The Kiwanis Club of Fountain Valley held its annual installation banquet on Sunday, Oct. 8 at Coastline Community College.
The event included dinner, awards to several club members and the installation of new officers and board members.
Former Mayor Steve Nagel, a longtime club member, was named Kiwanian of the Year. Other honorees include Sally Accetta (Club Service Award), Alondra Martinez (District Service Award) and Art Groeneveld (President’s Award).
Brian Genovese was installed as the 2023-2024 club president. Others installed include Debbie Killey, president elect; Theresa Powers Ramirez, secretary; Gary Forman, treasurer and assistant secretary; and Michael Hohertz, immediate past president.
This past year, the club’s service to the community included Kiwanis Kares in which members helped clothe 24 youth in the community. Local donor Alan Burns gave a $5,000 donation toward this event for the coming year.
The club also partnered with Grocery Outlet of Fountain Valley for its “Independence from Hunger” food drive and raised $14,860 in cash and food in July to serve local non-profits in the community including Robyn’s Nest, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley.
The club partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley to help raise $52,000 at its annual Pins for Kids event at Fountain Bowl in August and provided a pancake breakfast at various events, including for Easter and the Miss Fountain Valley Scholarship Program, fed soldiers at the Los Alamitos Joint Armed Forces Training Base, handed out turkeys for Thanksgiving, and held a Christmas party for youngsters from Orangewood Children's Home.