Kiwanis

JOIN US!            You are INVITED to hear outstanding guest speakers sharing their views how each of us can help to improve the quality of life in Metropolitan Mobile.  

The Mobile Kiwanis Club was founded at the Kiwanis National Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1919, making it one of the oldest Kiwanis Clubs in the country.  Kiwanis became a service organization of business men at that time.  The Mobile Club met at the Battle House Hotel for many years until it closed.  It then moved to the Constantine’s Restaurant on Government Street.

I joined the club in 1979 when it was still meeting at Constantine’s.  The club was at that time finishing a $250,000 grant to the USA Medical School to fund research in childhood leukemia.  I remember the researchers reporting on a steady decline in the mortality rate for the disease as a result of the research.

The club was forced to move its meeting location again when Constantine’s closed.  The club had over 200 members at that time and there were very few places that could accommodate such a large luncheon club so we began meeting at Skyline Country Club.  Thus we were pushed away from the original downtown base.  We moved again to the Country Club of Mobile and then to the Marriott Hotel.

The Mobile Kiwanis Club has made other large contributions to Mobile.  Amounts of $50,000 each to fund the School for the Sensory Impaired and Frank Bolling Baseball League for youth were made.  Our club and other Mobile Kiwanis clubs have funded books for the Reading is Fundamental program in Mobile.

I first served our club as president in 1990 followed by two terms as Lieutenant Governor.  The Lt. Governorship caused me to become active at the state level where I ultimately became president of the District Foundation.  The Alabama District Reading is Fundamental program has been the largest in the country.  This program furnishes books to the Head Start Program, three per child, for the children to own and take home.  Our club goes to the schools to read to the children and distribute the books.

The times have changed since I joined the cub in 1979.  Business people no longer have time to take off for an hour lunch and hear a speaker.  It is more difficult to raise money for youth related projects.  Outsiders have noticed that our members have gray hair!  Our club and Kiwanis must change in order to attract younger members and contribute to our city.

Recent speakers to our club have highlighted grass root efforts to improve the quality of life in Mobile, both in terms of recreation and public safety.   Large changes are taking place in the area in the area of industry.  But Mobile does not have a true daily newspaper anymore.  TV news and internet is now the main way to stay informed. But these sources do not go into depth on the subjects.  Our club is experimenting with our meeting format in which the public will be invited. We are also developing a website as a public forum for Mobile.  This site will include speaker announcements so anyone interested can come to the meeting.  The site will welcome contributions from anyone with projects or information of interest to the community.  All content will be screened and edited to provide for objective content.  Where speakers present on controversial subjects, alternative views are invited to present all sides.  

C. Kendall Clarke, Ph.D., P.E. 

President, Mobile Kiwanis Club   

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