Kiwanis Club votes to dissolve

At its general meeting held May 22, members of the Manchester Kiwanis Club voted to dissolve the club by September 30, 2019.

Reasons cited included declining enrollment, and unsuccessful recruitment of new members to the club.

“We currently have only 19 members,” said Anita Herman, a long-time member of Kiwanis. “Five of those are members in name only–they pay dues but do not participate in our activities; another four help with only one or two projects. That leaves us with 10 active members, but at least two of those are routinely away from Manchester for up to four months each year.”

The club has one remaining Charter Member, Luther (Luke) Schaible.

For many years, the Kiwanis had an active and enthusiastic presence in Manchester. Chartered in 1990, the group found numerous projects and ways to serve the community and especially its children, which has been a particular focus of Kiwanis International. Most recently, the club has focused on road clean up, children’s Christmas shopping, supporting gazebo concerts, basketball ticket sales, teacher appreciation breakfasts, youth baseball teams, and of course, the Crazy Ca$h Night and Canoe Race.

Manchester Community Schools has successfully assumed responsibility for the Crazy Ca$h Night starting this spring, and that tradition will continue as a fund-raiser for the district. A dedicated core committee of Kiwanians will maintain the Annual River Raisin Canoe Race, and will invite others, particularly other service organizations, to participate in helping keep this a viable special annual event.

“We have had a membership lull in the past, but we were able to recruit new members and move forward as a strong group,” Herman says. “But times have changed. Most of us are getting older. Part of me says this model of service organization simply isn’t relevant any more. People use their time differently now. It’s hard to grow under these circumstances.

“It’s sad, but the important thing is to see that these service programs continue. We hope that another group can step up and continue these programs that are so important to the community. “

Those programs still in need of an organizational home include the three times annually adopt-a-highway cleanup; the children’s Christmas shopping project that the Kiwanis inherited from the Manchester Civic Club, teacher appreciation breakfasts, and youth team sponsorships. “It’s not that we want to give up on these projects; we desperately want to see them continue,” Herman explained.

She added that many members of the Kiwanis will go on to join some other service organization, and others may continue with Kiwanis in a different community.

Meanwhile, between now and September 30, Kiwanis members will be seeking to transfer the service projects to other community service organizations. Remaining funds in the Kiwanis Crazy Ca$h account will be distributed to past Crazy Ca$h recipients in recognition of their previous assistance with this community fund-raiser. Remaining funds in the Service account, will be distributed to organizations taking on Kiwanis service projects. And the Chelsea Kiwanis will be invited to sponsor the current Service Leadership Projects–Key Club, Builders Club, and K-Kids–at the schools.

Thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Manchester for 29 years of service to the Manchester community!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.