Gravette Day

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • 128TH ANNUAL GRAVETTE DAY • 5 O nce again, the Kiwanis Club of Gravette will be rising early on Saturday morning, August 14, to serve up tasty pancake breakfasts from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. It guarantees to get your Gravette Day celebration off to a hearty start. "As president, I'll be there from the start flipping pancakes," quipped Dennis Kurczek, President of the Gravette Kiwanis Club. "It might take me a few tries to get it right, but I imagine by 7:00 a.m. or so I should be doing fine." Throughout the years, the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast has become one of the most anticipated traditions of Gravette Day. And why not? All you can eat pancakes, sausages, orange juice and coffee for only $5, how can you resist? And the best part is all of the profits go towards the good work the Kiwanis Club does in the community, especially for the youth in our area. Dennis feels Kiwanis serves a real need in the community regarding positive activities for young people to get engaged with where they can learn about leadership. "Outside of scouting and some exposure to sports, we believe there's just not enough opportunity for youth to learn in leadership roles," he said. "We think that's very important. We also contribute to the Kiwanis children's fund which is maintained by the overall Kiwanis organization. So, we hand out scholarships each year to help kids with their continuing education." The Kiwanis Club of Gravette handed out four scholarships in partnership with citizens in the community who had donated funds for that purpose. The awards range anywhere from $500 to $2,500. "We screen the kids based on not only academic achievement but also to an extent their financial need," he said. "We also consider their extracurricular activities whether it be in sports or other clubs where they are serving leadership roles." Another way Kiwanis Club of Gravette helps children in the area is a program they call K Kids. "Our K Kids program is one of our flagship activities," Dennis said. "We partner with leaders in the local schools to have the kids actually assume leadership roles in determining projects and their impact as well as organizing those projects and implementing them. It's one of the few places where young leaders can actually get hands-on experience with real world projects." Run completely by volunteers, Kiwanis Club of Gravette has been around for over 45 years. They incorporated on March 10, 1976, and have been stepping up to serve the community ever since. "Next month will be painting park benches in one of the city parks," Dennis said. "We also have fellowships where we'll sponsor potlucks or cookouts with hotdogs. We will invite guests with their kids and members who we have fellowship with and try to recruit and broaden our network so that we increase the influence in our community." The Kiwanis volunteers will have tickets at the door. They will also have some tickets for sale at Legacy National Bank in town. Tickets are $5 but kids age 6 and younger will eat for free. Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast: bring your appetites! | By Randy Rice

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