Ten years ago, Carl and Amy Gruber became founding members of the Aktion Club of Licking County. 

They joined the new group, hoping to find more opportunities to volunteer in the community. What they didn’t expect was the relationships and connections the club brought into their lives.

They made friends with Kiwanians who showed up to support them  — and decorate — at their wedding. They traveled to conferences in other states, meeting Aktion Clubbers from all over the country.

Carl was able to lean into his ability to lead meetings, while Amy earned numerous honors for her scrapbooking skills. And they celebrated the lives of several club members who died, by completing service projects in their honor.

As they reminisced about the last decade — at a celebration held on Sept. 15 to mark Aktion Club’s tenth anniversary — their thoughts were echoed by the other Aktion Club members and Kiwanians gathered at the party.

A group of leaders from Kiwanis, Aktion Club and LCBDD post for a photo at the Aktion Club’s 10th anniversary party.

What started as an experiment between three local Kiwanis clubs is now a strong group of adults with disabilities and their allies — committed to community service in Licking County.

“We’ve liked seeing it grow,” Carl said, “I hope we can make it 10 more years.”

In front of a packed room at Trinity Episcopal Church, Jennifer Lewis, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Granville, shared the Aktion Club of Licking County’s origin story. 

Founded in the late 1980s, Aktion Club is a service leadership program of Kiwanis International. It is the only service club for adults with disabilities, with more than 7,200 members in over 400 clubs worldwide. Aktion Clubs are sponsored by Kiwanis clubs and members are encouraged to find projects that make change in their local community.

A group of original Aktion Club members pose for a photo during the first meeting of the group in 2016.

Conversations about forming an Aktion Club in Licking County had been happening for several years, but things really started coming together in 2016, when the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities (LCBDD) met with members of the Newark, Granville and Heath Moundbuilders Kiwanis clubs and came up with a plan, Jennifer said. 

At that time, it was unusual for three clubs to work together to start an Aktion Club but it worked in Licking County, she said.

The club was chartered on Sept, 1, 2016 and a celebration was held that December to welcome the new members.

Jason Umstot, former LCBDD Superintendent, was at that first meeting and shared some memories of the club’s early days.

“It just kept growing and growing and growing,” he said. “This is what inclusion is all about and it shows what giving people with disabilities opportunities does for our community.”

All the partners have contributed to the project in ways that set Aktion Club up for success, Jen said. The three sponsoring Kiwanis Clubs provide advisors, support with expenses and a meal at each monthly meeting. LCBDD provides a facilitator from its Provider Relations team who helps organize club meetings —  which are held at the Board’s administrative office.  

“Without LCBDD, we would not be here today,” Jennifer said. “There have been so many allies! This room is filled with allies from over the last ten years.”

A group of some of the founding Aktion Club members pose for a photo at a party to celebrate the creation of the club in December 2026.

Club members lead the meetings and provide ideas and inspiration for projects that are important to them.

A group of leaders from Kiwanis Clubs and the new Aktion Club of Licking County pose for a photo with the club banner in December 2016.

Over the years Aktion Club members collected hundreds of pounds of food for the Food Pantry Network of Licking County and donated several carts to help visitors take food to their cars. They’ve volunteered at Camp O’Bannon, helped Kiwanis out with many of their local fundraisers and supported local Key Clubs. They also raised funds for a scholarship at the Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County (C-TEC) for an outstanding student in the ITEC program  — which supports students with disabilities as they prepare for employment.

Their service projects have earned several awards on the state and national level. Club members have also brought home awards at conferences and conventions for public speaking, posters and scrapbooking. 

One especially exciting recognition came in 2018 when the club submitted a video to a contest and was awarded first place from Kiwanis International.

Les Garvin, a longtime club member, served two terms as president, which helped make him a more confident public speaker. He and several other club members took those skills to a city council meeting, where they advocated for more availability of accessible parking. 

As he posed for a group picture with other club members and received a commemorative key chain at the anniversary celebration, Les said he’s excited to see what happens over the next ten years.

“I’d like (the club) to get more recognized, all over the place, so people can find out how great the Aktion Club is and how much we can accomplish,” he said. 

The Aktion Club of Licking County meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5:45 p.m. at the LCBDD E.S. Weiant Center, located at 116 N. 22nd Street, Newark, OH 43055. If you would like to join Aktion Club, please contact Samuel Clark at 740-349-6588. 

To learn more, visit lcountydd.org/aktion-club/.