The Turquoise Division has been a division of one school, that being Camarillo High School, for a long time, but they are looking to increase by one more school soon.  Mr. Kwon advised that he has approached Foothill Technology High School in Ventura and the administration at that campus is very receptive to having a Kiwanis Sponsored Leadership organization there.  Once formed, the new club would be part of the Turquoise Division.

The Kiwins of Camarillo High School, which now has over 100 members, not only has as a member the Division Lt. Governor, it also has the Kiwins Governor of the Cal-Nev-Ha District.  That is a lot of strong youth leadership coming out of just one Kiwanis Sponsored Leadership club.

As with any Kiwanis organization, the function of Kiwins is to make the world better one child and one community at a time.  This is accomplished in two ways:  1) by teaching leadership skills to youth through Sponsored Leadership clubs like Kiwins, the mission of Kiwanis is achieved in that the youth belonging to the clubs are empowered to become tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers with the needs of children and the community in mind; 2) by engaging in community service projects themselves, the Kiwins at Camarillo High School perform charitable works that benefit others.

To the end of the latter, the Kiwins at Camarillo High School are involved in a number of community service activities.  Given the limited amount of time they have to keep up their grades and serve their community at the same time, some of what they do is raise money for other causes.  This year, they have started a fundraising drive for the March of Dimes, placing donation boxes for coins in classrooms throughout the Camarillo High School campus.  The money collected will then be turned over to March of Dimes to help promote pregnancy and baby health.

Coming up in Fall 2010, the Kiwins will again be participating in Relay for Life with the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo, which makes a pancake breakfast for the volunteers walking in the event every year.  Around that same time, the Kiwins will be helping the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo with its annual Peanut Day fundraiser.  The following Spring, they will help the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo with its annual George Thayer 5K/10K Run.

The Kiwins at Camarillo High School also raises money for Pediatric Trauma Prevention, which is a cause taken up by Kiwanis Clubs throughout Division 42 of the Cal-Nev-Ha District.  In addition to this fundraising effort, the Kiwins recently participated in the Letter Carrier Food Drive in which local postal delivery people picked up bags of donated food from people along their delivery routes and dropped it off at Food Share in Oxnard.  Kiwins from Camarillo High School then sorted and packed the food for distribution by area food banks, which was quite a hands-on undertaking.

The governing board of the Kiwins Club of Camarillo High School recently voted in its new officers for the upcoming year and is currently planning its installation dinner.  The date is tentatively set for June 18, 2010, but could change.  Club officers are currently working to secure a location for the event, which could influence the date on which it is held.  We’ll post the actual announcement for the banquet once all the plans have been made.  The Kiwins would love to have members of the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo in attendance!

The Kiwins of Camarillo High School also have a Facebook Page and use it to communicate with each other.  Members of the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo are encouraged to become a Fan of the Kiwins Facebook Page.

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For photos of the race, click here.

For the results of the 5K run, click here.

For the results of the 10K run, click here.

Thanks to all our great runners and volunteers who make this event a huge success every year!

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This year’s George M. Thayer 5K/10K Run is mapped out!  Above is the route for both the 5K and the 10K.  There’s still time to register for the event.  Go to http://www.active.com/running/camarillo-ca/camarillo-kiwanis-32nd-annual-510k-run-2010 to register now!

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Go to http://kiwanisclubofcamarillo.com/MagicShow.

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At last year’s 31st Annual George M. Thayer 5K/10K Run, held by the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo, local radio personality Bo Jaxson participated as part of a publicity stunt wearing a wedding dress from Camarillo Bridal, accompanied by “bridesmaids” from the local store.

This year, the 32nd Annual George M. Thayer 5K/10K Run, to be held April 10, 2010, is accompanied by the 1st Annual Crazy Publicity Stunt Contest, where your company can enter a team of runners in crazy costumes and/or carrying crazy props for your own social media extravaganza.  Click here for official rules and entry form.

So long as you keep it safe and family friendly, your team of up to five runners can participate in our 5K run, take videos and pictures, and use it for your social media marketing.  The Kiwanis Club of Camarillo will also be video recording the various teams and posting clips on our blog where members of the community will be able to vote for their favorite team.

