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WILKES-BARRE — If you read the Times Leader, you must notice all the photos we run that depict checks being donated to charities. Many of these donations come from service organizations whose members work tirelessly all year round to help others.
That, my friends, is the true meaning of community service. Of servant leadership. Of caring for your fellow human beings.
Face it: we live in a society that is struggling. More and more good people are showing up at soup kitchens and clothing drives for help.
And as the demand increases for charitable services, funding is declining. We all must do more to help.
My friend John “JK” Karavis has been doing this good work for decades. He is a member of Plymouth Rotary Club and he had a great mentor in Paul “Buddy O’Malia,” who left this life way too early.
Yes, JK is a shining star when it comes to community service — but he is one shining star in a community galaxy of stars in NEPA.
And they sure do a lot of work — evidenced by all those big checks that are presented to charities that really need help.
But what is even more sad is that these agencies and charities are struggling just to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand.
So when I saw JK the other day, I asked him to give me his story — how and why he got involved in helping others and why he keeps doing it every year.
JK told me that it all started in 1996 when he was asked to participate in some sort of community service throughout the year.
That’s when his friend and mentor Buddy O’Malia invited him to a meeting of the Plymouth Rotary Club.
“It wasn’t until Christmas time that year that the light bulb went on,” JK said. “Budd O’Malia, my Rotary mentor and mentor in life, held a project called Kids @ Kristmas.”
The Rotary members would take economically disadvantaged children shopping at Kmart in Edwardsville with chaperones from Wyoming Valley West High School, other Rotarians and concerned citizens.
“The child that I escorted that day was a young girl, probably 5 or 6 years old,” JK recalled. “She bought presents for her Mom, Dad, sister and dog. Oh yes, and a small present for herself too. Her Christmas wasn’t about getting herself anything. She wanted to shop for her parents, sister and beloved pet. What an unselfish young girl.”
When they finished shopping and went to the wrapping section, the little girl ran over to JK and jumped in his arms.
“She whispered in my ear, ‘Thank you so much for making my Christmas this year!’”
For JK, that is when the light came on.
“This is when I decided that Rotary is going to be a passion in my life,” JK said. “I saw this young girl, probably in her 30s now, so excited to make her family happy. It was evident that they did not have a tremendous amount of disposable income for presents around the holidays. This girl was so happy that she got to shop and buy what she wanted for her family. That event created a domino effect for the next 28 years of my life. I wanted more. I wanted to do things to help more people. I wanted to help other children. I wanted to help struggling veterans. I wanted to help senior citizens. Rotary was the conduit that allowed me to do that.”
JK’s story is awesome and it’s typical of how these unsung heroes of our society help make the holidays a bit brighter for so many families that are struggling.
“I didn’t realize the potential for what Rotary and other service organizations can do for the community,” he said. “Community service organizations help to change the lives of those less fortunate. Community service organizations connect people to others in the community to make their community a better place to live and work.”
JK told me he really does live his life by Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self.”
JK has been with Rotary for 28 years now. The Kids @ Kristmas shopping spree has evolved to a shopping extravaganza where multiple presents are given to nearly 130 children.
Good people, like JK, doing good work for people in need.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.