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AKtion Club Involves Those with Disabilities
At the same time, Kiwanis International became interested in sponsoring clubs for adults with developmental disabilities, and in 1994 Moore County became home to the very first AKtion Club in North Carolina. According to Wendy Russell, Executive Director of The Arc of Moore County, local Sandhills and Seven Lakes Kiwanis members Wayne Adams, Ed Hitchings and Bill Eldard were instrumental in starting the AKtion Club.
“They did a lot of research into it and went to Florida to visit a club,” says Russell, herself a Kiwanis member. “They brought the idea to us and we just thought it sounded wonderful because we were looking for a way to bring adults with developmental disabilities together on a regular basis — to enhance their leadership skills and make them more cognizant of their rights as individuals and citizens.And with the emphasis on community service, which Kiwanis brought to the mix, it just seemed like such a wonderful idea.
She notes that the club is going strong nine years later, electing its own officers and attending monthly meetings with educational, inspirational, or entertaining speakers. Members of the AKtion Club, which is co-sponsored by the Sandhills Kiwanis, Seven Lakes Kiwanis, and Pinetree Vocational Partnerships, build cedar wood bird houses to sell at local crafts fairs. They then vote on how to distribute the proceeds among local charities. |
