Kiwanis Club of Carefree Benefit Foundation, a local non-profit dedicated to helping the youth in the community, recently hosted its 40th annual scholarship ceremony, “A Night of Excellence,” with record-breaking participation and attendance. The event took place on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 6:00 pm at the Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center located at 33606 N. 60th St., Scottsdale, AZ 85266. The Night of Excellence celebrated 32 outstanding high school seniors as they continue pursuing their higher education goals.
These students, representing high schools locally and across Arizona, were awarded scholarships totalling $550,000 to support their higher education endeavors at the colleges, universities, and trade schools of their choice.
Kiwanis Club of Carefree has awarded over $4 million in scholarships to date.
“This year, we had the very difficult task of selecting the scholarship recipients from record-breaking application submissions. The 32 extraordinary students awarded at A Night of Excellence represented one of the most diverse and competitive classes of scholarship recipients we have ever assembled,” said Janet Greer, Kiwanis scholarship chair.
The event featured a scholarship awards presentation recognizing each student, a motivational and energizing keynote address by Ricky Watters, and a catered reception. Ricky is a 10-year veteran of the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks. He is a champion at all levels as a 5X Pro Bowler, XXIX Super Bowl Champion, and NCAA National Champion with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Waters was also presented with the prestigious Kiwanis’ “Champion for Kids” award for 2025, recognizing his alignment with Kiwanis’ mission and continuing efforts to help and inspire at-risk youth.
“We were delighted to recognize a kindred spirit in Ricky Watters, as he consistently uses his celebrity and platform to raise awareness for many of the forgotten and vulnerable youth in our communities,” said Janet Greer.
The Kiwanis Club of Carefree acknowledges and appreciates the Kiwanis Marketplace, event sponsors, generous volunteers, and community support, which are all vital to the success of the Scholarship program. Due to the continued success of the Kiwanis Marketplace, the 18 Kiwanis Committees continue to address specific needs in the community and robustly fulfill their missions.
Museum awarded Kiwanis Family Learning Program grant
Cave Creek Museum received a Kiwanis Club of Carefree grant to focus on family learning. The grant will move beyond classroom walls to blend educational value with engaging age-appropriate learning activities. The grant covers programming for “littles,” improving some family-friendly informal learning exhibit areas and continuing the ever-popular Kiwanis Family Fun Days.
“The new Kiwanis Preschool Pioneers effort designed expressly for “littles” and their caretakers aims to expand children’s programming and target exhibit interpretation for the youngest of learners,” says Tamsin Wolff, career museum educator and Cave Creek Museum board of director member. “This is the logical progression from the museum’s successful Kiwanis Family Fun Days and its school tour program. Preschool Pioneers will lay the foundation for lifelong learning and future museum guests, donors and supporters in Cave Creek and the greater Phoenix metro area impacting all Kiwanis zip code service areas.
The Kiwanis Club of Carefree’s financial support provides children’s formal and informal programming at Cave Creek Museum that is free of charge. Pre-registration is recommended for Kiwanis Family Fun Days and the museum’s ongoing formal school tour programs. Pre-registration is limited and required for Kiwanis Preschool Pioneers.
People interested in being part of the museum’s Family Learning Team or who are interested in supporting the museum as a volunteer or in making a donation can contact the museum [email protected]. The new program began in May.
