Ottawa Herald, The (KS)
Published: June 13, 2011
Today marks a milestone for one of the oldest organizations in Franklin County.
But despite years of service to the community, local Kiwanis club members say they don’t have any special celebration or ceremony planned in observation of their group’s 90th anniversary as a chartered club in Ottawa.
Chartered 90 years ago today, Kiwanis currently has 31 active members, most boasting membership lengths in the double-digits. They range in age from 30 to 8.
While only four women are active members, that number includes Kristi Lee, club president.
The primary focus of the organization is to serve children, Fred Searls, incoming president and a member of the club since 1971, said.
“It’s about giving back,” he said. “When we were young, people helped us. So it’s our turn now.”
Kiwanis club members have continuously provided support and financial assistance for 90 years to area youth and community residents through academic scholarships, fundraisers and sponsorships.
Lee, who serves as director of the Franklin County Convention and Visitors Bureau and has been a Kiwanis member for three years, said the length of time the club has operated shows a real commitment to the community.
“Ninety years is a long time for any club,” she said.
During those decades, as with any organization in continuous operation for so long, the club had to adapt to meet the ever-changing interests of young people.
When Eldon Rader joined Kiwanis more than 30 years ago, he said, the club frequently put on events and activities for Ottawa youth.
“I remember when members used to place orange crates out on the lawn and people could craft their own birdhouses,” Rader said. “But kids aren’t interested in that stuff anymore. We’ve lost them to the computer and video games.”
Back then, meetings were held at Ottawa University, 1001 S. Cedar St., Ottawa, and total membership was in the 70s to 80s.
These days, about 20 members meet at noon, every Thursday, at the Radish Patch, 1538 N. Industrial Ave., Ottawa.
The club has two major events a year — a pancake feed in January and serving pork burgers and chips at the annual Ol’ Marais River Run Car Show — that fund scholarships. For the past three years, the Kiwanis club has awarded four Ottawa seniors with academic scholarships totaling $2,000.
The Kiwanis club also sponsors high school and middle school clubs, in addition to the Ransom Memorial Hospital Health Fair and the Babe Ruth Baseball team.
With all of the activities the club sponsors, Searls said, the club tries to keep donations local.
“I’d say that 98 percent of our support goes back to Ottawa,” he said. “The bottom line here is that we are dedicated to serving our community and making it a better place to live.”
For more information on the local Kiwanis club, go to OttawaKSKiwanis.org
Angelique McNaughton 