Activities, speakers keep Kiwanis members busy

Des Moines, Iowa, Register
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090313/NEWS/903130308/1001/NEWS&community=Ankeny

In February, we hosted two members of Ankeny High School Key Club as Kiwanians of the Month. They were Emily Smith and Carly Sommerlot, both seniors at Ankeny High School.

Emily is the daughter of Sherri and Jim Smith. Her high school activities include band and individual events speech. She is a recipient of Ankeny's Academic Award. Additionally, she is involved in French Club in which they do a lot of fundraising for cystic fibrosis. She also is a member of National Honor Society. Emily hopes to pursue a high school- or college-level history teaching degree from UNI or Simpson College.
Carly Sommerlot is the daughter of Teri and Dave Sommerlot. Carly participates in band, drama and large group speech. She is an academic letter winner. Additionally, she is employed at Hy-Vee Drugstore. Her plans include pursuing a degree in magazine layout design from Iowa State University.

Amy Knoll with Life Line Screening spoke to our Ankeny Kiwanis group on Feb. 12. The mission at Life Line Screening is to make people aware of undetected health problems and encourage them to seek follow-up care with their personal physician. Contact Life Line Screening at (800) 897-9177 for more information.
On Feb. 26, Renata Eustice and Kim Ehlinger from the Level III Special Education Department at Ankeny High School spoke to our Kiwanis group about the services they provide their students. Activities include basic cooking skills, menu reading, learning life skills, academic basics and vocational training both in the classroom and outside in the community.

Due to budget cuts, the number of outings throughout their school year has suffered. With additional funding donations, they would be able to continue to offer more hands-on community and social learning activities. For more information, contact Renata Eustice at Ankeny High School.
On Feb. 25, Gov. Chet Culver inducted Jan Burch and Bob Mitchell, members of the Ankeny Kiwanis and the Downtown Clubs, into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame for efforts in helping establish the Kiwanis Miracle League at Principal Park, complete with mentors, to assist disabled youth in central Iowa to play baseball. We offer our congratulations on a job well done.