Builders Club

If you've heard me speak about Builders Clubs, you have heard me say something to the effect that "If you give these kids the opportunity, they will outshine most Kiwanis Clubs, as they know no limits." This has once again been proven true, this time in terms of the EliMiNaTe Project.
I have the honor to represent Builders Clubs on the SLP Eliminate subcommittee for Kiwanis International. This is made up of one K-Kids Administrator, one Aktion Club Administrator, one Builders Club Administrator (me), two Key Club member representatives and two Circle K member representatives and is lead by Ruth Pollak who is the SLP Campaign Director and KI Trustee Sue Petresin. We meet every two weeks on a webinar.
On our last webinar, July 10, the total amount of money given to the EliMiNaTe Project from Builders Clubs was $53,191.28. Of the SLP's, only Key Club had given more! That's pretty good considering our Builders Clubs do not have any central coordinating/organizing body, with Lt. Governors, governors, International officers, etc. who communicate regularly to promote giving! Our clubs are totally local, and for individual Builders Clubs, with only their Kiwanis Advisor to explain the project and suggest they might want to do a project to raise funds for EliMiNaTe, speaks volumes for those advisors! Thank you!
New York Builders Clubs are truly among THE best in the world, as evidenced by the fact that in International Builders Clubs Contests, we had four International winners, which was more than any other District! As for Club distinctions, only 12 Districts had any Builders Clubs named Honor Clubs, and we were one of them with the Cohen Middle School from Elmira Heights being an Honor Club. New York had six clubs named Distinguished Builders Clubs. In alphabetically order these Builders Clubs were: The Albany Academy for Girls in Albany, the Alfred G. Berner Middle School in Massapequa, the WT Clarke Middle School in Westbury, the North Shore Middle School in Glen Head, the Ogdensburg Free Academy Middle School in Ogdensburg and the Woodland Middle School in East Meadow/Woodland. That was more than any other district! I'm so proud of our Builders Clubs and the clubs who sponsor them. And, we had seven new Builders Clubs started this year bringing our number of Builders Clubs up to 76!
For those of you who want to start a new Builders Club, NOW is the time. School Administrators work all 12 months, and have more time now than they will have during the school year, to talk to you about the largest Middle School/Junior High Service Club in the world. Don't wait to make an appointment with the principal. Now is the perfect time. If you need help, call me at (585) 342-7657. I look forward to seeing you at NY's District Convention in Niagara Falls.
 

Column Posted on Web Site July 28, 2012