Clubhouse

Cause makes waves on French airwaves

Kiwanians in France recently joined with national leaders and celebrities in raising money to benefit the elderly. Most notable among those participating in the fundraising: Mme Bernadette Chirac, French politician and wife of President Jacques Chirac.

Mme (Mrs) Bernadette Chirac signs the Golden Book (scrapbook) for the Enghien-les-Bains, Valle’e de Montmorency, France, Kiwanis club.

The event occurred this past October, says Brigitte Huart of the Enghien-les-Bains, Valle’e de Montmorency Kiwanis club, as several Kiwanians from clubs throughout the Paris region donned pink smocks to participate—along with the dignitaries and celebrities—in a televised fundraiser on a program called de Vie (More Life). The Kiwanians were part of a group of some 350 volunteers who answered telephones, recording more than 300,000 euros in pledges of monetary gifts to centers and entertainment programs for the elderly.

The program unfolded under the watchful eyes of Mme Chirac, president of the Fondation de Hôpitaux des Paris-Hôpitaux de France, a charitable foundation aiming to improve the day-to-day lives of children and the elderly who have been hospitalized. For their work, the Kiwanis contingent was among the group of volunteers invited by France’s first lady to a thank-you ceremony at the Elysée Palace.

“Mme Chirac thanked all the volunteers in the presence of about 500 people,” Brigitte says, “quoting the names of the associations, partners, and schools that volunteered. Kiwanis resonated in the magnificent reception hall.”