LIHU‘E — The annual Kiwanis French toast breakfast served as a launchpad to a variety of events Sunday at the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School. Marlo Lewis Medeiros, holder of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation record in the Girls 200 Meter Dash
LIHU‘E — The annual Kiwanis French toast breakfast served as a launchpad to a variety of events Sunday at the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School.
Marlo Lewis Medeiros, holder of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation record in the Girls 200 Meter Dash set in 1986, was picking up her breakfasts to go before heading to the county’s age group track meet at Vidinha Stadium where her daughter Kawehi was competing.
Dean Nakayama and his family were spending some time enjoying the breakfast before the opening of the Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day, celebration at the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission.
“I need to be there, too,” said Gail Oride, whose son Cory was helping the Boy Scout Troop 83. “I should have started earlier because there are a lot of people to talk to here.”
Mary Lardizabal, adviser for the Kapa‘a Middle School chorus and ‘ukulele band, did not have that problem as she waited for her students to show up for their 9 a.m. performance.
The Kapa‘a Middle School group had earned the gold for its performance at the Heritage Music Festival in San Diego, Calif., during spring break and its appearance Sunday was just one of many they have done since returning home with the gold.
“We’re planning on going to Disneyland next year,” Lardizabal said as her students arrived for their performance.
Florence Teshima, president of the Kiwanis Club, host of the event, said the club prepared to serve some 1,000 meals.
Helena Cooney, a member of the Kiwanis Board of Directors, said a lot of the tickets were sold by the Key Clubs in both Kaua‘i and Kapa‘a high schools.
“Kaua‘i’s Key Club sold about 800 tickets, Kapa‘a’s Key Club did a couple of hundred and the club sold a couple of hundred,” Cooney said.
The Kiwanis Club is the umbrella for the Key Club, and Cooney said funds derived from the breakfast go 100 percent to support the Key Clubs, primarily in the form of college scholarships.
The Key Clubs are service clubs involved in a variety of projects such as the Adopt-a-Highway program for a stretch of Nawiliwili Road in Lihu‘e.
“We have about 40 active members, and when the Key Club does its projects, we go out to support them,” Cooney said. “Some of the Kiwanis are here today.”
Charlene Navarro, adviser for the Kaua‘i High School Key Club, said some of their students arrived as early as 5 a.m. and helped cut the fresh fruit that was part of the menu.
Others worked the serving line while others served up drinks and cleaned the tables. The Kapa‘a High School Key Club was scheduled to arrive later in the morning to help wrap up the event.
“We’ve been trying to establish a Key Club in Waimea High School for a long time,” Cooney said. “But so far, we’ve been unable to get a club going at that school. We would love to see a Key Club get started there.”
Cooney said the Kiwanis Club gets involved in things members get passionate about, and right now, they are passionate about the Key Clubs.
Patrick Cooney is the president of the Kaua‘i Kiwanis Club that meets at noon on Tuesdays at Hanama‘ulu Cafe.
For more information, visit www.kiwanishawaii.org/kauai.
