By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The St Joseph Sertoma Club has been serving the community for over a century and now has been recognized by its international board of directors for its years of service.
The international board has given the St. Joseph club $5,000 in honor of its 111 years of community service.
Member Ed Burton say the club does a lot of work with speech and hearing efforts
"We've work with the community on different organizations that are a part of it, we've looped the Missouri Theatre, the convention center, a couple churches in town with people hard of hearing there can get in the middle of it and tag right into the looping system and it goes right into their hearing aids and stuff and they hear all the programs there just as clear as can be," Burton tells KFEQ News.
Club President Bill McMurray says the club has done several events to benefit St. Joseph, including charity auctions, duck races, and more recently the annual Thanksgiving turkey trot.
McMurray says the club is also responsible for all the American flags you see around the community on the holidays
"About 10 times a year, so that's our main fundraiser today, the southside Sertoma does the Turkey Trot, and we do the flags, and we also of course do Meals on Wheels, and so we're still active," McMurray explains.
With several service clubs around the country experiencing declines in membership, Burton encourages people to come and join the club and says giving back to the community really gives you a good feeling
"You get so much more within yourself when you're helping people and you do it right there face to face instead of just flipping out a dollar into the phone there and let it go there," Burton says. "You get that enjoyment of self-gratification to be a part of people and see people smile, and you just get that warm fuzzy feeling all over when you're in."
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.