October 2021: Induction ceremony for our officers and re-induction of our club members.
The organizational efforts for the Pottstown Kiwanis Club began on January 28, 1923, under the leadership of the Kiwanis Club of Reading. On April 17, 1923, temporary officers were elected, and on August 21, 1923, forty-eight new members gathered at the Pottstown YMCA to mark the beginning of a proud tradition that has now spanned seventy-five years. The official club charter was received on November 13, 1923.
Since those early days, the club has sought to exemplify the objects of Kiwanis by giving primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than material values, and has continually sought to build a better community. Support in the form of financial gifts and service time has been ongoing in children and youth, local schools, local government, libraries, hospitals, health services, social service agencies, and religious and spiritual activities.
One of the earliest programs involved raising$ 100,000 and developing a recreational area adjacent to the Manatawny Creek. That area was named Memorial Park and remains a focal point for local recreational activities. Other projects have included collecting newspapers during WW II, collecting and burning Christmas trees and greens following the year-end holidays, and assisting with local Health Fairs. We also assisted with the construction of a shelter at the YMCA Day Camp, and have more recently adopted the Riverfront Park near the Schuylkill River for regular cleanup and maintenance. We have provided financial support to numerous local social service agencies, including $2,000 to refurbish the YWCA gymnasium, over $3,000 to establish a computer in the Pottstown Library for use by children, $5,000 to assist with air conditioning the Pottstown Senior Center, and $5,000 to establish the Pottstown Paramedic Program.
We have worked closely with Pottstown Police and also the local school districts to support programs that give our community and young people a better chance at success. These programs have included $2,800 to establish Pottstown Against Controlled Substances (PACS) in the Pottstown School District. Also, $600 to buy bulletproof vests and over $1,500 to buy bicycles for use by our local officers. Included in these efforts were funds for band uniforms, field trips, and training programs that reached all of the local schools.
The Kiwanis Club of Pottstown was chartered in August 1923. One of its founding members was the late E. Gebhart Zoellers, above, who Kiwanians joined in 1992 to observe his 104th birthday.
We have also been active in support of the Salvation Army with annual bell ringing, the Pottstown Cluster of Churches with regular donations to their programs, the Chaplains Program at PMMC, and the local program to feed the underprivileged. We have supported the Mental Health Clinic, Special Olympics, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Pottstown Symphony Orchestra, Visiting Nurses Association, and a number of national agencies for health concerns.
We have always been active in support of children and families. We have provided financial support for a van that brings expectant mothers to prenatal visits, have provided infant scales for use by the hospital and visiting nurses, and have provided home safety sup-plies through Montgomery County. We have sponsored a Boy Scout Troop at Bethany Center and a local Explorer Post, plus provided financial support for local Girl Scout Activities. We regularly sponsor Little League, Babe Ruth, and Softball Teams, plus financially support the Police Athletic League programs in football and basketball. We have sponsored the annual Easter Egg Hunt, held electric train races at the former Northern Junior High School, held push mobile races on High Street, assisted with the State Street Soap Box Derby, and other youth events.
Our major support of young people centers on our work with the local schools in establishing Kiwanis-sponsored youth programs. We currently have active Key Clubs in Pottstown, Pottsgrove, Daniel Boone, and Owen J. Roberts High Schools, and Builders Clubs in Pottstown and Owen J. Roberts. We are also forming a Kiwanis Kids Club in the North Coventry Elementary School. In addition to these clubs, we provide annual awards. to high school seniors at each of these schools for excellence in the vocation arts, and recognize an exceptional English Literature student at Pottstown High School. Through our Pottstown Kiwanis Foundation, we are now offering annual scholarships to graduating seniors who have an excellent record of service in their schools and the community.
In order to fund these programs, we have held numerous fundraising activities over the years. In the early years, we had the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies play locally. We also held carnivals, road shows, minstrel shows, and donkey baseball and basketball games. We have held Scrap Drives, Pancake Breakfasts, Spaghetti Dinners, Auctions, Merchandise Clubs, Fruit Sales, and the annual Kiwanis Kids Day Peanut Sale. In the past five years, we have raised $80,000 through these efforts, and have turned around and provided over $85,000 back to the community.
We have a proud Kiwanis history as well. We helped support the Phoenixville Kiwanis Club, the West Chester Kiwanis Club, the Boyertown Kiwanis Club, the Exton-Lionville Kiwanis Club, and the Lower Perkiomen Kiwanis Club. We have also provided eleven Lieutenant Governors for the Division and one District Treasurer and one District Governor.
We look forward to many more successful years of service to our community!
The Kiwanis Mission & Vision
Kiwanis empowers communities to improve the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children. Kiwanis strives to 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 Kiwanis club fulfills the Kiwanis mission by serving our community through Kiwanis Community Service Projects
Kiwanis Service
Service is at the heart of every Kiwanis club, no matter where in the world it’s located. Members stage approximately 150,000 service projects and raise nearly US$100 million every year for communities, families, and projects. By working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone.
Our Kiwanis club focuses on changing the world by serving children, one child in our community at a time. To reach more people and have a greater service impact on their communities, many clubs sponsor a Kiwanis family club — K-Kids for primary school children; Builders Clubs for adolescents; Key Clubs for teens; Circle K clubs for university students and Aktion Clubs for adults living with disabilities.
Are you ready to help create communities that let all children thrive, prosper and grow? It’s pretty easy to do! Simply contact us with your questions and apply for a Kiwanis club membership here.
The kids in your community and the world are counting on you!
