R eflecting on a full life of service, 72-year-old Kathleen Baldwin says she’d actually never considered herself a joiner. That was before she was recruited and sponsored as a member of the Downtown San Diego Lions Club, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. “It was April 25, 1995,” Baldwin recalls with specificity. “Wig Fletcher was a prominent member, and he sponsored Jack Wyatt and me at the same time. Jack had an idea to help send kids to camp who couldn’t afford it. And I had camp experience.” Today, Baldwin is the full-time president and CEO of Travelers Aid International. She lives in San Diego and commutes to Washington D.C. to oversee TAI’s network of social service agencies. A former president of Camp Fire Girls (now a coed organization called Camp Fire), Baldwin’s been a Downtown San Diego Lions Club member for 27 years. And she’s still the board chair for Camp Jack (one of a multitude of programs sponsored by the Lions). Annually, Camp Jack funds up to 90 youths (aged 9-12) to experience a weeklong camping program. Last year (and in 2023), the site was Whispering Winds in the mountains of the Cleveland National Forest. Campers get to hike, swim, do archery, navigate a low-ropes course, go fishing and experience lots of other outdoor activities. Baldwin says a record 27 fish were caught during Camp Jack 2022. For most of the kids, it’s the first time they’ve ever had a fishing rod in their hands—or been away to a camp.
A Century of Service The Downtown San Diego Lions Club quietly funds youth initiatives, senior programs and a wide array of community services
BY RON DONOHO
SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE CHARITABLE SD GIVING GUIDE 2023 86
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