Kiwanis: 'changing the world one child at a time'

Editor’s Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on Santa Rosa County nonprofit organizations that improve our quality of life.

MILTON — The Santa Rosa Sunrise Kiwanis Club is a 34-year-old service organization dedicated to children.

"Our mission statement is to support children and children activities throughout the community — changing the world one child at a time,” past president Darrel Greer said. “We try to change every year. That's the norm anyway."

In the Santa Rosa area, there are a number of different clubs.

“Kiwanis of Milton meets at noon,” Greer said. “There's also the Milton Rotary. We also have the Lions Club. These are service clubs that have been around for years. All of them have the same basic goal: to support the community.”

Sunrise Kiwanis helps local charities but primarily supports youth programs, the main one being Terrific Kids, according to Greer. Terrific is an acronym that stands for Thoughtful, Enthusiastic, Respectful, Responsible, Inclusive, Friendly, Inquisitive and Capable.

"A central part of the program is providing teachers a tool to (publicly) recognize deserving students who might otherwise go unnoticed; Kiwanis Clubs provide some form of award for selected students to be presented in front of other students," Greer said.

The program started in Berryhill Elementary School and is now also at Bagdad Elementary, Benny Russell Elementary, Chumuckla Elementary, Dixon Elementary, East Milton Elementary and Holly Navarre Primary schools.

Greer said Sunrise Kiwanis also provides shoes, underwear and socks for T.R. Jackson pre-kindergartners, annually donates money to the Santa Rosa Kids' House, and raises money through yard sales and Christmas poinsettias.

Sunrise Kiwanis welcomes visitors to their meetings, which are held 7 a.m. Wednesdays at Tanglewood Golf Course, where breakfast is served.

Call 982-7204 or 723-3540 for details.