Service clubs pitch in for community improvements

Community service is the focus of a project of the Kiwanis Club of East St. Mary and the Morgan City Rotary Club as the clubs collaborated recently during Celebrate Community Day.
The initiative allows local clubs from the four major volunteer service organizations — Kiwanis, Lions, Optimist and Rotary International — to a focus on community service during the month of October.
In fact, leaders from the international organizations have collaborated during the past 18 months to share ideas for future projects. This first public effort encourages clubs to reach out to one another to work together on projects that improve and benefit local communities.
The Kiwanis Club of East St. Mary worked with the Morgan City Rotary Club to repair and clean up the Trail-head Park Playground located at the entrance of Lakeside Subdivision, said Steven Minvielle, Kiwanis Club of East St. Mary president. “We have so many common goals and objectives and this is one way to join together to work on a project that will have a measurable impact on our community.”
Cherie H. Laiche, assistant governor, District 6200, Region 5, of the Morgan City Rotary Club, said partnering to work on a joint project was a great idea. “Now more than ever, collaboration is needed,” said Laiche, noting that resources can be scarce in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic has stretched many communities, particularly smaller cities and towns, to the limit,” said Debbie Stevens, lieutenant governor Division 17, Kiwanis LA-MS-West TN District. “A joint project allows us to pool resources, join hands and work together to alleviate the stress on local agencies and help get community members some of the things they need.”
The joint project also allows community members who are serving in different clubs to learn more about each other, their organizations and their combined efforts to help children and adults who are challenged by environmental or financial difficulties.
The two clubs would like to the thank Tiger Island and the City of Morgan City in helping with some of the sup-plies needed to complete the project. They would also like to thank Pastor Justin Lee with the New Life Church for allowing them to use the church’s water supply.