Kiwanis Club of Independence, OH

05/12/2026

05/12/2026

It was a fantastic evening of socializing and honoring our new 2026 Officers and Board for the Kiwanis Club of Independence, OH, at La Fiesta.

The Officers are President, Frank Wagner; Vice President, Judith Nicastro; Treasurer, Jeff Spada; and Past President Jackie Kasperski Horn.

Board Members: John Doughety, Bruce Flower, Chuck Ricco, Jim Soeder, George Michalke, Debrah Sarnowski, and Chuck Soeder. Congratulations!!!

05/10/2026

The 57th Annual Bob & Donna Agan Fishing Derby on Saturday, May 9, 2026, was a huge success. The Elmwood Pond was freshly stocked with perch, bluegill, crappie, and channel catfish.

Prizes were given for the largest fish caught of each variety. All the young fishermen and fisherwomen received a prize! Parents and other family members joined in the fun, and the merriment added to the beautiful day.

Many thanks to Bob & Donna Agan! Much appreciation to the Kiwanis Club of Independence, OH, for managing the refreshment stand and their tireless efforts in making sure everyone had an amazing time.

04/29/2026

The Monday meeting for the Kiwanis Club of Independence, OH, was filled with wonderful updates, including the upcoming BUNCO party, Annual Golf Outing, Chicken BBQ, Fishing Derby, Pickleball, and Home Days. (We are a busy group!)

Standing in for president Jackie Horn, president-elect Frank Wagner led the meeting and had Bill Gutermuth share insights on our scholarship process.

Former Kiwanian, Bob Scott, gave an overview of his involvement with the RISE Against Hunger Program and introduced his guests from the organization.

Pastor David Wi**er and Mission Community Chairman, Lauren Somple from Independence Presbyterian Church, gave a moving presentation on Rise Against Hunger and invited our members to get involved.

Anyone wanting more information on this tremendous organization can call Bob Scott at 216-965-7572.

04/16/2026

04/14/2026

We celebrated last night at the Kiwanis Kids Leadership Banquet! It was an inspiring evening filled with wonderful camaraderie, delicious pizza, salad, and ice cream sundaes.

The Kiwanis Club of Independence celebrated the spirit of youth leadership and community service that makes our club so special in fostering a culture of volunteerism and civic responsibility.

After the pizza and amazing ice cream sundaes, our president, Jackie Kasperski Horn, gave a heartfelt speech of appreciation for the Kiwanis Kids, and recognized their advisors: K-Kids, Advisors Caitlin Sluka & Stephanie Roberts; Builders Club, Advisor Michelle Koussa; and Key Club, Advisor Carolin Quinn.

The advisors presented certificates of appreciation to the children. The evening was a huge success, with our community getting together to celebrate the energy, kindness, and teamwork of these organizations and the participants who make a real difference. A big thank you to Mary Lee Gorbett for all her dedication, hard work, and for bringing this event to reality and all

03/11/2026

6th Annual Kiwanis of Independence Pickleball Shootout a Smashing Success

INDEPENDENCE, OH — The Kiwanis Club of Independence successfully hosted its 6th Annual Pickleball Shootout on February 28, 2026. The event, held at the Independence Field House, brought together 60 players for a full day of competitive and community-focused fun.

The shootout featured round-robin play in Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles. Congratulations to all of our winners.

The Kiwanis Club of Independence pickleball committee members are Chuck Soeder- Committee Co-Chair, Bob Swaggard, Committee Co-Chair, and members George Klepacz, Rich Swaggard, Aaron Graham, Dave Norton and Jim Wotowiec.

The committee wishes to extend its deepest gratitude to all the players, volunteers, and event sponsors who made this pickleball shootout possible.

A special thank you goes to the City of Independence Recreation Department for their generous support in providing the facility and ensuring smooth event operations.

Thank you to our sponsors, Diadem Pickleball, the Kaz Company, John Fortuna and Fortuna Funeral Home who contributed to the success of the event. Thank you!

The 6th Annual Pickleball Shootout not only brought excitement to the courts but also strengthened community bonds while raising funds for local children in need. Kiwanis looks forward to welcoming even more participants next year for another successful event!

