Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

DAYTON–Like Uncle Sam wanting "you" for the Army, the Dayton Kiwanis is wanting "you," too, to be part of its community service here.

The month of May is the Kiwanis International organization's membership month, a time when Kiwanis Clubs, like Dayton's nearly 100-year-old club, extends a hand to potential new members.

"We do a lot of good in the community," said President Kim Lyonnais. "We'd love to get more people involved, people who would enjoy serving the community, especially its young people."

Recently, the Kiwanis Club, in cooperation with the local HomeStreet Bank branch, opted to forgo canceling the traditional Easter Egg Hunt, enjoyed by scores of Touchet Valley youngsters over the years, and offer a drive-through Easter event, handing out Easter goodies to children.

"Rather than not have it," Lyonnais said, "we held something that worked under the circumstances."

The pandemic resulted in the cancellation of numerous community events and Kiwanis projects last year. Turkey Bingo, a perennial favorite, was squelched, as was the club's usual food service at the Columbia County Fair and during the canceled 2020 All Wheels Weekend.

Regardless, local Kiwanians made sure to name scholarship winners from the Dayton High School Class of 2020, keeping with a long-established tradition.

Prior to COVID-19, the Kiwanis Club usually met two times a month at noon on Thursday at the Dayton Memorial Library's Delany Room, for a luncheon, a program and business meeting. Recently the club has been meeting via Zoom, and, without the limitation of travel for a speaker to attend an in-person meeting, has had some very interesting programs.

Recently, D.H.S. graduate and Professional Engineer Karen Penner Doherty gave an interesting talk on the extent of her work with WSP USA, a global professional service firm in Bellevue where she is the Northwest Pacific District Manager. As senior vice president, she oversees business activities for over 450 staff in six states and in Guam. WSP provides technical expertise in transport, infrastructure, property, buildings, environment, industry and energy sector.

Another program was given by Keith Nealey, a 1988 D.H.S. grad, who spoke on the booming world of eSports. People competing in online, multiplayer gaming can earn big dollars playing video games, in one instance, the winning team taking a share of a $34 million prize.

A former legislative colleague of Kiwanian Terry Nealey, Dick Muri, spoke during a recent Kiwanis Zoom meeting about electric cars and the industry and innovations behind them. Another program detailed Kiwanis International's support of the SIGN Fracture Care program, which utilizes a steel rod doctors insert in a broken bone to get the injured person, usually the sole breadwinner in underdeveloped countries, back to being a productive and contributing member of the family and society.

In fact, one of the Dayton Kiwanis Club's earliest programs, in 1921, was having Columbia County rancher Frank Finkel tell about his experiences with Gen. George A. Custer's Seventh Cavalry, at a place called Little Big Horn in June of 1876. It was from that program that the legend of Frank Finkel first came to the public's notice. According to Custer historians, Finkel gave details that were unknown to anyone when he uttered them in 1921, yet they were later substantiated by archaeological evidence.

The public is invited to attend Kiwanis programs on Zoom and may log in using the Meeting ID: 559 815 3650. No password is required.