They split up nearly 17 years ago, but two Chatham service clubs are reuniting.
The Kiwanis Club of Chatham has merged with the Kiwanis Club of Chatham-Kent Golden K group. Cathy Telfer, past president of the Golden Ks, said the Kiwanis Club approached the Golden Ks, saying the club’s membership was in decline.
“They were having difficulty meeting their service commitments,” Telfer said. “They talked about re-energizing and merging.”
She added the Kiwanis members are committed to the club, but just don’t have enough bodies.
That’s where the Golden K’s come in.
“It’s a fairly large club with an active membership,” Telfer said, adding the club currently has 52 members.
A critical element for the merger is the annual Kiwanis Music Festival, which returns for the 69th year in March.
“We wanted to make sure there was no change to the festival. It won’t be affected at all,” Telfer said.
The merged club will now be known as the Kiwanis Club of Chatham-Kent.
The Golden Ks came into existence in 1997, breaking away from the local Kiwanis Club.
Telfer said the breakup back then came out of convenience.
“Back in 1997, the charter members (of Golden K) were retirees and were able to meet during the day rather than the evening. It was more convenient to them,” she said.
And now, there will be three morning meetings a month with the merged club and one evening meeting, Telfer explained.
The club is looking to bolster its ranks.
“We are hoping to make it attractive for potential new members,” she said.
Telfer said it wouldn’t be easy to add to the membership, as service clubs are seeing declining numbers across the board. She thinks people have less free time these days.
“I look at my own daughter and her family. They’re very busy with the kids off doing many things,” she said. “We’re looking at the 50-60 age range for recruitment. That’s when people generally aren’t as stressed at work and are in a position to give back to the community.”
