Kiwanis Club celebrates Christmas with Joplin elementary schools - KOAM TV 7

Kids celebrate Christmas early at four Joplin elementary schools courtesy of the Kiwanis Club.

Students at Emerson, Irving, McKinley and West Central Schools had pizza lunch with soda, cookies and candy, and received gifts of hats and gloves from the Kiwanis Club.

Members say the parties are funded by annual Kiwanis apple sales.

Besides the Christmas fun they're also funding opportunities for kids too.

"We also do some scholarships at MSSU," says Steve Doerr of the Joplin Kiwanis Club.  "We work with the Boys and Girls Club, the Cerebral Palsy Center, there's a whole variety of things we do here in Joplin for youth to help make it a better place for them, and that's our mission."

Doerr says students look forward to the party that's been thrown for at least the past 10 years.

The Kiwanis Club also supports kids through the Special Olympics, the Key Club and Salvation Army Christmas programs too because Kiwanians believe kids are our future.