Your Publicity Stunt Contest entries must be received no later than March 30, 2010, so fill them out and send them in!!!  This is a fun and inexpensive way to marketing your business and help the community at the same time.  All proceeds from the run go to the George M. Thayer Scholarship Fund and other projects carried out by the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo to benefit the children of our community.

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The show will start at 7pm.  Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students/seniors, and children under 5 are FREE.  For tickets and more information, call 805-482-8761.

Proceeds will go towards the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo’s local programs dedicated to meeting the needs of the children of Camarillo.  Click here to download the event flyer.

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Race Route Signage – Advertisers will receive a 15″H x 20″W color, laminated, foam board sign that will stand on 18″ metal legs along the race routes.  After the race, advertisers will receive their signs for display in their businesses, photographing for their corporate giving materials, etc.  The signs will be visible to the hundreds of runners participating in this year’s event as well as passersby along the race route.  (The image at left is a mock-up only.  Typos have been corrected to the master that will be used for the actual signs for the race.)

Feature Articles – The Kiwanis Club of Camarillo will interview you, write a feature article for our blog about your organization, and promote the feature article via our social media outlets.  You will be able to link to the article from your own web site and submit it to your own social media outlets, as well.

Both race route signage and feature article coverage can be provided as part of a sponsorship package or a la carte.  For our advertising rate sheet, please click here.

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For event information and vendor applications, go to http://camarillocelticfair.org.

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Linda Thayer-Gaboury with Marine Corp representatives of Toys for Tots at the Naval Base in Pt. Hueneme with a van filled with toys donated by the Las Colinas Builders Club.

The Kiwanis Club of Camarillo sponsors several school- and community-based Sponsored Leadership Programs (SLPs) throughout Camarillo.  One of those programs is the Builders Club at Las Colinas Middle School, which is overseen by Las Colinas teacher and Kiwanis Club member, Linda Thayer-Gaboury.

The Builders Club at Las Colinas started off the year with their project helping the local homeless families shelter, The RAIN Project.  The Builders Club raised money by collecting recyclables and were able to donate $300 to The RAIN Project.  The RAIN Project members requested that the donation be used for activities for the children, so the money was used to take the children to see a theater production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Many of the children had never been to a play before.

Additionally, the Builders Club was very busy raising money for Toys For Tots, which is operated by the Marine Corps.  The Builders Club spearheaded the project, but the entire school got behind its fundraising efforts.  The money was raised by collecting recyclables, conducting before-school hot chocolate sales by ASB students, and setting out containers for families and students to drop in extra money.

The campaign was a great success.  The Builders Club raised over $1400 for the toys.  Plus, many parents and staff members donated new toys.   It has been an exciting year for the Builders Club members to do activities to help in our local community.

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This year the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo will be hosting its 32nd George M. Thayer 5K/10K Run on April 10, 2010. Every year, we welcome hundreds of runners to participate in this event, which raises money for the George M. Thayer Scholarship Fund and other projects our club carries out to benefit the children of Camarillo.

This year, however, we’re adding a new and exciting opportunity for local businesses.  Inspired by last year’s entry of local radio DJ Bo Jaxson, who ran in our 5K Race wearing a bridal gown from Camarillo Bridal accompanied by the ladies from the shop wearing bride’s maids veils, the Kiwanis Club of Camarillo is proud to announce its First Annual Crazy Publicity Stunt Contest!

Photograph and/or video tape your company’s team as they run in our 5K Race in silly costumes and/or carry silly props, then upload your pictures and/or videos to your social media accounts.  The winner of the race will be chosen by the local citizenry who will vote for their favorites here on our blog.  Folks are encouraged to watch the 5K Race then come online to our blog to vote for the team with the costumes and/or props that they liked the best!  A special voting widget will be placed on this site on the day of the race for people to vote.

Once you’ve uploaded your pictures and/or videos, post a comment to the blog article that will be published when we announce the winner so we can see them!  For official rules and entry form, click here.

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