The Kiwanis Club of Arnold will hold its ninth annual Giving and Light Fair from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Fox C-6 Service Center, 849 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold.
The event is free to attend and features free photos with Santa Claus, giveaways and activities for children, St. Louis Cardinals’ mascot Fredbird and a silent auction.
“It is exciting for us,” Kiwanis member Carole Yount said of the fair. “It is something we can give back to the community. That is what Kiwanis is, giving back to the kids and community. This is something that we feel is beneficial for the kids.”
There also will be a free raffle to give away 10 Chromebooks and eight bicycles. Winners do not need to be present to collect their prize.
“The bicycles are a big treat for the kids,” Yount said. “Everybody who comes will get a bag with goodies in it.”
The group requests those attending to donate an unwrapped toy or nonperishable food item. Donations will be distributed to Fox C-6 schools and the Gateway Food Pantry.
“It is something that is really needed this year with everything that is being cut,” Yount said of the food donations. “We will do as much as we can do to help.”
Santa will be available for visits and pictures in the Service Center lobby, and the fair is held in the building’s meeting room.
Yount said Dan Easton, a former Fox C-6 School District teacher, and his family will provide free pictures with Santa Claus.
“He is the perfect Santa,” Yount said of Easton. “When the kids walk in the door, the first thing they see is Santa. They get the picture taken care of before they get inside and forget about it.”
Yount said the Chromebooks and bikes that will be raffled off were purchased with funds raised during the 12th annual Back the Blue Car Show, which was held by the Arnold Police Officers Association (APOA) and Kiwanis Club during Arnold Days.
Arnold Police Officer Kevin Wilson, the APOA president, said the Kiwanis received $1,500 from the show.
Yount said the Kiwanis Club will hand out free winter coats. She also said Rockport Heights Elementary School staff members will give away socks, and Lone Dell Elementary School staff members will give away hats and gloves to children who need those items.
Yount said other Fox C-6 schools expected to participate at the fair are Clyde Hamrick and Guffey elementary schools and a teacher from Ridgewood Middle School donates cookies.
She said members of Fox and Seckman high schools’ Key Clubs will volunteer during the event to help children with activities.
“The little ones run from one place to the other to make sure they get everything in, and it is kind of fun to watch that,” Yount said.
“The Key Club members are good about working with the kids. It is neat seeing the high school kids working with the kids.”
Members of the Missouri Freemasons will register children for the Missouri Child Identification Program.
MoCHIP is a program that allows parents to store photos, fingerprints, their child’s information and emergency contacts on a disc that is compatible with the Amber Alert system, which is used when a child is missing or abducted. The parents also will receive a dental bit impression of their child and two laminated ID cards.
Yount said it takes between 15-20 minutes for a child to complete the MoCHIP process and she said the Freemasons are expected to bring dogs for children to interact with in the side room where they complete MoCHIP registration.
“Every year, they tell me they have more people participating in that program,” Yount said. “It is a program that you hope you never have to use. But if it helps one child, it is well worth the time and effort to do it. It is a good thing for people to do to ensure their children will be safe.”
Proceeds from the silent auction will be used to provide scholarships and other projects benefiting kids, Yount said.
For information about the event, call Yount at 314-401-2669 or email her at younthome@yahoo.com.
The Kiwanis Club has two meetings a month, a lunch meeting at noon on the second Tuesday of each month at the Wesley Roger’s Steak and Buffet, 3601 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold, and the other at 8 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday at in the basement of Arnold City Hall, 2101 Jeffco Blvd.