The township has a new Kiwanis Club.
In a charter ceremony on Feb. 28 at Amy’s Omelette House, the Cherry Hill Kiwanis Club became an official chapter of the national Kiwanis organization. At the event were members of the Kiwanis Club of the Haddons; the Salem Kiwanis Club; and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Mount Laurel, along with Frank Cahill, governor of the state’s Kiwanis clubs. It’s efforts to help the community include everything from donating to food pantries; working with seniors; and volunteering at soup kitchens, all of which are necessary in the township.
“I think sometimes with Cherry Hill, people have this thought process that maybe people aren’t as needy as other parts of New Jersey,” said Darby Adamsky, president of the new township group. “Because I thought that, too. When I initially moved over to Cherry Hill and started working here as well, I thought that everyone was affluent. I thought that everyone had everything that they needed. And that’s simply not true.
” … You see the mall, you see all these stores,” she added. “We have a lot here, which is great. But you don’t necessarily always see behind the scenes that there are areas, maybe closer to Camden, right in our backyard, that still need help.”
The Cherry Hill club unofficially began in September and has about 15 members, compared with about 50 each for long-established Kiwanis groups. Adamsky said getting to those numbers means overcoming some issues unique to the township.
“It’s easy to walk into a club with 100, 200, 300 members and to just attend meetings,” she observed. “And that’s great. But from my perspective of the Kiwanis Club of Cherry Hill, it’s starting from scratch. So there has been a lot of challenges. I do believe that’s why there hasn’t been one (club in the township) already.
“But we do have strong values in Cherry Hill,” Adamsky emphasized, “and there’s a need for that community-based relationship.”
The national Kiwanis was founded in Detroit in 1915 and named the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers. Kiwanis loosely translates to “We build,” from the Algonquian Native American language. The Haddons club was founded in 1923 and still operates today.
Adamsky said she was approached last summer by Kiwanis representatives – including one from Illinois – to gauge interest in a townhip chapter. A Cherry Hill resident for about two years, her community service has included feeding the homeless and volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program.
Adamsky had the kind of experience Kiwanis was looking for.
“A part of literally, my job, is to connect with the community,” she explained. “So I saw this as a fabulous opportunity … It just seemed like the perfect way to give back that aligned with what makes me happy and what satisfies me in professional way.”
Since it began, the Cherry Hill Kiwanis Club has hosted events at the township library and several assisted-living facilities. Adamsky wants to expand the club’s reach as more attention draws more funding.
“Obviously, with more recognition, more members are going to join,” she pointed out. “If we have more members, we’re able to do more projects. So instead of going to the library and painting little pieces of paper and rocks with the kids, we can paint bird houses.
“Funding is a big thing, and that all starts with recognition.”
The Kiwanis Club of Cherry Hill is part of New Jersey’s Division 2, which has 259 members spread over 14 clubs, ranging from Mercer to Salem counties. Statewide, there are 1,350 members across 81 clubs.
According to Bridget Wiese, president of the Kiwanis Club of Bordentown, members are recruited through avenues like Facebook ads and outreach to the community. Last year, three clubs were formed, including in Camden, which has yet to be officially chartered.