In this new section of the paper we will highlight various Civic organizations in Sapulpa, what they stand for and what they contribute to our community. The first organization to be featured is Kiwanis.
The guest speaker was Susie Henderson, founder of Sapulpa Kids Kloset, who along with Cathy Rains, and Kiwanain Kathy Berryhill, gave a presentation to members explaining the services provided by this community outreach program.
Ms Henderson began her talk by giving the history of Kids Kloset:
“Kids Kloset really started in my office at the high school. I had a bookshelf, and Bayouths had a deal where if you brought your jeans in, you would get some money off of new jeans. So they put all of those jeans up in the attic, and I am sitting in the middle of all these jeans trying to pick out ones for the kids. Then, Irving Bartlett came to me… he said to me, ‘could you use a little money?’ So we started, and I was able to buy new underwear, new shirts, new jeans. Every year he would come to me saying: ‘Do you need more money, Susie?’ I was still working, and I would say ‘of course.’”
Ms. Henderson said an addition to the Kids Kloset was then built where Caring Community Friends currently exists. “We moved into that, and a couple of years later when I retired, I went full-time shopping. Probably three to four days a week I would shop from 10 until 4 buying clothes on clearance that were stylish. Don’t want them wearing something the other kids would not wear.”
Henderson said that as time went on her funding continued to increase. “The Bartlett Foundation funds us very well, some of the churches also fund us, and occasionally, private donations.”
In 2019, Kid Kloset moved out of the Caring Community Friends’ facility into the cafeteria at the former Washington school which is now the Education Service Center.
Cathy Rains recounted an encounter that almost brought her to tears: “a girl comes in, she is in middle school, she looks and says ‘you have dresses?’ I said ‘yeah we have dresses, would you like a dress?’ She picks out a dress, tries it on, all excited, she says, ‘now I can go to my middle school dance this year.’
Kathy Berryhill then gave a PowerPoint presentation showing the facility which is now in the basement of the Education Service Center.
She explained how many kids per hour could be served, and the requirements that must be met to obtain the clothes.
Club President Ryan Parnell Introduce the Kiwanis Senior of the Month, Maggie Lawson: “She has been Student of the Month three times, A-B Honor Roll, Choir President, former Theater Secretary, Choir for 8 years, received Superior Ratings at District and Solo and Ensemble contests, all-star actor two years in a row…3 musicals and 7 plays in high school, plans to attend UCO, OU, or OCU, and major in Theater Education.
Parnell then presented Lawson with an award and a $50 gift card.
Parnell gave the Sapulpa Herald a brief overview of what Kiwanis do in Sapulpa. “Our main focus is on kids, we have organizations in high school, junior high, middle school and two elementarys. We help build a focus on volunteerism. We do a lot of civic stuff, we do a golf tournament to help with our scholarships, we give several scholarships at the end of the year, we funded the new walkway behind Reaors that is going to connect Kelly Lane eventually over to Jefferson Heights. We raised $50,000 for that. In Kelly Lane, we did the platform that goes out into the pond and we have started doing the Reg Green Memorial Fishing Derby.”
Past President Sandie Howard elaborated on the good works done by Kiwianais: “SLPs are my pet project. They are Service Leadership Programs in the schools. At the high school, it is the Key Club, at the middle school and junior high, it is the Builder’s Club, and then, at the elementary level, it is the K-Kids Program at Liberty and one at Holmes Park. We touch an awful lot of lives that way. We try to support them financially and be at their meetings. They do different service projects so, to me, it’s like Kiwanis has the opportunity to reach out way further because the kids are doing things…We usually do four $2,000 scholarships, that is our single largest financial thing that we do. We raised $100,000 for Kelly Lane for the trails.”
It is self-evident that Kiwanis contributes a great deal of time and money to the community. This organization is just another example of the volunteer spirit in Sapulpa.
Anyone wishing to become a Kiwanaian should attend a meeting. They meet every Thursday at noon, at Steak and Eggs.
