History of the Kiwanis Club of Winter Haven The Kiwanis Club of Winter Haven was chartered in 1935 with 26 charter members. It grew to about 140 members in the 1970s and declined to about 60 in the early 2000s. All of the charter members are deceased. The oldest current member is Carroll Teeter, who joined in 1954. James Gray holds the second spot, having joined in 1958. Both are past presidents of the Club. As a luncheon service club, the weekly meetings give each member a chance to become better acquainted with fellow townsmen (and townswomen, who were approved for membership in the late 1970s). Programs presented at the weekly luncheons helped members to hear speakers of wide background, politics, business, education and the like. Two members became elected officials – Harry King, an attorney, to the state House of Representatives and Andy Ireland, a banker, to the national House of Representatives. Many business and professional men and women of the community are “alumni” of the club. Over the years, the Kiwanis Club of Winter Haven supported worthy causes in the community, including youth activities. It sponsors Key Clubs in three high schools of the community, which give young people opportunities to learn leadership and community service. It now sponsors a Builders Club in a leading middle school and a K-Kids club. For some years in the 50s to the 70s it operated Camp Kegan, a youth camp on a lake in Dundee. Before racial integration in the South, the club sponsored and led in the establishment of a bathing beach for black citizens in Florence Villa. In the 60s the club sponsored the Foreign Exchange Student program and was enriched when students from other countries attended the weekly meetings and told of life in their countries. As the U. S. Bicentennial approached, the club sponsored a program called “Constitution Affirmation Now” in which tiny copies of the national document were distributed in the community. Thousands of signatures were solicited for a document affirming the national charter that was later sent to Valley Forge, PA. Other projects that kept Kiwanians busy over the years included a life saving corps at the municipal beach; a youth employment project in cooperation with the Florida Employment Agency; a Layman of the Year award which gave recognition to local churches; Operation Drug Alert, which supported community efforts to decrease drug use by young people. In recent years, club members aided public health nurses extend immunization to needy children, and conduct a Reading is Fundamental program in which books are read and then given to kindergarten children. Following the death of sons of two members in a plane crash, a memorial scholarship fund was started for needy high school students. The club gave financial support to various organizations in the community, including the Boy and Girl Scouts, Haven Community Center and the Kiwanis Park. The national club’s motto at that time, “We Build,” was used by two members to motivate the club to give $500 in seed money to help a Habitat for Humanity affiliate start up in the community. In the 90s, the club and individual members contributed to a successful project of Kiwanis International that raised $91 million to eliminate iodine deficiency in the world. Our club had 20 members give $1,000 each to this project. Over the years, the Winter Haven club sponsored three new Kiwanis Clubs, including the Kiwanis Club of Dundee, all of which showed considerable promise but eventually lost steam and are on longer in existence. How was all this financed? Administration expenses of the club are derived from dues and activities during club meetings. Fund raising programs were organized and money was raised for the use of community services projects. In the 30s, annual minstrel shows attracted audiences. After WWII, a county wide youth talent show and a variety show called Kiwanis Kapers offered entertainment that attracted paying audiences. An annual Pancake Breakfast Festival was begun in the late 50s and continues to the present day as a major source of funds. For a number of years the club sponsored a travelogue that was very popular and a great fund raiser. For the past nine years the club has held an annual golf tournament. In recent years, club members have assisted in crowd control at the Cleveland Indian spring training games and Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, for which the club received remuneration. By Carrol Teeter