The Kiwanis Club of Cypress held its annual Red Ribbon Essay & Foundation Scholarship Dinner and Awards on Friday, April 24 at the Courtyard by Marriott. Cypress Council member and former Cypress police officer Paulo Morales was the keynote speaker. Present also were Cypress City Council members as well as Cypress School Board Trustees to honor the recipients of the awards and scholarships.
Other dignitaries included City Manager Peter Grant and Cypress Interim Police Chief Rod Cox as well as Cypress School District Superintendent Beverly Hempstead and principals.
The Kiwanis Club of Cypress was chartered by Kiwanis International in December 1950 and since that time has been a major presence in service to the Cypress Community. Along with being a founding member of the Cypress Community Festival, The Kiwanis Club of Cypress is also a founding member of the Cypress Red Ribbon Week and began the Red Ribbon Essay Contest in the Cypress Elementary Schools.
Many of the activities that the Kiwanis Club is known for such as pancake breakfasts and flipping burgers are all in the cause of youth athletics, school programs, and other community organizations and events that enable the Cypress Club to better serve the entire community.
Area elementary school fifth graders participate in the Kiwanis’ sponsored Red Ribbon Essay Contest that began in the early years of Red Ribbon Week.
One winner from each school is selected and was recognized at the dinner.
The 2015 winners that were recognized included: Joyce Jeong, Arnold; Liam Dunigan, King; Natalie Kim, Landell; Taylor Anson, Luther; Jonathan Yoon, Morris; Luke Snyder, Vessels; Makaila Rabaja, St. Irenaeus; and Kailey Camper, Grace Christian. Each student received a framed certificate and a cash award of $100.
Not only does the Kiwanis Club of Cypress annually award scholarships to students from our local service area schools as well as Cypress College, it also awards a performing arts scholarship as part of the annual Cypress Celebrates the Arts program sponsored by the Friends of Cypress Cultural Arts (FOCCA).
This year the recipients of these scholarships are: Nhan Nguyen, Magnolia High School; Thao Nguyen, Cypress High School; Nicolas Do, Oxford Academy; Matthew Eclevia, Los Alamitos High School; Nicole De Simone, Cypress College; Jennifer Kim, Classical Guitar, Cypress High School; and Brian Chen, Piano, Oxford Academy.