The vision of the Builders Club at Seymour Middle School is to develop competent, capable, caring leaders through service to school and community.
The new club is sponsored by the Seymour Kiwanis Club and is part of the Kiwanis family service leadership program.
During the charter ceremony Jan. 26 at the middle school, inducted members received pins and certificates, and club officers were installed.
Kiwanis member and club Adviser Adrianne Hernandez said it is the largest international service organization for middle school-aged children.
“The website buildersclub.org said that there are more than 45,000 members in more than 1,600 clubs in 19 countries,” Hernandez said.
She said the SMS club has 28 charter members who have already had boots on the ground with service projects and officer elections. Members also have been reaching out to community groups to see what their needs are and how they can assist in fulfilling them.
Hernandez said what’s really cool about the Builders Club is that it’s totally student-led.
“Three adults show up to observe and help out with logistics, but it’s our officer team that plans and runs the meetings,” she said. “They are already doing awesome things, and we’ve only been in business for about three months.”
Fellow Kiwanis member and club Adviser Shannan Norrell said the Builders Club is made up of seventh and eighth grade students interested in serving their school and community.
“Club members hold the following core values: Character building, leadership, inclusiveness and caring,” Norrell said. “Since the first weekend of November, they have demonstrated these characteristics by participating in service projects, holding officer elections and contacting community members to discuss their needs and how they can address them.”
Club officers were sworn in by Jeff Blasdell, lieutenant governor of the Heartland Division of Kiwanis Indiana District.
The officers are Olivia Wilp, president; Lizzie Morris, vice president; Kaydee Ruddick, secretary; and Hunter Taylor, treasurer.
Wilp said even though the Builders Club has just gotten started at the middle school, she feels the club has a great future ahead and they plan on helping with the bottle cap collection challenge.
“How it works is the student body will bring in the caps from their bottled drinks, and at the end of each nine weeks, we’ll weigh all of the bottle caps to see which home room has the most,” she said. “We hope to collect about 400 pounds of bottle caps to be recycled to create a bench for the school.”
She said research shows that more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since 1950 and about 60% of that plastic has ended up in a landfill or the natural environment, and the club hopes to help the environment.
Wilp said she would like to always have something going on with the school and with the public and to include everybody. In some clubs, it’s all about the officers, but she wants to have everyone involved and put in their two cents.
The club members are currently working with Anchor House Family Assistance Center and Pantry to put together personal hygiene kits. To obtain the funds needed for the project, they plan to do a bake sale soon.
“Hopefully, we’re going to have two bake sales. The first one is planned for Feb. 12, and we’ll be selling baked goods outside here at the middle school during the basketball tournament,” Wilp said. “We are still working on scheduling the second one, hopefully around April or May.”
Principal Danny Mendez was very supportive when the Kiwanis Club reached out about the Builders Club, as he knew offering this kind of club to the students would be beneficial to their growth as servant leaders.
“I believe now more than ever, the world is looking for its next generation of leaders, and leadership is essential for any organization and for society to continue to advance,” Mendez said. “Oftentimes, when we think of leadership, we think it means someone older or someone in charge, but the truth of it is, leadership doesn’t necessarily require a certain age or for someone to be in charge.”
Mendez went on to list some of the qualities and traits leaders need to have, including putting others needs before their own to make the right choice for the betterment of the group, sincerely caring about others and wanting to make a difference in the world around them, to name a few.
“I’m excited the Builders Club will give you the opportunity to build your own character, grow in your leadership and to provide service to others,” he told the members. “While this will be a great vehicle for you to begin this journey, I would ask that you think about all the ways you can lead and provide service to others every day in your school, in your neighborhood and in your family and so on.”
Past Kiwanis district governor Vanessa McClary, now Indiana district K-Kids and Builders Club administrator, said being in those clubs really changed her daughter’s life and took her from being shy to a very confident young woman.
“I can’t wait to see you all excel as young leaders, to hear your ideas and see the things you bring to our future,” McClary said. “We know we are in good hands.”