The New Face Of Kiwanis

I've been a member of our local Kiwanis Club going on 10 years now.

Back in those days, we were a mostly male group, to put it kindly, that was "aging out." Most members were long-time Kiwanians in their early-to-mid 80s, retired of course and mostly veterans of WW II, who spent a good portion of the meeting time talking about their bowel movements, or lack thereof.

The current Club President is a packet of dynamite named Sam, who just turned 30. So far, since Oct. 1, our Club has added more than 34 new members, all of them men and women in their 20s and 30s who gravitate to him as though he has the Key To Perpetual Happiness -- which he does, in a way.

Sam puts them to work volunteering for one or more of our many service projects. He knows the secret:  ignite youthful passion, idealism and energy, then allow them to make something Very Meaningful happen.

I'll tell you about just one project, which takes place each Thursday and Friday.

On Thursdays, Sam & Co. buy non-perishable food in bulk from the Harry Chapin Food Bank which then gets repackaged and inserted into the back packs in enough quantities to feed a family of four for three days.

On Fridays, Sam and the gang distribute 500 back packs to school-age kids whose families can't afford to feed them adequately.

Sam & Co. got some ink in the local newspaper a few weeks back, which triggered a miracle: several retired doctors showed up and threw their combined weight (and philanthropic spirit) into helping the kids buy and then sort the food.

The intergenerational chemistry between the kids and the docs was, and still is, beautiful to behold!

Sam then got a "heads-up" from another of our younger members, Hannah, about an orphanage in Haiti that was just about to enter Dire Straits. Seems as though a cholera epidemic was set to overrun the place.

Sam & Co. redirected their energy into procuring more than 300 pounds of over-the-counter medicines for the Haitian kids and also got their hands on 1,000 doses of Cipro, a tablet manufactured by Pfizer that works wonders in stanching cholera and other life-threatening diseases.

They flew to Haiti in early January to hand-delivered the meds, and while there, they witnessed a mother in the act of abandoning her infant daughter right at the orphanage's main gate.

In less time than you can say "Kiwanis," Sam & Hannah got the orphanage to accept the infant by agreeing to financially subsidize the little girl for as long as she receives care there. Our Kiwanis Club is now the proud collective parent of little "Sarah" and, believe me, she will be treasured as she grows from a shattered infancy to healthy, safe and secure adulthood.

Sam and Hannah are the New Face of Kiwanis. So are Billy, Mike, Peter, Ned, Neal, Nick and the rest of the new Kiwanis crew.

Speaking for the Old Timers, we couldn't be more proud!

For a newspaper's account of Sam and Hannah in Haiti, click here:

Sunday exclusive: The need staggering, they give their hearts in Haiti | news-press.com | The News-P