Clubhouse

Kiwanis friendships span continents

Oyonnax-Nantua Kiwanians returned the favor,inviting Kiwanians from Louisiana and Tunisia to tour their beautiful country, including a trip to Mont Blanc in the French Alps.

Lafayette, Louisiana, Kiwanians enjoy the city’s annual Festival International with Kiwanians from Oyonnax-Nantua, France.

When the Kiwanis Club of Lafayette, Louisiana, received an e-mail greeting and request from France, the idea sounded too good to pass up.

The message, sent by the Kiwanis Club of Oyonnax-Nantua, France, expressed interest in twinning with another club to learn about other cultures, share activities and ideas, and have fun while making new friends. The French Kiwanians found what they were looking for in the Lafayette club.

Lafayette president-elect Kevin Domingue says the clubs got to know each other via e-mail for about 18 months before meeting in April 2006, when several Oyonnax-Nantua club members and spouses visited Louisiana for a week. The group toured New Orleans, Natchez, Avery Island, and Baton Rouge and spent some time at Lafayette’s Festival International, the largest free outdoor francophone music festival in the United States.

“This experience blessed us with many new and dear friends,” Kevin says.

Kevin and his wife have since visited France to meet the rest of the Oyonnax-Nantua club. While there, they helped with the club’s annual British Car Show fundraiser, visited Mont Blanc in the French Alps, and attended an air show. The two clubs also twinned with members from a club in Tunisia.

“Hopefully, as the years go on, we can continue sharing among our clubs and possibly even work together on a joint project,” Kevin says.