Edward Nicholas: Why I am a Kiwanian

I have been a member of Bradenton Kiwanis since 1998. I largely joined because my father had been a Kiwanian, my uncle had been a Kiwanian and it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

I will admit that I was a slow-starter in the club. Although I went to the weekly meetings, I thought I was too busy to fully engage in the many service projects that the group completed each year.

The turning point came a few years ago. I was eating lunch during a meeting at our "old" hall on 14th Street West, sitting next to a fifth-grader from Samoset Elementary.

He was one of the members of the Kiwanis-sponsored K-Kids Club, a service club for elementary school students.

He looked up from his plate, smiled broadly and said, "This is the fanciest restaurant I've ever been in."

Now, "fancy" would not have been the adjective that I would have used to describe our location at the time. It occurred to me, though, that it is easy to become isolated from the real need that exists in our community. It is easy to assume that because we live in a beautiful area, that all is well for everyone.

For 100 years, Kiwanis, worldwide, has recognized that all is not well for everyone and met that need. In our community alone, Kiwanis has been the catalyst for enormous good.

Kiwanis has provided more than $2 million in scholarships to local students, provided money to purchase the United Way building, the Boys and Girls Club and complete the Manatee Performing Arts Center, and sponsored a one-on-one mentoring program for over 30 years.

This year alone, the Bradenton Kiwanis will contribute more than $362,000 to other nonprofit groups, will give over $18,000 to area Key Clubs, and will donate close to $45,000 in scholarships for local students.

There are much smaller but no less important contributions as well. Each year Kiwanis joins with the Pittsburgh Pirates and is host to over 500 homeless children at our Christmas in August event, giving out school supplies, providing haircuts, medical and dental check-ups and creating a great day to kick-off a successful school year.

This year, Kiwanis, having discovered that close to 60 percent of new teachers leave the profession after one year, sponsored a new teacher event to welcome new teachers into the profession and provide them with much-needed classroom resources and support.

Also this year, the Kiwanis-sponsored Manatee High Key Club raised the funds and built an equal-access children's playground at the Riverwalk, the only one of its kind in the area.

A few years ago, one of the Kiwanis-sponsored K-Kids Clubs helped purchase a "therapy" horse for autistic children because a kindergartener in their school was autistic.

The list is endless.

This Bradenton Kiwanis "slow-starter" is now honored to be its president -- and is incredibly proud of the legacy of giving that has characterized this club. In this, the Kiwanis Club's 100th anniversary year, I would encourage anyone who is interested in joining Kiwanis, or any of the other wonderful local service clubs, to do so.

Take it from this slow-starter, you get back far more than you give.

Judge Edward Nicholas, has served the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Manatee County since 2002.

This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Edward Nicholas: Why I am a Kiwanian ."