For the first time in almost seven years, the Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos is holding an open house to entice new members and show off the club’s projects.
Since 2019, the club has nearly tripled in size. The organization now boasts over 80 members, up from the 30 they had before the pandemic, said Kiwanis secretary Nancy Pearson. She said the club is hosting the open house to invite new people to join and learn about what they do in the community.
“It’s not so much that we need new members right now, as much as we would love to have new members,” Pearson said. “Because the more we have, the stronger we are, and the more we can accomplish to help kids and help others.”
The open house is scheduled for March 27, 5-7:30 p.m., at the Neverland Clubhouse at 1 New York Ave. across from the Los Gatos High School tennis courts.
The Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos was formed in 1923. It is part of the international Kiwanis Club, which aims to help the community, but its focus is more on supporting children. The Los Gatos chapter has led several community events in support of this goal, such as a local version of the Special Olympics called the Special Games for children with disabilities in the county.
The club also hosts the Los Gatos Art and Wine Festival in September and the holiday market in the winter. The money raised from these events is used to fund the club’s activities, which includes the Turnaround Scholarships, awarded to high school students with college or career plans who have overcome serious life challenges.
Pearson said people may question why kids in Los Gatos or Saratoga need a scholarship or how they may have experienced such hardship, but “kids everywhere suffer from bullying and all sorts of challenges, so it’s just a really good feeling to make these high schoolers feel good about what they’ve done and what they’ve succeeded in.”
Pearson said the open house will showcase the Kiwanis’ clubhouse, which looks like “a rustic lodge in the middle of town.” They will be serving some light food and beverages, and members will be there to talk about what they do and how newcomers can volunteer with them.
“It’ll just be fun and really casual because our club is really casual and easygoing,” Pearson said.
