Swift-sorting PHS Key Club kids make sure baby bottoms are covered.
Community service, character, and leadership. Those concepts have a nice ring to them. I know the Kiwanis Club of Gig Harbor and what they do in each of those areas. What I didn’t know much about is what their Key Clubs do. My friend Bob Maynard helped fix that for me!
Bob explained that, “Key Clubs are a high school version of Kiwanis. There are Key Clubs at both Peninsula and Gig Harbor High Schools. These high school clubs embody the same concepts: service, character, and leadership.” Bob highlighted some of the great work the Peninsula High School Key Club is doing.
Bob is one of the founders of East Baby Corner–West Sound. Last year, a Kids’ Corner article told about the wonderful work EBC–WS is doing on behalf of new mothers and their offspring in need. In early September 2020, at the suggestion of their Kiwanis advisor, Caitlin Montgomery, a PHS senior and Key Club officer, contacted Bob about volunteer opportunities at Baby Corner.
”All of my life I have been very blessed with many things but when I started volunteering it opened my eyes up to a completely different world,” said Caitlin. “Not everyone enjoys such luxurious things and because of that I have decided to dedicate my time in helping the community provide for those families.”
Bob arranged for a tour of Baby Corner and a training session on how to sort baby clothes. By that time, Caitlin had arranged for four other Key Club members to join her, and they were all hooked! They all took home a bag of clothes to sort.
Bob’s wife Geri Maynard, who is Core Volunteer, EBC–West Sound, said, “It has been a pleasure for me to see the enthusiasm that these young people have for supporting Baby Corner. That they balance the demands of school, just being a kid, and — in some cases, jobs — and still have time to give back to the community is testament to how wonderful they are.“
“I love what the EBC is doing for specific people in the community,” said PHS senior Priya Sardinia. “Often times I will see food banks, family/women/men shelters, and clothing donations but I’ve never seen a place that caters specifically to newborns and new mothers. It was really nice being able to volunteer at the EBC and know specifically who we will be helping.”
Bob and his wife, Geri, often bring large bags of unsorted clothing from Baby Corner to Jim Bannon’s Gig Harbor Allstate office where members of the Kiwanis Club pick them up, sort them, and return them to Bannon’s office, where Bob and Geri pick them up on their way to Baby Corner.
“Now the PHS Key Club is part of this process,” said Bob, “and it saves Baby Corner volunteers on site tons of time.” The Key Club members even pick up clothes at Maynard’s home to make it that much easier, he explained. “Recently, they picked up mismatched baby clothes, took them home, then spread them out on the floor to start building matching sets that will be given to families in need,” he added.
“The opportunity to help our community by volunteering at Eastside Baby Corner gives our club a great deal of pride,” enthused PHS sophomore Júlia Van., the Key Club president.
”It’s a good feeling to know groups like Key Clubs are out there,” said Bob. “In these troubled times, it’s even better to know there are students who are willing and eager to step up to learn more about community service, character, and leadership. Well done, PHS Key Club!”
For further information or to contribute clothing to Baby Corner, contact Bob Maynard at 253-313-5220 or <bob.maynard@comcast.net>
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 5:30 AM.