Biscayne Bay Kiwanis brings Jungle Island to inner city

Biscayne Bay Kiwanis brings Jungle Island to inner city

For the second consecutive year, the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club, one of Florida’s most active community service organizations, joined with Jungle Island, one of the area’s top tourism attractions, to help increase school attendance in various inner-city elementary schools.

But unlike 2016, when more than 250 third graders visited Jungle Island from four different elementary schools as part of the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis/Jungle Island School Attendance Incentive Program, the Kiwanis brought Jungle Island — temporarily closed due to Hurricane Irma — to the schools.

“We promised these kids a visit to Jungle Island if they showed an increase in attendance and they were excited,” said Lew Matusow, a

Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Board member. “We had the trip set for October but unfortunately it had to be cancelled due to the damage caused to Jungle Island by the hurricane. So we did the next best thing. We brought Jungle Island — and their exciting hands-on, interactive outreach program — to the kids. The program was a smash with the kids, teachers and school administrators.”

The first school to host Jungle Island was Frederick Douglass Elementary, 314 NW 12 St., with shows for both second and third graders in the school’s recently re-opened media center.

Kids learned about animal survival from Jungle Island’s Jen Swezeny while being able to see and touch the animals such as a hyacinth macaw, corn snake and a blue-tongued skink.

“The kids had a great time,” said Douglass principal Yolanda Ellis. “Thanks for bringing this great experience to our students.”

Since its founding in 1950, the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club — an all-volunteer service organization of professional men and women based in Downtown Miami — has improved the lives of disadvantaged children in Overtown, Allapattah, and Midtown Miami through educational programs, field trips, and hands on service projects.

The 67-year-old club’s very successful programs include an in-school reading program to help second graders pass the EOY (End of Year) Exam, funding of summer swim lessons, lessons in etiquette, civics, and life skills, Thanksgiving meal giveaways to inner city families and guided tours/field trips to Everglades National Park and South Florida museums.

In addition to its hands-on community service projects, over the past six years the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis has awarded more than $180,000 in college scholarships throughout Miami-Dade County, including an annual full, four-year college scholarship to a deserving Booker T. Washington High School senior.

For more information about the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis or to join in one of its community service projects, text or phone the club at 305-814-2225.


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