The Kiwanis Club of Lloydminster welcomed district governor McKenna Coran to the Border City over the weekend.
Coran oversees Western Canada, and at 25, she’s the youngest governor in Kiwanis International’s history.
Coran enjoyed a backyard gathering with members and inducted two new members into the fold. Her conversation was full of energy, just like her vision for the future of Kiwanis in Western Canada.
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A native of Fort Frances, Ont., Coran has been involved with Kiwanis for many years and first joined because of her mom, who is also a member.
“I was always helping at events,” she said. “I figured I might as well become a member, too.”
Her rise to leadership started when a local lieutenant governor had to step down early. Coran was asked to fill the role for six months. After that, she stayed on the district board and soon set her sights on becoming governor.
Coran’s main goal is to grow Kiwanis clubs across the district.
“Some districts are big and open many clubs at once,” she said. “I started with a goal of opening just one.”
She’s proud to have helped launch a new club in Neepawa, Man. That club’s charter night is coming up in June.
Coran believes the key to success is teamwork and spoke highly of international trustee Jo Schwartz, who came from Kansas to help with the new club. Schwartz spent a week meeting people and knocking on doors to get members to sign up.
“She was amazing,” said Coran. “She believed in us and helped us reach our goal.”
Coran’s passion for Kiwanis shines through in everything she does. She has visited at least a dozen clubs during her time as governor on her current tour.
“Meeting members in person has been so important to me,” she said. “Not all governors have had that chance, especially because of COVID.”
Coran wants to keep growing Kiwanis but not just for the numbers.
“I love Kiwanis and all the chances it has given me,” she said. “I want to share that with other people.”
Her vision is to welcome more young members and bring in fresh ideas. She identified one significant issue when getting their attention, which was a want to feel valued. Coran’s own club encourages members to share ideas and try new things.
“They don’t want to hear, ‘This is how we’ve always done it,’” she said. “They want to bring new ideas and see them happen.”
Her home community of Fort Frances, a small town where everyone knows each other, shaped her leadership style. When she first joined her club at age 20 and most other members were much older.
“There was a bit of a gap,” she said. “It taught me to be brave and ask people to join.”
One of her proudest moments so far was learning about and seeing the playground project in Brandon, Man. The club there raised nearly $600,000 to build a fully-accessible playground.
“The members even helped build it themselves,” noted Coran.
She also enjoyed seeing a “bike rodeo” in Swift Current, Sask., where kids learned bike safety on a track shaped like a bike.
With the induction of Mayme Boyer and Jhona Ramirez, the club has grown to over a dozen members. Coran encourages small clubs to keep asking people to join.
“Sometimes asking is the hardest part,” she said. “But that’s what it takes to grow.”
She also has advice for young people, especially women who want to get involved in community service.
“If you’re passionate, follow that,” she said. “If you see a need, don’t just complain, try to help solve it.”
She’s had a lot of great mentors along the way, but one piece of advice lives with her to this day. Leadership is about listening and teamwork.
“It’s not all about you and your ideas,” she said. “A good leader helps others share their ideas too.”
For Coran, Kiwanis stands out because of its focus on children and youth.
“In today’s world, kids need us more than ever,” she said. “That’s why Kiwanis is so important.”
In the brief time she visited with the club, she shared lessons, challenges and successes of her time so far.
One thing is very clear, however, the next generation of leaders is being built inside our community organizations. She’s a glowing example of that.
For more information on Kiwanis in Lloydminster you can go to their social media page. Their next event is Beer Maynia, taking place May 14.
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