Grosse Ile Kiwanis Club

Kiwanis is a worldwide service organization for individuals desiring personal involvement in the leadership and improvement of their communities. As a group, we can achieve what individuals cannot do alone. Thus our motto and the cornerstone of Kiwanis – "We Build."

The Objectives of Kiwanis International and this Club are:

• To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life.
• To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.
• To promote the adoption and application of higher social, business, and professional standards.
• To develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.
• To provide, through this club, a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service, and to build a better community.
• To cooperate in creating, and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which make possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism, and goodwill.

The Kiwanis Story

• Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan, January 21, 1915.
• The name "Kiwanis" was derived from an Indian term "Nun Keewanis" which roughly means self-expression.
• In 1916 Kiwanis entered Canada, thus becoming international.
• In 1962 Kiwanis moved into Mexico breaking its long-standing tradition of serving only in the U.S. and Canada.
• In 1996 – there are more than 300,000 Kiwanians, in more than 8,000 clubs in more than 71 countries.
• Kiwanis is part of a twentieth-century phenomenon. The "Service Club Movement," is "one of North America’s most important contributions to the life of our times."

Today, the service club movement is bigger, better accepted, and more desired than ever before in its history. Volunteerism is the core of the service club movement and a mainstay of improving our communities as places to live, raise children, and enjoy life.

Community Support Activities

• Annually present two, two-hundred and fifty dollar Citizenship Service Awards and commemorative plaques to graduating seniors.
• Annually orgaine, fund, and conduct an island-wide clean-up.
• Sponsor a Key Club at Grosse Ile High School, which includes financial support and one Kiwanian, Cub and Committee Chairman, attending the weekly meeting of the Key Club.
• Sponsor a Builders Club at Grosse Ile Middle School which includes financial support and involvement of a Kiwanian in club activities.
• Participate, as Kiwanians, in the Christmas bell ringing activity for the Salvation Army.
• Contribute to the fund raising efforts of the Downriver Guidance Clinic with financial support and with volunteers before, during, and after their TV and live auctions. The DGC is a private, non-profit community based agency whose primary mission is to provide affordable quality mental health and substance abuse counseling, to children, adults, and families who reside Downriver and who are struggling with problems of daily living.
• Contribute to the Information Center, Inc., a family resource place whose primary mission includes assisting people find information and helping them obtain assistance when confronted by life’s challenges.
• Contribute to the Kiwanis of Michigan Foundation, which helps children patients at three hospitals in Michigan (C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital-Ann Arbor, Mary Free Bed Hospital-Grand Rapids; Norhtern Michigan Hospitals-Petosky). The primary use of the funds is to make hospital stays for children more pleasant, by providing facilities and facilitators directed specifically to cheer the young patients.
• Contribute to the financial support of the Annual Christmas Party for the trainable, mentally, and physically impaired students at Madison School in Wyandotte. (185 children from 16 Downriver communities). [1996 Stats].
• Contribute to the support of the Grosse Ile Youth Recreation Association (GIYRA).
• Contribute to the Grosse Ile High School Band Boosters.
• Contribute financial support and volunteers to enhance the beautification of Grosse Ile.
• Sponsor, administer and update the Grosse Ile Community Activities Calendar. The calendar is available at the Township Office for review and reference.

Related Items:

Clubs and Organizations