Lord Baltimore ES K-Kids Club
by Rosemary Cummings
The K-Kids and Key Clubs of Coastal Delaware Kiwanis Club have joined together with the Gardeners by the Sea (GBTS) Garden Club to make Teddy Bears for the families meeting their deceased soldiers returning to Dover AFB. Mrs. Marcia Bonifas of Ocean View DE, a Vietnam widow, first mentioned the project to her quilting friends who just happen to be gardeners as well. The Garden Club's Youth Committee (Chair is Kiwanian Rosemary Cummings) asked the K-Kids to work on the Teddy Bear Project. In step one, the local women cut and sew the Teddy Bears using colorful fabrics from new and leftover projects. Step two, the K-Kids stuff the bear and sew the small opening closed. GBTS gardeners, Nancy Shaffer and Pat Sharpe showed the K-Kids the fine art of hand sewing and the K-Kids were into another fun project. With over 70 kids in the Club, they often have many projects going at the same time. They helped pack food in the school's recent food drive and in addition to sewing, K-Kids teams go into the school gardens to plant daffodils, clean up debris and spread salt grass to protect the native plants. The new Officers inducted members at the beginning of two meetings since some students were on a field trip the first day. Direct from one of our K-Kids: "You may have just brung the canned food in for a prize but it is actually helping a little bit of people in the world." Reese D'Entremont Grade 2 LBES.
In addition to sewing, K-Kids teams go into the school gardens to clean up debris and spread salt grass to protect the native plants.
No one can refuse K-Kids - especially when they are doing Community Service as shown in the recent Kiwanis Food Drive. Collecting from two stores, they filled the Kiwanis Mobile Van with food for the local pantry. In one case, Reese did double duty when she stood in for the Salvation Army Bell ringer when he took a break. State Rep Gerald Hocker greeted Kiwanians and K-Kids as they stood inside the store greeting customers with their fliers.
