Edmond Kiwanis Since 1926, Building Up the Youth of the Community

By Amy Dee Stephens

Kiwanis Club is the oldest community service organization in Edmond. It was chartered in 1926, and the goal has remained the same: Build up the youth of the community. Evidence of their good work is found throughout the city, wherever kids are involved.

In 1940, the Kiwanis raised money for Edmond’s first swimming pool, and later helped open Pelican Bay. In 1953, they supported the opening of Boys Ranch Town for orphans. Kiwanis helped coordinate Safety Patrols in the elementary schools, and they sponsor the annual “Santa on a Firetruck” for foster children.

“Funds from our annual Pancake Breakfast provide food, clothing and books for needy children,” said Dan O’Neil, current president and 15-year member. “In a nutshell, we just love helping kids.”

Key Clubs and K-Closets

Kiwanis is an international organization dating back to 1919. To integrate the concepts of volunteerism for all ages, Kiwanis offers Key Club, a student-level chapter and Circle K as the college-level club. All the high schools in Edmond and Deer Creek have Key Clubs.

Dane Wiggins was active in Key Club during his high school years in Oklahoma City. “I learned about leadership and how to run projects with my friends,” Wiggins said. He followed Kiwanis into college, joining off and on during his adult years, and has been active with the Edmond chapter since 2019.

“The main thing is supporting kids that need extra help,” Wiggins said. “We run K-Closets at three of the Title 1 schools: Sunset, Ida Freeman and Orvis Risner. We supply extra clothes and snacks for the schools to keep in a closet and distribute as needed. A child might have missed breakfast, or needs a winter coat, or their clothes got wet on the way to school—so the school is ready.”

Projects with Purpose

Like Wiggins, Al Warren started his Kiwanis involvement back in high school. “I’ve always believed in giving back to the community, so going back into Kiwanis was a natural choice for me. I’ve been an Edmond member now for 18 years.”

Warren is active in distributing college scholarships to Edmond students and coordinating the annual Aiming for Miracles Sporting Clay Shoot. “Last year, we presented a $90,000 check to Children’s Miracle Network for pediatric diabetic research and care in Oklahoma hospitals,” Warren said.

O’Neil loves many Kiwanis projects, but he found his personal purpose in gathering information to complete Edmond’s veterans list. “In 1981, the Kiwanis funded the Veterans Memorial at Grace Lawn Cemetery,” O’Neil said. “In 2021, I helped update the veteran list we found in the Kiwanis time capsule. It was a lot of work, but I feel really good about honoring the people who served our country. So many of our soldiers who passed away were just kids, really, barely out of high school.”

Continuing the Kiwanis Legacy

As Kiwanis approaches its 100th anniversary in Edmond, members are determined to raise even more awareness about the community’s youth. “History shows how we’ve made a difference, and we are eager to welcome more members to help with future projects,” O’Neil said.

“If you have a servant’s heart and a service heart, Kiwanis is a great organization. A vital organization, really,” Warren said, “because we can save the world one child at a time.”

Kiwanis meet each Wednesday at noon at The Big Biscuit on Santa Fe. Visitors welcome!