Members of the Holbrook Painted Desert Kiwanis Club will observe Worldwide Kiwanis Prayer Week May 24-30. Meeting at the Holbrook Senior Citizens Center at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 28, club members invite members of the community to join them. Clergy of the area will be the special guests of the club. Pastor Jimmy Nelson Jr. of the Holbrook United Methodist Church will be the guest speaker. “This annual observance, which began in 1980, provides Kiwanis clubs an opportunity to promote religious life and tolerance throughout the community, as well as recognize individuals for their contributions to the spiritual welfare of our community,” said Jeff Johnson, president of the Holbrook Club. The first Kiwanis Club was chartered on January 21, 1915–100 years ago this year–in Detroit, Mich. Today, Kiwanis has grown to over 9,000 clubs and more than 305,000 members in 94 countries. The Holbrook Painted Desert Club celebrated its 38th anniversary of service in March. Clubs sponsor various community service projects under the slogan “Serving the Children of the World,” as well as helping to eradicate iodine deficiency throughout the world. Kiwanis International is now partnering with UNICEF to save 129 million mothers and newborns from maternal neo-natal tetanus. The local club recently came on board, committing $1.80 a day for the next 365 days. It costs only $1.80 to provide an immunization to a pregnant woman. The club will save 365 lives with this commitment. In addition to children’s welfare internationally, the Painted Desert Kiwanis Club sponsors the popular Quiz Nite, raising more than $6,000 to benefit our schools and local charities, supports First Step Workshop, participates in the Adopt-a-Highway program and much more. Look for more information soon on a community-wide clean-up effort scheduled for Saturday, June 6. The cost for the Prayer Breakfast is $6, with all proceeds going to the senior center. For more information, contact Johnson at 524-2718 or Marlin Gillespie at 524-3041