Kinsmen and Shriners have seen membership decline by more than one-third over the past two decades. They’re not alone. Such groups are struggling to slow the drop, as researchers tout the benefits of their work to members and their communities
It’s just over half a century since my first real benefit from a service club, one that had a profound effect on the direction of my life.
The organization was the Royal Canadian Legion and the program was Junior Olympics, a series of age-class regional track meets for kids in their early teens. The competitions led to a provincial meet in exotic Vancouver.
At 14, I got to travel to the University of B.C., where we stayed in the old green army huts and raced on a groomed cinder track with real officials instead of lanes chalked into the grass of a soccer pitch supervised by teachers.
Rather than ribbons, winners got arm patches and nifty badges. Not exactly traditional, but the Legion had the kids figured. We loved those awards because we could show them off. You’d look kind of dorky wearing a ribbon, but a navy and gold patch on your jacket, now that brought a bit of swagger.
Read more: [url]http://www.vancouversun.com/life/WEEKEND+EXTRA+Death+knell+service+organizations/5037678/story.html#ixzz1QxJPxCXx[/URL]
The organization was the Royal Canadian Legion and the program was Junior Olympics, a series of age-class regional track meets for kids in their early teens. The competitions led to a provincial meet in exotic Vancouver.
At 14, I got to travel to the University of B.C., where we stayed in the old green army huts and raced on a groomed cinder track with real officials instead of lanes chalked into the grass of a soccer pitch supervised by teachers.
Rather than ribbons, winners got arm patches and nifty badges. Not exactly traditional, but the Legion had the kids figured. We loved those awards because we could show them off. You’d look kind of dorky wearing a ribbon, but a navy and gold patch on your jacket, now that brought a bit of swagger.
Read more: [url]http://www.vancouversun.com/life/WEEKEND+EXTRA+Death+knell+service+organizations/5037678/story.html#ixzz1QxJPxCXx[/URL]