What we do
Annually, the Quincy Noon Kiwanis Club actively participates in various fundraising and service projects. Here are some prominent initiatives:
- The Bids for Kids Charity Auction
- Ken Bigelow Kids Day at Saukenauk Scout Reservation
- Dictionary Project
- Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels
- Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army
- Christmas Party for Quincy Public School first graders
- Quincy Quarter Madness
Bids for Kids Charity Auction
The annual online auction, typically held in March, is our club’s largest fundraiser. We solicit items and cash sponsorships from area businesses and individuals, with an online format designed to maximize our reach. Most of the funds raised are distributed to local organizations that help children in Adams County, with remaining funds supporting our club’s one-on-one activities like the Christmas Party, Ken Bigelow Kids Day, and Dictionaries. In 2025, we were able to give out grants totaling $42,000 to 50 area organizations.
Our 2026 Bids for Kids auction just ended on March 22, 2026.....stay tuned for our grant announcements!
Ken Bigelow Kids Day
An annual summertime tradition, the Quincy Noon Kiwanis Club hosts an outing at Camp Saukenauk for kids from the Salvation Army program. The day includes swimming, boating, fishing, hiking and lunch. In 2010, the event was named Ken Bigelow Kids Day in honor of former Kiwanis member Ken Bigelow. Ken was active in Kiwanis for 48 years from 1962 until his passing in 2010 and was an active supporter and participant in this event.
Dictionary Project
The Quincy Noon Kiwanis Club started providing dictionaries to all 3rd graders in the Quincy Public Schools in 1996 and has since expanded the program to include all 3rd graders in Adams County. At the beginning of each school year, Kiwanis members go into the classrooms, delivering the dictionaries to students and participating in a few activities to help the students use their dictionaries.
Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels
Each Thanksgiving, our club members deliver the Quincy area Meals on Wheels giving the regular volunteers a well-deserved day off. Many Kiwanians include their children in this activity which delights the seniors.
In addition to delivering the meals, the club donates the funds to cover the costs of the meals delivered.
Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army
Each December, Quincy Noon Kiwanis members along with Quincy Key Club members and Aktion Club members, ring bells for the Salvation Army in support of their annual fundraising efforts. There has been a long-standing competition between the Rotary Club and Kiwanis to raise the most funds with the winner receiving the coveted Golden Bell. For the 2025 season, the Quincy Noon Kiwanis once again received the Golden Bell. Kiwanis club member, John Snyder, has organized this club activity for many years and is pictured on the right receiving the award on behalf of our club.
Christmas Party
Each December, our club coordinates with the Quincy Public Schools, to provide a Christmas party for the first graders. Gifts are purchased and wrapped by our members for each first grader and then delivered to the classrooms. Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and sometimes even the grinch and some elves visit the schools as well. It's a fun day!
Quincy Quarter Madness
Quincy Quarter Madness was originally started by another group of dedicated individuals that ran the event for over 10 years. The Quincy Noon Kiwanis Club was approached to take it over and agreed to do so; however, COVID-19 had other plans. Our club was able to re-start the event in June of 2021 and has been hosting it almost every month since.
Typically, the event is hosted on the first Thursday of each month and is held at the Quincy Holiday Inn at 48th & Oak. Doors open at 5:20pm and the quarter auction begins at 6:00pm and typically lasts until 8:00pm. Each month, the club works with an area charity to collect donated items that are auctioned off with the charity receiving the proceeds. A quarter auction is a cross between an auction & a raffle where people bid on items using numbered bidding paddles and a rate of quarters per paddle to bid on one item. Unlike normal auctions at a quarter auction, you don’t have to increase a bid to potentially win an item. Yet like a raffle, your numbered paddle(s) is like your raffle ticket(s) where if you ante a bid on an item and they call your number you WIN. The fact that you don’t have to keep increasing your bidding amount, enables people to get valuable items for as little as $0.25, $0.50, $0.75 or $1.00 without spending large sums of money.