Twelve young people in Jefferson County are to be honored for their community service excellence and outstanding leadership at the 14th annual Thomas J. Majhan Kiwanis Teen Leaders Awards ceremony March 5.

The teens being honored for 2016 are Erik Hansen, Isabelle and Whitney Hill, Rowan Lynn, Shauna Lynch, Nicholas Massie, Amy Plastow, Kat Smith, Lauren Taracka, Davis Tyler, Seamus Waibel and Akwe Wilbur-McDaniels.  

The awards ceremony takes place at 3 p.m. at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St. Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper is the ceremony’s keynote speaker this year. Many leading citizens have volunteered to attend as guest presenters for the program.

The public is welcome to attend, but is requested to first contact chairperson Melanie Bozak at mabozak@gmail.com, as space is limited. The 12 teens join 142 past recipients since 2004, the first year of the awards, which honored teens for their service in 2003.

GOLF UP NEXT

Next up on the calendar in March for the Kiwanis Club is the 21st annual Kiwanis Golf Tournament on March 25, benefiting Camp Beausite Northwest.

The two-person best ball tournament begins with a 10 a.m. shotgun start at the Port Townsend Golf Club. Entry fee is $60/person; Port Townsend Golf Club members, $50 green fees/player; entry fee is tax deductible (excluding green fees and lunch). The fee covers competition, KP (closest to the pin), long putt, long drive, green fees and lunch.  

The divisions are men’s low gross and net, and mixed low net. The tournament is limited to the first 36 teams; prizes are based on the number of entries. For more information or to sign up a team, contact David Crozier at 531-0057. Come out, have a great day and support a great cause at the same time.

ROCK ’N’ ROLL IN APRIL

Then, in April, shake out those bellbottoms and get ready to tap your feet and snap your fingers at the fourth annual Port Townsend Kiwanis ’50s-’60s Rock & Roll Party, set for 6-9:30 p.m., Saturday, April 8 at the Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.

Dance or just socialize, but plan on having fun. Tickets for this 21-and-older event are sold in advance only; no tickets can be sold at the door. Purchase tickets at brownpapertickets.com or from any Kiwanis member. Ticket sales, a 50/50 raffle and a photo booth help support the club’s many local children’s and community service projects.  

Live music is provided by Joey Lazzaro on trumpet, Mark Holman on sax, Tom Svornich on drums, Dave Llewellin on bass, Don Fristoe on guitar and Dick Atkins on guitar. The band is also to belt out some vocals at this nostalgic music event. Contests for best costumes and dance, which are encouraged but optional, are awarded prizes.

See ptkiwanis.org for details.  Questions may be directed to Dick Atkins at 385-2585.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Kiwanis Club of Port Townsend offers its Rilla Phillips Scholarships annually in amounts of up to $5,000 to all graduating seniors in Jefferson County. This year, $20,000 is available. The application process opened in January, and forms are available on the website thewashboard.org. Deadline for submittal is April 22.

Watch for information soon regarding the club’s partnerships with local Rotary Clubs for the Backpacks for Kids Weekend Nutrition Program and with Olympic Neighbors for the home renovation being done to provide homes and community for adults with developmental disabilities.

In addition, planning has started for the second annual Brats & Brew event (all ages; sodas available, too) during Rhody Festival in May, and the Classic Car Show in August. There are lots of fun things going on with Kiwanis Club of Port Townsend!  Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Anyone interested in joining or obtaining information about the club may visit the website at ptkiwanis.org or send an email to porttownsendkiwanis@gmail. com. The club welcomes businesses, organizations or individuals to present a 15-to 20-minute program during the weekly meeting.  Contact program chair Marilou Sullivan at 301-1271 or  aboutaccommodations@olympus.net to arrange a presentation date.

(This column is published monthly in The Leader.)