What We Do

Mendon Kiwanis Showboat

Host annual Showboat performance (over 3 nights). The Showboat is a music-and-comedy show originally started by the club in the 1950s. This event provides our main source of funding for the year.

Scholarships

We offer the following scholarships:

• Marvin Dalman Memorial Grant
• J. Stuart Hedges Memorial Grant
• Dr. Floran Ladd Memorial Grant

Applications forms can be obtained through the Mendon High School Guidance Office.

Mendon Riverfest

A sponsor of the annual Mendon Riverfest. A multi-day event of child/family activities, amusements, music, arts & crafts and food & drink vendors in Mendon’s Reed Riverside Park. Highlights include a Lip Sync contest, Parade and Fireworks. New to 2025, 1st Annual Chicken Plop Bingo hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Mendon!

John Green Invitational Memorial Track Meet

The club hosts the annual John Green Invitational Memorial Track Meet at Mendon High School in Mendon, MI. We provide the trophies for the event and present hats to the Seniors on the Mendon Track team.

Breakfast at the Dust Off

Provides Breakfast at the annual Mendon Dust Off (a Classic/Antique Car Show) for a reasonable price. The Mendon Dust-Off has been a community tradition for over six decades, with the first show taking place in 1963. The event is organized by the Three Rivers Classic and Antique Restorers (C.A.R.) Club in partnership with the Mendon Kiwanis Club. 

Kiwanis Woods and Nature Trails

Maintain 40 acres of wooded land and nature trails called the Kiwanis Woods, located just north of Mendon, MI on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Osgood Road. The woods are open to the public and accessible via the entrance on Osgood Road (dirt road).

Bikes for Reading Month

We Donate Two Bicycles and Two Helmets for the annual Reading Month contest winners at the local elementary school.

Free Reading/Writing Materials for Mendon Elementary School Students

We provide the following:

• Dictionaries for Third graders
• Thesauruses for Fifth graders
• Writing Journal for every elementary school student grades K-5
• Character Program Books for Second and Fifth graders

Adopt-A-Highway

We clean up three miles of M-60 (west of town) 3 times a year.

Other Projects/Programs

• Mendon Food Cupboard
• Weekend Backpack Food Program
• Christmas Family Project
• 4-H Trophies at the St. Joseph County Fair
• Habitat for Humanity (Mendon Builds)
• Mary Free Bed Hospital
• Corewell Health (Helen Devos Children’s Hospital)
• Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America)
• DASAS (Domestic Assault Shelter)
• Salvation Army Red Kettle
• Law Enforcement Camp
• Wolverine Boys and Girls State
• United Way
• Kiwanis of Michigan Foundation