What is Kiwanis?  Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time.  The Kiwanis Club of Natchez meets every Thursday at noon, and we start every meeting with our club president asking that question, followed by members reciting this mission in unity.

We take our mission seriously.  On the global level, our club contributes financially to Kiwanis Project Eliminate, a project that provides vaccinations for maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT).  MNT is a disease that strikes mothers and newborns, and causes the death of one baby every 15 minutes.   Thanks to the efforts of Kiwanis clubs throughout the world and right here in Natchez, MNT has been eliminated in all but 18 countries, and the goal is to continue this project until all countries are free of this disease.

On the local level, our club is proud to sponsor Key Clubs in the area high schools.  We look forward each meeting to hearing from these outstanding, community-minded Key Club members regarding the projects their clubs have chosen to undertake.  Key Clubs in our area organize food drives for the Stewpot, donations for hurricane and flood victims, raise money, toys, and toiletries for those in need and more.  They provide hands on assistance at local events and various other causes that help improve the lives of children in our community.

Members of our club work tirelessly to fulfill our mission.  While we enjoy our weekly meetings, which provide networking, camaraderie and speakers who keep us informed of  services, organizations and businesses in our town;  it is the satisfaction of knowing we are making a difference in the lives of others in our community that keep us going.  We help build Habitat houses, keep the Natchez  Bluff Trails clean and free of garbage, provide Christmas for a needy family and provide scholarships to area high school students, to name a few of our endeavors.

To help us sustain these endeavors, we depend heavily on fundraisers throughout the year.  Based on the rave reviews we get year after year regarding the delicious taste of not only our spaghetti and meatballs, but also our “famous, secret salad recipe”, we wanted to take this opportunity to make sure everyone gets a chance to buy a ticket.  We hope you not only enjoy your meal, but also feel great knowing your dollars are going to help us improve our community, one child at a time.

Your donation of $8 will get you spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread and dessert.  We will be serving from Jefferson Street Methodist Church on Thursday, Nov. 9, beginning at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  For your convenience, we will have members stationed outside, so just pull up, give us your ticket and we’ll give you a great lunch!  If you want to purchase tickets for your office, it’s possible we can deliver large orders to your office.   Or, feel free to join others in the community and dine in at the church!

All Kiwanis club members have tickets for sale.  However, if you do not know a member, feel free to email us at NatchezKiwanis@gmail.com and we will answer any questions and/or make sure you get tickets!

We are always looking for new members, so if Kiwanis sounds like a club you would like to join, let us know.  By two or three meetings, you too, will be able to recite our mission by heart!
Wade J. Heatherly is the senior vice president of the Natchez Kiwanis Club.