Kiwanis Hosts Annual Field Day for Record Number of LVCC Preschoolers
May 25, 2018
by Shawn Deiter
The Kiwanis Club of Allentown, one of the oldest Kiwanis Clubs in Pennsylvania, hosted their ninth consecutive field day and picnic at the Rose Garden Pavilions in Allentown for Lehigh Valley Children's Centers (LVCC) on May 24, 2018. Our largest gathering to date, 235 LVCC preschoolers worked together in teams through various agility relays and obstacle courses.
Kiwanis held its first field day and picnic for LVCC on September 24, 2009 for 17 children attending LVCC’s location on Walnut Street in Allentown. The event has grown each year to include more children. This year’s record-breaking number of preschool participants attend four different LVCC sites located in Allentown.
“Kiwanis is an organization where young children are its first priority and LVCC is an outstanding organization that positively changes the lives of young children," commented Tom Harp, president of the Kiwanis Club of Allentown and LVCC board member. “It was natural for the Kiwanis Club of Allentown to team up with LVCC in serving their children.”
A community of volunteers and LVCC staff, as well as hours of preparation, was needed to successfully carry out such a large event. Over 50 Key Club student volunteers from five area high schools—Emmaus, Parkland, Salisbury, William Allen, and Allentown Central Catholic—were instrumental in operating the high-energy activities.
The LVCC field day and picnic has become a signature service project for the Kiwanis Club of Allentown and is a result of the sponsorship and efforts of Kiwanis member Keith Reynolds and his wife, Jessica. They coordinated the entire event from start to finish.
FerRROUS, mascot of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, exercised with the children during field day.
“Our gratitude goes out to our friends at the Kiwanis Club of Allentown for recognizing the importance of early childhood education and partnering with LVCC year after year,” said Susan Williams, president and CEO of Lehigh Valley Children's Centers.
Each year, the 24 members of the Kiwanis Club of Allentown contribute over 200 hours of volunteer service to the community. Much of that time has been spent volunteering with the children from LVCC. We look forward to our next event together.