O'Fallon Kiwanis Club Awards Teacher Who Makes a Difference

Sandy Gigax, a 6th grade English Language Arts teacher at Fort Zumwalt West Middle School, was recently recognized as a community leader who makes a difference. Members of the Kiwanis Club of O’Fallon presented the award to her during a faculty meeting at the school.

Ms Gigax has been teaching for 28 years. She has taught elementary school in the Fort Zumwalt School District at J.L. Mudd, Twin Chimneys and currently she is teaching 6th grade at West Middle School. She has also been a faculty advisor for a Kiwanis Builders Club at West Middle School for 12 years. A Builders Club is a service leadership program sponsored by Kiwanis. Students learn leadership and giving back to the community through service with this program.

When asked why she agreed to sponsor this middle school club Ms. Gigax said, “I love to help others and do service in the community. When I read the description for Builders Club, I felt it would be a good match and it surely was.”

This year there are more than 50 members in the West Middle School Builders Club. The enthusiasm displayed by Sandy Gigax is shown by the students who want to participate in this school club. Over the years these middle school students under the leadership of Ms. Gigax have provided a lot of different types of service for several different organizations. One year a group of girls from Builders Club took a FACS class at the middle school and knew how to sew. They teamed up with a cat shelter and sewed thirty cat mats for the shelter. Then they ran a fundraiser for cat food and liter. It was a huge success. The students have sorted food at the O’Fallon Salvation Army Food Pantry, run a blood drive for the Red Cross, played Bingo with nursing home residents at Gardenview, provided staff with treats at the school and landscaping at the school. At Halloween time the Builders Club students assist at three elementary schools for their Trunk or Treat Event with a total of about 1,500 children in attendance. The Builders Club members dress up and run all the indoor games that the children play

“Kids need Kiwanis, in our community and in communities around the world,” said John Silberberg, President of the O’Fallon Kiwanis Club. “Our club believes in children and wants to provide all kids with an opportunity to thrive, prosper and grow.” The members of the O’Fallon Kiwanis Club are proud of the difference Sandy Gigax is making in our community through her students in the Builders Club.

The Kiwanis Club of O’Fallon welcome new members who want to serve their community. Information about becoming a member is available at www.ofkiwanis.com or by joining the weekly meeting at J.J.’s Restaurant at Noon the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Thursdays.