I am thrilled to be the incoming President, although I will just say right now that I certainly won’t measure up to the tremendous, entertaining and educational leadership of Thornton with his fascinating history lessons every Tuesday. What I will bring is my personal mission to be of service. I will not shy away from acknowledging the good as well as the hard things that occur during the year that impact our psyche and our lives. And, I will strive to remind us of what we can each do to make the world a better, safer place for children and families. My priorities are threefold:
Expanding Service Opportunities for Grantees - People have many choices about groups to join and I decided to join Kiwanis primarily because of the Kiwanis commitment to help children and youth (and because I like to sing.). In Kiwanis I found friends, supporters, and a bonus in two architects and an expert in construction for CHRIS 180. I found in Kiwanis people who cared about networking, learning and most important to me, I found people who care about helping kids. In the years of my membership, we have focused primarily on historical relationships that support children and my focus is to expand this great work to more of our grantees. When nonprofits apply for a grant, we ask them for volunteer opportunities that we have not offered to the club membership. For my term, I have reached out to Tyese Lawyer to be Vice Chair of Volunteers and she will help us coordinate several activities during the year that benefit a number of our grantees in addition to continuing our volunteer efforts at Hillside, Dean Rusk, and at Camp Kiwanis. Backpack drives, toys, games, welcome baskets for youth, children and families experiencing homelessness and actual volunteer opportunities at other nonprofits like AMIS which hosts an event for international students that we support can easily expand the reach and impact of Kiwanis while also helping us promote membership which leads me to my second priority.
Exploring new avenues for recruitment to increase membership - Of course we need to continue to bring guests to hear our great programs and encourage membership. We can also engage new members through volunteer opportunities and initiatives. We can create new opportunities for Circle K and Key Clubs. While there are many opportunities in Atlanta to make a difference, Kiwanis can offer opportunities for personal and professional networking while expanding our awareness of the needs in our community through volunteering to help children and youth.
My third priority is setting a foundation for the future – I believe we have a great club with a lot of wisdom that can help us explore ways we can leverage our wisdom and talents to create a bridge to the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta in the future. I learned at the conventions that the average of Kiwanians is creeping up and I’d like to see us be intentional about inviting younger people into club, into leadership and decision making roles. While I am no longer a younger person, I think that those of us with more years of experience can really help facilitate a strong future for Kiwanis by not only being open to new ideas but through inviting them. It could mean an afterhours satellite group or many other things. One of my goals is to help facilitate our transition through being intentional about leadership opportunities and new ideas.
To accomplish al three of these things, I need your ideas and your help. I look forward to working alongside you to build a better future for children, youth and our Club.
Regards,
Kathy Colbenson