MANKATO — When Kenneth White received college scholarships for his sons in the 1990s, he'd never heard of the Minneapolis Kiwanis club that provided community service projects that promote diversity.
And he'd never imagined joining one of the 90-year-old service organization's clubs, much less leading one. Those scholarships planted a seed, though, and sometime in May White will officially become the charter president for one of Minnesota's newest Kiwanis clubs.
During a meeting Thursday, White was elected to the new Mankato Kiwanis Diversity Club's top spot with a unanimous chorus of "ayes." The club is on track to receive its charter from Kiwanis International within the next couple of months.
It's a club that's going to break new ground for the organization, which has a motto of, "serving the children of the world." As far as Stewart Ross knows, no other Kiwanis club has been formed with the goal of starting with a diverse core of members who will focus on community service projects that promote diversity.
Ross is governor of the Minnesota-Dakotas District of Kiwanis International. He said he got the idea for the new club while driving home from a meeting in Northfield.
"I was looking out the window and the idea came to me, 'Why not have a reason to start a club, something that will get people interested.'"
He's been working as a facilitator with the Greater Mankato Diversity Council and suggested his idea to other members of the group, which gives presentations at area schools. He also called White, who is the affirmative action officer at Minnesota State University. The focus on diversity became the "reason" Ross was looking for.
Instead of starting a typical club — which statistics show are overwhelmingly white and male — and hoping to attract women, blacks and other minorities, Ross' plan was to start a club with a diverse core of charter members.
The response has been surprisingly positive, Ross said. He's found a deep base of people who agree that participating in a service club is one way to break down some of those barriers that separate different cultures. They see occasional lunch meetings and regular volunteer projects as a way to form new friendships with people they might not meet through other channels.
Clubs are usually started by knocking on doors and visiting offices. This club formed more quickly with a series of e-mails and a few telephone calls. And most Kiwanis clubs start with a couple of dozen charter members.
The Kiwanis Diversity Club already has about 30 charter members, a number Ross thinks might grow as high as 40 before the club's last organizational meeting March 23.
"I thought we'd start with 25 people," he said. "If this truly grows to 40 charter members or more, I'll be stunned. I didn't expect that."
Getting young adults interested in service clubs isn't easy because they're busy with work, kids and getting work done around the house. This club also will be younger than most. For that reason, the meetings will only be twice a month instead of once a week, and they will take place during the lunch hour on Thursdays.
Brian Jones, who works in MSU's admissions office, is one of the club's younger charter members. He grew up in Hastings but has lived in Mankato since he started going to college at MSU eight years ago.
He said he's joining the club because he likes its action-oriented goals. Jones also wants to help promote diversity, and, as a white male, have a chance to meet more minorities in the Mankato area.
"This is a new experience for me," Jones said. "I don't currently do much in the way of volunteering."
Ross' idea has exposed people who wouldn't usually have an interest in service clubs to Kiwanis, White said. He's looking forward to serving as the club's first president and plans to reach out to more people.
Kiwanis' overall goals of giving back to the community by helping children will be the biggest priority, White said.
"I hope in 50 years this club is still flourishing and we can look back and say we were there when it started," he said.
Ross is hoping the new club will get national attention from Kiwanis and become a model for other new Kiwanis clubs around the country. He's already planning to bring his idea to a bigger city east of Mankato on Highway 14.
"If this works, my next step is to go to Rochester and replicate it there," he said. "So we can really change society by getting more clubs like this started."
It's a goal he's had since he accepted a leadership role in the club, Ross added. "When I became governor, I announced at the convention that it's time to ask people not like you to join Kiwanis."
"When I became governor, I announced at the convention it's time to ask people not like you to join Kiwanis."
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