HARVEYS LAKE — Eighteen-year-old Ryan Dourand could be the youngest Kiwanis chapter president in the Commonwealth, but that’s not the focus of this story.
This story tells the tale of Dourand teaming up with his former Lake-Lehman High School Key Club adviser Megan Kuffa to form a new chapter of the service club called the Back Mountain Kiwanis.
“Our origination date was May 14,” Kuffa said July 18, at Blue Chip Farm and Animal Refuge in Franklin Township while she and Dourand waited for other club members to arrive to participate in a volunteer service project at the nonprofit shelter.
The club started with about 17 members and quickly grew to 21 members, said Kuffa, of West Pittston.
“Fifteen members are required to start a Kiwanis Club,” she said. “We are really excited to surpass that goal in just a few months.”
The Back Mountain Kiwanis should not be confused with the Dallas Kiwanis Club which, according to pakiwanis.org, was chartered on May 31, 1927.
The Back Mountain Kiwanis meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of the month at Grotto Pizza off Lakeside Drive.
The Dallas Kiwanis meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at the Irem Clubhouse, 64 Ridgeway Dr. in Dallas Township.
The Back Mountain Kiwanis can exist with the Dallas Kiwanis, according to a “site survey” conducted by the Kiwanis leadership from the Wyoming Area Kiwanis.
“The Wyoming Area Kiwanis is our sponsor,” Kuffa said, explaining the Wyoming Area Kiwanis has the leadership personnel qualified to establish new chapters.
The process to set up a club requires “a site survey” to determine if the area is large enough to support the club, Dourand said.
“There are about 33,000 residents in the Back Mountain,” Dourand, of Lake Township, said. “They (Kiwanis leadership) saw a need.”
Dourand, who graduated from Lake-Lehman High School in 2017, seized the opportunity to promote the positive experience he had with the Key Club, only on a larger scale.
Initially, he planned to join a Circle K Club, which is a college level division of the Kiwanis Club.
When he enrolled at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, he discovered the Lehman Township campus did not have an established Circle K Club.
Dourand planned to start a Circle K club until the opportunity arose to start a Kiwanis Club with Kuffa. He seized it.
“I decided to join the Kiwanis and start more clubs,” Dourand said. “I could serve a greater group of people.
“My goal is to inspire children to help serve in the future.”
His intent is reflected in the Back Mountain Kiwanis objective, which is to help form clubs for children in area schools.
“There is K-Kids for elementary students, Builders Club for middle school and Key Club for high school students,” Kuffa said.
“Volunteering is on a downward trend,” Dourand said.
Dourand and Kuffa talking up their plan among Lake-Lehman High School’s Key Club members and families where they found a lot of support.
“Thomas’ Foodtown gave us a $100 donation to get started,” Dourand said.
The funds will be put into the club’s coffers, along with proceeds from a Krispy Kreme fundraiser planned for Aug. 12 outside of Sam’s Club in Wilkes-Barre Township.
“Funds will allow us to do more community projects,” Kuffa said.
The Back Mountain Kiwanis will also have a booth at Lakefest Sunday, Aug. 5 at the Harveys Lake Beach Club, Pole 187 on Lakeside Drive.
Kiwanis members are invited to celebrate the Back Mountain Kiwanis’ charter on Sept. 14 at Appletree Terrace at Newberry Estates in Dallas.
