Kiwanis is all about serving the needs of children. I love the opportunities we have to directly assist the children of our community and county. Helping a child find a book during the Book Fair at WEE. Assisting them in solving the mystery of how much money they have and how many books they can purchase. Being involved with Back Pack Pals and driving to Robbins on Thursdays to drop food where needed. The year we partnered with the Sandhills Club to provide coats to students at Robbins Elementary. When we delivered them, were they excited about the coats, yes. But the real winner was the gift bags! Getting a coat was great but getting it in a Christmas gift bag was over the top for them. “Do we get to keep the bag?” they asked! In our yellow shirts, we are visible in the community and children remember us. At one of our events in the village, a young child pointed at me and exclaimed to her Mom, “Look, it’s an Iguana”! Kiwanian, Iguanian, we had just finished our Kindergarten Bird House project and I had helped this child with her bird house. Got a hug and thank you from the child and a sincere thank you from her Mom. That put a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. THIS is what Kiwanis is all about.

As Membership Chair, give me a call, 210 889 3021, or e mail me: billopratt@gmail.com and join our meeting to learn more about participating in your community and putting smiles on the faces of children.

Service Leadership and building youth participation is a strategic part of Kiwanis. Many adult members have roots in the Kiwanis programs of their youth. 

Seven Lakes Kiwanis has enjoyed the coordination skills of Bud Darragh for many years in our Key Club and Builders Club programs. Bud moved to Seven Lakes with a volunteer skill set from 13 years with the YMCA in Pittsburg. He sought a youth based volunteer opportunity and joined Seven Lakes Kiwanis in August, 2008.. After serving in Leadership roles at the club and district level, Bud took on the challenge of our Youth Service Leadership Programs.

Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs are leadership and character-building programs hosted in a school and sponsored by a Kiwanis club. They have existed since the first Key Club was founded in 1925. Since then, millions of students have been inspired to lead lives of service and significance through programs for all ages. 

Key Club International, the largest high school service organization in the world, empowers its members to lead and serve by cultivating leadership skills, developing friendships, and performing community service. Key Club members have a passion for helping others and gain leadership skills they will carry with them for a lifetime. 

Builders Club, designed for middle school students, encourages them to focus their passion and energy on serving others. As members, they learn self-confidence and become tomorrow’s leaders through teamwork, goal-setting and action. The place for students age 11–14 to develop leadership, improve self-esteem and learn. 

Bud has been guiding the Service Leadership programs in our service area in Moore County. We currently have three: Builders Club at Elise Middle School in Robbins, Key Clubs at North Moore High School in Robbins and Unions Pines High School. All three have memberships in excess of sixty students. Bud works with the school Principals and the Faculty Advisors who provide guidance for the clubs. It is most common for these adult leaders to have had a positive experience with Kiwanis youth programs in their own youth. The support of the school Principal and the dedication of a Faculty Advisor to take on the responsibility of guiding the club is critical to success. 

Our Youth Leadership Club officers and Leaders visit a Seven Lakes Kiwanis meeting each year. They join in our meeting and present a report on their activities and accomplishments. It is always impressive to hear how these great young people have sought out service opportunities in their communities and succeeded in their efforts. They also participate in our Pancake Breakfast. They are a great help and their enthusiasm is always appreciated. Each year Kiwanis of Seven Lakes presents four of our graduating Key Club members with a scholarship in recognition of their achievements. 

Bud continues to seek opportunities to grow our Service Leadership Programs in other schools in our service area. Bud has two grown children and he feels that his work with the youth in Kiwanis is his opportunity to give back!

Fellowship:  Over the years I have been fortunate enough to have made some wonderful friends through my membership in SL Kiwanis.  And in this time of self-isolation I find that I miss being with these folks.  These are all good folks. 

Wonderful speakers:  At every meeting, whether in person or virtually, we invite a speaker from around the community to tell us things about what they do, why they do it and/or what they might need to keep on doing it…  Here is a partial list of recent speakers since COVID hit:          Deborah Fuchs, Director of Public Relation for the NC Zoo on what’s new at the Zoo, 

Jeff Crum, Chief Meteorologist of Spectrum Channel 14 on NC hurricanes, Jane Leechford of the West End Methodist Church on the spiritual challenges of COVID, 

Donna Gephart on how WEE school is coping with COVID challenges, 

Rodney Godwin, the Seven Lakes Troubadour on Lake Sequoia singing for us, 

Beth Woods, NC State Auditor on her job and financial challenges for the state, 

Lily Tanner, HS Grad who is saving lives around the world through her “water project”. 

But most importantly:  Our mantra is that we put smiles on children’s faces.  We have fund raising events like Bingo, our annual Pancake Breakfast and the printing and distribution of the Seven Lakes Kiwanis Phonebook so that we can help make children’s lives better.  Sometimes we get to see those smiles in person, sometimes we don’t but in every case we know that we are making this world just a little bit brighter for a child.  Kiwanis Motto is, “Changing the world one child at a time.”:  And this is why we do what we do.  Because when you put a smile on a child’s face, you just might get a smile on your face too.  This is one of those wonderful benefits you get from service to others. 

In my 45 years in Seven Lakes, I have been a Lion, a Rotarian, and a Kiwanian. All of those experiences have been pleasant and satisfying. Each provided an opportunity for fellowship, collegiality, and above all else, SERVICE. 

