On any given weekend across Long Island, you might spot them flipping pancakes at a community breakfast, handing out backpacks before school starts, or organizing a field day for kids with special needs.
They’re members of Kiwanis — a global network of volunteers dedicated to serving children and families, one neighborhood at a time.
And while volunteerism has dropped over recent decades across service clubs and fraternal organizations worldwide, Kiwanis members on Long Island aren’t waving a white flag.
They’re instead making a coordinated push to start new clubs and boost membership across the board, determined to keep the tradition of community service alive for the next generation.
Service renewed
Glenn Hollins, 78, of Patchogue, has spent decades with Kiwanis.
He got started with the Mastics club.
“Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time,” he said. “When I say global, we’re in over 90 different countries. We’re the third-largest service organization in the world — and the largest sponsored-youth organization.”
Back in 2005, when Hollins served as Kiwanis New York District governor, there were more than 320 clubs and 10,000 members statewide.
“Those numbers have dropped,” he said.
Today, there are 5,500 members and 239 clubs in the state.
The decline in participation has been felt not only in Kiwanis, but in volunteerism in general.
Nationally, volunteer rates in the U.S. have been falling for years, as more people juggle demanding work schedules, family responsibilities and the pull of digital life. The pandemic further disrupted community routines, Hollins said, and many organizations are still rebuilding their ranks.
“Volunteerism is something that’s hard to come by today,” he said. “But the more members you have, the more services you can do — and that’s the bottom line.”
He noted that the regular club gatherings offer both camaraderie and connection.
“Of course, you have your meetings … You sit down, eat dinner, talk,” he said. “It’s not a networking organization, but you meet people from all over the world.
“And what you get back is more than what you put in.”
Wanna Kiwanis? Email [email protected] to join now!
New clubs, new energy
Across Long Island, local Kiwanis leaders are working to build on that spirit and bring in new members.
Alesia Olsen, who serves as lieutenant governor for the Suffolk East Division, said she currently oversees seven clubs — but she’s also leading an effort to build four more in Peconic (Riverhead), Ronkonkoma and Stony Brook.
“We’re working to create new clubs and strengthen the ones we have,” Olsen said. “When you bring people together who genuinely want to help, amazing things happen.
“That’s the spirit of Kiwanis.”
Olsen added that the funds raised by local clubs stay right here in the community, supporting causes that help Long Island families.
“No one is paid — we are all volunteers,” she said.
Many newer members, she noted, are drawn in by the immediate impact of their work — from food drives to scholarships to events that bring joy to local families.
“It’s about seeing a need and stepping up,” Olsen said. “And on Long Island, we’ve always been great at that.”
Finding fulfillment
Hollins likes to describe Kiwanis through what he calls the three F’s: fun, fellowship and fulfillment.
“The first is for fun; we have a lot of it,” he said. “Then there’s fellowship. You can be anywhere in the world, find a local Kiwanis club, and you’ll be invited right in. But the last F, the most important, is fulfillment.
“If you were in a hospital and you saw a child on a respirator that said ‘Donated by your local Kiwanis Club,’ you’ve done something. You’re saving that child’s life.”
He said moments like that keep members engaged year after year.
“We send kids to camp who would never have been able to go,” Hollins said. “You do your part, you feel good, and you see real change.
“For me, it’s all about fulfillment, because I know I’m helping children.”
“If anyone wants to make new friends and make a positive impact in your community, this is the way to do it.”
Wanna Kiwanis? Email [email protected] to join now!
Top/bottom: Kiwanis Club of Levittown members gathered at the ShopRite in Bethpage on Saturday, Nov. 1, for a Kiwanis holiday food drive. (Credit: Eric Micallef/GLI)
