PLENTY OF PROJECTS

Conducting projects is key to serving the needs of our community and maintaining an active Club membership. Below is a sampling of projects we have completed and projects we are currently working on.

We are grateful for the partnerships our Club has with:  Local Office on Aging, Family Service of Roanoke Valley, Adult Care Center of Roanoke Valley, Clean Valley Council, Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, Western Virginia Water Authority, Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission, and West End Center for Youth.

Our projects involve volunteers from the community as well as Club member volunteers. Outreach is built into our projects.

KIWANIS PANCAKE AND AUCTION DAY (KPAD)

For 25+ years, our Club has conducted an annual event to raise money by selling pancake breakfasts. Each year, thousands of tickets are purchased, thousands of pancakes are served, hundreds of hours of Club member efforts are volunteered, and tens of thousands of dollars are raised for charitable purposes. Watch this short video to see what the event is like. Click here for KPAD information, pancake breakfast ticket purchase, and auction details. 

KIWANIS NATURE PARK

Our current signature project, which began in 2021, is to develop a nature park on the City property directly adjacent to the Kiwanis Centennial Playground. This effort, which is budgeted at $600-800K, will involve making stormwater improvements along the Horton's Branch stream, developing pathways and an amphitheater, restoring wildlife habitat, and creating an environmental education garden. Engagement of the Melrose community is a key element of this project. Click here for additional information.

READERS TODAY / LEADERS TOMORROW

In 2020 we began partnering with the Roanoke City Public Schools and Public Libraries to distribute books for youngsters and to provide reading buddies. We also recorded videos of Club members reading books. Enjoy watching.

KIWANIS CENTENNIAL PLAYGROUND

In 2020 our Club completed and donated to the City of Roanoke, the results of a multi-year signature project; the building of a $400K playground in a high need neighborhood for underserved children and families.

AMATEUR VIDEOS

Started as a weekly Club spirit-raiser and momentum-maintainer during a 2020 portion of the pandemic. Dozens of amateur videos were filmed, edited, and produced staring Club members. Most are lighthearted. Enjoy watching.

GREENWAY INTERPRETIVE SIGNS

In 2022, the City or Roanoke and Kiwanis partnered on the design, fabrication, and installation of eight more large interpretive Greenway signs; they joined many others that were previously installed. Each of these signs tells an important bit of local history. Previously, in 2009, our signature Club project was the addition of mile marker posts every one-tenth of a mile along major sections of the Roanoke River Greenway and Lick Run Greenway. For the posts, our Club supplied $30K over three years, supplied much hands-on labor, and worked with the Roanoke City Greenway Coordinator. Look for our Kiwanis logo on the signs and posts.

HEAT ISLANDS

Our Kiwanis Club is participating, as the only civic organization, with Virginia Tech, the City of Roanoke, and community-based organizations in a National Science Foundation $50K grant to develop a replicable youth citizen science program to build resilience to extreme heat among vulnerable populations. This sets us up to collectively compete for a follow-on NSF grant for up to $1M.

Youth will be trained in citizen science methods including:  wearable and fix location sensors, GIS, intercept surveys, and photo voice. The collected data will be used in an online digital heat resilience hub, which will increase the inclusivity and comprehensiveness of planning and policy processes for mitigating and managing the effects if extreme heat in the city's most vulnerable neighborhoods.