Aurora, Illinois Golden K Kiwanis Club
Background and Activities Page

This page contains a little history and background information about our club.

What is Kiwanis?

Kiwanis International is an association of member Kiwanis clubs composed of men and women who are committed to volunteer community service locally and worldwide.  Since the first Kiwanis Club was organized in Detroit , MI in 1915 the members of Kiwanis clubs have donated time and financial support to worthy causes in their local communities.  Kiwanis International consists of approximately 325,000 members of more than 8,400 clubs in more than 70 countries.  Kiwanis student organizations (Circle K Clubs in colleges and universities, Key Clubs at the high school level, and Builders Clubs on the junior high/middle school level) have 240,000 members.  Annually, Kiwanis organizations donate over $70 million and more that 7 million volunteer hours to community service projects.

What is the make-up of our club?

Our club is made up of approximately 70 members.  Most are retirees.  Members ages range from the early 60’s to the mid 90’s.  Seldom do we have less than 50 members in attendance at our weekly meetings.  In a recent survey, members indicated that fellowship, fun, interesting programs and good service projects are the major reasons they like Golden K. 

What do we do?

We have hands-on projects and projects that we support with financial contributions. 

• We help with the Hope Wall School Christmas Dance, the spring picnic, and graduation.
• Our volunteers help with running the Special Olympics at Keeler School .
• We volunteer to work at the city-wide Back-to-School Fair, and we provide readers 3 days a week at People for Child Care, where we are greeted as Grampa or Gramma.
• There are a number of volunteers who serve as Helping Hands at the Dreyer Medical Center .
• We also host a monthly bingo session at Jennings Terrace, a retirement home.
• Over the past two years, our group of bell-ringers has collected more money for the Salvation Army than any other service group in town.

The following are some of the organizations that receive financial help from Golden K:  Boy and Girl Scouts (camping only), CASA, Easter Seals, First Books, Hope D. Wall School , Jennings Terrace Bingo, Key Clubs (high school), Keeler School Olympics, People for Child Care, Wayside Cross Urban Ministries, and others.

A brief history of our club

On September 27, 1979 , the decision was made to organize a Golden K Kiwanis Club in Aurora .  There were eight Noon Club members who signed up to start the new club.  On December 13, 1979 , it was announced that the new club had 25 names on the Charter application.  Charter night was set for December 18.  The dinner banquet was held at the Lincoln Inn in Batavia .

Hope Wall School became the first project for the club.  Young children and Hope Wall School are still the club’s priority one.

Our first meeting place was at Jennings Terrace.  As the club grew, we moved to Mercy Center Hospital .  We have since met at Aurora University, Valley National Bank, Luigi’s Pizza and Fun Center , and now we meet at the Prisco Center .

Created October 2003. Last updated Tuesday, July 26, 2005