Kiwanis Club of Oakland Park

Welcome to the Kiwanis Club of Oakland Park! We are residents or people with ties to Oakland Park from various backgrounds and interests. Our club is passionate about making our community and the world better for children. Kiwanis means “we share our talents,” so please join and share your talents to help the children in our community and worldwide.

Featured Projects

Turkey Dinner Delivery

Annual Miles for Smiles Walk/Run

Annual Pancake Breakfast

Great Beginning of 2024-2025

Great Breakfast Meeting – Sept 4

Florida Kiwanis Convention in Orlando

Back to School Bash

Oakland Park Kiwanis volunteers helping out at the Back to School Bash at Mount Mt Zion A.M.E. Church of Oakland Park. Thanks to all who participated.

Ronnie’s Stars Delivery to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital

Ronnie’s Stars Delivered 47 blankets, 25 infant hats, 6 painting smocks, 2 pillows, and 3 stuffed zebras for cuddling and 90 Pillowcases by the Pillowcase Lady to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital! Thank you Cathy and Sandy for your beautiful work. The kids get to select the designs they love. A very Big Shoutout to Morning Day and Marylou. Dennis made the drive safe and comfortable.

School Visits and Interviews

We have several Kiwanis members who have been in contact with our schools to find out what they need: instructional materials, uniforms, food and volunteering to read, etc. Shown below are some of the schools we have visited and how we have been able to help. As Kiwanis members, we are thrilled to provide these needed tools for our local students. See the caption below each picture.

Through our fundraising and donations, Oakland Park Elementary provided several grade levels with a tool called Mountain Math to help students increase their mathematical learning.
One of the schools we worked with this year is North Andrews Elementary. Through our fundraising and donations, Oakland Park Kiwanis provided a large speaker for school functions. The school is using this speaker for morning announcements and playing some music to help the students have fun with their learning. Also, we provided headphones so students can hear their lesson individually and speak back to the microphone to improve their language and reading skills.
Oakland Park Kiwanis provides a book for each kindergarten student at all of our schools as they leave school for the summer break. This picture shows students from Lloyd Estates Elementary School with their books. We hope the students enjoy their new books.
Terrific Kids at Floranada Elementary. This Kiwanis student recognition program promotes character development, positive self-esteem, and perseverance. Students work with their classroom teacher and establish goals to improve behavior, peer relationships, attendance, or schoolwork.
Rickards Middle Heartfelt Thanks for Your Support
We received a letter from Jordan Davis, Math Dept. Chair at Rickards:
Dear Oakland Park Kiwanis Club,
On behalf of Rickards Middle School, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for your generous financial donation towards our extended learning camps. Your support was instrumental in enhancing our Saturday learning camps, which focused on math, science, civics, and language arts. As state testing has ended, Rickards school score has increased and your contributions from Saturday camp definitely was impactful in our success.
Being able to provide snacks, rewards, and teacher resources kept our students engaged and allowed us to sustain a phenomenal enrollment of at least 110 students every Saturday. 
We deeply appreciate your commitment to our community and your dedication to fostering academic growth. Thank you once again for your generosity and support.

Jordan Davis, M.Ed
Math Department Chair
Athletic Director
Rickards Middle School
We’re On “A” Mission To Be Outstanding!

Interfaith Prayer Breakfast

Oakland Park Kiwanis joined Kiwanis clubs from Divisions 23 and 24 for the 47th Annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast. Four from our club attended: Marylou Adams, Fitz Budhoo, Bill Tobias and Kathy Shields. In our picture, we are joined by District 23 Lt Governor Joseph Santiago. Marylou lit the Oakland Park candle in memory of our long-time member, Layne Walls.

Oakland Park Youth Day Parade

Broward County Waterway Cleanup

Rest in Peace, Layne Walls

NW 39st Greenway/Waterway Cleanup

Wow!! What a great day for the environment. The City Volunteer Corp teamed up with Oakland Park Kiwanis and cleaned up the NW 39 St Greenway along with the C-13 Canal that borders it. Thanks to all who volunteered. Many more pictures on Facebook.

Hope for the Holidays Give Care Love

Hope for the Holidays Give Care Love 🎄🎅🏻Thanks to all that participated in this helping hand event. Special thanks to Coby King, City of Oakland Park, Kiwanis Club of Oakland Park and Light of the World Clinic. When a community comes together goods things are achieved. Many more pictures on Facebook.

Holiday Turkey Dinner Distribution

Oakland Park Kiwanis just completed the Holiday Turkey Delivery to provide complete turkey meals to 75 needy families in our community. The club repeated the great work from Thanksgiving and now many families will have a nice meal for their upcoming holiday. Many thanks to Publix, Harvey Ross and all the members who donated money and time for this event to happen. Many more pictures on Facebook.

