[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 144 (Thursday, September 22, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6035-S6036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KIWANIS CLUB OF MILWAUKEE

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee. Over the past 100 years, 
the club and its members have served the families and children of 
Milwaukee through countless hours of service and commitment meant to 
better the community. This year, as they celebrate their 100th 
anniversary, I wish to honor their philanthropic achievements and 
dedication to this great Wisconsin city.
  Founded in 1916 as a charter club, the Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee was 
the 23rd chapter founded in the United States and is now one of 8,309 
worldwide. Although one of many around the globe, the Milwaukee Club 
has set itself apart through its 100-year tradition of service and 
advocacy on behalf of Milwaukee children.
  One of the first projects members embraced in 1917 was providing coal 
for families in need. In 1939, they opened a Gaenslen School for 
handicapped children, and 20 years later, in 1959, they established a 
Boy Scout troop for 30 handicapped boys. Continuing their aid to 
children, in 1977, the club started a Children's Center for Curative 
Rehabilitation. Elsewhere in their community, they sponsored and 
directed Milwaukee's first river clean-up in 1982 and established the 
Kiwanis Landing community fishing area in 2010. The common thread in 
all these important programs was creating opportunities for children, 
regardless of their circumstances.
  In all their efforts, Kiwanis members strive to improve the quality 
of life for all Milwaukee residents. In 2015, they conducted vision 
tests at 37 Milwaukee public schools, serving 5,550 children. 
Additionally, they served meals to more than 750 children and their 
families at the Ronald McDonald House. The Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee 
has spent countless hours tutoring children in Milwaukee public 
schools, as well as helping guide college students in organizing 
volunteer programs at three local colleges. Throughout the year, the 
club collects items such as hats, mittens, gloves, and personal hygiene 
products for homeless children, and they work to replenish local food 
banks.

[[Page S6036]]

  In honor of their 100th anniversary, the club has taken on additional 
service projects that revolve around the number 100, including 
providing 100 Thanksgiving meals, donating 100 backpacks to children in 
foster care, planting 100 native trees, donating 100 flowering mums to 
single mothers, and donating 100 U.S. flags to schools and nonprofits.
  It is heartwarming to think of the vast number of children and 
families club members have helped during their 100 years of service 
They deserve to be proud of the significant difference they have made 
in the lives of individuals in need and the collective impact they have 
had on their community as a whole.
  The Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee is a truly wonderful, deserving 
organization. Members work hard every day to help the world become a 
better place--one child at a time. I am excited to see what the future 
holds for this exemplary organization and the families it serves.

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