Bill Assalley, current president of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club.
Rachel LeBeane
Breeze Courier Writer
TAYLORVILLE — No one can do anything without support. The same can be said of schools. They rely on the support of hundreds of people to educate and guide our future generations. One organization that supports the Taylorville School District is the Kiwanis Club. In recognition of their many contributions to the district over their storied 70 year history in Taylorville, the Taylorville Public School Foundation is recognizing the Kiwanis Club as a Friend of Education at their annual spring fundraising event being held on March 8 at the Pillars.
Bill Assalley, current president of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club, said that he and the club were honored by the recognition from the Foundation.
“I think it’s a big deal because, I mean, helping kids, that’s like one of the main focuses of Kiwanis,” Assalley shared, “We support the local children in the community. And I think there’s a real need out there for support. Especially with the public schools, they can do a lot, but they can’t do everything. So they really do need engagement from the community to succeed. Kids don’t come to school prepared and don’t have the supplies they need and things like that.”
As part of the Kiwanis Club’s mission to improve the world one child at a time, the club provides coats, hats, gloves, and boots for children every year. They sponsor a car seat safety program as well as multiple clubs at the school, including the junior high school Builders Club and the high school Key Club. Furthermore, Kiwanis provides scholarships for high school students who are college bound.
“Last year, we gave two $500 scholarships,” Assalley explained, “And, this year, we just voted last month to raise the amount of each scholarship to $1,000 instead of $500. Only because, they’re gonna be going on to school and we kind of looked at, you know, $500 won’t even cover one class.”
But the Kiwanis wants to expand their support further. That is why they have begun looking at a way to support students who are not college bound. Assalley shared that the club was looking towards supporting students wanting to pursue careers in the trades.
“This year, we talked at our round table that we were always kind of focused on kids going to college. We never looked at the kids that, like, go on to become an electrician or a carpenter. Like trade school types. And we’re gonna try to, you know, hopefully, help somebody in the trades to get a scholarship. Any trade.” He stated, adding that he felt that there was a need to better support trade schools and the trades overall.
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club has been supporting the schools and the local community for a long time. Assalley was happy to announce that the club was celebrating it’s 70th year in the city this year. And overall, the Kiwanis International has been around fro 110 years. What’s more, some local members have been with the club almost since it’s inception.
“I wanna say there’s five or six guys in our club that have over fifty years in Kiwanis here in Taylorville,” He said, adding, “I think we’ve got one guy that’s almost got sixty years!”
The Kiwanis Club will be honored at the annual spring fundraising dinner held at the Pillars in Taylorville on March 8, 2025. Unfortunately, Assalley won’t be able to attend to help the club accept their honor. But he has a plan in mind.
“They’re having that dinner on March 8, but I’m gonna be gone. We already had a vacation planned. But our past president is gonna be there to accept, but there’s a lot of guys that have those fifty years of being in Kiwanis that’ll be at the dinner already with other groups. So, I’m thinking I’m gonna try to get the guys that have a lot of years in to at least all sit together.” He shared happily.
For people interested in supporting the Kiwanis Club in their mission, they accept donations. Assalley asked that any donations be specific – for example, if someone wanted to support the scholarship program, then make certain to mark down that was what the donation was for. Then the club will put the money to use towards whatever program the donor wants to support. Ashley also said that the club was looking for new members.
The Kiwanis Club meets every Tuesday at the Moose Lodge in Taylorville at noon. The public are invited to join the lunch meeting to learn more about the club and how they work to make the community a better place for everyone. Assalley said currently the club had around 30-ish active members who are engaged in around 14 different committees within the club that work tirelessly towards helping improve the community.
