A service club that is approaching a century in the community is changing its name and expanding its reach.
The Kiwanis Club of Mount Gilead has formally changed its name to The Kiwanis Club of Morrow County.
“We wanted to expand and be more inclusive in the entire county,” said club President Deanna Brant.
“A lot of our focus has been and will continue to be in Mount Gilead, but not exclusively. We want more members and be able to make a greater impact in every corner of Morrow County.”
This club was chartered on Sept. 20, 1922.
“Our club had some time during the Covid pandemic to sit back and assess what we do. We decided to meet in various places around the county, from Edison to Cardington, Chesterville and the Marengo/Fargo area,” Brant said.
During that time the club met at Mount Gilead State Park several times and in other villages for lunch.
The club gained several members from this outreach effort, club secretary Deb Levering said. It has 26 members.
The 7th annual golf outing was held in Sunbury last month and raised more than $3,150 toward high school students’ scholarships and other programs.
The club’s focus is to help Morrow County children.
“Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time,” according to Kiwanis International’s mission statement.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library/Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library is another program sponsored by Kiwanis.
“We currently have 807 children enrolled in the DPIL/OGIL program and have ‘graduated’ 432 when they turned 5,” Levering said.
The club began sponsoring the program in Morrow County in September 2010.
“The club has been a backbone of this community for a long time and we will continue to do that,” Brant said. “Our mission is the same, but we are branching out and want to serve more residents and their children in all of Morrow County.”
The Kiwanis Club of Morrow County welcomes new members. Contact membership chair Anthony Conchel at [email protected] or go to the club’s Facebook page and send a message.
