Sparta Kiwanis help Salvation Army reach holiday goal

Sparta - The Christmas season was a very busy time for the Sparta Kiwanis Club. The traditional bell ringing fundraiser the club hosts to benefit the Salvation Army was once again a success raising a total of $27,317. This amount represents an increase of $1,698.00 or 6.2% over the collection total for the previous year. Representatives of the club presented Captain Nester Valverdi of the Salvation Army the donation at the Jan. 5 meeting of the Sparta Kiwanis at Francesa’s Restaurant in Sparta. According to Valverdi, the Salvation Army’s goal of collecting $100,000 in the area was accomplished and he expressed his gratitude to the Sparta Kiwanis who were responsible for collecting a significant portion of that goal. A total of 42 Sparta Kiwanis members participated in the bell ringing project, along with seven guest ringers and 46 members of the Sparta High School Key Club.