The Wayne Kiwanis Club will celebrate 100 years of hard work and service with the Kiwanis Pancake Feed.
The feed will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Wayne City Auditorium from 5 to 7 p.m. As a special part of the anniversary celebration, the club is bringing in The Pancake Man to provide both pancakes and entertainment for the evening.
As a tie in to the fact that the club promotes children's well-being in many forms, children who are 10 and under are able to eat free at the event.
The Wayne Kiwanis Club is just one branch of many international Kiwanis Clubs from around the globe, including Canada, United States, Africa and Europe.
Kiwanis International was started in 1915 by a group of businessmen in Detroit, Michigan. The club was originally called the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers.
At the start of the club, its members were focused on business networking, but switched to service. Women were welcomed to the club in 1987. The delegates for the club began to promote inclusivity in 2008.
The name changed to "Kiwanis" and came from an American Indian manifestation, "Nunc Keewanis," which means "We trade." Later, the statement was modified to "We Build" and remained the motto for Kiwanis International until 2005. The motto was changed to "Serving the Children of the world" which is the current motto for the club.
The Wayne Kiwanis Club was first chartered on Feb. 6. 1923 when Charles Carhart became the club's first president.
During the club's golden anniversary, Bob Carhart, led the club as its president. The club also completed numerous projects of servitude for the community of Wayne during its first 50 years.
According to an article titled, "Local Kiwanis Club's Anniversary is a Time for Looking Back," published by the Wayne Herald, on Feb. 9, 1973, "the local chapter has sponsored several Boy Scout troops in the city as well as an Explorer Post, built bleachers for the swimming pool and helped supply medical supplies for school children."
Since 1973, the club's eagerness to serve the community hasn't faltered. Led by the club's current president, Karissa Hays and to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the current Kiwanis members are reading books to preschool and daycare children.
They have also donated 100 books to these children. The current members have also donated backpacks filled with food for all children enrolled in Wayne schools who are part of the backpack program. Members also helped the local Salvation Army Unit fill backpacks with school supplies for children enrolled in school from kindergarten to eighth grade.
The group has also partnered with the local Salvation Army for bell ringing during the Christmas season. The members partnered with the local Lions Club for eye screenings in the elementary schools.
The Wayne Kiwanis Club welcomes all residents to participate in its mission of serving the community of Wayne. The club holds weekly meetings on Mondays at 12 p.m., at the Table Coffeehouse.
