It's 'all about the kiddos' for volunteer

STAFF WRITER

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Some people are just born with the innate desire to help others. For Clovis resident Patricia Bazar, her daytime job at United Way isn’t enough as she also is a volunteer at the Clovis chapter of Kiwanis and is the most recent recipient of the El Desayuno Kiwanis Kachina Award.

What is this award? David Briseno, the former president of El Desayuno Kiwanis, summed it up.

“It’s given to a member every year that exhibits outstanding community service and service to the Kiwanis Club,” he said.

Bazar has worked with Kiwanis for the last three years because of the group’s involvement with local children.

“We’re all about the kiddos,” she said. “I’m the Student of the Month coordinator. I’m the contact person for the Clovis schools. Every month we award a student gifts and recognize them at our regular meeting of the month. We have students from all the schools in Clovis and honor them.

“We honor students based on, but not limited to, their character, school and civic involvement. The students come in, they get a certificate and other goodies. It’s a way to honor them for what they do with their school, not just academics.”

For Bazar, her coordinator job allows her to give the recognition to local students who may not typically be in the spotlight.

“What touches me about doing this is these are kids that are recognized for a different kind of leadership,” she said. “Some are recognized for their academic or athletic achievements, but most of them aren’t your run-of-the-mill award recipients. But here it is, it’s their moment to shine. It’s touching to see them get this recognition.”

Receiving her own award last week, complete with an authentic Kachina doll, took Bazar completely by surprise.

“It was supposed to happen at our annual awards banquet,” she said. “I wasn’t able to make it so it was presented to me at a regular club meeting. I was blind-sided because I wasn’t paying attention. Deer in the headlights when I heard my name. I was honored and overwhelmed by the honor.”

Briseno said choosing Bazar for this award was a no-brainer.

“Patricia was picked by an election of the membership,” he said. “She’s very committed to community service. I know she works at United Way as well but she goes above and beyond to provide excellent service not just to Kiwanis, but to her community as well. She was definitely shocked when she got the award. Very deserving.”