Kiwanis News
“Peggy
Doller was presented with the Tablet of Honor by President Bill McMillen at the
Greenhills-Forest Park Kiwanis Christmas celebration on December 14. This is the highest level of recognition
given to a deserving Kiwanian within a club for his or her contributions to
their club and community. Peg has done
just that in so many ways. Over the past
several years she has gone through the “officer chairs” up to and including
Club President as well as having been a member of the Board of Directors……”
Peggy Doller receives the Tablet of Honor from club President Bill McMillen
The
above quote is a portion of the item reported in the Kiwanis club bulletin
written by weekly editor Dan Beam. I am
accustomed to writing about club activities and other member achievements;
however, it doesn’t seem proper to do so for myself and is a bit uncomfortable. Instead, let me take this opportunity to tell
readers a little about Kiwanis.
Kiwanis
is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one
child and one community at a time. The
organization’s motto is “We Build”.
Kiwanis
International began in Detroit, MI in 1915 as a club of businessmen joined
together to support each other and provide service to their community. Of course, at that time, women were not
permitted to become members. That did not come until a vote changed the by-laws
at the International Convention in 1988. This had been considered for several years but
was a controversial item on the agendas. In fact, our club held a debate on the issue that included spouses of
members. I was assigned the “anti”
position in that debate ---Wow, who knew?? After the death of my husband,
Jerry, a Club President and Past Lt. Governor, I was invited to become the
second female member of the club in 1989. Cheryl Hilvert was the first. It was like coming home.
Who are
Kiwanians? Kiwanians are individuals who give a little of their time to make
their communities and the world better places in which to live and work. We are
doctors, lawyers, teachers, sales reps, government workers, secretaries,
retirees, etc. Your neighbors. As
members of a local club, Kiwanians have the opportunity to make business contacts, learn first-hand
about local, national and international issues, improve and use leadership
skills, participate in the life of their community and the world and develop
lifelong friendships. We are a family.
Our
local club was chartered in 1954 in Greenhills and grew to include Forest Park
and a large area of Springfield Township. Our service projects and
contributions are funneled through the club’s five service committees: Young
Children Priority One, Youth Services, Community Services, Human and Spiritual
Values and International Understanding. Service and funds are provided to meet needs of our own local community
and the greater Cincinnati area. We also
support programs of the Kiwanis International Foundation. The current International program seeks to
eradicate tetanus in mothers and newborn babies in developing countries.
In
addition, the club has its own charitable foundation that is used to provide
funds for special needs of youth, such as the WWHS Choir trip to China for the
Olympics, and scholarships to graduating high school seniors who live within
the Winton Woods School District. All
club administrative expenses are borne by members from their dues and contributions. All money raised through service projects is returned to the community.
I am
proud to be a Kiwanian.
