Frankfort Mayor Judy Sheets has issued a proclamation for The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort celebrating 100 years of service.
WHEREAS, The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort, Indiana was chartered on September 3, 1920, becoming the 23rd Kiwanis Club in Indiana; and,
WHEREAS, The Kiwanis Club is a global community of clubs, members and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time and empowering members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children, such as fighting hunger, fighting literacy, and offering guidance; and,
WHEREAS, The original motto of Kiwanis International, “We Build,” was exemplified by the Kiwanis Club of Frankfort in the creation of Circle Park in 1923, in the Club’s assistance in building Camp Cullom in the 1940s and 1950s, and in partnering with the City of Frankfort to construct the skateboard park at Eastside Park in 2005; and,
WHEREAS, The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort encourages youth participation in service through the establishment of a Key Club at Frankfort High School in 1966, at Clinton Prairie High School in 1990; and,
WHEREAS, In 2005, Kiwanis International selected a new motto: “Serving the Children of the World.” The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort embraced this motto and has contributed thousands of dollars to Riley Hospital for Children for various needs, including neonatal ambulances, initiatives to cure juvenile diabetes, and a program to increase early diagnoses of autism. The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort has contributed to international programs to eliminate iodine deficiency and neonatal tetanus worldwide; and,
WHEREAS, The City of Frankfort recognizes and honors the numerous local Kiwanis Club service projects over the past 100 years, and acknowledges that these philanthropic endeavors have made our community a better place to live and work.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Judith Sheets, Mayor of the City of Frankfort, call upon all citizens of Frankfort to join me in recognizing the Kiwanis Club of Frankfort’s 100 years of commitment to the City of Frankfort and do hereby proclaim Thursday, September 3, 2020, as:
KIWANIS CLUB OF FRANKFORT DAY
“100 Years Serving the Children of the World”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of September 2020.
Judith E. Sheets
Mayor, City of Frankfort
Frankfort Kiwanis Club Celebrates 100 Years
The Frankfort Kiwanis Club was chartered September 3, 1920, becoming the 23rd Kiwanis Club in Indiana. Our club embraced the original Kiwanis International motto “We Build” as we built Circle Park in Frankfort in 1923. In the late 1940’s and 1950’s the club was involved in helping build Camp Cullom. We established a Key Club at Frankfort High School in 1966 and a Key Club at Clinton Prairie High School in 1990.
For over 30 years our club along with the Key Clubs have “Adopted” State Road 28 West and pick up litter in the spring and fall every year. In 2005 we partnered with the City of Frankfort to secure financing and provide labor to construct the skateboard facility at Eastside Park.
Delegates at the 2005 Kiwanis International Convention voted to change our motto to “Serving the Children of the World” to more accurately reflect the primary focus of Kiwanis service over the previous nine decades and make a commitment for the years to come.
Through the Indiana District of Kiwanis our club has contributed thousands of dollars to Riley Hospital for Children for a variety of needs including neonatal ambulances, project to cure juvenile diabetes and a program to help get earlier diagnoses of Autism. Our club was contributed to Kiwanis International programs to eliminate Iodine Deficiency and Neonatal Tetanus worldwide. We lead the Indiana District of Kiwanis with an average contribution of $300 per member to the Eliminate Iodine Deficiency project.
Frankfort Kiwanis Club partners with and financially supports local community organizations such as the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Camp Cullom, Prairie Grass Observatory, COACH Kids, Special Olympics, FOP, Frankfort Jaycees, The Crossing School, Quinton’s House, Frankfort Little League and Boy Scouts.
The first Saturday each May we have our Pancake Breakfast to raise funds to support our partners. This was to have been our 68th consecutive breakfast making it the longest running fund raising event in Clinton County. The community support for this event is outstanding with several hundred people attending. (This year’s breakfast was canceled due to the pandemic).
Two of our club members are 4th generation Kiwanians. Eric Spencer’s Great Grandfather Will, Grandfather Walter and Father William Harvey Spencer were Frankfort Kiwanians. Matt Beardsley’s Great Grandfather Dr. Frank Sr., Grandfather Dr. Frank Jr. and Father Steve Beardsley were/are Frankfort Kiwanians. For 95 of the 100 years our club has existed there has been a Beardsley in the club! We look forward to serving the children of our community for years to come!
Kiwanis International was founded in Detroit, Michigan, January 21, 1915. The organization has grown to 550,000 members in 7,333 clubs in 80 countries worldwide. On average, members of the Kiwanis family host approximately 150,000 service projects and complete more than 19 million service hours a year. Additionally, our clubs raise more than $100 million annually to support community causes.