Boys & Girls Club Leaders Recognized at Kiwanis Honors Dinner
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kiwanis Club of Lawrence hosted its seventh Honors Dinner to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, bringing recognition and celebration to two long-standing community organizations. A pair of remarkable BGCLK staff members and an impactful volunteer were recognized for their service to the organization in the areas of leadership, service and dedication to empowering youth in Lawrence.
This year’s Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence honorees are: Alyse Maender (BGCLK Unit Director, Prairie Park), Hana Schaal (BGCLK AmeriCorps Member, Quail Run) and Dr. Anthony Lewis (BGCLK Ex-Officio Board Member). The 2023 Kiwanis Substantial Citizen Award went to Matt Llewellyn.
Arterra provided the perfect backdrop for the heartwarming gathering. Llewellyn serves on the board for both the Kiwanis Club and Boys & Girls Club. The amount of heart he pours into each is clearly evident in this annual event – and was felt throughout the room on Thursday night as many of his family and friends were there in support of his honor.
Brian Hanni was the emcee, sharing insight about the upcoming Kansas Men’s Basketball season as well as the Jayhawk football team. He also made sure to recognize the many Substantial Citizen winners in the room for being the real heroes in our community, especially his friend Matt Llewellyn.
“If I had all of you in this room stand up and link arm to arm, and we had a collective wingspan – it might come close to describing the size of this man’s heart and what he does for this community,” Hanni said.
Each honoree was introduced by one of the people who nominated them for their awards. Thus, setting the stage for a moving tribute to each of the award recipients.
Kassadie Hughes-Burton, BGCLK Academic Manager, started by introducing Maender. She spoke about how the closure of Broken Arrow Elementary School weighed heavy on everyone’s heart, but Maender hosted the BGCLK summer program at the site and continued with a positive perspective and attitude. She gave members a sense of belonging with her kind heart and light spirit, always joking and turning negatives into positives.
“This job hasn’t been everything I thought it was going to be – it has been so much more,” Maender said. “You never know the impact you will have on someone until they come up and tell you. That’s why I appreciate this recognition so much. It’s easy to get lost in the nitty-gritty and the tough moments – but the good cannot be lost.”
Schaal is a dedicated AmeriCorps member who serves every day at the Quail Run Elementary site. Her supervisor, the equally-dedicated Unit Director Keif Williams, introduced her. He spoke of Ms. Hana’s tireless commitment and described the ways that she goes above and beyond to ensure her Club kids have a great experience and a nurturing environment.
“I want to say thank you to Keif for nominating me and saying all of those nice things,” Schaal said. “I love working with my kids and all the kids at Quail Run. They really make my job easy.”
Lewis received his award for his unwavering commitment to all students in Lawrence. As the superintendent of USD 497, Lewis is a fantastic supporter of the partnership between the schools and the Boys & Girls Club. Not only does he serve as an Ex-Officio Board Member, Lewis has stepped up to co-chair the hiring committee to bring the next CEO to the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence.
“In the morning Boys & Girls Club programs, those mentors help set the tone for the day for our scholars,” Lewis said. “At the end of the day, they get the chance to tell their BGC staff all about their day, if there were struggles, then those staff members make it better. I am eternally grateful as the superintendent that you all are so dedicated – you are so vital to our mission at Lawrence Public Schools.”
Lawrence Kiwanis Club treasurer Rusty Thomas introduced Llewellyn as the 2023 Kiwanis Substantial Citizen Award honoree. The first Substantial Citizen Award was given out in 1960. Several of the past award winners were in attendance on Thursday, including Matt’s dad. Lew Llewellyn was honored with the award in 1988.
“Where I really get emotional about this award is knowing that I share it with my dad,” Llewellyn said. “As most of you know, my mom and dad were the inspiration in everything I do. They are the reason I think it’s so important that I give back to this community. I want to do everything I can for Lawrence, Lawrence High Chesty Lion Football, the Kansas Jayhawks and, of course, the Boys & Girls Club. I wear this board member name tag every day with a great amount of pride.”
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Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time. The Lawrence Kiwanis Club was chartered in 1920 as the first Kiwanis Club in Kansas and continues to serve the Lawrence community and its youth.