Latest news with #AnnistonKiwanisClub
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Anniston Kiwanis Club's Pancake Day is a success
Every year, on the first Saturday in March, those who take part in the Anniston Kiwanis Club Pancake Day do so not just for the fluffy pancakes, but the thousands that come through the door of the meeting center each year are there because of what the fundraiser means to the children it helps. Each year, the organization raises more than $40,000 that goes toward back-to-school clothes shopping for underprivileged youth. 'I had a little kid I coached in baseball several years ago come through that day to buy clothes, and we get to the counter, and he says, 'Coach, do I get to keep all this?' I said, 'Yes, you do, buddy, yes you do,'' Kiwanis Pancake Chairman Steve Taylor said. Taylor, who has been the pancake chairman for the last 12 years, will hand the reins over to Bobby Foster this year. This year, the pair headed the endeavor together. When he wasn't showing Foster the ropes, Taylor walked around the dining hall Saturday morning with his youngest grandson in tow, settling into his last successful year as chairman. 'We'll end up cooking probably between 12 to 15,000 pancakes and 7000 sausages and we'll feed over 2000 people,' Taylor said. Much goes into feeding that many people, with both dine-in and to-go options available. The operation is powered entirely by volunteers and it wasn't only Kiwanis members bustling around the meeting center that day. Representatives from other organizations were also on hand to help. Kassi Holiday-Ball, representative from the Anniston High School Ambassadors, directed her group inside the dining hall. The teens from the Ambassadors kept the space tidy, cleaning tables, and putting out new place mats for the next guests. 'We pretty much service the school and the community. So we serve as escorts. And the first representation you see if you come to our campus for events, different types of events that we hold at the campus,' Holiday-Ball said. The Ambassadors receive volunteer hours they can use on their college resumes by aiding in community events such as pancake day, Holiday-Ball said. 'We try to get the students involved with community service activities outside of the school so that they can gain hours for scholarships or anything that they are working towards in the future,' she said. At the back of the meeting center, a large tent loomed from the building's open doors. Nine large griddles stretched around the length of the tent's interior, with an industrial sized kitchen mixer whirring off to one side. Every griddle was serviced by someone — including teenagers from the Double Dozen's Club — with many pancakes cooking at once. Eleven-year-old Tucker Grier was perhaps the youngest pancake chef among them. The boy flipped pancakes seamlessly, transferring them from griddle to plate with ease. This was Grier's second year helping with the fundraising event. His grandfather Mark Junior is a member of the Kiwanis Club and elicited the boy's help. 'I feel like it's giving me skills to help other people, because the money we make from this goes to kids that don't have clothes, and all that other stuff,' Grier said. 'So I think it gives me skills to help out.' Taylor said the Legacy Club, the Double Dozen, Anniston High School Ambassadors, Coosa Valley Youth Services and other volunteers make the day possible. 'It's the biggest social event of the year in the county. There's more people that come to this than pretty much anything else, and so we're proud to do it,' Taylor said.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ciara Smith updates local civic club on Anniston's progress
Reflecting on her time in office, Ciara Smith expressed deep gratitude for the experiences and relationships she has built during her time serving on the Anniston City Council. "I was a lot younger," Smith began. "I have grown so much in the last four and a half years with the experiences that I have, the relationships that I've built, places that I've been … I know I wouldn't have had those experiences before." Smith told members of the Anniston Kiwanis Club on Jan. 23 that her journey to the City Council began in south Anniston, where she was raised by her grandmother and introduced to faith and advocacy. "I used to attend Christian leadership conferences at 17th Street Baptist Church," the Ward 3 councilwoman said. "Had no idea what anyone was talking about, but obviously, at some point, I listened in some way because here I am today." Her personal challenges included a stint in foster care, where she moved between Anniston and Oxford city schools. She noted a stark difference between the quality of education she received in both systems. "I had access to MacBooks and modern technology in Oxford, and we were reading from 10-year-old textbooks in Anniston," Smith recalled. At 16, she began working with the city of Anniston's finance department and attending school board and City Council meetings, advocating for better resources in local schools. Smith continued her studies in political science at Spelman College, where she interned for former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga. Her experiences in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., exposed her to national policies on issues such as veterans' affairs and immigration, helping to shape her political outlook. At age 19, Smith attended the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C., where she was able to speak before a panel of lawmakers. Since serving on the City Council, Smith has overseen progress in Anniston. She highlighted the city's budget increase from $43 million to $51 million, driven by a $4.1 billion sales tax increase. This surge in revenue has been reinvested into infrastructure and development. "We've invested over $6 million into our city's infrastructure, and 15 of those projects are focused on making neighborhoods safer," she said. Smith also emphasized the importance of attracting businesses to the area, citing the arrival of Starbucks as a symbol of the city's improving economic climate. "We're not in competition," she explained. "We're creating our own insurance for growth." The councilwoman further noted the expansion of housing projects, including the development of 11 townhouses and the redevelopment of public housing, with an eye on creating spaces that promote positive community outcomes. One of Smith's priorities has been addressing healthcare disparities in Anniston. She advocated for a new clinic and learning center in the Glen Addie area, aimed at providing better healthcare access to underserved populations. "There are so many health disparities in the city, and a lot of people don't understand that," she said. "It was important for me that people have access to take better care of themselves."
