STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Kiwanis Club wants to raise $20,000 to buy a new play structure for Keefer Park in the Woodside neighborhood of Hailey.

Kiwanis of Hailey and the Wood River Valley wants to erect the playground equipment for older children to augment the current structure designed for younger children. They hope to have it in place by this coming summer 2019.

The children-focused organization has provided new park equipment for Deerfield, Foxmoor, Heagle and Carey parks in recent years. It is currently working on new equipment for the Balmoral Park, which will be renamed Kiwanis park.

Members of The Papoose Club, who staged their annual Kindercup ski race this past weekend, chipped in $2,000 at their March meeting. And Kiwanis Vice President Bob Wiederrick has raised more than $13,000 for various Kiwanis projects by recycling aluminum cans that valley residents drop off at Wiederrick’s Custom Metalworks at 4051 Glenbrook Drive in Hailey.

“We are one project at a time, making sure kids in our community have what they need to thrive, prosper and grow,” said Geegee Lowe. “And the energy, commitment and camaraderie with Kiwanis makes the experience of hands-on service even more gratifying for our members as they make an immediate, measurable impact on our local community.”

The Kiwanis Club meets for a light lunch at 11:30 a.m. the first and third Wednesdays of each month at DL Evans Bank, 609 S. Main St., Hailey.  The club is part of Kiwanis International, a global organization of clubs dedicated to serving children that was founded in 1915.

Kiwanis International boasts more than 702,000 adult and youth members in more than 79 countries. Visit www.kiwanis.org for more information.