ASHLAND Kiwanis Club of Ashland has served community for 100 years

GREG GLASSNER Special to the Local

On Monday, March 20, the Kiwanis Club of Ashland celebrates its 100th anniversary and officially enters its second century of service to the community, renewing its mission of helping the youth of Hanover County one child at a time.

The Ashland Club was chartered in February 1923 as the 51st club in the nation by Kiwanis International, which was founded eight years earlier. The name Kiwanis derives from a Native American term meaning “We Serve,” and there are now more than 6,000 Kiwanis Clubs in 80 countries.

From the beginning, the members of Ashland Kiwanis were willing to tackle almost any challenge, be it big or small, according to Roy Mills, the club’s 99th president.

“The Club’s first major project was to raise $20,000 (about $350,000 today) to pave the road from Ashland to Solomon’s Store in what is now north Richmond. This was the forerunner of U.S. Route 1,” Mills said.

“During the 1920s, our club helped finance the purchase of two new fire trucks in Ashland. In the 1940s, the Ashland Kiwanis Club Club developed and provided financial support for the local high school band program and in 1946 we coordinated the raising of funds for the Ashland War Memorial Building,” Mills added.

“In 1947, we organized the Key Club at Patrick Henry High School, still one of three high school key clubs the Ashland club sponsors today.,” said Ed Hutchinson of Mechanicsville, chairman of the Centennial Celebration Committee. “The CKI Club at RandolphMacon College was added in 1955.”

What started out as a club of local businessmen evolved into a diverse