Age creeps up. Every day presents a new challenge. Kiwanis Clubs and all similar groups need to review their "plan" regularly. The Santa Ana Club was once much larger than it is today. As it grew it was staffed accordingly. Charitable services to the community were selected and funded. The Club became a powerful asset of the community and it's efforts were appreciated. Then the other shoe dropped.
The Santa Ana Kiwanis Club membership seems to have peaked at about 140 and sometime in the mid-1980's or early 1990's it began to slip. Today there are about 60 members. It's still a powerful Club but not AS POWERFUL. That, and the advancing age of the membership, is the root of several current problems.
Over a period of many prosperous years commitments were made and that stretched far into the future. The Club was then large and the future was thought to be secure. It was not. Today the Club is trying to honor it's pledges from the past - with less than half the membership, resulting in fewer members to satisfy the monetary and personal services commitments to the community. Those charitable requirements have remained unchanged from the better years.
So the Club is experiencing the stress of an aging and shrinking membership, commitments made in good faith years ago when they were could be supported by more members, and when the dollar purchased more than it does today.
to be continued
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