Feature
Ability to make a difference
In club meetings, as well as service and fundraising projects, Kiwanians of all abilities share their special leadership talents and skills
Story by Sam Brattain; photo illustration by Renee Kean
What makes an able Kiwanian? Is it the ability to see and hear important club business? Is it the physical strength to lend a helping hand during volunteer projects? Or is it simply a kind heart, devoted to public service?
Kiwanians who live with disabilities would agree that their “disabilities” do not make them any less of a member. Members of all abilities display an amazing amount of will and determination to do whatever they can to help their communities. Their service is a testament to the adage “while no one can do everything, everyone can do something.”
Adjusting to a person’s “limitations” while also treating them like any other Kiwanian can be tricky. Different disabilities require specific needs and accommodations, which sometimes can make a person feel out of place. All members should feel comfortable during meetings and at service projects.
Here are a few examples of Kiwanians and their respective clubs—and how they overcome such challenges.
The “Official Greeter”
At 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday, Larry Richardson breaks from work at a production and assembly plant and begins his five-mile trek to H. D. Hotspurs, a steakhouse where the Kent, Washington, Kiwanis club meets. Other Kent Kiwanians travel much farther to attend the meetings, but Larry’s mental disability and large frame make it incredibly difficult for him to get anywhere. He relies on public transportation, but the bus makes several stops before reaching his destination. After the one-hour club meeting, Larry won’t return to work until 2:30 p.m. He works late to make up his lost time.
Though the world may seem a difficult, even cruel, place for someone like Larry, once he rendezvous with fellow Kiwanians he is right at home. The other members save a seat for him near the door so he does not have to walk far. Larry’s designated seat also puts him in perfect position to serve as club greeter. Despite completing a strenuous, lengthy journey just to make it to a meeting, Larry smiles and presents each member with a warm greeting.
“Everybody greets him as they come in for the meeting,” says immediate past club president Michele Campbell. “Some even give him a little hug.”
When Larry’s mother passed away, according to Michele, the Kiwanis club became a family to him. He never misses a meeting, and proudly wears a “K” hat decked out in souvenir pins.
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Kent, Washington, Kiwanian Steve Stovner opens every club meeting.
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The “Official Bell Ringer”
Unlike Larry, fellow Kent Kiwanian Steve Stovner does not deal with mobility issues, but he is challenged to participate because of his mental disability. Larry and his fellow Kiwanians remedied this by naming Steve the official bell ringer for club meetings.
It all began six years ago when, in a moment of investigative curiosity, Steve picked up the club’s gavel. He did not know what the device was until another member showed him how to gently strike the meeting bell with it. Steve instantly struck the bell—continuously. This, he was told, is how the club opens each meeting. He enthusiastically responded, “I want to do that!”
Both Larry and Steve previously belonged to the Kent Aktion Club, in which Larry was the president. Due to a membership decline, the club disbanded, and the members were welcomed into the Kent Kiwanis club. Michele says there was some initial concern shown by some members, but generally there was no doubt the former Aktion Club members could contribute.
“People would come up and ask me, ‘Why,’ Michele says, “and I would say, ‘Why not?’”
Larry and Steve’s presence at club functions shows Kent members the real abilities of persons who have disabilities, thus allaying their initial concerns. Michele offers this advice to other clubs: “Open your mind, open your heart, and open your arms. The reward is 10 times what you put in.”
Assessing ability, not disability
Every member of every club has different degrees of ability. That’s Ellen Jacobson’s stance.
As part of its ongoing fundraising efforts, the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Sparks, Nevada, sell bicycles to people attending the Burning Man Festival, an eight-day celebration in the state’s Black Rock Desert. Many of the event’s estimated 40,000 attendees need a means of transportation, and Sparks Kiwanians, accompanied by members of the newly chartered Reno Sparks Aktion Club, work tirelessly to sell the two-wheelers.
Through the bike program, Ellen works with many people who have varying capabilities, from those with severe brain damage to those with post-traumatic-stress disorder. Some older members cannot always keep up with the physical demands of some tasks. So, within the Sparks Kiwanis family, jobs are assigned to members based on strengths. An older Kiwanian, for example, works as the project accountant and keeps tabs on the money. The work is not too exhausting, and the member thoroughly enjoys herself.
Everyone, Ellen says, contributes in his or her own way.
“When organizing a volunteer activity,” she says, “it is important to assess your member’s capabilities and find projects they will be able to do.”
The necklace
Kiwanians in Palmer, Alaska, conducts their meetings just like everyone else. Old business is squared away, new business is presented, and important club decisions are made. The only difference is that a hearing aid transmitter is passed to whomever has something to say. That way, Kiwanian Charlie Marsh can hear what is being said. The practice has become routine and is not given a lot of attention or thought. Charlie is hard of hearing and needs to know what is going on during the meeting. It’s as simple as that.
Charlie is a past club president, and Kiwanis has been a major part of his life. He owns hearing aids, but they only amplify the voices around him and not always the voice he wants to hear during meetings. When club president Jo Weller opens up meetings, she wears the device around her neck and passes it on to the next member who wishes to speak.
“It can be so difficult for a disabled person that some just give up, but not Charlie,” Jo says.
“It’s remarkable to see how isolated a person can become as a result of hearing loss,” Jo says. “Simple conversations become a huge effort and eventually are avoided.”
She stresses the importance of not giving up and working through communication challenges for the sake of not hurting the feelings of the member.
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Welcomed and encouraged by his peers, Dan Shafland has climbed the leadership ladder to the Thief River Falls, Minnesota, Kiwanis club’s presidency. |
Empowering the powerful
Fundraising is not everyone’s forte, but for Dan Shafland it can be downright daunting. For most of his life, Dan has been laughed at, ignored, even accused of being on drugs—all because he stutters. So one may understand why he would hesitate to participate in fundraisers. But members of Dan’s original Kiwanis club—Thief River Falls, Minnesota—were persistent in their encouragement; so, Dan sold Halloween candy and “tickets for everything” and discovered he could talk, he could sell, and he could have fun.
“Yes, I had trouble,” he recalls, “but I was ‘making a difference.’”
Despite Dan’s impressive résumé in medical technology, employers rarely granted him job interviews, but Thief River Falls Kiwanians welcomed him and urged him to seek office, ultimately leading to a term as club president. Four years ago, he moved and again received a warm Kiwanis welcome from the Red Wing, Minnesota, club. This year, he again is a club president. “Maybe I’ll get it right this time!” he quips.
“Usually, presidents make many announcements,” he says. “I assign announcements to as many members as possible. You could say I’m adapting to my speech or empowering and training my club in leadership. Or both. I prepare written agendas for my board with ‘talking points’ from me to expedite our meetings.”
Kiwanis experiences equip members to grow in other aspects of their lives, including their careers and family lives by accentuating their abilities.
“I certainly seek no notability,” Dan says. “I just want everyone to know: Anyone—with or without a disability—can make a difference, hopefully through Kiwanis.
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