The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from a Taylorville Junior High School Blue Ribbon Award winner, and the club honored its monthly “Community Hero of the Month”, all during their weekly meeting Tuesday at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  

The club presented its monthly “Hero” award to Mike Coady (right), a local pilot based at the Taylorville Municipal Airport.  He led the effort to collect needed items for those affected by the December 10th tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky.  Coady gained the support of 10 local pilots and their planes to collect, then deliver food, water, and other supplies to those affected.  They also collected some 2-thousand dollars in monetary donations to assist the effort.  Kiwanis member Martin Vota presented the award to Coady.

Jessica Miller, a teacher at Taylorville Junior High School, was the Kiwanis program speaker Tuesday.  Miller was nationally recognized as a 2021 National Junior High School Blue Ribbon winner.  Over 500 of these awards were presented nationally, and only 18 in Illinois.  Miller was one of just 2 downstate teachers honored.  She gave the club details on how T-J-H-S made themselves eligible for the process, and gave details on the award.  Kiwanis member Doctor Ron Mizer, a member of the Taylorville School Board, was program chair for Tuesday’s meeting.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.