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By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN
Hays Daily News
They build and maintain parks around town, help people all around the world with sight problems and help with youth programs galore.
They are civic clubs, and a city wouldn't be the same without them.
From the Lions Club, one of the oldest organizations that was chartered in town in the early 1920s, to Teaming Up for Tots, the main focus of the civic and service clubs is to help other people.
“It's giving back to the community that has been pretty good to us,” said Duane Steffen, a retired Hays business owner.
“(Service clubs) help with the quality of life that makes this a pretty good place to live,” said Steffen, a charter member of the Optimist Club, which began in Hays in the mid 1960s and whose slogan is “A Friend of Youth.”
“They do things that make the community better,” Steffen added.
Gina Riedel, executive director of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, said she is impressed with the 100-plus organizations in town that use volunteer help to aid their fellow citizens.
“I think overall we have a good group, a diverse group of different organizations,” Riedel said. “It seems like if there is a need in the community, the people of Hays step up to the plate to meet that need.”
“I think it would be remarkable to track all those volunteer hours that individuals put in,” Riedel added. “It shows we're supportive of others throughout the community.”
Whether they be health- or social- or service-oriented, civic groups help young and old alike.
“Some are specialized for certain age groups,” Riedel said, “and some help the entire community. It's all a part of reaching out to people, and also a great network for people, too.”
Numerous organizations focus on youth, what Riedel said is “the future of our community.”
“The Kansas Health Foundation said it wants to make Kansas the best place to raise children,” Riedel said. “We here in Hays want to make that our philosophy, too.”
Riedel said she can't imagine what living in Hays would be like without the civic organizations.
“They are such a necessary part of our community,” Riedel said. “They help individuals; they help other groups. They help business, bottom line.”
Contact numbers for the various civic clubs in Hays can be To find out more about the civic clubs in Hays, call the Hays chamber office at (785) 628-820.
Reporter Diane Gasper-O'Brien can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 126, or by e-mail at
dobrien@dailynews.net.