About our Kiwanis club
The organizational efforts for the Pottstown Kiwanis Club began on January 28, 1923, under the leadership of the Kiwanis Club of Reading. On April 17, 1923, temporary officers were elected, and on August 21, 1923, forty-eight new members gathered at the Pottstown YMCA to mark the beginning of a proud tradition that has now spanned seventy-five years. The official club charter was received on November 13, 1923.
Since those early days, the club has sought to exemplify the objects of Kiwanis by giving primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than material values, and has continually sought to build a better community. Support in the form of financial gifts and service time has been ongoing in children and youth, local schools, local government, libraries, hospitals, health services, social service agencies, and religious and spiritual activities.
One of the earliest programs involved raising$ 100,000 and developing a recreational area adjacent to the Manatawny Creek. That area was named Memorial Park and remains a focal point for local recreational activities. Other projects have included collecting newspapers during WW II, collecting and burning Christmas trees and greens following the year-end holidays, and assisting with local Health Fairs. We also assisted with the construction of a shelter at the YMCA Day Camp, and have more recently adopted the Riverfront Park near the Schuylkill River for regular cleanup and maintenance. We have provided financial support to numerous local social service agencies, including $2,000 to refurbish the YWCA gymnasium, over $3,000 to establish a computer in the Pottstown Library for use by children, $5,000 to assist with air conditioning the Pottstown Senior Center, and $5,000 to establish the Pottstown Paramedic Program.
We have worked closely with Pottstown Police and also the local school districts to support programs that give our community and young people a better chance at success. These programs have included $2,800 to establish Pottstown Against Controlled Substances (PACS) in the Pottstown School District. Also, $600 to buy bulletproof vests and over $1,500 to buy bicycles for use by our local officers. Included in these efforts were funds for band uniforms, field trips, and training programs that reached all of the local schools.
The Kiwanis Club of Pottstown was chartered in August 1923. One of its founding members was the late E. Gebhart Zoellers, above, who Kiwanians joined in 1992 to observe his 104th birthday.
We have also been active in support of the Salvation Army with annual bell ringing, the Pottstown Cluster of Churches with regular donations to their programs, the Chaplains Program at PMMC, and the local program to feed the underprivileged. We have supported the Mental Health Clinic, Special Olympics, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Pottstown Symphony Orchestra, Visiting Nurses Association, and a number of national agencies for health concerns.
We have always been active in support of children and families. We have provided financial support for a van that brings expectant mothers to prenatal visits, have provided infant scales for use by the hospital and visiting nurses, and have provided home safety sup-plies through Montgomery County.
We have sponsored a Boy Scout Troop at Bethany Center and a local Explorer Post, plus provided financial support for local Girl Scout Activities. We regularly sponsor Little League, Babe Ruth, and Softball Teams, plus financially support the Police Athletic League programs in football and basketball. We have sponsored the annual Easter Egg Hunt, held electric train races at the former Northern Junior High School, held push mobile races on High Street, assisted with the State Street Soap Box Derby, and other youth events.
Our major support of young people centers on our work with the local schools in establishing Kiwanis-sponsored youth programs. We currently have active Key Clubs in Pottstown, Pottsgrove, Daniel Boone, and Owen J. Roberts High Schools, and Builders Clubs in Pottstown and Owen J. Roberts. We are also forming a Kiwanis Kids Club in the North Coventry Elementary School. In addition to these clubs, we provide annual awards. to high school seniors at each of these schools for excellence in the vocation arts, and recognize an exceptional English Literature student at Pottstown High School. Through our Pottstown Kiwanis Foundation, we are now offering annual scholarships to graduating seniors who have an excellent record of service in their schools and the community.
In order to fund these programs, we have held numerous fundraising activities over the years. In the early years, we had the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies play locally. We also held carnivals, road shows, minstrel shows, and donkey baseball and basketball games. We have held Scrap Drives, Pancake Breakfasts, Spaghetti Dinners, Auctions, Merchandise Clubs, Fruit Sales, and the annual Kiwanis Kids Day Peanut Sale. In the past five years, we have raised $80,000 through these efforts, and have turned around and provided over $85,000 back to the community.
We have a proud Kiwanis history as well. We helped support the Phoenixville Kiwanis Club, the West Chester Kiwanis Club, the Boyertown Kiwanis Club, the Exton-Lionville Kiwanis Club, and the Lower Perkiomen Kiwanis Club. We have also provided eleven Lieutenant Governors for the Division and one District Treasurer and one District Governor.
We look forward to many more successful years of service to our community!
The Kiwanis Mission & Vision
Kiwanis empowers communities to improve the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children. Kiwanis strives to 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 Kiwanis club fulfills the Kiwanis mission by serving our community through Kiwanis Community Service Projects
Kiwanis Service
Service is at the heart of every Kiwanis club, no matter where in the world it’s located. Members stage approximately 150,000 service projects and raise nearly US$100 million every year for communities, families, and projects. By working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone.
Our Kiwanis club focuses on changing the world by serving children, one child in our community at a time. To reach more people and have a greater service impact on their communities, many clubs sponsor a Kiwanis family club — K-Kids for primary school children; Builders Clubs for adolescents; Key Clubs for teens; Circle K clubs for university students and Aktion Clubs for adults living with disabilities.
Join Us
Our Kiwanis club fulfills the Kiwanis mission by serving our community through Kiwanis Community Service Projects.
Are you ready to help create communities that let all children thrive, prosper and grow? It’s pretty easy to do! Simply contact us with your questions and apply for a Kiwanis club membership here.
The kids in your community and the world are counting on you!