Foundation of trust
Loyal support, international reach
For Thomas Pafford, trust is the key to giving. A 37-year Kiwanian and past lieutenant governor and president of the Kiwanis Club of Huntington, West Virginia, Pafford is a longtime supporter of the Kiwanis International Foundation.
Pafford says the charities he prefers use donations responsibly—and have track records to prove it. That’s why he gives to the Kiwanis International Foundation. In fact, he is a Sustaining Donor and has made annual gifts for more than a decade.
“Kiwanis’ programs are well identified, and the successes are reported,” he says. “Eliminating iodine deficiency disorders is solid evidence of what Kiwanis can accomplish on the global level. It’s like a worldwide billboard showing what Kiwanis has done.”
Past successes and future potential
The success of Kiwanis’ worldwide service project to virtually eliminate IDD has also boosted Pafford’s confidence in The Eliminate Project: Kiwanis eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus. In fact, Kiwanis International’s global campaign for children has re-energized him and renewed his commitment to the Kiwanis International Foundation.
“It’s the most recent cause that has inspired me to donate,” he says. “We have a lot of organizations to support the needy people in our community, and I think The Eliminate Project goes far, far beyond that. It helps people around the world who don’t have the economy, the government or the resources to improve.”
While reading an issue of Kiwanis magazine, Pafford stumbled across an article explaining more about The Eliminate Project. The initiative’s focus on saving the lives of mothers and newborns appealed most to him, and although his Kiwanis club has not yet hosted any fundraisers for The Eliminate Project, he believes it will be a great direction for his club to take.
Family affair
Pafford was introduced to Kiwanis by members of his church in 1974. In his nearly 40 years as a member, he’s spread the Kiwanis spirit throughout the community—as well as within his family. His wife, Barbara, played piano during the club’s luncheons for years, and his son Tom and daughter Kathy were a Key Clubber and a Keywanette in high school. The entire family participated in the club’s ice cream socials and barbecues, and Kiwanis conventions became an opportunity for the Pafford family to travel, bond and serve together.
What has kept him involved is the organization’s focus on children. In Huntington, for example, he participates in activities with the daycare center that his Kiwanis club had sponsored for children from low-income families for more than 80 years. He also supports global initiatives that provide children with the basics of a healthy and happy life.
“It makes you wonder what a happy day would be like for them,” he says. ”Maybe they’ll be able to have that happy day with the help of Kiwanis.”
Join Thomas Pafford in giving
The Kiwanis International Foundation is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Kiwanis-family clubs, members and other friends of the foundation who help shape a better future for children. Gifts of all sizes are deeply appreciated. Support the Kiwanis International Foundation today.
