Dear Fellow Members of the Eye of the Tiger eKiwanis Club,
Happy New Year! I hope that you enjoyed and celebrated your December holiday and new year with time with friends and family. New year, new energy, new members, new clubs! Now it is 2020—a new calendar year and one-fourth of the way through the 2019–20 Kiwanis year.
To avoid a decline in membership, we must exceed the number of new clubs opened last year. Clearly, our time to build new clubs is NOW. A look at local, national, or international news tells us that the need for Kiwanis is still great.
Charlie and I are currently visiting our son & his fiancé in Roatán, Honduras, at the small hotel-restaurant-boutique that they own and run here. I was thrilled when they asked us if we would like to do a service project with them for a local school that serves children whose lives have been affected by AIDS. They have a connection with the school as two of their waitresses are also teachers at the school.
Our son & his fiancé want to investigate service projects for the students because so many of their guests tell them that they want to give back to the community, which is very poor. This service may become part of the menu of activities offered to guests, many of whom scuba dive in the mornings, and then have time to serve others.
The desire to serve is strong in millennials and younger, and the need is great. Kids need Kiwanis! Kiwanis needs YOU and me to keep the organization strong and healthy and to continue to organize clubs in communities that are not yet served by a Kiwanis club. Remember that charter members of new clubs organized January-September 2020 do not have to pay club dues and fees again until October 2021.
Thank you for making a difference in so many ways by opening new clubs. Thank you for having the Eye of the Tiger. The time is NOW! I can hear you R‑O-A-RRRR!
Sincerely,
Barb Thompson
President, Eye of the Tiger eKiwanis