How do you think of the different service clubs in your community?

I have a lot of respect for service clubs. The Jaycees are very active where I live. I know that worldwide, the Freemasons and their sub-organizations the Shrine and the Scottish Rite run some hospitals that do great things for children free of charge.

If you are interested in joining, why not contact one or more of them and try them out.

My local ones? I think their hearts are in the right place, but ultimately they come up with a lot of really ineffective ideas. I think they’re better for creating a community for the actual members than for doing the things they say they do. I have no idea of that’s common or just a local problem.

Are you looking for a club to help with a project, @6rant6?

My impression is most service clubs today are about member community rather than wider community. If you aren’t the right type of person you don’t get to be a member and if you don’t need charity you won’t be on the receiving end of their efforts, and if you do need charity, you may not want to be on the receiving end of their efforts.

That said, if you’re looking for one to join, remember, you’re the newbie: watch and learn, speak carefully when spoken to, be the little pitcher with big ears and eyes, and participate like crazy, just don’t challenge the status quo until you know the power-line.

@bkcunningham, yes, I’m interested in finding local groups to participate in projects that are ongoing of proposed. Mostly they are about theater. Some may be focused primarily on kids. Some will be fundraising efforts for other local charities.

My dad was in the Jaycees for years and years, and they did a lot of fun things for the community (haunted houses, Santa visits, and the like). My ex-father-in-law was the grand poohbah of the Masons, and I actually never heard about any service projects they did. Oh, except for attending funerals of Masons, en masse, to do some special thing they do. At 50 some years old, he was the youngest member. Overall, I don’t have that great of an impression of service clubs, except the Shriners (for the hospitals).

My dad was in the Kiwanis Club since 1942. I’m partial to the work of the Kiwanis. The club is designed to support and serve the children of the world. If I were you though, I’d contact the local Chamber of Commerce and ask for suggestions on clubs or businesses who could do what you are looking for. I agree with @Hawaii_Jake too. There are some fantastic groups of people in the clubs everywhere.

I know that most of them were men only so I was not interested in what they did. Although I always found it amusing that they would have members’ wives or employ women to make the phone calls looking for donations. I always told them until I was allowed to join I wouldn’t contribute. I think all (except the masons) now invite women to join.

In my hometown in USA the lions seemed to be at the front of community service but they still had their lionesses do the solicitation and cooking at their events.