But for Warren’s Kiwanis Club, the focus remains the same — improving the lives of children in Warren County.

Kiwanis as a national organization was founded in 1915.

The club in Warren will celebrate 100 years today — it’s charter date is July 12, 1921.

According to a history from the Warren Club, the name “Kiwanis” was “coined from an American Indian expression, ‘Nunc Kee-wanis,’ which means, ‘We trade.’ In 1920, the motto of Kiwanis became ‘We Build.’ It remained the motto until 2005, when members voted to change it to ‘Serving the children of the world.’ In the early years, members focused on business networking but in 1919, the organization changed its focus to service — specifically service to children.”

Photo courtesy of the Kiwanis Club A photo of the Kiwanis Club advertising an event. The photo likely dates from the 1960s. The group wasn’t opened to women until the late 1980s.

Charter members included David Beaty and other notable last names from this area such as Morrison, Africa, Siggins and Grandin.

Here, that used to mean events such as minstrel shows and the Kiwanis Sport Show. Now, the most notable fundraisers for the club include the annual blood screening fundraiser as well as a spaghetti dinner held each year on election night. This year’s dinner will mark the Club’s 64th.

The group may have been restricted to men when it was founded but that’s no longer the case and the Club’s most recent meeting shows a wide range of backgrounds and ages.

Charles Merroth said he remembered when everyone used to wear a coat and tie to the Club’s luncheon events.

He has been a member since 1972 — 58 years — plus a few in the late 1950s and 1960s before he left for a time.

Photo courtesy of the Kiwanis Club Clippings and items from the 100 year history of the Kiwanis Club in Warren.

For Merroth, it took the former director of Bell Telephone who “got me to show up.”

But what’s kept him coming back for over 50 years?

“The camaraderie,” he said. “We were pretty busy.”

He still views it as a good way to get involved in the community and he believes people should get involved.

“(It’s) definitely a benefit in my mind to belong,” he said, calling it one of the easier social clubs to join. “(We) help a lot of people.”

Photo courtesy of the Kiwanis Club Clippings and items from the 100 year history of the Kiwanis Club in Warren.

The camaraderie was also why Robert Hampson joined. He’s been a member for 20 years.

“I knew a bunch of the guys and enjoyed their friendship,” he said.

The longest tenured member currently is Dave Winans at over 60 years.

While the fundraisers might be what the club is most known for, Miranda Collingwood explained they sponsor the Key Club — a service club for high school students — at both Eisenhower and Warren Area High School, a Builders Club at Beaty-Warren Middle School as well as K-Kids programming at elementary schools and the YMCA.

“My hook into Kiwanis was an invitation from my dad, Mike, when he was president of the club,” Rocco DelPrice explained. “He asked me to get involved to help with the IT side of things for our website and Facebook page. I thought it was a good way to contribute my skills to help our club help the community and make some new friends; not to mention another way to spend some time with my dad.”

He admits he didn’t know what he was getting into but he credited work with Kiwanis in helping develop speaking, organization and event planning skills that translate to other areas of life.

“We encourage people who are genuinely interested in giving back to the community in a fulfilling way to join our club,” he said. “Our biggest contributions are financial support or volunteer hours for organizations that are doing great work to improve the lives of children in Warren County.

“Community service may be viewed by some as a punishment, to us it’s very easygoing and fulfilling.”

The Warren Club also supports Second Harvest, has undertaken a Kiwanis Early Learning Project with an emphasis on helping parents prepare their children for school as well as financially supporting organizations who have a similar mission, such as the Boy Scouts, Little League, Werner Park and the Children’s Advocacy Center.

The Club is also sponsoring the Kidz Tango later this summer.