Kiwanis Holiday Party

Yearly Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Distribution

Many of our members helped to deliver a Thanksgiving meal to 75 of our Oakland Park families. We thank Publix for their help and commitment to our neighbors. Also, a very special “thank you” to Harvey Ross for his great work to manage this needed program. Thank you to all of our Oakland Park Kiwanis members and friends who donated money to purchase the turkey dinners.

Annual Halloween Pancake Breakfast

What a special day at our Oakland Park Kiwanis Halloween Pancake Breakfast this morning. A great effort by our Set up crew, Ticket Sellers, Ticket Takers, Parking Crew, Chefs, Sausage Grillers, Batter Stirrers, Pancake Flippers, Bakers, Rafflers, Crocheters, Table Waiters and Waitresses, Coffee and OJ Dept, Mixmasters, Sanitation Dept, Northeast Key Club and Boys and Girls Club, Tear Down Crew and anyone we might have missed. What a team effort. A special thank you to Dennis “Woody” Buchta for making it all possible. More pictures of FaceBook. www.facebook.com/opkiwanis.

Oakland Park Kiwanis Tennis Tournament

Please patronize these great businesses that support Oakland Park Kiwanis!!!

Rickards Builders Club Under Construction

School Uniforms Delivered to our Elementary Schools

Picking up the uniforms.
Uniforms going to Lloyd Estates Elementary.
Uniforms going to Oakland Park Elementary.

OP Kiwanis Sponsors a Builders Club

Our application has been approved. Rickards Builders Club!

Who are the Oakland Park Kiwanis Orange Shirt People?

Click on the red arrow to see what Oakland Park Kiwanis is all about.

Father’s Day at Treemont Assisted Living

Angel food, butterscotch parfaits and pineapple upside down cupcakes were special sugar free treats brought to Treemont Assisted Living and Memory Care for the residents to enjoy.

Reading through the Summer

North Andrews Gardens Elementary School very thankful for their books.

OP Kiwanis Video “What is Kiwanis”

Coming Soon!

Treemont Assisted Living Delivery

Mother’s Day visit to Treemont Assisted Living of sugar free goodies

Kiwanis Yard Sale at New Location

Setting up for the Yard Sale at Shepherd of the Coast Gymnasium
Strategy Session before the opening bell.
Opening Bell

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Northeast High School Key Club and Kiwanis helping the Firefighters and The Easter Bunny at the Annual Easter Egg Hunt!
What a great group of students – Northeast High School Key Club helping at the Easter Egg Hunt !!

Landscaping at Oakland Park Elementary

Community working together for improvements at Oakland Park Elementary. We have plans for the front area for teachers and students. Thanks to the city, the school staff, community organization and Oakland Park Kiwanis. The colorful stones were painted by the third grade classes.
A river of student painted stones.

Welcome to Our New Members

From left to right : Dennis Buchta (Membership Chair), Desiree Avila, Jean McManus, Tom Blanksi (President), Letitia Newbold, Fitzgerald Budhoo

Small Business Expo

We participated in the 1st Annual Small Business Expo. Etta Lou and Tom proudly showed what Kiwanis is all about. Thanks to all who participated.

Broward Waterway Cleanup

A great day for the environment. We removed a truckload of trash from our Adopted Canal. Thanks to all who took part in the Waterway Cleanup.
Larry Rogers pulling trash out of our Adopted Waterway.
Marylou and Jean making a difference.

Oakland Park Youth Day Parade

Getting ready for the Parade.
Our Northeast High Key Club ready to pass out candy.

Ronnie’s Stars / Crochet Club

 Our Signature Project, Ronnie’s Stars, is named in honor of Ronnie Goldstein, the late wife of member Michael Goldstein.  Ronnie crocheted beautiful blankets to comfort the children at the pediatric oncology unit at Broward General Hospital.  Her legacy has expanded to include Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Central Broward Pregnancy Center, Operation Gratitude and other organizations that comfort the ill, homeless, elderly, and military with blankets, cheerful pillowcases, infant hats, therapy dolls, Beads of Courage bags, scarves for servicemen and women and other handmade items.  Crafters are always welcomed! 

Treemont Assisted Living on Valentine’s Day

Valentines sugar free treats for the residents of Treemont Assisted Living

Ronnie’s Stars Program in Action

We received a special request from a nurse for a blanket and a cap for a new born. The cap needed a Gnome on it and had to be very small. Sandy Melillo got to work and came up with this cap. Please keep this little one and mom in you prayers. ?? OPK’s Ronnie’s Stars Group always ready to help.

5K for Christmas in July

First Annual CIJ 5k Run Walk for homeless children. A Kiwanis Division 23 sponsored event.

Help for the Homeless

Very busy helpful day. Members Elaine Hall and Marylou Adams collected toiletries and socks for BSO deputy Lauren Apollo for the Outreach Homeless Services. Special thanks to Morning Day for the tub of socks.

Food Backpack Program

Weekly distribution of bags of non-perishable foods for our elementary schools and Light of the World Clinic. This particular week 72 families were supported.

Holiday Turkey Dinner Deliveries

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