Deane’s View: The Meaning of Membership
As I See It
by Stuart Deane, Jan 31, 2018

“Why am I a member of the Exchange Club of Greater Newburyport?”
“In light of the struggle to attract and keep members in service clubs nationwide, I have given my own membership some thought.”
“After 32 years with the National Exchange Club, founded in 1911, I still enjoy the social aspect of attending dinner meetings, and I still enjoy providing service to my community. Why is that?”
“Well, to begin with, I consider the club members to be my friends. I like them. They like me. We share a camaraderie from sharing our time and effort to help others. Who wouldn’t want to have such friends?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t have known that at the beginning. I was reluctant to join Exchange, as I was comfortable with my life as it was. I was contributing to society as a teacher. Did I need to do more? But member Jim Noyes was persistent in asking me to join, and my wife urged me to join to get more involved in the community. I’m glad I did.”

“I was tossed right into service, first being asked to take over the newsletter, then being added to the board of directors, eventually serving as president and secretary. If members don’t get involved, they don’t stay. It’s as simple as that.”
“My most important role in the club has been the editor of the newsletter. Not only has the newsletter kept members informed but it has become a record, a history, of club activities. I write the newsletter as I would write a letter to friends, for they are indeed that.”
“The purpose of a service club, of course, is the service. A club must provide that if it is to have any meaning. We are a small club of fewer than 20 members.”
“As new members trickle in, a few others drop out – for a variety of reasons. Usually, it is the result of a lack of involvement, though we have lost a few good members because of job changes or moves or medical issues. Still, we have maintained our core of “workhorses,”

and we provide a solid program of services. The benefit is to those we serve but the good feeling is felt on both sides.”
“This gave me a boost,” said a member after one project. “Whatever the children got from this, I got more.”
“Our most high-profile program is our annual Field of Honor on the Bartlet Mall in September to honor men and women who have served.”

“We offer Kids Day in the Park

during Yankee Homecoming. In the spring, we put teddy bears in local police cruisers and fire trucks, used to comfort children in distress, and we hang blue ribbons around Market Square

to draw attention to the issue of child abuse.
“Other activities include preparing and serving two meals at the Salvation Army headquarters, holiday parties for a local home of teen-aged mothers and a group home for developmentally delayed men, plus a harbor cruise for clients of two local adult day care centers.”
“Said the director of one of those daycare centers, “Thank you for this gift. I wish I could have you all back at the center when we come back from the harbor tour. You provide joy. The power of your gift creates waves of delight that spill over throughout the day and the week. It is one of my favorite trips with our participants.”
“Some of these services, by necessity, must take place behind the scenes without publicity due to the nature of the clientele.”
“That’s what I love about our group,” said one member. “We do the things we do because we want to, not for the publicity.”
“We also raise money for a variety of causes, including two college scholarships and support, along with the other Exchange Clubs of the Merrimack Valley, for the regional Family Support Center in nearby Lawrence.

Financial support is important but it is the direct service, person to person, that is most meaningful. As one member once said, “You can only hand out so many checks.”
“Sure, we could do more but at the same time, we have to take satisfaction in what we do. Always telling members that they are not doing enough is discouraging to the spirit and therefore to membership numbers. What we do matters to those whose lives we touch. We can’t do everything but we can do something. Each contribution adds to the well-being of the whole.”
“Being among friends. Making a difference in the lives of other human beings. Why am I in Exchange? I can’t imagine one not belonging.”
“If you, too, have a feeling that there ought to be more in your life, consider joining our club for a 6 p.m. dinner meeting on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Starboard Galley. We would be happy to see you. In turn, you would get a taste of the satisfaction in helping others.”
Stuart Deane is the secretary of the Exchange Club of Greater Newburyport.
Copyright © 2018 The Daily News of Newburyport, Edition 1/31/2018
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