AURORA | The Kiwanis Club of Aurora celebrated its 75 years of service to our community on June 2, by awarding scholarships to 15 graduating high school seniors from Aurora and Cherry Creek Public Schools.
Chartered in June of 1941, Kiwanis was the first service club in Aurora. At that time Aurora had fewer than 4,000 residents, most of whom lived on either side of Colfax. The Kiwanis Club of Aurora now serves an Aurora population of over 350,000.
Kiwanis built the city’s first youth center in 1949 at 1515 Chester St. In the 1960s They built a picnic shelter near the corner of Arapahoe and Parker Roads that is now surrounded by picnic tables, soccer fields and a shopping center. In the past, the club supported Boy and Girl Scouts, Little League Baseball, Civil Air Patrol, YMCA, Special Olympics, The Center for Active Adults, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, and many more activities.
Presently, the club sponsors a reading and bike giveaway program at Vaughn and Park Lane Elementary Schools. They also support service oriented Key Clubs at four local high schools. They provide games, crafts and refreshments to homeless families at the Comitis Crisis Center monthly. They may also be seen at the Highline Canal Cleanup, the Household Chemical Roundup, manning a water station at the Colfax Marathon and at the Elephant Rock Bicycle Race.
They raise funds for their many activities with a spaghetti dinner and a silent auction in April and by taking orders for tree ripened Palisade Peaches in August. Funds have also been provided through memorials from friends of the Club.
Since 1969, they have awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors. This year they awarded $22,500 to 15 students. These outstanding students have come here from all over the world to study, learn, and follow their dream.
Special guests included State Senator, Nancy Todd, Aurora City Councilman at Large Bob LeGare, Rocky Mountain District Kiwanis Governor, Jon Mangioni, and Kiwanis Division 15 Lieutenant Governor Gail Coombs.
The scholarships were extended following interviews on April 27 by Kiwanians, Counselors, and community members. They were presented on June 2, at the Heather Gardens Auditorium. The scholarship winners were from Aurora Central, Eaglecrest , Gateway, Grandview, Hinkley, Rangeview, and Smoky Hill high schools. Receiving $1,500 grants were: Jamal Abdulokadir, Shaone Garcia, and Jesus Montano Gomez from Aurora Central. Layla Abdulla and Maajidah Shambe from Gateway, Robert DeDios and Oluwatobi Oleyede from Eaglecrest, Blake Askew, Emma Hug and Ryneika Knight and Kyu R, from Rangeview, Rosemary Callahan, from Grandview, Lisandro Mauro De Jesus from Smoky Hill, and Anthony Lee and Rachel Owusu from Hinkley.