The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from the 2 Taylorville School Resource Officers during their weekly meeting at the Taylorville Moose Lodge on Tuesday.

Sargent Alan Mills (right) and Officer Kirsten Beaman (left), both from the Taylorville Police Department, serve in the various buildings of the Taylorville School District as School Resource Officers.   Sargent Mills told Kiwanis members their job is a combination of serving as a deterrent preventing incidents from occurring, as well as building trust between students and the law enforcement community.

Officer Beaman told Kiwanis members that, as the officer serving at the elementary schools and junior high, bullying has been an increasing issue and she has done a lot of work to educate children on its consequences.  She added she builds trust with students by being a math tutor.

Both stressed they get direction from the School District since they are in district buildings.

The public is reminded to attend this Saturday’s annual Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Breakfast from 6:30 to 11am at the Moose Lodge.  Tickets are available from Kiwanis members or at the door.   The event is one of the largest fund-raisers of the year for the Kiwanis Club, providing monies for local projects such as Coats for Kids, Kiwanis Park, and Kiwanis high school scholarships.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a 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.