Working for change

Kiwanis Club members continue to help Minot area

Minot, North Dakota, Daily News
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/530097.html?nav=5010

Profound changes have occurred in the last half-century as civil rights activists marched on Washington, D.C., in the 1960s, the “hippies” of the 1970s fought to end the Vietnam War, women traded their brooms for briefcases in the 1980s, the Internet took over in the 1990s and the 2000s are witness to the globalization of humans.

During those same decades, five men have been witnesses and sometimes catalysts for change in Minot's own history as members of Kiwanis.

They came from different backgrounds and for different reasons but Ben Tollefson, Bud Olson, Earl Allen, Orlan Tollefson and Lynn Aas are the faces of Kiwanis.

Minot's Kiwanis Club chapter is a service group of more than 70 individuals from various backgrounds who meet weekly to discuss the needs of the community and learn of ways to help the area's youth. Each year the Kiwanis Club sponsors the Minot High School after Prom party at the Moose Lodge, volunteer with the Salvation Army, sing for charity donations at various restaurants for Santa Night in December and donate money to various local and national organizations.

Encouraged by their employers and colleagues involved in the club, Ben Tollefson and Aas joined while Allen came to join the Minot chapter after helping to form a Kiwanis chapter in Tioga in the early 1950s.

“In the early years we were a very active program that had more than 120 members,” Tollefson said. “There wasn't hardly a politician, state or otherwise, that didn't want to be involved with Kiwanis. The group attracted attention and brought services to the community.”

Those services included monetary donations to local and national organizations such as Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch, Junior Achievement, Boys State and Girls State as well as to organize and execute projects such as bell ringing for the Salvation Army.

Some members, like Allen, stayed active within the organization's base he's had perfect attendance at their weekly meetings for more than 35 years while others like Aas took the group's passion to the halls of the North Dakota Legislature. Tollefson managed to do both, serving both in the state Legislature as well as several officer positions within the organization.
Regardless of their life's path, they remained steadfast to the club.

“The concern for the community attracts people from around the state to the club, but it's the people, the fun, the projects and the camaraderie that keeps you going,” Tollefson said.

“I became comfortable and very loyal to the people in the group,” Aas said. “Personally, the educational opportunities you get from the speakers at the meetings. They enlighten you on what's developing and expand your base of knowledge. I think it's important to be a part of an organization that gives you an opportunity like that. I've learned a lot from being a part, especially tempering your opinions when you work with others.”

Some of the tempering came about after women became eligible for membership.

“For a long time it was an old good guys club. It was assumed that men would do these activities as part of the job while women were handicapped by the fact that many didn't own their own businesses,” he said. “The transition has been slow, but I think it's necessary for a club to have participation from both genders.”

While female participation has increased in recent years, overall membership numbers have continued to gradually fall and each member has their own personal feelings as to why.

“There are fewer and fewer Main Street home-owned businesses and more foreign chain stores that don't take an active interest in the local community like local businesses,” Allen said. “I believe Kiwanis will continue but the question is whether these foreign businesses are going to encourage their managers to support the community and give them the time each week to do it.”

Others believe the answer lies in the nation's youth.

“It's the attitude of the young people. They're not joiners and aren't interested in doing things in the community because there's so much to occupy their time,” Tollefson said. “It's too bad, but maybe it's our fault too. We need to create the interest but that takes a little imagination and special effort to get it to go.”

Still others see Kiwanis continuing.

“I see the Minot Kiwanis (chapter) strengthening because of our outstanding officials and because there will always be a need for service organizations,” Aas said. “I don't think all of the service clubs will survive ... but Kiwanis' continued vision for youth and community service is important to this community. Being together strengthens us as a community.”