Lawrenceburg Kiwanis reflects on impacts made in 2025

(LAWRENCEBURG, Ind.) – The Kiwanis Club of Lawrenceburg, Indiana is reflecting on a successful and impactful calendar year in 2025, marked by hands-on service, charitable giving, youth support, and continued growth in membership as the club celebrated its 102nd year of service to the community.

Throughout 2025, Lawrenceburg Kiwanians logged more than 100 volunteer hours supporting community events and fundraisers across Dearborn County. Volunteer activities included hosting a family-friendly booth at the Lawrenceburg Community Picnic, participating in Lawrenceburg Main Street’s Groom and Bloom flower planting, staffing water and soda sales at downtown events including Taste of Summer, Whiskey City Summer Fest, and Fall Music Fest, serving as course marshals for the Whiskey City Challenge Bicycle Races, and assisting with the Dearborn County 4-H Fair Livestock Auction. In total, club members contributed 103 volunteer hours at these events alone, in addition to time dedicated to meetings, planning, and sponsored programs.

In 2025, the Kiwanis Club of Lawrenceburg proudly sponsored and supported a wide range of programs benefiting children, families, and community organizations. These efforts included support for Riley Children’s Hospital, a Keith’s Comfort Blanket donation to the St. Elizabeth Dearborn Hospital Emergency Department, the St. Lawrence School Gala, Dearborn County Historical Society Pioneer Days, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ “Big Easy Bowl” fundraiser, and sponsorship of the Dearborn County 4-H Fair Livestock Auction. The club also supported Lawrenceburg Fire Department youth fire safety education, the Dearborn County CASA Youth Summit drug prevention event, the Lawrenceburg High School Boys Basketball Ray Furney Memorial Tournament, The Community Project Bowl-A-Ween fundraiser, Greendale Main Street’s Rock the Block event, and the Greendale Police Department’s partnership with the National Child Safety Council to provide safety awareness materials to local families.

Education and youth development remained a central focus of the club’s mission in 2025. The Kiwanis Club of Lawrenceburg awarded two scholarships, including the Kiwanis Scholarship administered through the Dearborn Community Foundation and the $1,000 Pat O’Neill Memorial Scholarship, honoring the legacy of longtime Lawrenceburg educator and coach Pat O’Neill. The club also served as a sponsor of the Dearborn County Dolly Parton Imagination Library, helping provide free books to approximately 1,250 children in December 2025, ensuring young readers across the county continue to build early literacy skills.

Fundraising efforts supporting these initiatives included the club’s annual Lawrenceburg Kiwanis Golf Outing at Hidden Valley Golf Club, water and soft drink sales at downtown events, Music on the River split-the-pot fundraising, and proceeds from local vending machines. These efforts allow the club to reinvest directly into scholarships, youth programs, and community needs.

Beyond service projects, the Kiwanis Club of Lawrenceburg experienced a meaningful organizational milestones in 2025 by welcoming five new members through a successful membership drive. The club hosted the Kiwanis Indiana Scenic Hills Division Council meeting during the second quarter of the year, and proudly celebrated its 102nd anniversary, continuing a tradition of service dating back to 1923.

“Our impact in 2025 is a direct result of the dedication of our members and the generosity of our supporters,” said Club President Mike Perleberg. “We sincerely thank all sponsors of the Lawrenceburg Kiwanis Annual Golf Outing, Burris Vending for their ongoing support through local vending machine donations, Lawrenceburg Main Street for their partnership throughout the year, and both our longtime and new members whose commitment makes our work possible. Community partnerships are the foundation of everything we do.”

The Kiwanis Club of Lawrenceburg holds a lunch meeting each Tuesday, 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Zion Church, 340 Walnut Street, Lawrenceburg. The club is always welcoming new members, including businesses which can participate as corporate members giving their employees an avenue to give back to the community. Contact the club for more information: kiwanisclublawrenceburgin@gmail.com.