Call to Service

Canada’s new Governor General’s vision is music to Kiwanis ears
On October 1st Canada’s 28th Governor General, David Johnston was installed; he challenged Canadians through a “Call to Service” under three pillars: to support families and children; to reinforce learning and innovation; and to encourage philanthropy and volunteerism. He noted that “families, no matter where they live or what their background is, will have more in common than not. Each family brings new patterns to the varied Canadian tapestry and enriches it by their presence”. On learning and innovation he commented that “We want to be the Smart and Caring Nation; a society that innovates, embraces its talent and uses the knowledge of each of its citizens to improve the human condition for all”. His remarks on volunteerism were that “Canadians have a long history of coming together and helping one another. The importance of community can be seen across the country”. Examples on this topic highlighted the dedication of Rick Hansen and Terry Fox and their desire to help those who are battling diseases similar to theirs. Concerning his role he stated: “I see my role as a bridge in bringing people of all backgrounds and ages together to create a smart and caring nation, a nation that will inspire not just Canadians but the entire world."
As a 38 year-member and Past District Governor of Kiwanis International, this was music to my ears. In Kiwanis we hold dear to our heart family values and children. As a global organization, we are dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time. One of our long range programs is Young Children Priority One (YCPO) that addresses the needs of children up to 5 years old. All Kiwanis clubs are encouraged to carry out at least two YCPO projects per calendar year, though many clubs are able to do more—serving children, families, and communities. Young Children Priority One focuses on four key areas: maternal and child health; child care and development; parent education and support; and safety and pediatric trauma. This year, Kiwanis International and UNICEF have joined forces to save the lives of babies and their mothers by eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus (MNT), a disease that kills an estimated 60,000 newborns and 30,000 mothers each year.
Service is at the heart of Kiwanis Clubs. Current membership is over 240,000 serving in 7,700 clubs located in 80 nations. The Members stage about 150,000 service projects and raise approximately US$107 million every year for communities, families and projects. In addition, many clubs sponsor a Kiwanis family club—K-Kids for primary school children; Builders Clubs for adolescents; Key Clubs for teens; CKI clubs for university students and Aktion Clubs for adults living with disabilities. Kiwanis serve children and youth through two approaches: one is focused on improving the quality of life directly through activities promoting health and education; and the other one is by providing a forum for youth to experience leadership and service. In pursuit of the latter goal, Kiwanis sponsors about 7,000 youth service clubs with nearly 320,000 youth members.
While recognizing that there are a large number of avenues available for getting involved, the service club infrastructure provides an opportunity to deliver service work in an atmosphere of fun, learning and fellowship. If you are interested in exploring this opportunity of getting involved, visit one or two Kiwanis clubs in your area and see if this is the right fit for you. You can locate a club through Internet, e.g., on Google type Kiwanis Club followed by the name of your town. Alternatively, send an e-mail to me at fhegyi1636@rogers.com and I would be happy to help you find a club in any of the 80 countries Kiwanis is currently active.