Friday, July 13, 2012

Kiwanis Club of Rome celebrates 25 years of Women in Kiwanis

(Media Release) The Kiwanis Club of Rome recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of women being voted into Kiwanis membership.

The face of Kiwanis International changed forever in the summer of 1987 when delegates at the 72nd annual convention voted to allow women to join the organization. It was a historic vote that changed everything for Kiwanis and vastly opened new opportunities to the service of our communities. Today, 26 percent of Kiwanis' total membership is comprised of women.

Women in Rome immediately stepped-up and took on leadership positions after the vote. Beth Bradfield Wright, daughter of current and long time Kiwanian, Claborn Bradfield, was elected as the first woman Rome Kiwanis president, 1991-1992. Dottie Gregg, current president of Rome Kiwanis, will serve as Kiwanis Lt. Governor for Rome's Division, 2012-2013, only the second woman from the Club to serve in this position--Ann Russell being the first in 1990-1991. Today, 37 percent of Rome Kiwanis members are women.

During a recent meeting, Rome Kiwanis celebrated its women in Kiwanis and presented flowers to Dr. Ouida Dickey, who, while not the first woman to join, became a Kiwanis member in 1989 and is the current female member who has served the longest in Rome Kiwanis. The club also presented flowers to Carole Hunter, who most recently joined Kiwanis in 2012. Mike Schuttinga, Kiwanis president stated, "It was a good day when women were invited to join Kiwanis." All women of Kiwanis were praised for their many hours of community service through Rome Kiwanis.

Among Kiwanis annual projects are service in local high schools; sponsorship of Model, Pepperell, and Rome High School Key Clubs, whose members perform many service hours annually; and its sponsorship of annual Art and Music showcases where high school students participate for educational scholarships. Additionally, Rome Kiwanis has an on-going reading project at the Rome Boys and Girls Club, and other community service projects.

Founded in 1915, Kiwanis International is a global organization of clubs and members dedicated to serving the children of the world. Kiwanis and its family of clubs, including Circle K International for university students, Key Club for students age 14–18, Builders Club for students age 11–14, Kiwanis Kids for students age 6–12 and Aktion Club for adults living with disabilities, dedicate annually more than 18 million service hours to strengthen communities and serve children. The Kiwanis International family comprises nearly 600,000 adult and youth members in 80 countries and geographic areas. For more information about Kiwanis International, please visit www.kiwanis.org; or, for Rome Kiwanis information, contact John Pillsbury, Kiwanis member, at www.JLPillsbury0114@aol.com.

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