'One Day' was a fun day for local Kiwanians

C.M. WALKER/Alachua County Today

A bag of prizes is enticing to children at Merrillwood Saturday. Part-time priate and club member Tom Hewlett determines which of these chldren was the winner.

ALACHUA – Kiwanis Clubs around the world join forces on the exact same day each year to provide a day of service to their communities. The day is known as Kiwanis One Day.

This year, Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, with members from High Springs, Alachua, Newberry and Ft. White, chose to organize an afternoon of fun, food and games for children in the Merrillwood neighborhood in Alachua as their One Day event

"We usually do a cookout twice a year at Merrillwood," said Sue Weller, Kiwanis Club member. “We thought it would be appropriate and fun to do one as our One Day event this year,” she said.

On Saturday, April 5, Kiwanis Club members brought pirate-themed paraphernalia to share. Children wearing eye patches and pirate hats were sporting pirate flags and, of course, their share of “booty.” No self-respecting pirate would be caught without a pile of shiny beaded jewels to show off as trophies.

Club members Felicia DeCoursey and John Durr grilled tasty hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone, while others brought drinks and all the fixings and organized all types of games and fun activities for the kids. Two Slip & Slides were set up for kids in bathing suits, while some of the other kids were learning the fine art of bocci ball or badminton. Learning how to blow bubbles seemed to be an obsession with some children, while some of the others were fascinated by the motorcycles ridden into the area by members of the Alachua Police Department.

The club partners with the Alachua Police Department throughout the year to help maintain a facility at Merrillwood where children can play, do homework, get a snack or simply watch television in a safe environment.

“Maintaining and improving this place for kids is one of our Kiwanis projects,” said Linda Hewlett, another club member. Having been a teacher herself, Hewlett enjoyed showing off the inside of the kid-friendly facilities to anyone who hadn't seen them before. Meanwhile, her husband, Tom, enjoyed teaching the children how to play games they may never have played before.

“This is so much fun for the children and we all enjoy seeing the smiles on the children's faces whenever we come out to spend time with them,” said Linda Hewlett. “I think it's just as much fun for us as it is for them,” she said.

The 22-member club meets once a week in Alachua to strategize about ways to help their communities be more successful.

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