setup — On November 1, Deb Lindely, Sue Carlson, Will Dallenbach, Bonnie Stanton, Kate Hengy-Gretz, Jeff Gretz, Jon, and Jeanette helped with setup for Kiwanis Holiday Lights.
- Youth spotlight — At the November 25 meeting, the club welcomed leaders from Mankato East High School DECA. Their advisor is Jim Blahnik, a member of the club.
- Welcome Nancy — The club inducted new member Nancy Fager, invited to join by her friend and fellow member Patti Lokken.
December service
On December 16, club members supported Kiwanis Holiday Lights from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. in two volunteer teams — traffic control and the concession stand.
Holiday reminders
- Toys for Tots — New toys were collected at Wow Zone through December 10.
- December 23 — No club meeting.
- Holiday tree — Thank you to Janet Costello and her family for decorating the club's Christmas tree at Kiwanis Holiday Lights.
Thank you to every member, family member, and friend who helped make this season meaningful.
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