Builders Club

During these troubling times, powerful and purposeful Kiwanis education is more important than ever!
At the middle school level, this is accomplished through a Service Leadership Program within Kiwanis. As my predecessor Joanne Underwood has said many times, "there's only two groups of people that give Middle School children a chance to prove they are young adults, and they are Kiwanians and drug dealers! Which do you want influencing your children?"
Wow! What a powerful statement from a very knowledgeable Kiwanian! Throughout my term, I will be focusing on several of our Builders Clubs and the wonderful projects they have been involved in.
Kudos to Long Island North Lt. Gov. Kathy Levinson and to the Finley's Builders Club of Glen Cove, who along with the Student Council and National Junior Society, created a food pantry in their school which provides assistance to Glen Cove families in need. Their dedication to this worthy cause which started in April 2016, continues to this day!
A special "Shout Out" to Long Island South Central Lt. Gov. Theodore Helm; The Kiwanis Club of Bellmore; The Grand Avenue Middle School Builders Club; and Advisor Sean Doherty for collecting and organizing new or gently used books suitable for young children to adults. They collected more than 250 books and have distributed them to high-poverty schools and organizations in the metropolitan area. Their next project will be to collect "Pennies for Patients" to benefit the Leukemia Society.
Special Honors go to Maspeth Kiwanis on its IS 73 Builders Club that has been continually operating since 1977, 40 years! According to Advisor Michael Terry, they have raised tens of thousands of dollars for many, many causes. There were two projects that impressed me the most. The first was their work with the Maspeth Senior Self Help Center, where they participate with seniors to decorate dolls, which are then used by doctors and surgeons at various children's hospitals to show the ill children the parts of the bodies; and second is their participation in the Kiwanis Club of Maspeth's Annual Law Day, which is in its 45th year! In May, they will be marching in the Maspeth's Memorial Day Parade.
Accolades go out to Brooklyn Lt. Gov. Joseph DeMarco who will be adding a new Builders Club in IS 303, and to both a Builders Club and K-Kids Club in PS/IS 288.
As you can see, the children are our future, and what a better way to teach and show them this than to share with them our "Helping Hands".

Column Posted on Web Site April 21, 2017