My Kiwanis Moment

My Father isn't with us anymore. He passed away two years ago due to heart problems. While his quality of life deteriorated greatly towards the end, he lived a rich and full life.

Kiwanis played an important role in my Dad's life. I remember growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba and "helping" Dad man the stadium parking lot during Blue Bomber (Canadian football) games; a one-time fundraiser for the St. James Kiwanis Club. It was often cold and damp, standing outside waiting for the game to begin, but, even now, I remember the good comradeship of the Kiwanian attendants. He played an active role, serving on the Board of Directors and as Vice-President of the Club.

I don't know if all young men strive for approval in their father's eyes; but I did. Like many, I had my share of life-successes — theatre, business, politics. All the while it was my Dad's praise that I looked for and when attained, was the praise that I most valued.

I remember clearly the day I called and told him that I had been invited to a Kiwanis meeting. At this point I was living in Owen Sound, Ontario and he, along with my Mother, lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He reminisced about his old club and the good times he'd had. I mentioned something about, "following in your footsteps." It was a good call.

After that we often spoke of Kiwanis. Kiwanis served as the common denominator on which we would build our relationship. I'd tell him of the service or fundraising projects that I was involved with – he would tell me how we could do them better. He wasn't always right, but often he was.

Eventually I stepped up the the plate and excepted a position on my Club's Board of Directors and accepted the position of Vice-President. It was then that Dad announced that he was going to Charter a new club down in Tamarac, Florida. He hoped to serve as the President of his Club, the very same year that I served as President of mine.

If "Kiwanis" had acted as a father/son bond in the past, it now served as a bond on steroids. Soon, all talk revolved around Kiwanis; recruitment, goals, service projects. The frequency and length of our conversations increased and inevitably, Kiwanis was the catalyst for conversation. For the first time Dad was asking me how best to structure a committee or club event.

It wasn't long before Dad (ever the marketer and promoter) contacted the Kiwanis Magazine and spoke to them about writing a short article. "Father and Son: Presidents at the same time ... One in Canada and one in the States ... Hands Across the Border: Working to Serve the Children of the World ..."

He told them that we would both be attending the upcoming International convention in New Orleans; he as President of Florida's Tamarac club and me as President of my Owen Sound Club. To mark the occasion we were to have a photograph taken with ECC Governor Milton Peach. With the help of then LG Bob MacDonald (Orillia), Governor Milton was contacted and graciously agreed to the photograph. Dad's health was beginning to fail but nothing was going to keep him from attending the convention in New Orleans. I had to arrange for a wheelchair because of the vast size of the convention centre, but not even that could damper our spirits. My brothers (Texas and New York) both flew in and joined us for the occasion. The convention was a grand one. For me, I will always remember the time immediately following the Opening Ceremonies as a red-letter day. I wheeled Dad from the back of the convention hall all the way down to the front of the stage where Governor Milton was waiting. I stood, with my father, as an equal in his eyes. I know that he proudly shook my hand knowing that I had, indeed, measured up. Thank you Kiwanis. – PLG Gary Levine Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound Division 8 (Huronia)