With summer finally here and the nice sunny weather, the Kiwanis Club of Port Townsend is busy working on a number of fun projects, all designed to raise funds for some very deserving youth and community service programs.

We’re also looking forward to starting a new leadership program this fall, known as Builders Club, for middle-school-age students. The program is sponsored by the club and facilitated by the YMCA of Jefferson County. Two introductory meetings are planned for August and September, so watch for further information.

Tickets are on sale for an entertaining annual summer celebration and fundraiser July 22 to benefit the Kiwanis Toys for Tots program and the local Christmas for Children program. The Christmas in July Tiki Party & Silent Auction is again held at Port Townsend’s American Legion Post No. 26 from 6 to 11 p.m. The evening features FreddyPink, one of the most popular dance bands in the Northwest. This is a 21-and-older event that features lots of auction items, the second annual Ugliest Hawaiian Shirt Contest and a specialty tropical drink offering. Tickets are $30 in advance through brownpapertickets.com or a Kiwanian. Tickets are also to be available at the door for $35. For further auction information, go to

pttikiparty.com or call Conrad Oien, chairman, at 643-3501.

Olympic Neighbors and Camp Beausite

Before continuing with summer events, I must write about the completion of two amazing building projects, both of which the Kiwanis Club has been closely involved.

The Olympic Neighbors renovation project has been completed, a party took place early last month for the organization and volunteers, and new residents are moving in. This project is the beginning of a new residential community developed by the Olympic Neighbors local nonprofit organization. The group is creating a home and community for adults with developmental disabilities, where they can live together while discovering and developing their full potential.

Last month, two beautiful brand-new bunkhouses were finished at Camp Beausite Northwest, which is located on West Valley Road, 3 miles outside of Chimacum. A grand open house was held, which included a ribbon cutting for the bunkhouses and the opportunity to show off this amazing facility. The camp offers adults and children with disabilities the opportunity to spend a week doing fun activities they don’t normally get to be involved with in their daily lives. This year, there will be five weeks of camp during the month of July.

The camp also looks forward to being able to have more rentals, with the two new bunkhouses able to house 40 people. Kiwanis Club members were very involved in the work and will also be working hard during the camp sessions.

Car show coming Aug. 19

If you’re a classic car owner and love to show off your hard work, the annual Kiwanis Classic Car Show must already be on your calendar for Aug. 19 at Memorial Athletic Field in Port Townsend. Classic car aficionados will certainly enjoy viewing the field full of every make and model of car from the ’30s to the ’80s.

The car show is a major fundraiser for all of the club’s projects involving youth in the area, from scholarships to sponsoring local youth groups. Registration forms and more information can be obtained by contacting Tommy Dodd, chairman, at tommy.dodd@att.net or 916-626-2981.

There are always fun things going on with the Port Townsend Kiwanis Club, keeping members busy while having loads of fun together! We’re looking forward to our projects coming in the fall and winter. There is more to come on those in the future. You can certainly join us – there’s lots of room for people interested in serving our communities.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time. It’s easy to obtain information about the club by visiting the website at

ptkiwanis.org or sending an email to

porttownsendkiwanis@gmail.com. The club also welcomes businesses, organizations and individuals to present a 15- to 20-minute program during the weekly meeting. Please contact the program chair, Marilou Sullivan, at 301-1271 or about

accommodations@olympus.net to arrange a date.

(Kiwanis Club member Melanie Bozak writes this column monthly for The Leader.)