Signs of the times in At the foot of the hill

Back in the day (as they say) when the world was a simpler place, service clubs were common place. Folks got together over breakfast or lunch on a weekly basis and discussed the needs of the community, state, country and world and then went about to provide man (or woman) power to make a difference. These clubs were called “Lions” or “Rotary” or “Kiwanis” or other things. You could find the members of these clubs in their club t-shirts or jackets out along the highway, picking up trash, or serving pancake breakfast under a tent in a park to raise funds for worthy causes. They served as time-keepers at high school sporting events. They organized blood drives and benefits for victims of natural disasters. On-and-on. These service clubs were the backbone of community life.
My husband was active in a “Golden K” (senior) Kiwanis club here in suburbia every since we moved here until he had some health issues the last couple of years and had to miss a lot of meetings. Feeling better now, he has been trying to attend. When he first joined this group they had over 60 active members who were always doing something. They were, as I said, senior citizens and limited somewhat with what projects they could take on.
Now, the membership is down to a mere 14 or 15 old guys. It’s hard to recruit new members. It’s hard to find a place to meet. It’s hard to find speakers each week to keep them interested in showing up. It’s just getting too hard to keep the club going.
They have decided to abandon the effort at the end of the quarter. Those who wish to will probably join up with another club. We hope they will.
As for Bob, he plans to retire from “service”. He will miss his good friends and fellow Kiwanis members.
It’s a different world out there.

Last updated July 27, 2018