In March of 2023, Kiwanis Club members, Key Club, and Circle K Club members participated in their 10th annual dresser build event for Bridging. Their hardworking team of 45 volunteers built 35 dresser kits in three hours, and the brand-new dressers were available to individuals and families the next day.

And that was just 2023; over the past 10 years, they have sponsored and built 823 dressers, and hundreds of volunteers participated in fun events to assemble them!

The team’s annual sponsorship of Bridging dresser builds is part of the Kiwanis One Day of Service, an annual day of service each spring. Years ago, after the MN-Dakotas Kiwanis Division 7 Lt. Gov. appointed Kathy Welle as the Service Director for Division 7, Kiwanis International began promoting this event, encouraging clubs to work together on community projects around the Twin Cities area.

The partnership between Bridging and Kiwanis began more than a decade ago. A passionate presentation by Bridging Founder Fran Heitzman and Volunteer Manager Wendy Erickson inspired the Kiwanis team to support Bridging’s vital mission to empower people to thrive in their homes by providing quality furniture and household goods for those pursuing housing stability.

“When we initially learned that Bridging was able to provide more to families in need with furniture and that there was a critical need for dressers, this was the encouragement to partner with Bridging and to continue the Kiwanis One Day of service project annually, and to build more dressers each year,” says Kathy.

Kiwanis International exists in and serves communities in 80 countries. Focused on its mission to change the world by serving children, its members frequently volunteer for community service projects and nonprofit organizations, like Bridging, that support children and families.

“Kiwanis promotes the Children’s Fund, a charitable organization that has three causes: Health and Nutrition, Education and Literacy, and Youth Leadership Development, so partnering with Bridging and providing furniture for families is a natural fit,” says Kathy. “Local club members are proud to be involved with this organization [Bridging].”

Bridging is grateful for our partnership with Kiwanis. Thank you!

If you would like to learn more about sponsoring a dresser build event, please reach out to Joel Bisser at joel.bisser@bridging.org.