President's Anniversary Message
President Abdon Campbell
March 2006
There are many perils that face the
children of the world and the children of Jamaica are not spared, but we must
make the change. Today our children are caught in a deadly trap; caught in a
trap and where are they to turn?
Kiwanis International is dedicated to
eliminating these perils and give children everywhere better lives and higher
standards of living through service programs and awareness.
For Kiwanians, Commitment and Compassion go
hand in hand. The needs of the world are great, but together, Kiwanians in 8,400
clubs and more than 96 countries worldwide, can, and do accomplish a lot for
children and communities. The Kiwanis Club of Spanish Town’s focus is to make
Spanish Town and Jamaica a better place to live, work and enjoy.
As one of the world’s leading community
service organization, Kiwanis’ strength is that it is both international and
local. Collectively, clubs have responded to global problems while continuing to
address local needs. This global organization of volunteers is dedicated to
changing the world one child and one community at a time.
Founded in Detroit in 1915 (Now
headquarters in Indianapolis), the entire worldwide Kiwanis family is committed
to eliminating the devastating effects of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD).
This is a commitment Kiwanis International has made since 1994 to eliminate the
world’s leading preventable cause of mental retardation. More than 1.5 billion
people are at risk of suffering IDD because they do not receive enough iodine in
their diet. But, because of Kiwanis’ efforts, many parents who have been
affected by IDD are able to watch their children grow up healthy and reach their
full physical and mental potential. The results of the IDD program will benefit
every future generation.
The Kiwanis Club of Spanish Town has
continued to impact on the lives of many within the Spanish Town environment. We
have delivered housing solutions to the indigent, delivered medical care and
attention to those in need, counseled our youths in our sponsored programs,
delivered medical supplies to the Dare to Care Hospice for children with HIV
Aids; we listened to them telling of their dreams, their ambitions, their desire
and every emotion of envy died within us as we empathized with their lost hopes.
We supply educational materials to schools
and increase welfare amongst students in sponsored youth programs. We create
safer roads for our community with visible pedestrian crossings. The now Spanish
Town General Hospital Pharmacy was constructed as the hospital’s accident and
emergency ward by the Kiwanis Club of Spanish Town in 1990 and our support for
this project has continued over the years.
Ms. Dorothy’s (a blind 73-year-old indigent
lady of the Kitson Town district) plight was made known to us in 2002. Her
one-room house was basically roofless as it was only able to shelter the sun but
not the rains. This was clearly the case when the rains of 2001 pelted her
and her belongings. Our club provided needed assistance by refurbishing the
building, replacing destroyed furniture and clothing. Our association with her
continues to this day with the provision of monthly grocery items. Whenever she
has the use of a phone Ms. Dorothy never misses that opportunity to contact club
members just to bestow well wishes on us and our family.
The Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Center
for Boys is another of our caring projects as we work with these wards of the
state to give hope and a better understanding of life. This fits in quite
nicely with our mission, that is, our commitment to the nurturing of young
minds, improving the well being of the indigent and the development of our
community.
As the Kiwanis Club of Spanish Town
celebrates 32 years of unbroken service to the community of and within Spanish
Town, we say thanks to the goodwill and generosity of many individuals,
corporations, companies, churches, other charitable minded persons and
organizations. To the men of the Spanish Town Kiwanis Club, to your families,
spouses and children who have allowed you to serve tirelessly for so many years,
I say thank you.
The Spanish Town Kiwanis Club which has
been recognized as being amongst the premier clubs in Jamaica, will continue to
be guided by the six objects of Kiwanis International. We will continue to give
primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than the material values of life.
With the help of you the wider community and our God we
say:
Together we can,
together we will.
Together we
strive, this task to fulfill.
The children are
waiting, this we understand.
We’ll give our
hearts and minds.
Strangers, we
began as strangers,
and see how
quickly, we’ve turned to friends.
Together we’ll
strive our task to fulfill.
And when we see,
what we’ve done for the children,
Won’t it be sweet
to say, “TOGETHER WE DID”.
Let us pledge to serve the children of our
beloved country and the world, stand up and make the change; back to basic into
the future.
Kiwanis Club of Spanish Town 
