Kiwanians Help Make VHS Family Day One of Best Yet

by Ed Stover

The Virginia Historical Society's annual Free Family Day Open House on Saturday, July 17th, was a huge success thanks in part to our club, which co-hosted the event. Nearly 2,500 visitors enjoyed educational and entertaining activities, such as a special appearance by Nutzy, the Flying Squirrels mascot; World War II military vehicle displays by Air Ground Operations Group; dance demonstrations by Rigby's Jig Dance Studio; music by the Swizzle Stix; behind-the-scenes tours of the VHS; children's crafts and a seed-planting activity; interactive Virginia history trivia contests; food tasting of Virginia-made products; and a scavenger hunt through The Story of Virginia exhibition.

The 22 Kiwanians who volunteered at the event demonstrated our commitment to changing the world, one community and one child at a time. Photos of some of the participants are above, thanks to the VHS photographer. "Continuing our partnership, we can make all shared history easily accessible to young people," said Kiwanian Pam Seay, who is VHS Vice President for Advancement. "And this year's Open House was proof of that. It was one of our best-attended events in the 18 years we've hosted Free Family Day at the VHS."

The Richmond Kiwanis Foundation has supported the Youth Education Fund of VHS for the past six years. This Fund was established in1996 to offset admission costs for school groups to help provide students with enriching and educational museum experiences. Since then, school and youth groups have come to depend on this resource to help children in the community.

Our club has met weekly at VHS since 1994, and we value our association with this vital organization. Our meeting facilities are surely among the best of any Kiwanis club anywhere.