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Nacogdoches Kiwanis Club
50th Anniversary
February 1, 2005
On February 1, 2005, the Nacogdoches
Kiwanis Club celebrated its 50th anniversary. A little history follows.
The Nacogdoches Kiwanis Club
was organized on February 1, 1955, and chartered on March 31, 1955. The club was co-sponsored by the
Henderson, Athens, Jacksonville and primarily the Lufkin
Kiwanis clubs. Additional initial
support was given by Herbert Wilson and the Fredonia Inn.
The Nacogdoches Kiwanis Club
sponsors two youth organizations, the Nacogdoches High School Key Club
and the Stephen F. Austin Chapter of the Circle K (currently inactive). The Key Club was founded in May of 1967
and has continued to grow into one of the most successful clubs in the
Texas-Oklahoma District. The Key
Club now has over 200 members and is sponsored by Nancy White. Her predecessors, Denny and Lou Ann
Jones, were instrumental in the recent growth of this club. The Circle K Club was first organized
in 1963 and underwent reorganization in 1981 under then President Ken
Durr.
In addition to the overall
support provided to the sponsored youth, the Nacogdoches Kiwanis Club
prides itself on the assistance it gives to the youth of the
community. Several scholarships
are awarded annually to students throughout the community, both at the
high school and college levels.
Additionally, the club has sponsored little league baseball teams,
supported the Special Olympics, provided breakfasts at the Relay For
Life, and constructed several pavilions in the local parks. More recently, the club has been an
active supporter of the Reach Out and Read program, designed to provide
opportunities for club members to read to children and also providing
them with books to read on their own.
In order to support all of
the services that the club provides, Kiwanis participates in several fund
raisers annually. The Pancake
Supper was organized in 1958 and continued to 2008 with the annual supper
being hosted in February. Kiwanis has also extended its pancake making
proficiency to include the annual Blueberry Festival. The blueberry pancakes served are one
of the highlights of the festival, and in 2003, over 2000 pancakes were
served. The club also helps with
the Pepsi booth at the Nine Flags Festival serving soft drinks and
handing out balloons for the kids.
In the past the club has done such projects as hosting a golf
tournament and selling a variety of items including peanuts, fruit cakes,
light bulbs, mechanical pencils, and homemade ice-cream.
The first Kiwanis club
was organized in Detroit,
Michigan, USA,
on January 21, 1915. A year later the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada,
was chartered, and Kiwanis International grew rapidly into a leading
service club in these two founding nations. In 1962 worldwide expansion
was approved, and today Kiwanis clubs are active in every part of the
world.
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