Chartered on August 23, 1920, the Anniston Kiwanis Club has spent decades serving the children of Anniston and Calhoun County. In those years, the club has helped organize new Kiwanis clubs in Oxford, Jacksonville, Heflin, Pell City and Centre.
During the early years, the club raised funds to create the Anniston YMCA and worked with other civic groups to organize the Community Chest program, which became part of the United Way.
The club has sponsored a Travel Log series, held a Community Radio Day and sold peanuts and pancake tickets. The funds raised have sponsored children at the Cerebral Palsy Center, supported the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs, the Salvation Army Women’s Shelter, the Boy’s and Girl’s clubs, the Anniston Library and the Anniston Museum of Natural History along with a multitude of other organizations that benefit children.
Today, our annual and ever so popular Kiwanis Pancake Day, held the first Saturday in March at the Anniston City Meeting Center, continues to draw crowds in the thousands. The event has become a social event and is our largest fundraiser. Monies raised from pancake day allow us to contribute financially to organizations in our community that benefit children.
Our annual Back to School Shopping event continues to provide children with new clothes, shoes and school supplies. To date, more than 2000 children have been helped by these shopping trips. With funds we have raised, our club assisted in creating and financially assisting the Sarrell Dental Center where children from Anniston and the surrounding communities are able to receive free dental care. This effort expanded with additional Sarrell Dental Centers opening in Heflin and Talladega. Club members participate in a local tutoring program as part of a Kiwanis initiative called RIF or Reading Is Fundamental. RIF has been instrumental in helping Anniston’s children achieve higher scores on state examines
We continue to look for ways to make our community a better place for all the children who call Anniston and the surrounding communities home. Our bike program is a recent example. With the help of contributors and volunteers, the Anniston Kiwanis club purchases bicycles for children, assembles them, then provides them, along with safety helmets to children in need at Christmas.
Consider joining our club so you can enjoy the pleasure we have felt helping children, to grow your network of business contacts, or simply for a great lunch with fun people on Thursdays at noon. There are ways to join and/or contact us to do so on this website. We hope to see you soon!
Anniston Kiwanis 