OUR HISTORY

The Kiwanis Club of Abilene has a long and storied history dating back to 1921. The club was officially chartered on May 25, 1921. The man who presented the charter was Dick O. Terrell, District Governor of the TX-OK District, of San Antonio, Texas. Below are some highlights of our club’s past accomplishments.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1920s

• 1924: Purchased two buffalo for Fair Park
• 1925: Provided treatment and hospitalization for crippled children
• 1926: Sponsored the Goodfellow Fund for poor and needy families
• 1929: Purchased playground equipment for city schools and parks

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1930s

• 1930: Established an Ice and Milk Fund for needy children
• 1932: Donated to the West Texas Children’s Fund
• 1933: Built a children’s wading pool at Fair Park
• 1934: Provided eye treatment and glasses for children

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1940s

• 1947: Began sponsorship of a boy scout troop
• 1948: Only group to reach their Red Cross Campaign quota
• 1948: Began the Kiwanis Gumball Machine Project
• 1949: The Club became a Singing Club with the new songs books that were purchased

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1950s

• 1950: Raised money for the March of Dimes to find a cure for polio
• 1951: Revived the Kiwanis Pancake Supper and raised $2500
• 1952: Donated ping-pong tables, badminton sets, and volleyballs to the Salvation Army
• 1953: Established Circle K Clubs at Abilene Christian, McMurry, and Hardin-Simmons Universities

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1960s

• 1960: Purchased twenty-five beds for the Boys Ranch
• 1961: Past President Chuck Moser chaired the United Fund Drive
• 1965: Donated $1000 to the Abilene Zoo
• 1969: Gumball receipts pass the $20,000 mark

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970s

• 1970: Five club members attended the International Convention in San Francisco
• 1972: Gumball machine receipts pass the $25,000 mark
• 1975: Kiwanians performed 700 hours of service at the West Texas Fair
• 1979: Vocational Scholarships were increased to $325

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1980s

• 1980: Kiwanis members were Bell Ringers for the Salvation Army
• 1981: Donated $5,000 to the Chapel Building Fund at the Abilene State School
• 1985: Delivering Meals on Wheels became a club project
• 1987: Nancy Miller was inducted as the First Female Member

HIGHLIGHTS SINCE 1990

• 1990: Donated $1000 to help send the Cooper High School Band to march in the Rose Parade
• 1995: Donated $4,136.52 to the Children’s Miracle Network
• 2003: Fed over 600 at our United for Kids tailgate party
• 2006: Established the Melvin Martin First Responder Award
• 2008: Basketball Shootout raised $6,475.48 for Children’s Miracle Network
• 2011: Donated $50,000 to help build the Children’s Wing at Hendrick Hospital
• 2011: Celebrated our 90th Anniversary
• 2016: Gumball machine receipts exceed $275,000
• 2017: Donated more than $72,000 to Eliminate Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus
• 2017: Hosted the TX-OK District Convention
• 2017: Sponsored the BUG Program at Reagan Elementary School
• 2017: Christmas Lighting at Safety City Signature Project
• 2018: Donated $1000 to Meals on Wheels
• 2018: Hosted the TX-OK District Convention for the second consecutive year
• 2018: Won first place in the TX-OK District Newsletter and Website Contest
• 2018-2019: Donated more than $74,000 to Eliminate Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus Worldwide
• 2019: Assumed the sponsorship of the Big Country Spelling Bee
• 2019: Presented bicycles to the top performers in the BUG Program

HIGHLIGHTS SINCE 2019

• 2020: The Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 2020: Pancake Day was not held
• 2020: Meetings were conducted via Zoom
• 2021: Live meetings were resumed wearing masks
• 2021: The Club celebrated our 100th Anniversary on February 10, 2021