Elke Mc Cumber, District Governor of Kiwanis Eastern Canada and the Caribbean, 1999-2000, has a dream which at this time she considers "wishful thinking." But somewhere along the line, the first lady District Governor of this vast District thinks "it is inevitable that all service organisations in this district, Lions, Rotarians, Kiwanis will work together in partnership."
"It is already done in other cities where there is a big project, but because of diversity of background and culture, it is a little slower here, but in the end we will be successful."
Mc Cumber spent all of this past week visiting with the Kiwanis of Trinidad. In addition to looking at some of their projects, she met with, President ANR Robinson, Mayor John Rahael and Canadian High Commissioner Peter Lloyd "all of whom were aware of the good things Kiwanis are doing."
"This is my role, to open doors and make contact with public figures and introduce the concept of Kiwanis to them, of which our main mandate is serving children of the world."
"When our main project for the past five years, dealing with Iodine Deficiency Disorder worldwide, ends in December 2000, we will have achieved our goal to raise seventy-five million U.S. dollars to help children basically in the third world, suffering with IDD. The Kiwanis did not take a stab in the dark with this project, we went to doctors in the eighty countries we inhabit. They came on committees and recommended IDD and that is how it came about."
At Kiwanis International in Indianapolis, a committee is already at work overseeing the distribution of this money in conjunction with UNICEF, and requests are only approved after going directly to the people, and not those in any kind of administration. This deficiency causes mental retardation and although iodine may not completely reverse a process one has had for years, it may reverse over 50% in an existing person. "We are more concerned that these people are able to bear healthy children, and although our motto is serving children of the world, we will supply everybody in need, including adults" says the lady D.G.
German-born Mc Cumber, a certified accountant, met her husband, an officer in the Canadian military stationed in Soest, Germany, married and went to live in Canada at age 21.
She joined the Carleton Kiwanis Breakfast Club in Ottawa in 1989, has been Distinguished (meaning you have completed your term of office) Club President, secretary, treasurer, director and Kiwanian of the Year. The Distinguished Lieutenant Governor Division 13 who received the Award of Excellence 1996-1997, owes her rise to District Governor to those who more or less "singled me out as Governor material and I was groomed."
When asked why Kiwanis were not really in the public eye, she pointed to her rather small Governor's pin "we really do not toot our own horn, but it is a really hardworking organisation. We are governed by our objects which prevents us from promoting oneself.
We are at work in the background and every dollar we raise we have to give back out. We are not allowed any fundraising for ourselves. Hence our administration account is always in dire straits because these funds can only come from ourselves such as my club's "happy dollar" raised at a meeting if someone does or says something which might cost you a dollar."
Elke visited the Port of Spain and St Augustine Key Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs for youngsters ages 12 to 15 attached to Queen's Royal College, Lakshmi Hindu Girls School, and St Augustine Senior Comprehensive School. There are over 200,000 key members worldwide and together with 3,100 K Kids (ages 2 and 3), 27,000 members of Builders Clubs for those up to ten years of age, and 10,000 Circle K members at university level, this makes a total of over 250,000 Kiwanis youth worldwide. Adult clubs total 350,000 members. "That " says the District Governor proudly "makes us the largest service organisation in the world, as we celebrate our 85th anniversary."
Mc Cumber compares her district to a mini United Nations "practising what others are preaching." With 14 nations standing over 8,000 miles, it is the only district with such diversified culture and three languages "and we have been successful with this for over 35 years." With Kiwanis facts at her finger tips, the D.G. recalls that the Bahamas as the first Caribbean country to join the organisation, followed by Jamaice, Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, Trinidad (there is still no club in Tobago), Martinique, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Surinam, French Guiana, St Lucia, Dominica and Antigua, all of which she had already officially visited. "From here on I must concentrate on Canada, because of the strong winters and having to travel long distances, I chose winter for the Caribbean, now the roads are open I will visit New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland (Maritimes) and Ontario."
How does it feel to be the first lady District Governor, is a question she has answered over and over again. "It is a challenge but one I have brought onto myself because I feel being the first brings change. I preach change. I live up to it and am what I consider a hands-on governor, I walk the talk. I want to be involved in all aspects and have made drastic changes like moving the district office from Toronto to Ottawa, set up a completely different accounting system, and different staff. In order to make the changes envisioned I had to be on top of it, I cannot do it from 700 miles away, I had to bring the office close to my home" where she lives with husband, Paul, himself a Distinguished President of the Carleton Club. The couple have three daughters and five grandchildren.
Do you see yourself as International president, met with three definite no's "it is a commitment, it is a big step which I will never do on my own unless encouraged by my members. The problem with International president is you have no time to yourself. I sacrificed this year in my family life, I need time to devote to my grandchildren whom I love dearly. As International President, it means four years in the United States to complete certain pre-requisites as it is a long difficult road to fill that position. I am convinced one of these days we will have a female as International President, but I doubt very much it is going to be me. "
Mc Cumber was full of love and praise for her hosts, Kiwanis Elton and Michael Knights, whom she had met through International Conventions and "became very fond of them. All Kiwanis are one family, a Kiwani can call another kiwanian in any other country and he would never be turned down."
She was also "absolutely very proud of the Trinidad Kiwanians who are very, very busy, and very visible."