Kiwanis helps KP students, families Gear Up for School

Program provides less fortunate with clothes, supplies

Ashley Coats

of the Gateway

To middle and elementary school students, the first day of school is about new outfits and school supplies. But many families can’t afford to buy new materials every fall.

In the past 11 years, The Kiwanis Club of Peninsula and Gig Harbor has made it possible for 2,900 students on the Key Peninsula to go to their first day of school with new equipment.

The Gear Up For School Program was started more than a decade ago by Dathne Frickleton, the Kiwanis chair of youth services. Frickleton saw a need on the Key Peninsula due to a high volume of students with free or reduced lunches.

“We get all those kids starting school on the same level,” Frickleton said. “The need is so great.”

The Gear Up For School Program invites students on the KP who are in one of the three elementary schools or attend Key Peninsula Middle School. Students are only invited if they receive a free or reduced lunch.

This year, 425 invitations were distributed.

“We all have needs, and we all need help sometimes,” Kiwanis President Kathy Robers said.

The event happens in late August in the commons at KPMS. The program provides each student with a new pair of jeans, T-shirt, socks, shoes, jacket, backpack and school supplies.

“We set it up like a store, so they get what they want,” Robers said. “This is a program we are very proud of. It is a very, very rewarding experience.”

The program also provides an average of 100 bikes each year through a partnership that Kiwanis has with the Washington Corrections Center for Women. Old and used bikes are taken to the prison, where inmates restore them.

“When (the bikes) come out, you can’t tell the difference between the new and used bikes,” Frickleton said. “They are absolutely beautiful.”

Key Peninsula Fire District representatives come to the Gear Up for School event and fit children with bicycle helmets.

“If helmets don’t fit right, they’re not going to protect you the way they should,” Robers said.

Frickleton said the rations “were meager” during the first year of the event.

“We thought we would be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. By 10:30 a.m., we had nothing left,” Frickleton said.

Now, Kiwanis has a budget of $20,000 for the event, and that doesn’t include the $5,000 donation from the Angel Guild.

The shopping is done by Kiwanis members who look for good deals. Shopping starts after Christmas, because that’s when winter and fall wear often go on sale.

Robers said they look for things “stylish and affordable.”

“We have a group of Kiwanians who love to shop,” Fickleton said. “When we go out, we buy hundreds of pairs of jeans and hundreds of T-shirts. It’s a huge volume.”

Frickleton said there are highs and lows to the experience. She said that, when she gets to the event in the morning, “there are already families camped out on blankets.”

Later in the morning, the line winds around the school.

“The sad part is that there are so many of them,” Frickleton said. “There is such a huge need for students to have everything they need to learn.”

Frickleton said last year — between the day of setup and the actual event — there were 280 volunteer hours.

“There is a convoy” that transports the items to KPMS and a volunteer is assigned to every family to help with shopping.

The event is kept as confidential as possible to protect the shoppers’ privacy.

“We don’t know who they are beforehand, and the schools mail out the notices,” Robers said. “Nobody talks about who they see there. We keep it as confidential as possible.”

Kiwanis has partnered with Office Depot, Payless Shoe Source, The Peninsula Light Company and CenturyTel for the event.

Robers said the best way for a community member to donate to the Gear Up for School Program is to give money to the Kiwanis Foundation, which has 501(c)(3) status. It is tax deductible, and the Kiwanis buy in bulk, so they “get more bang for the buck,” Robers said.

“We think that every kid deserves that first day of school experience,” Robers said. “We want them to have the same experience as everyone else.”

Reach intern Ashley Coats at 253-853-9224 or by e-mail at ashley.coats@gateline.com.