Although those efforts took away from job, family and recreation, they were all worth the sacrifice. Service clubs offer far more than they take by giving one a chance to make a difference in the lives of other more needy folks. The satisfaction is overwhelming. And, a real plus is there are opportunities to involve family, providing an excellent teaching opportunity for our kids. Both of my adult children have commented that it made me a better role model and made them proud. 

Of all the service roles I’ve been able to play, the most satisfying is the current one – Seven Lakes Kiwanian. I highly recommend it to my fellow Seven Lakers. It can provide any of us a wonderful opportunity to be of assistance to our community, our schools, our environment, and most importantly, our children. Kiwanis is all about children! 

Right now is an IDEAL time to become a Kiwanian in Seven Lakes. The needs of our schools and children are great. COVID-19 has provided a playing field that is slanted against both. We, as Kiwanians, are struggling to continue three decades of concern, care, and delivery. WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

We are looking for men and women of all ages. Please give becoming a Seven Lakes Kiwanian a chance. You’ll be glad -- now and later -- that you did!

There are many things about the Seven Lakes Kiwanis club that I enjoy and that give me great pleasure.   One is simply attending the meetings.   All meetings, in person or Zoom, start the same way—Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, Patriotic Song, and Invocation.    The ritual itself is comforting and reinforces our commitment to our country.    The Invocation is unique, not in the process, but in the content. 

Our two go to “pray guys” are Jack Fetzer

(member since 1992) and Jim Boyd (pictured below). 

Both long time members of Kiwanis.   At each meeting I am both impressed and inspired by their words.   The thoughtfulness and diligence included in their comments at each meeting shows their personnel commitment to faith and causes us all to think and be thankful.

I talked to them recently and this is what I learned.  Both Jim and Jack became part of the invocation team soon after joining Kiwanis.   Together they have over 30 years of service to Seven Lakes Kiwanis.   During those years the invocation team has dwindled to just the two of them.   They share a strong history of faith related activities.   I dare to say that they are often called upon to offer a blessing or a few words in many situations with both family and friends.   Jack pointed out that Kiwanis is a Worldwide organization and it is important that the invocation be based on providing support and caring for our mission, our challenges, and our members. 

Both shared that they tap into the current events of the day when preparing their invocation.   What is going on in the world as well as our community.  Where are we experiencing stress and distress, especially for children.  Jim often cites a scriptural reference that relates to dealing with issues similar to those we may be experiencing.   

The common theme throughout our discussion was providing support and caring for the emotional and spiritual needs of others.   We can all use a kind word and the grace of a caring individual who has contemplated upon the stresses and challenges of our lives and offers us hope and inspiration. 

It is amazing that just a few well thought out words can provide both comfort and inspiration.

Both Jack and Jim are active in many of our service projects, but their regular and relied upon contribution is the meeting invocation.   Kiwanis is a caring fellowship community that works diligently to improve the lives of children and to also provide support to our members.    The meeting invocation sets the stage to remind us of our mission and our challenges.

Kiwanis for me began, oddly enough, with Poker.   My husband’s poker group rotates among host homes.  When the guys were at our house, I always got an invitation to come to Kiwanis.   I finally said yes, attended a meeting, and quickly was named Assistant Treasurer.  When you join Kiwanis, they put you to work!   Then the treasurer got a new project at my second meeting, I became Treasurer, which works well with my business and accounting background.   The club was in the process of migrating from a manual system to a computer-based accounting system.  It was a challenging undertaking to learn the software and set up accounts that allowed us to create a budget, easily track income and expenses, plus be able to report by project.   

I already knew several Kiwanians from the poker group and I met several others I knew from other community activities at my first meeting.  But, more importantly, through this organization I have gained a lot of new friends.   Although the club is more male than female at this point, that was an environment I was familiar with throughout my college coursework and business career.  There is a place for all at Kiwanis.

Kiwanis is a learning and fellowship organization.   We give back to community in so many ways.  But our focus is on children.  Parents and grandparents who have attended awards ceremonies at West End Elementary have probably seen students receive the Terrific Kids award. This award is presented by our local Kiwanis club, based on their teacher recommendation.

I have learned much more about the needs of children in our community, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.   Many of their needs are hidden and our contributions are often without fanfare.  But when you can ease the need and put a smile on a child’s face, it is special.   One of my favorite activities in our club is supporting the Food Bank and participating in their BackPack Pals program that provides weekly distribution of food packs to Elise Middle School in Robbins and West End Elementary School.

Many of you may be familiar with Kiwanis Annual Bird House program for the Kindergarten classes at West End Elementary. My first year I did not participate in the birdhouse build, figuring that my building skills were too limited.  The second year I jumped in.   What a great experience! A kindergartner’s joy in building a bird house put a smile on my face and made my smashed finger feel a lot better.

I LOVE working at Kiwanis Bingo.   It is a great source of income for our projects and a very popular activity in Seven Lakes.   I run the snack bar at most sessions.   Bingo players are a cross section of our neighbors and it is so much fun getting to know them.   I enjoy having quick chats while getting their favorite beverage or snack ready to go!   Did I say I LOVE working at Kiwanis Bingo?

I encourage you to consider joining Kiwanis.   It is a good group and a fun group – always focusing on what more we can do to help Moore County children. Get to know your neighbors and the needs of your community.   Giving back and seeing children smile is good for the soul!