As its members are fond of saying, time and time again: The Kiwanis Club of Canby is all about kids.
That is evident in virtually everything the nonprofit organization does, from its support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (which has mailed more than 25,000 free books to local children since 2017) and its signature Community Food & Toy Drive every Christmas — which serves hundreds of families each year.
The annual drive typically provides close to 1,000 new toys to Canby children whose families may otherwise be unable to make Christmas happen.
But there’s one other big day that most kids circle on the calendar each year — and new Canby Kiwanis member Priscilla Douglas wanted to make sure they felt special on that day, too.
Designed to be a “birthday party in a bag,” the Club’s new “Birthday Bag” program provides decorations, balloons, candles, cake mix and frosting, plus a $10 gift certificate to the Canby Kiwanis Thrift Store to purchase a toy or other gift for the child.
The program is a true community partnership, with the ever-active Moms Club of Canby providing some of the 120 gift bags for the program, along with the birthday decorations, balloons and candles.
Canby Kiwanis is sponsoring the cake mix, frosting and, of course, the thrift store gift certificates. And The Canby Center is taking lead on distribution by sharing the bags during their weekly food pickups for families whose children have a birthday coming up.
The program is aiming to start the week of March 2. For more information about the Kiwanis Club of Canby and how you can support or join their efforts, visit canbykiwanis.org.
