The Kiwanis Club of Downtown Athens was chartered on January 25, 1973. We were sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Athens. Cliff Houk was chairman of the Membership Committee for the Kiwanis Club of Athens and kept hearing the same thing from prospective members - an evening commitment was not do-able, but a morning meeting would work. Cliff was the driving force behind the Kiwanis Club of Athens sponsoring the new Downtown Club. Thirty-nine people signed the original charter on January 25, 1973. Cliff became a member of the new club in 1977.

The Athens High School Key Club was formed in 1973, and the Ohio Univeristy Circle K Club was re-chartered.

Our first fundraiser was to sponsor a showing of the new movie "Charlotte's Web" at the Athena Theater on Court Street. Our next big fundraiser was to help sponsor the Athens Invitational Marching Festival in 1974. We partnered with the Athens Band Boosters, the Kiwanis Club of Athens and the Chauncey-Dover Lions Club to put on the Festival at Peden Stadium. We are still proud sponsors of the Athens Invitational Marching Festival - now in its 38th year!

Our other big fundraisers are a Chili Luncheon in February, a Rose Sale in May, and a Pancake Breakfast in December.

We were all men in the beginning. The first woman to join was Nancy King in 1987. We are now 34% women.

We have over 40 members and are always looking for new people to join the group. We range in age from 30 - 90+. If you have an interest in helping the children of Athens County and are looking for a group of people who love to do things, we would like you to check us out! Please join us for breakfast this Thursday morning at 7:30 AM at the Willow View Cafe at O'Bleness Memorial Hospital. Breakfast is on us :)

Athens High School Key Club

The Athens High School Key Club was chartered in 1973. They currently have 74 members. This summer, they helped at the Kiwanis Booth at the Athens County Fair.

They are currently working on their annual Coats for Kids Project and a Canned Food Drive for the Salvation Army.

Their next big project after this will be their annual Blood Drive. This is one of the biggest blood drives at a high school in the state and takes quite a bit of planning. 

Current officers are Hannah Anderson - President, Rachel Schoonover - Vice-President, Olivia Harris - Secretary, and Brynn Cooley - Treasurer. Their faculty advisor is Dave Sager.

Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in January of 1915. The second club was formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in October 1915.  In the early years, members focused on business networking. In 1916, Kiwanis bacame an international organization with the creation of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario.  In 1919, the club changed its focus to service.

The motto, "We Build", was adopted in 1920 at the Portland Convention.  

By 1962, worldwide expansion was approved, and Kiwanis entered Mexico.  The first European club was formed in Vienna, Austria, in 1963.  

Today, Kiwanis has 260,000 members worldwide in 8,000 clubs in 96 nations.  Kiwanis International first admitted women to the organization in 1987.  

The Ohio District of Kiwanis was formed in 1918 with ten clubs. The Kiwanis Club of Athens was chartered on June 10, 1921.  The Kiwanis Club of Downtown Athens was chartered on January 25, 1973.

Kiwanis International is a global organization of member-volunteers of every age who are dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.

Kiwanis International Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation established by Kiwanis International in 1939.  

The Foundation awards grants and raises funds.  The main objective of the Foundation is to provide an endowment fund to which club members can contribute gifts and bequests.  

The Foundation administers the Kiwanis International Worldwide Service Project. Also, the Foundation provides grants to support youth programs, the Kiwanis sponsored youth organizations, and provides matching scholarships to Circle K and Key Club.  Additionally, funds are made available for disaster relief where children are made homeless.  Further, since 1967, the Foundation has awarded the Robert P. Connelly Medal for Heroism to individuals who risk their life to save the life of another.

Kiwanis Magazine is an easy way to stay informed about all things Kiwanis. Check it out each month for free with this digital copy. 

The Ohio District of Kiwanis was formed in 1918.  The Ohio Kiwanis Family consists of nearly 25,000 men, women, and children serving in Kiwanis, Circle K, Key, Builders, K Kids, and Aktion clubs throughout the State of Ohio. What do we have in common? We are all dedicated to serving our communities and the world. 

With The Eliminate Project, Kiwanis International and UNICEF have joined forces to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT). This deadly disease steals the lives of nearly 60,000 innocent babies and a significant number of women each year. The effects of the disease are excruciating — tiny newborns suffer repeated, painful convulsions and extreme sensitivity to light and touch.

To eliminate MNT from the Earth, more than 100 million mothers and their future babies must be immunized. This requires vaccines, syringes, safe storage, transportation, thousands of skilled staff and more. It will take $110 million — and the dedicated work of UNICEF and every member of the Kiwanis family.

Kiwanis and UNICEF joined forces to tackle iodine deficiency disorders, achieving one of the most significant public health successes of the 20th century. Now, they are eliminating MNT from the face of the Earth. And in doing so, the project will reach the poorest, most neglected mothers and babies with additional lifesaving health care. The end of this one disease means the beginning of better health for so many families.