Kiwanis Club of Moose Jaw to restart with central focus on youth development
The Kiwanis Club of Moose Jaw, which was closed in 2015 is set to restart later this year. At an information meeting at the Moose Jaw Public Library, Kiwanis members from the previous Moose Jaw club and members from the Kiwanis clubs of Swift Current and Regina, outlined that there is a need to restart the club in Moose Jaw.
Elaine Crysler, a member of the former club says there is a need to re-establish the club in the community to help lead youth and provide them with leadership opportunities. “It’s been almost three years since we’ve been without a Kiwanis Club because we closed in September 2015. We just feel that the youth in our community needs some guidance, leadership training and some focus on things to do. We did a needs assessment and found that the club is needed back in Moose Jaw.” Crysler says the club will be ‘reinvented’ in a way that appeals to everyone in the community. “It’s going to be a little different this time around because we want to reintroduce the club, as well as reinvent how we go about doing our meetings and making it more accessible to the public. It’s not going to be as traditional ‘in re- gard to’ meeting every week. We had a lot of projects that we did in the community when we were open but we’re going to use more of a contemporary method in how we have our meetings, so everyone can take part without it putting much strain on people’s busy schedules.”
She is encouraging persons who have a passion for youth development to join the club. “Part of the club’s closure in 2015 was that our membership was very low and it got very hard to do the many projects we had. However, this time around, we see that the club is needed. We’re not going to meet every week but will aim to facilitate meetings online, as well, instead of in the traditional way. The Kiwanis Club is open to everyone 18 and over. Kiwanis have programs for young teens and children in schools so that they can also be part of all the projects we do. it’s a great club to join especially if you care about our youth in the community and enjoy service.” Persons can find out more about Kiwanis at www.kiwanis.org and find them on Facebook at Kiwanis Moose Jaw. The Kiwanis Club will announce its next meeting soon. You can also contact Elaine at ebcrysler@gmail.com or call 306-693-9034. Elaine will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
What makes Kiwanis special?
Member-driven club: Members choose the club’s meeting times, leaders and projects by examining what members want and what the community needs.
Hands-on service: Building playgrounds, reading to children, mentoring kids, preparing and serving meals to families in need and more. Whatever the community needs most, Kiwanis is there.
Global impact: Members can serve both locally and globally. For example, in 1993, Kiwanis joined with UNICEF to virtually eradicate iodine deficiency disorders. Personal impact: Through the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, you can create your own personal legacy and impact.
The Kiwanis family of clubs are:
K-Kids for elementary school students, ages 6-12. k-kids.org
Builders Club for middle school and junior high students ages 12-14, buildersclub.org
Key Club for high school/secondary school students ages 15-18, keyclub.org Circle K International, the largest collegiate service organization in the world, circlek.org
Aktion Club for adults with disabilities, aktionclub.org