Service clubs give back big to Beach community
Three representatives from local non-profit service organizations spoke on their respective clubs at the Greater Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Charley’s Boat House Grill last Thursday.
Fort Myers Beach Lions Club President Darby Doerzbacher, Fort Myers Beach Kiwanis Club President Eryka Aptaker and Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers/Gateway to the Islands President Gary Hudson shared their organizations’ missions and objectives and accomplishments in helping aid the local community with low membership numbers.
Here is a capsule look at what each of the community leaders had to say about his or her group’s roles:
n Beach Lions: Lions Club International is 100 years old and began when businessman Melvin Jones joined forces with fellow businessmen to make a difference.
“They decided that they were fortunate to do very well in business, so they wanted to help those whose circumstances were not as favorable,” said Doerzbacher. “In 1925, Helen Keller addressed this group of men and challenged them to become Knights of the Blind and take on eyesight as their primary case. They made that their central mission, and Lions have been preventing blindness and assisting with means of helping people see ever since.”
In all, Lions clubs have 1.3 million members and 45,000 clubs in 200 countries worldwide today. But, numbers are shrinking, says Doerzbacher. She joined the FMB Lions Club, which celebrated its 60th year last year, in 1987.
Beach Lions are best known for the Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival. The club’s major fundraiser nets roughly $50,000 per year with all raised monies going back to the community, involving vision causes, guide dog training, Lions Camp for kids and a list that could go on forever. They also hand out college scholarships.
The local Lions club does so with only 34 members presently.
“We need to build to maintain the spirit of Lionism,” said Doerzbacher. “The personal satisfaction I get from helping others through the Lions organization is the best reward. Service clubs are an important part of the community.”
Go to www.fmblions.com to learn more.
n Beach Kiwanis: Defined as “to make oneself known” and “to make some noise,” the FMB Kiwanis have been proudly noticed locally since 1968.
“Our mantra states Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving one child and one community at a time,” said Aptaker. “Each club individually services a community and has its own fundraising efforts.”
The Beach Kiwanis, currently with 37 members, gain most of their funds through profits of its Thrift Store located at 11050 Summerlin Square Drive.
“The Thrift Store started as an annual rummage sale that was so successful that one of the members suggested we do this all of the time in our own thrift shop,” said Aptaker.
After changing locations twice, the Beach Kiwanis bought their own building in 2009 and have since controlled their own expenses on the corner of Pine Ridge and Summerlin roads.
“This allows us to increase the projects we’ve been able to accomplish,” Aptaker said.
Among those projects is the K-Kids program involving fifth graders at Beach Elementary School, a Key Club at South Fort Myers High School, college scholarships, a swimming program at the Town Community Pool and more. Beach Kiwanis also has donated more than $350,000 to the Golisano Children’s Hospital cancer fund and have pledged another $100,000 over the next five years.
Go to www.fortmyersbeachkiwanis.org to learn more.
n Kiwanis Gateway to the Islands The smaller and newest of the three community service clubs has three charter members and two other members that are also FMB Chamber members.
Founders Terry and Vicky Luster began the charter in 2008. The Kiwanis Gateway to the Islands club, whose members generally live in the Summerlin Road and San Carlos and McGregor boulevard areas, is 18 members strong and among 13 clubs in one of 27 divisions in Florida.
The local club is also affiliated with Kiwanis International, which Hudson said began to expand worldwide in the 1960s.
“Kiwanis International always has a major worldwide project, and the last one was iodine deficiency and the latest is eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus,” he said. “There is a $110 million campaign that has been going on for a few years now. Our club has made a five-year commitment to that international effort.”
Hudson was a Key Clubber when he attended Fort Myers High School many years ago.
“Then I had a 50-year hiatus before I joined Kiwanis,” he quipped.
Hudson mentioned one of his club’s strengths is having four members being directly involved with four child-based organizations: Child Care of Southwest Florida, Gladiolus Learning and Development Center, Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida and Early Learning Coalition.
The Kiwanis Gateway to the Islands club focuses attention on the Gladiolus Heights area and its main fundraiser is the Lee County Delicious Dining Discounts book with BOGO features.
“Without Terry and Vicky pursuing this dining book every year, we would not have a club,” Hudson said.
Go to www.kiwanisgtti.com to learn more.