03/10/2026

It was an excellent meeting last night for the Kiwanis Club of Independence, OH, with a tremendous speaker. Former Independence Police Officer Jason Berger spoke regarding maintaining grit and determination in the face of adversity. Jason gave a powerful overview of his journey with cancer and the advocacy he portrayed in handling his recovery. His message of Never Quit resonated with the crowd. Check out his website https://www.murrayroadstrong.com/mystory

Jackie received updates on the Pancake Breakfast, which was a huge success with over 600 tickets sold. Everyone had a "delicious" time!

Committee members also gave updates on the upcoming Fishing Derby, Chicken BBQ, and Annual Golf Outing.

Anyone interested in helping on project committees, please reach out to Jackie Horn 216-524-6297 home/landline (preferred)
216-276-0264 cell/text.

03/09/2026

And a note from our illustrious president, Jackie Horn...

How do you begin to thank everyone for jumping in and making our Annual Pancake Breakfast a success? From the Kiwanians who responded to my last-minute SOS on Saturday night, to the people who stayed after the Breakfast to help us clean up….I couldn’t thank everyone more!

It takes a Village and, in this case, it takes a Community, which is what we saw happen this weekend! I feel like everyone pulled together, young and old, to make it happen.

A HUGE thank you to Independence Excavating, who provided us a generator to run our griddles, at no cost to us, to the Technical Service Department who made and provided the cords necessary to run the griddles, to the Service Department for moving our trailer, to the Recreation Department for lending us tables, and to the City of Independence for assisting us in any way possible.

Thank you to Independence Local School System for seeing and agreeing with our vision. It was great to bring this Event back home, to the schools, as it was originally done. It couldn’t have been done without the assistance of Superintendent Dr. Kelli Cogan, who had the vision and readily agreed to help us in any way possible to make it happen, and to T.J. Ebert, Director of Human Resources and Business Operations, who met with us several times to plan everything and who took time on his Sunday, just to check in to ensure everything was running, as it should! A special thank you to Tiffany and Holly in the Cafeteria, who accommodated every request and assistance we needed, and to the Custodial Staff, who jumped in and made everything work.

To our Student Groups: Builders Club, K-Kids, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, thank you so much for agreeing to sell your items or share your knowledge. Thank you for being a part of our Community Event and showing everyone just how great you are, and what you are doing and giving back to Independence.

Thank you to our Choir and Band, who took time out of their day just to perform and remind us of all good things and why we do what we do…..it’s for the children!

This couldn’t have been done without our Hospitality Committee, who jumped in with the new topping bar and our raffles, which were all a HUGE success, and stood on their feet all day, just to serve every person, all with a smile on their faces.

I couldn’t thank our Pancake Breakfast Committee enough for their efforts leading up to the Breakfast, their work during, and their work after the Event, all without one question or complaint!

Then, finally, our Kiwanians and their families, who gave of themselves by either buying tickets, helping leading up to the Event, work during the Event, or clean up after the Breakfast. You all amaze me and am grateful to consider you part of my family!!!

Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for helping Kiwanis, and in turn, by helping me by making us constantly look good and helping be of great service to our Community and the Children of the Community.

I am truly blessed!

P.S. And we are truly blessed to have Jackie Horn as our tireless and kind leader!

The Kiwanis Club of Independence 2026 Annual Pancake Breakfast was a HUGE success! See you next year.

02/26/2026

At the Kiwanis Club of Independence, OH, meeting on Monday, family and friends at this event helped us to enjoy a delicious dinner and thank our past presidents. The event was organized by the Hospitality Committee and also included the induction of new Kiwanians.

We welcomed the following individuals, who were sworn in and will now be official members of the Kiwanis Club of Independence!

Beth Sudyk
Debra Sarnowski
Diane Day
Kevin Day
Aaron Graham
David Norton

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, March 8, to attend the crowd-pleasing Pancake Breakfast! Click here for more information: https://independencekiwanis.com/event/pancake-breakfast/

02/18/2026

To all our Pickleball Shootout Fans....don't delay sign-up to play TODAY! This annual event is fantastic. To register go to the Club of Independence https://independencekiwanis.com/

We will accept all registrations up to and including walk-ins on the day of the Shootout.

Registration opens at 8:00 AM on February 28th.

For more information, call Chuck Soeder at 216-633-0600.