The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library announces the donation of the Kiwanis Club of Columbus materials to the Local History Department.
More than seven boxes house a multitude of records dating back to the 1920s and include membership and attendance rolls, certificates, photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, correspondence, club magazines and bulletins, flyers, brochures, financial reports, monthly reports, committee lists and records pertaining to the various community programs and activities with which Kiwanis has been affiliated.
Kiwanis Lt. Gov./Historian Christian Heinkel said, “These records should prove invaluable to local history researchers, as the history of our club and that of the city of Columbus are so closely intertwined.”
On April 28, 1921, 56 local business and professional men chartered the Kiwanis Club of Columbus. The first president was Dr. J. C. Rowan, the minister of the First Presbyterian Church, and the first secretary was John W. Slaughter, long-time president of the First Columbus National Bank.
Through the years, the Kiwanis Club of Columbus has sponsored and contributed to many local activities such as a Mississippi University for Women scholarship, Father’s Child Ministry, Palmer Home, YMCA, Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Club and many more.
The club will soon hold its annual Super Bowl Television Raffle to benefit organizations that assist children in need in the community, giving away 50-inch HD television and other prizes. For more information, contact Jason Spears at 662-816-0967 or by email at [email protected].
The international Kiwanis organization was founded in Detroit, Mich., Jan. 21, 1915. Dedicated to fellowship and community service, Kiwanis became an international organization in 1916 with the addition of a Canadian Kiwanis club. Membership was extended to women in 1987. As of 2006, Kiwanis has become a worldwide service organization encompassing more than 8,400 clubs in 96 nations.
To learn more about the Kiwanis donation, contact Mona K. Vance at 662-329-5304 or by email at [email protected].
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