Joshua Drayer

With a history spanning 100 years internationally — and 75 years in La Mesa — you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not heard of, or been involved with, Kiwanis International or one of the organizations within the Kiwanis family. With their commitment to serving youth communities around the world, Kiwanis International provides ample opportunities for young people everywhere to thrive and succeed in life.

Here in La Mesa, the local Kiwanis chapter does everything from sponsoring high school Key Clubs and middle school Builder’s Clubs, to awarding scholarships to graduating high school seniors and fundraising for local youth centers and children’s hospitals. The club works to encourage younger generations to take initiative and an active role in their communities at home and around the world. The members of the La Mesa Kiwanis Club are role models for the youth of our community to emulate.

The La Mesa Kiwanis recently celebrated their Diamond Anniversary — 75 years of service to the community. Members, friends, family and elected officials joined together at a special event in February to cultivate new friendships and celebrate the beautiful history of the La Mesa club and courageously look forward to another 75 years and beyond. Proudly on display were the numerous awards the club had received from elected officials over the decades.

During the event, the La Mesa Kiwanis chapter was awarded a Senate Certificate of Recognition for their 75th anniversary by State Sen. Joel Anderson.

“It is inspiring to see how our community’s leaders have invested so much of their time and talent into the betterment of La Mesa,” Anderson said. “The La Mesa Kiwanis Club’s role in ensuring that the youth of La Mesa have the support and guidance needed to succeed in life deserves special recognition.”

Along with the chapter as a whole, the following individual members were also awarded certificates for their decades of service to the community: Steve Blake, Peter Cuthbert, Bob Friegden, Dick DeNure, Tom LeDuc, Dennis Wilkes, Walter Weisman, Bob Battenfield, Bill Verbeck, Keith Meeker and Glenna Bloemen.

Whether you are a member of the La Mesa community or a resident of another city, Kiwanis International and their family of organizations is a fantastic opportunity to improve and give back to the community we call home.

—Joshua Drayer is an intern in Sen. Joel Anderson’s office and is a senior student at San Diego State University.