Fremont Kiwanis Club members enjoy a picnic at Hopfinger Zimmerman Park on July 11. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

Jack and Lorraine Zimmerman are well-known in Port Clinton as dream builders. Somehow, the owners and creators of Hopfinger Zimmerman Memorial Park seamlessly move from dream to plan to reality as easily as children building sandcastles, except their creations aren’t quickly washed away. The 80-acre park featuring everything from swimming and fishing to pickleball and sledding will last for decades, impacting lives and making memories for generations of families.

What many locals don’t know is that Jack’s impact on children stretched all the way to Fremont when he helped with the Fremont Kiwanis Play Park, an all-inclusive playground that has become a cornerstone of Rodger Young Park.

Fremont Kiwanis members hosted a picnic at Hopfinger Zimmerman Park in Port Clinton to thank Jack Zimmerman for his invaluable help building their own park. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“Jack was kind of our foreman. He organized the madness when all the volunteers came,” said Fremont Kiwanis President Jenny Freeh.

On July 11, several Fremont Kiwanis members traveled to Hopfinger Zimmerman Memorial Park for a summer picnic to thank Jack for his impact on the Fremont community.

“We wanted to come here because Jack helped with our play park. He was influential in the play park, and we wanted to thank him,” Freeh said.

The picnic also offered members the opportunity to connect in the slow environment of a country playground after spending so much time working together on Kiwanis projects. This year, the club organized a Sandusky River cleanup and hosted “Hit, Pitch, Run,” an MLB program that gives children the opportunity to earn the chance to perform during the MLB World Series. They also constructed an additional shelter house at the Fremont Kiwanis Play Park.

From left, Fremont Kiwanis Second Vice President, Tom Bowlus, President Elect Rachel McCoy and President Jenny Freeh have worked hard to lead the club through several successful projects this year. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“We added another shelter house to connect the whole playground,” Freeh said.

Fremont Kiwanis President Elect Rachel McCoy and Second Vice President Tom Bowlus traveled to the Kiwanis International Convention in Denver on July 3-6, where they networked with Kiwanis members from around the world and came home with inspiration to help Fremont Kiwanis impact the community even more. About 1,400 people from over 80 countries attended the convention.

Fremont Kiwanis Second Vice President, Tom Bowlus, and President Elect Rachel McCoy attended the Kiwanis International Convention in Denver with club members from around the world. (Submitted photo)

Among other things, Bowlus and McCoy returned with greater leadership skills and new ideas on attracting young members.

“There were a lot of training opportunities, friendship opportunities and inspiration from the speakers,” Bowlus said. “European clubs have a different way of doing things, and we want to borrow from them.”

The Fremont Kiwanis Club is always looking for new members. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Fremont Kiwanis has about 60 members, and anyone interested in joining is welcome to attend a meeting. Meetings are held every Thursday, except the first Thursday of the month, at Fremont Elks at 11:45 a.m. On the first Thursday of each month, the group meets at The Strand in downtown Fremont at 5 p.m.

“We’re always looking for more members,” Freeh said.

For more information, visit www.fremontkiwanis.org.