This site is for the Kiwanis Club of Dalton, Georgia.  We are a member organization of Kiwanis International.  For more information about Kiwanis International, please visit their site.

What is Kiwanis?

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Youth organizations that we help

All of the money raised by our club stays in our community.  

The local organizations we have recently helped are:

Area Key Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs of Whitfield County; Creative Arts Guild;  Dalton/Murray/Whitfield Teen Maze; D.A.R.E.; Family Support Council, Inc.; Junior Achievement of Georgia, Inc.; NWGA Council Scouting America; PAGE/STAR; Sharing is Caring Community Christmas; United Way of NWGA

Kiwanis also sponsors the STAR Student and STAR Teacher program, the local D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program,  coaches luncheons for area high school soccer and football coaches (jointly with Rotary).  We also help with Scouting for Food, the Little Free Libraries, the Avenue of Flags, Grateful Dalton and we have five area high school Key Clubs to which we provides scholarships to deserving young people each year. 

Click here to make a donation and help us help our area youth!

Activities

The Kiwanis Club of Dalton meets each Monday at noon at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton. Our mission is to empower our area youth to accomplish greater things in life. Through our fundraising, we help a variety of local, youth-oriented charitable organizations.  We are always looking for people who truly care about our community to join our club.

If you would like to know more, click on Contact and give one of the officers a call. If you are interested in joining the club or being a guest, visit Join. We would love for you to consider becoming a Kiwanian.

While we have a number of fundraising events, we usually have one main fundraiser each year, the annual Pancake Day which occurs the first Saturday in November.

Pancake Day

Pancake Day is the Dalton Club's major fund-raising project and is usually held the first Saturday in November.  The project has been carried on since 1960 (except 2020) and is a traditional community event.  Thousands of guests take part in Kiwanis Pancake Day each year enjoying all-you-care-to-eat pancakes and sausage. For many years, it was under a big tent on Dalton Green (North of the Courthouse). COVID brought an end to that model as the costs of the tent became unmanageable.  For several years, it has been held at the Creative Arts Guild.  We hope to return to Dalton Green when a permanent pavilion can be built there.

Other Fundraisers

Other fundraisers we may conduct include raffles in the Spring, a Peach Sale (in collabortation with the area Key Clubs) in the early Summer, a Kayak Race in late Summer and Christmas Ornament Sales around the Holidays.  We're also considering a Disc Golf Tournament around September and a sponsored Concert around May.

Purpose

Our Mission:

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time. 

Our vision:

Kiwanis will be a positive influence in communities worldwide — so that one day, all children will wake up in communities that believe in them, nurture them and provide the support they need to thrive.

Our motto:

Serving the children of the world

Our Causes (how we focus our activities):

• Literacy & Education

• Health & Nutrition

• Youth Leadership Development

Our Objects :

1. To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life.

2. To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.

3. To promote the adoption and the application of higher social, business, and professional standards.

4. To develop by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.

5. To provide through Kiwanis clubs, a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service, and to build better communities.

6. To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which make possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism, and goodwill.

History

The first Kiwanis club was founded in Detroit, Michigan, on January 21, 1915. On November 1, 1916, the first Canadian club was organized in Hamilton, Ontario. That same year, the name "Kiwanis Club" was adopted at a meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. Eight years later the name was changed to "Kiwanis International" and the six Constitutional Objects and the present Constitution and Bylaws were adopted.

Where did the name originate?

The name "Kiwanis" was adapted from the expression "Nunc Kee-wanis" in the Otchipwe (Native American) language, meaning "We have a good time," "We make a noise," or, under another construction, "We trade or advertise." It was shortened and modified to become "Kiwanis".

Kiwanis Clubs around the world

Kiwanis grew simultaneously in the United States and Canada for almost a half century before the decision was made in 1961 to expand into other nations of the world. Clubs were formed in 1962 in Mexico and the Bahamas. Since then, Kiwanis has extended to the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South American and the lands between. Additional nations continue to join the Kiwanis International family as hundreds of clubs are organized each year on a worldwide basis.

Kiwanis Club of Dalton

The Kiwanis Club of Dalton was chartered by Kiwanis International on August 24, 1953, as Club Number 4028. The club was co-sponsored by the Kiwanis Clubs of Marietta and Rome. Mr. Homer Winkle was Charter President, Dr. Earl McGhee was Charter Vice-President and Mr. Malcolm Murray was Charter Secretary.

Dalton is part of the Georgia District of Kiwanis International and a member club of the Eleventh Division of the District. Other clubs of the Division include Cartersville, Gordon County, Murray County, Ringgold and Rome.

Document Links

Club Bylaws