Bradenton Kiwanis 100th Anniversary

Floor Speech

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Mr. BUCHANAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the Bradenton Kiwanis Club for 100 years of service to children and the community as a whole.

Originally chartered as the Manatee River Kiwanis Club on August 22, 1922, by Kiwanis International, the club later changed its name to the Bradenton Kiwanis Club. For the past century, the club's members have been community leaders working together to make a positive difference by identifying and meeting the needs of local youth and Manatee County.

In the early years, the club established a Christmas Charity Fund for underprivileged children and began supporting Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other programs for children.

The Club also brought the Manatee County and DeSoto County Commissions together to build a paved, 50-mile road between Bradenton and Arcadia.

During the Great Depression, the Club established, funded, and operated a Health Camp for underprivileged children.

During the height of the depression, to promote tourism and improve the local economy, the Club worked with the City of Bradenton to establish, fund, and operate the Bradenton Trailer Park, which was one of the largest trailer parks in the world until it was sold in 1997.

In 1947, the Club established and funded the Boys Club of Manatee County and continues to support it.

In 1990, the Bradenton Kiwanis Foundation was established, and when it received the net proceeds from the sale of the trailer park, it continued to use the interest income to donate to local nonprofit organizations who provide for children and the disadvantaged. The foundation has contributed nearly $7 million to improve the lives of Bradenton's young people, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee, K-Kids, Builders Clubs, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the YMCA, Kids Against Hunger, Salvation Army, Headstart, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army and others.

The Club has further demonstrated its commitment to children and the community by building parks, partnering with Habitat for Humanity to build houses, supporting the Bishop Museum, partnering with the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce to establish a leadership program, launching the College & Career Resource Center at Manatee Memorial High School, participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters' student mentoring program and funding numerous scholarship programs.

The club has also contributed to capital campaigns to support the construction of a new Bradenton Civic Center, a Girl Scout House, the Anna Maria Island Community center, Manatee Performing Arts Center and to purchase land for the Boys Club, United Way, and YMCA.

On behalf of the people of Florida's 16th District, I congratulate the Bradenton Kiwanis Club on their 100th anniversary and applaud its members for the positive impact they have had on the community.

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