Elmira Kiwanis Club Collection, 1919-2019

Summary

Creator:
Kiwanis Club of Elmira, N.Y.
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of the Elmira Kiwanis Club.
Extent:
9 linear feet
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The Elmira Kiwanis Club Collection contains scrapbooks, 1944-2007 (inc.); photographs, 1919-2000s; newsletters, 1950s-2010s; programs, 1930s-2010s; histories, 1940s-1990s; newspaper clippings, 1919-2000s; and assorted papers.

Biographical / historical:

The first Kiwanis Club was established in Detroit, Michigan in 1915. The club’s founders, Allen S. Browne and Joseph G. Prance, envisioned Kiwanis as a service organization aimed at addressing local needs, in particular helping the economically disadvantaged. After its initial founding, numerous local branches quickly sprang up around the country, and the club now operates in seven regions around the globe. Women were first admitted to the Kiwanis Club in 1987 after having only been admitted to various auxiliary clubs previously. The club remains active in numerous charitable causes, including recent collaborations with UNICEF addressing worldwide health crises. The Elmira Kiwanis Club was founded on May 10, 1919, with ninety-eight original members and Herbert Boynton serving as its first president. Important presidents during the club’s early years included: Arthur Gruhlke (1930), who set up the “Scholarship Fund” (later the “Student Loan Fund”), a long-running program providing financial assistance for underprivileged local students; Fred Elliot (1938), who oversaw the final incorporation of the Elmira branch, giving it full legal status; and Ernest Grant (1943), who led the club in war-related fundraising efforts. The years from the 1930s to the 1960s were particularly eventful for the club. These years saw steadily rising membership, the establishment or sponsoring of numerous local auxiliary Kiwanis organizations, and significant collaborations with the Elmira YMCA, YWCA, and 4H Club. As with Kiwanis International, the Elmira Kiwanis Club admitted its first female members in 1987. The club celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary in 2019, and continues its work in support of local causes.

Acquisition information:
The items in this collection were donated to the Booth Library by the Kiwanis Club of Elmira in 2019.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The Chemung County Historical Society's research library and archives are open to the public from 1pm to 5pm, Monday through Friday. There is a $5 fee for non-members.

Location of this collection:
415 E. Water Street
Elmira, NY 14901, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
(607) 734-4167
cchs@chemungvalleymuseum.org