Pull back the curtain on the multitude of service organizations serving the Peninsula community and you’ll find a stage crew of caring volunteers. Backstage at the Kiwanis Club of Point Loma is Ed Wesley who, at the age of 93, may well be Point Loma’s oldest volunteer. When he retired in 1991 from full-time employment as an engineer at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, Wesley was recruited to the ranks of the Kiwanis by a neighbor. Since then, Wesley, who still works part-time as a consultant, has built props, flipped pancakes, sold tickets and handed out pamphlets in support of the Kiwanis purpose: changing the world, one community and one child at a time. At his home in Point Loma, Wesley’s face breaks into a megawatt-smile as he shows off mementos from years of helping children. There’s a “thank you” note from 2008 in pristine condition that he received from students at Ocean Beach Elementary after the Kiwanis sponsored their sea camp. He pulls from his closet an orange jacket from Ginny’s Kids, a reminder from the year the Kiwanis Club sponsored a trip to San Diego for a group of children from Colorado with cancer. He remembers in detail countless fundraisers he worked on and scholarships he has presented throughout the years. “I guess it’s a way of life,” he said. The Kiwanis Club of Point Loma is part of Kiwanis International. Annual events hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Point Loma include an Easter Sunrise Service, for which Wesley has built a podium, and an annual pancake and egg breakfast, where he has flipped many a pancake. Wesley said what inspires him is the generosity of others. “What is fun is going out to sell tickets and people who won’t be in town give you money anyway,” he said. While Wesley admits to liking “thank you” notes, he said he doesn’t want anything in return for his efforts. “When I’m in the position to give someone something they don’t have to pay me back, but when they’re in the position they should give to someone else. There are times when I know I’m not 70 anymore. But I have no plans to quit.” For more information on the Kiwanis Club of Point Loma, visit www.pointlomakiwanis.org.
