By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Charity races pop up throughout the summer and fall in Central New York, but one of them stands tall after nearly five decades: the Baldwinsville Kiwanis Club’s Turkey Trot. Held annually on Thanksgiving morning, the Kiwanis Turkey Trot celebrated its 48th race this year. More than 2,200 runners raised over $30,000 for local youth causes such as the Baldwinsville Community Scholarship Foundation, Paige’s Butterfly Run and Baker High School’s “Keep the Ball Rolling” party.

“We’re one of the [first] that started a ‘Turkey Day’ race,” said Bill Lappin, board member and past president of Kiwanis. “It almost has become a tradition in B’ville for families.”

While the final numbers are not in yet, Lappin said the 2016 Turkey Trot raised between $30,000 and $35,000.

“The more money, the more successful it is, the more dollars we can put back into the community,” Kiwanis member Pat Hovey added.

Located at Baker High School, the Turkey Trot features both a 5K course and a 10K course. Lappin said the B’ville Turkey Trot’s 10K course is a draw for many serious runners.

“We have a certified 5K course and we’re in the process of certifying the 10K,” Hovey said. “That’s important to the runners. [We try] to continue to make the race better for people to participate in.”

The Turkey Trot is quite the achievement for Kiwanis, considering that many service organizations are facing dwindling membership. As a result, the Baldwinsville Optimist Club shuttered earlier this fall. According to Lappin and fellow Kiwanis member Pat Hovey, Kiwanis is not immune to the membership struggle.

“All the service clubs, based on what happened to the Optimist Club, with some degree are having trouble with membership,” Hovey said.

Currently, the B’ville Kiwanis Club has roughly a dozen active members who rely on scores of volunteers to run their signature events: the Turkey Trot in November, and a golf tournament and a kids’ fishing derby in late spring.

“We have a great event, but unfortunately we do not have a large membership,” Hovey said. “The only thing that saves this event is we’ve got a lot of volunteers.”

“Just alone on the course, you’re talking 60 people,” Lappin said.

The Turkey Trot alone requires upwards of 100 volunteers, many of whom are part of organizations Kiwanis has helped. Members of Baker High School’s Key Club — the “Junior Kiwanian” organization, Lappin said — volunteer for the Turkey Trot. There is no formal agreement between Kiwanis and its various volunteers, but other local organizations have a symbiotic relationship with Kiwanis through the Turkey Trot.

“They’re partners,” Lappin said. “If the race is successful, they’re sharing in the proceeds.”

As school budgets tighten, booster clubs are increasingly asking local organizations such as Kiwanis to help their causes.

“If we weren’t there, the funds would have to come out of some other vehicle, or they might not be there,” Hovey said.

No matter the amount raised each year, Lappin said the impact of the Kiwanis Club’s contributions to the community cannot be quantified. In the past year, the club was able to send 13 campers to Kamp Kiwanis near Rome, New York.

“You are the result of your experiences, and if you had a positive experience, that’s a benefit,” Hovey said.

Lappin and Hovey said Kiwanis has enabled them to make business connections and forge friendships with people they might not have met otherwise.

“The camaraderie of the club — it’s a fun experience, going to meetings with the rest of the group,” Lappin said. “It’s a nice feeling to know that you’re doing something good for the community.”

Moreover, the event is a homecoming for many Baldwinsville natives who have since moved away from the area. Lappin said it’s not uncommon to have four to six people from the same family register for the race.

“We get registrations from across the country,” Lappin said. “I talked to a girl from Colorado that double-registered: Her family [in Baldwinsville] registered her and she registered herself from over there.”

Hovey and Lappin said there are no attendance requirements or strict time commitments to be a Kiwanian. They encouraged community members to sit in on a meeting or volunteer for the golf tournament, fishing derby or Turkey Trot.

“We’re quickly approaching the 50th year, which I think will make quite the celebration,” Lappin said.

To learn more about the Baldwinsville Kiwanis Club, visit baldwinsvillekiwanis.com or like the club on Facebook. The club meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month at Sal’s Pizza, 41 E. Genesee St., Baldwinsville.