12/31/2009 - Region: 05 - Submitted by: by Bill Zortman

In August 2011 – Minnesota-Dakota Kiwanians will bring their first 3 state convention to Sioux Falls in 17 years.  Each convention does service work. What could be better than tying fleece blankets for all three states?  Unless it was done as part of the Sioux Empire Fair that is done each August as well at the Kiwanis Pancake House.   Three years ago Lincoln High School Key Club enthusiast Kaitlin Vik suggested to her mom that Project Warm-up could tie blankets for homeless students identified by the Sioux Falls Schools. Tracy Vik loved the idea. Quickly, Sioux Falls Schools got involved as did Lincoln’s Key Club sponsor club Sioux Falls East Kiwanis. Tracy brought the program to the infant Sioux Falls Diversity Kiwanis Club and the rest is history. Tracy even joined the Diversity Club. Thank heavens she did. In 2006, 2007, and 2008 a total of 1300 blankets were tied. The 2008 number set a record with 484. The goal set for 2010 was an aggressive 1,000. With the help of Sioux Falls Schools – Tracy created a video that ran on You Tube, shared her goal with organizations around Southeast South Dakota, including the six Sioux Falls Kiwanis Clubs. Sioux Falls Daybreak tied 15 blankets in late October and then led a push in money for fleece by cutting a $500 check. All Kiwanis Clubs submitted their own checks as well. For the first time all three major network stations in Sioux Falls did live stories advancing the big event. Tracy appeared live on KSFY TV on December 11th at both 5 and 6PM. She appeared live at 6:15 Saturday morning live on KELO-TV. In 2008 – a total of 120 helped tie blankets at the Instructional Planning Center. The 484 blankets that were finished seemed like an unmatchable mountain of blankets. On December 12th – in the first half hour in 2009 there were 125 people working the blankets from 3 to 83. In all almost 200 people had worked sometime from 10-4. At 3:37PM it was announced that 1,000 blankets had been tied. There was a loud cheer as the number was amplified over a speaker system and put up on the school's large screen.   KSFY ran this story http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/79233147.html as the lead story on their 10:00 news. The number crawled to 1037 by news time.   But that was not the end. Count as 2009 was closing was 1197. Five of the six Sioux Falls Kiwanis Clubs provided volunteers as did churches, schools, and people that just wanted to help students identified as homeless. Blankets were distributed in December and will continue as additional students are added to a homeless list. The hope for 2010? Tracy Vik put it in language even Jerry Lewis would approve of. We want to do at least 25 more blankets than we did in 2009. If this story doesn’t make you a little warmer --- perhaps a trip to Sioux Falls for the 2011 Convention will show and share with you how it can be done --- one blanket and one child at a time. Maybe what started in Sioux Falls could be a Kiwanis staple in all of North and South Dakota and Minnesota as well. Bill Zortman, Region 5 Kiwanis Correspondent

 

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