Mission
"The George B. Carter Serteens Club of Hawaii provides social interaction and leadership training for gifted and talented students who wish to serve the community."
Our mission statement defines the direction the club has followed and will continue to follow so long as it exists. Everything the Serteens Club of Hawaii does, whether it is service projects, socials, camps, or other events, aims to follow this goal. The club has and continues to enrich the lives of teenagers by building healthy habits and skills to help anyone of any age succeed and help others throughout their own lives.
History
In 1972 the Oahu chapter of Sertoma, a non-profit organization, elected to serve Hawaii’s community through the gifted and talented students of Hawaii in all public and private schools.
This group, under the charge of Col. Ed Jurkens and Major George B. Carter founded The Lyle Knoll Memorial Serteens Club of Hawaii.
In April 1973 the Serteens Club of Hawaii is chartered by the Honolulu Sertoma Club.
Renamed In Honor of George B. Carter
In July 2004 the Lyle Knoll Memorial Serteens Club of Hawaii was renamed the George B. Carter Serteens Club of Hawaii to honor one of the founders of the club.
In 2011 George Carter passed away in West Hills, California.
George B. Carter aided mankind and devoted his life to motivating gifted and talented teens everywhere.
Over a thousand of Hawaii’s gifted and talented students have now been a part of the Serteens program.
Many continue to aid the community throughout their adult lives, including as part of Sertoma.
Motto
The Club's unofficial motto can be found in Og Mandino's book, The Greatest Salesman in the World:
"I will persist until I succeed.
I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to walk, to talk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed."
-from the Scroll Marked III, Og Mandino,
The Greatest Salesman in the World
May I Slay A Dragon For You?
George Carter left behind his legacy in the Serteens Club of Hawaii, as well as memories and life lessons in his book May I Slay A Dragon For You? The Hawaii Serteens Story.
While future Serteens will never meet George Carter, we have many links to the past in our Serteens Advisors: including retired LTC Darryl Ching, the original president of the Serteens Club of Hawaii in 1972!
Now after over five decades of service, The Serteens Club of Hawaii continues its mission to provide gifted and talented students opportunities for personal growth, friendship, leadership training, and service to mankind.