A longtime Issaquah resident just turned 80, but retirement, golf courses and Florida aren’t anywhere in its future.
Instead, the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah will keep pushing forward with its strong history of service and supporting the community.
Although the official date of the anniversary is not until Aug. 15, the club celebrated its 80th anniversary on April 25 with a community auction at the Hilton Garden Inn to raise money for the local groups and organizations it supports.
“It was just a lot of fun,” said club president Judy Rogers. “Attendance was great, people had a good time, and the auction was really successful.”
One-hundred and twenty-six people filled the 130-maximum capacity room for the auction, which boasted everything from small trinkets to cruises to an adult-sized tricycle.
All items were donated by local groups or community members.
There were 212 items to bid on in total, and some of the most popular sparked a bidding war between attendees, Rogers said — Mariner’s memorabilia, the tricycle and a yard art turtle made out of an old army helmet were some of the most sought-after prizes.
The auction also includes an annual Fund-an-Item partner who people simply choose to donate money to.
This year’s partner was Eastside Baby Corner, and after a video presentation detailing everything the group does, auctioneers collected about $16,000 for the group.
“People were just so generous,” Rogers said. “The community support was outstanding, especially during a year like this.”
In total, the auction raised about $55,000 for donations.
But it’s more than an annual auction that gives Kiwanis an honored place in the community.
The Issaquah chapter of the national service organization was founded in 1929, and began putting together programs for the poor just as the country entered the Great Depression.
And while the Kiwanis Club reaches out to everyone in the community, the main focus is children, Rogers said.
In that vein, an early food bank, or “bread basket program,” was founded, along with hot lunch programs at local schools, said club historian Dan Anderson.
The club also put together a program that provided dental or medical care to poor school children.
In 1934, Kiwanis hit another landmark when it admitted its first woman — ahead of the national organization, which “didn’t know about that,” Anderson said.
The group also made a mark on the community when it transformed Gibson Hall from an outdoor picnic shelter into an enclosed building, built a memorial field with bleachers, and established a senior center.
The club also got involved with the World War II effort by shutting down all businesses and schools for a day to collect scrap metal, Anderson said.
The club ran a Labor Day parade before Salmon Days took over and has had a hand in the Farmer’s Market, an annual Salmon barbecue, and the founding of AtWork!.
“What gets a lot of members involved, is you see some really satisfying service projects come through,” Anderson said.
“And it’s great to join a team of people with like interests, who will be just as invested in the projects as you.”
The group currently has about 85 members, who meet every Wednesday at Gibson Hall.
They’re always looking for “new blood,” Anderson said, and welcome guests to their meetings and try to draw people in from every age range.
“Every community needs an organization that is interested in making their neighborhood a better place,” Rogers said. “We do it in a social, fun setting and get to help people at the same time. It’s just great.”
The Reporter congratulates Kiwanis on 80 years of generous contributions to the Issaquah community. For more information on the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah,
go to www.issaquah.kiwanis.org.
Kiwanis in America
• Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan, on January 21, 1915. In the early years, Kiwanis clubs focused on business networking. By 1919, the organization had changed its focus from business to service. Kiwanis became international in 1916 with the fouding a club of Hamilton, Ontario.
