A golden milestone ‘Giving back’ has been club's goal since 1959

Ann Arbor, Michigan, News
http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-32/1240641619324990.xml&coll=2

During the past 50 years, much has changed in Ann Arbor—but the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Western hasn't changed much.

The club, founded in 1959, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.

Originally founded in part to forge a unique identity for west side businesses, the club has also done service projects benefiting various community groups over the years.

“Most of us in the club are local business people, and the community has been good to us, so we wanted to give back,'' said club secretary Paul Herndon, a mortgage broker with First Financial Services Inc. on West Stadium Boulevard.

To commemorate the milestone, the 19-member club is holding a public golf outing and fundraiser Thursday, May 21 at Leslie Park Golf Course. Proceeds will benefit the club's upcoming activities.

Among its activities: providing monthly meals for families staying at the local Ronald McDonald House and the Staples Family Center, delivering meals monthly for Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels and organizing an annual spaghetti dinner to benefit Ann Arbor's High Point School, which serves significantly impaired Washtenaw County students, Herndon said.

The urge to give back to the community - and a particular emphasis on helping special needs children - was a driving force behind the club's founding, said Ralph Moore, 83, a charter member who now lives near Pinckney.

The club is the second-oldest Kiwanis group in Ann Arbor, only younger than the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor, Moore said. On its inaugural night, the western club boasted 45 members.

“Like a lot of clubs, it was about companionships and getting together and business ... it was part of knowing people and helping out,'' said Moore, who owned an A&W Root Beer business on West Stadium until about 25 years ago.

The club has met weekly at noon on Tuesdays at Weber's Inn on Jackson Avenue for all of its 50 years.

Herndon said he most enjoys meeting important people in the community.

“If you want to commit a few hours each week to community service, the Kiwanis is a great way to do that,'' he said.