CLARKSVILLE, TN – The Kiwanis Club of Downtown Clarksville is one of 10 finalists for an award from Kiwanis International for outstanding service projects.
A record number of 590 entries from clubs worldwide were divided in two divisions, ones for less than 28 members and those with more than 28. Downtown Clarksville has 131 members.
The service project being honored is the Kiwanis Reading Rodeo, an annual event where 3,200 third graders in the Clarksville-Montgomery County school system and area private schools receive a book and a program with its author. This year’s Reading Rodeo is May 7 at F&M Bank Arena. Chris Grabenstein, a Clarksville native and New York Times best-selling author, is the program. Students will receive a copy of his newest book Cindersmella, his fifth in the Stinky’s Stories series.
“It’s certainly an honor to be a finalist,” Larry Schmidt said, president of the Downtown Kiwanis Club. “The Kiwanis mission is to improve the world, one child and one community at a time. Our reading rodeo does just that.”
The Reading Rodeo is an offshoot of the Reading is Fundamental program which ended in 2017 and led to its creation. Funds from the annual Bill Hoy Rodeo help finance the event. The 38th Bill Hoy Rodeo is May 14-16 at the 4H Arena on Rossview Road.
Clarksville’s entry is competing against clubs from United States, as well as Jamaica and Panama. The winner will be announced June 24-27 at the Kiwanis International Convention in Manilla, Philippines.
For more information contact Larry Schmidt at Larry.Schmidt54@gmail.com. Information on the author can be found at harpercollins.com.