I have had the opportunity to interact with many clubs in our communities in recent months and have found two main common threads among them…an impressive history of contributions to specific causes and the fact that current active members are mostly older citizens.

This baffles me. Why is it that more young adults are not joining these worthwhile organizations? Our communities are filled with generous and caring people of all ages, willing to lend a helping hand or reach into their wallets in aid whenever the need arises, yet new memberships for the local charity clubs remain low.

The history of the clubs shows that most of them were began by young adults, who were raising their children, managing their homes and schedules just as we do today. Yes, the lifestyle was different way back when but they still had to make the choice to give some of their time to the clubs they formed.

Why did they make that choice and why don’t we make it now? What has changed?

Most of the clubs stemmed from a shared interest whether to keep specific cultures and traditions alive among early immigrants, provide stability for a family through insurance, to raise money to build something or provide funding to cure something… a group of people saw a need and decided to do something about it.  Some clubs stayed local to the community, others grew to national and international organizations with works of charity reaching across the globe.

I believe people still want to support charities and reach out to community projects, so that must not be the problem. Although we can make direct donations through the mail or the Internet now and that may be a factor, but I suspect there has to be more to it.

Beyond the initial projects that caused the clubs to form, a social aspect developed. Club meetings became a social gathering, a time to share with other people, learn from one another, families and neighbors building community and friendships, laughing and sharing their lives with one another while also contributing to the betterment of society through their specific causes and projects.

After discussing the dilemma of low membership with a variety of people I have concluded that it is the changes in society, or more specific in our lifestyles, that plays a dominant factor. We have more choices now for entertainment like television and the computer. Most homes have two people working jobs and many have long hours with commuting or just longer shifts. Family time with everyone home at the same time is more scarce and people, especially women, aren’t in need of time to “talk with adults.” It’s not to say that people are busier now than in earlier years after all we enjoy many conveniences now that save us time…its more in the choices we make of how we spend our time.

So why join a club that takes a person away from their families in the evenings or on the weekends? It’s the social interaction with others. We don’t get that by mailing in a check now and then or conversing with someone on the computer. It’s sharing wisdom between the generations and supporting one another face to face. It’s being present to hear the stories of what’s going on in our communities right now and reacting to those stories. It’s changing lives just by being there, being present for someone else. It’s coming to realize that when you think life is as down as it can get you cross paths with someone who has it worse and you go home feeling grateful for what you have.

Social interaction is healthy, it is a vital component to keeping our minds fresh and our hearts warm. I know for me when it comes time for meeting night I often wish I could stay home, especially once I have already settled in for the day, or even more so on those that were extremely busy. But I have found time and time again that when I come home from that meeting I am rejuvenated and motivated and wondering why I hesitated to go.

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