Community Corner

Patch Goes to the Kiwanis Club

This week, I was initiated into the secrets of the South San Francisco Kiwanis Club.

This Tuesday, at noon sharp, I was walking into the when I ran into South City's Public Works Director Terry White.

I thought he might be heading to the South San Francisco Kiwanis Club meeting, where I had been invited to speak about Patch. But no, he was headed to the Lions Club meeting across the lobby.

That's right, the Kiwanis Club and Lions Club regularly hold their meetings simultaneously at the same venue. I asked breathlessly whether they were fierce rivals.

Find out what's happening in South San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dashing my hopes for a tell-all feature story, White told me the Kiwanis Club and the Lions have an affable relationship. When I met the members of the Kiwanis Club, I could see why: they're a friendly bunch.

Friendly and humorous. After we all joined in the Pledge of Allegiance and a rousing rendition of "My Country Tis of Thee," it was time for the members to tell jokes. The best one involved a psychiatrist and a proctologist; I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Find out what's happening in South San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As we tucked into our salads, I was initiated into another Kiwanis tradition: "happy dollars." The Kiwanis members like to spice things up when they pass the hat for donations, so as they put their bills in, they dedicate each dollar to a person or event. More than a few of them dedicated a happy dollar to the guest speaker: me!

The members also made announcements about upcoming events and fundraisers. Kiwanis is a service organization that supports youth leadership programs, including the Key Club at local high schools, and other projects.

After I spoke about the work I've been doing with South San Francisco Patch, the Club presented me with a certificate of appreciation and my own Kiwanis letter opener.

Thanks so much to the friendly people at the Kiwanis Club, and particularly to Lisa DeMattei and Miguel Nava for reaching out and inviting me.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here