Kiwanis club celebrates 100 years

Published 1:45 pm Monday, January 19, 2015

Kiwanis International was founded in Detroit, Mich., in 1915, and only five years later, Milledgeville got a Kiwanis club of its own.

To honor the 100th anniversary of Kiwanis International, local club president Linda McKnight has made it a personal project to either donate or tell about 100 things each week. For example, she recently donated 100 books to a library, 100 ribbons for breast cancer awareness and 100 candy canes for Christmas.

The local club, as a whole, held a breakfast meeting Thursday at IHOP to learn more about Kiwanis International’s “The Eliminate Project,” and will hold a banquet at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Kiwanis International.

“We’ve already raised $500 from our local Kiwanis,” McKnight said, in reference to The Eliminate Project. “At our weekly meetings, we put a piggy bank in the middle of each table so members can put money in.”

Kiwanis International has partnered with UNICEF to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus around the world. The disease has been eradicated in 35 countries since 2000, according to the Kiwanis International website, but about 49,000 babies still die from it each year.

While local clubs donate to the main project, they also focus on service opportunities in their own communities, focusing on the benefit of children.

“We have fundraisers throughout the year and we’re able to donate about $200 a year to several organizations,” McKnight said.

Some of the organizations the Kiwanis Club of Milledgeville has donated to in the past include Boy Scouts, Boys & Girls Club, Head Start, Meals on Wheels, Relay for Life, River of Life, STAR Student, March of Dimes, Rose Hill at Lockerly Arboretum, the Will Robinson Memorial Run and several others.

In addition, Kiwanis members donate their time and energy into volunteer opportunities, at least two hours a month. Members get to choose their own volunteer projects.

Kiwanis One Day is a day in April in which every Kiwanis club and affiliate (Circle K, Key Club, K-Kids and Builders Club) get together and volunteer in their communities.

Locally, K-Kids is present at Midway Elementary, Key Club at Baldwin High School and Circle K International at Georgia College. The Builders Club is a Kiwanis affiliate for middle school, but Baldwin County does not currently have a club.

Linda McKnight and her husband, Linton, adopted a highway several years ago, and the two of them picked up trash along the highway for six years. The project was then turned over to the local Circle K, which continues to keep the portion of the highway clear of rubbish.

“Our local Circle K is great,” McKnight said. “They just jump in and help out whenever they’re needed. They help with our (pancake) supper, setting up the holiday lights (at Pecan Grove) and always help with Service One Day.”

For 90 years, Kiwanis members have lived the simple motto “We build.” Delegates to the International Convention in 2005 then officially changed the motto to “Serving the children of the world.” Children have been the main focus of Kiwanis International nearly since its inception.

The Kiwanis Club of Milledgeville meets every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at the country club. Members enjoy a short lunch followed by a speaker. To become a member, a prospective member must request an application from a current member, after which being completed, members take a vote.