Medina Kiwanis clubs adapt toys for kids

Local volunteers modify toys for children with disabilities at A.I. Root Community Room event.

Participants at a crafting workshop working on plush toys.
Local Kiwanis clubs and youth groups partnered with Replay4Kids to adapt toys for children with disabilities during a service event in Medina.
A boy holding a toy at a repair workshop.
Local Kiwanis clubs joined with youth volunteers, including Medina High School Key Club members, to adapt toys for children with disabilities through Replay4Kids.

The Kiwanis Club of Medina, Medina Breakfast Kiwanis, Medina High School Key Club and Spark Medina held a service event Thursday evening, Jan. 29, at the A.I. Root Community Room to support Replay4Kids and its mission to improve the lives of children with disabilities.

Working with Replay4Kids, volunteers adapted toys and assistive devices so children with disabilities can play independently. Club members provided pizza, and attendees brought desserts.

Natalie Wardega, director of operations and vice president of Replay4Kids, explained that the organization adapts toys by wiring jacks into them so various switches can be used based on a child’s individual needs. Volunteers also assembled switches during the event.

Ed Selega, president of the Medina Breakfast Kiwanis, said his club was happy to partner with the other organizations and Replay4Kids to make toys more accessible. Aaron Harrison, president of the Kiwanis Club of Medina, noted that Kiwanis’ defining statement emphasizes improving the world one child at a time, and said the project reflected that mission.

Those interested in joining a Kiwanis club can attend meetings of the Kiwanis Club of Medina, which meets most Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. at Williams on the Lake, or the Medina Breakfast Kiwanis, which meets at the Grande Café on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7 a.m.

The Kiwanis Club of Medina can be reached at 330-298-5152 or on Facebook at facebook.com/medinakiwanis. More information is available at medinakiwanis.org and kiwanisbreakfast.com.