Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs

Club History
Kiwanis was founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan; it became an international organization the following year with the creation of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario.  Today there are over 8,000 Kiwanis clubs in 80 nations.  The Indian phrase “Nun Kee-wan-is” was adapted as the name.  The phrase means something like “We Trade,” and in its early years, the focus of Kiwanis was on business networking.  But in 1920, the organization changed its focus to community service with the motto “We Build.”  In 2005, the motto was changed to “Serving the Children of the World.”

The Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs began in December of 1959 when 13 men (Kiwanis was opened to women in 1987) signed a petition to form a club. Its territory was Berne, Knox, and Westerlo, and the sponsoring Kiwanis Club was New Scotland. The group held several meetings and became officially chartered on May 20, 1960 at the Foxenkill Grange.

 W. L. “Bob” Deats was the first president.  Meetings were initially held at the Berne Hotel, but in 1965 they were moved to Highland Farms Restaurant in Knox, and then to other Hilltown restaurants as circumstances required.

Kiwanis clubs decide for themselves what projects to do in their community, based on their own community's needs and their members' interests. Service to children is a primary focus in Kiwanis.  In 1961, one of our earliest projects was teaching children how to raise poultry; 8 youths participated.

 Also in 1961, and for over 40 years, we participated in the Fresh Air Fund, giving children from NY City a vacation in the Hilltowns.  In the 1970’s we ran the Skiwanis Club, organizing ski trips and even building a ski-slope and rope-tow in Knox.  In 1990 we built the Little League ball field in Knox, and we continue to support Little League.  Starting in 2002 we began to help less fortunate children and families through the Hilltown Community Resource Center, providing Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, sorting donated clothes for Seniors, and providing backpacks with supplies for children returning to school.  In 2013 we began providing toy stuffed animals for the Altamont Rescue Squad.

Another way to help children in our community is to encourage leadership and service among youth. In pursuit of that goal, Kiwanis International sponsors about 7,000 youth service clubs:  Builders Clubs, Key Clubs, Circle K and more.  We formed the Key Club at BKW High School in March, 1966; we continue to assist them with their projects and involve them in our projects.  And we had a middle-school Builders Club for many years.  Other projects to benefit the BKW school system included donating calculators for students, donating $800 for construction of the BKW track, and providing awards for graduating seniors. We also undertake projects to benefit the entire Hilltown community.  In 1968 we were asked to run the Hilltown Memorial Day Parade in Berne; we continue to do that and at the same time honor Goldstar Mothers.  In 1979 we designed and built the “Welcome” sign at the top of the Rt.156 hill, welcoming visitors to “Knox – Gateway to the Helderberg Hilltowns.”  In 1981 we recognized Dr. Margery Smith with a Banquet.  We had our 1st Annual Green-up Day in 1991; soon after that, we adopted Joslyn Schoolhouse Road and a section of Route 156 (from the east Knox Town line to Pleasant Valley Road) as the focus of our continuing highway clean-up efforts.  In 1998 the Club donated $1000 to the Albany County Rural Housing Alliance for low-income home repair.  And between 2003 and 2009, under the guidance of the owner, NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, we restored a one-room schoolhouse (Knox School #5) on Ketcham Road; in 2005, Parks had the building put on the National Register of Historic Places.  Because of the work of Club members and members of the Hilltown communities, restoration of the schoolhouse cost only $1,605 which we raised from local industry and a community supper at Camp Pinnacle.   In 2015 the Club donated $350 to Emma’s Incredibles, a BKW student’s effort to support Lymphedema education and research.

The Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs holds several fundraisers to support its efforts in the community.  Beginning in 1961 the Club began holding its annual Pancake Supper (sometimes a breakfast, brunch or lunch) at the Knox Fire Hall.  Another on-going fundraiser, begun in 1993, is the sale of Bluebird Nesting Boxes.  

In 1976 we ran a Bicentennial Beard Contest; for a number of years we sponsored a Bowl-a-thon; and we even had a Warner’s Lake Barrel Sink Contest one year; (when will the ice melt so that the barrel will sink). 

Who We Are

Although Kiwanis clubs decide for themselves what projects to do in their community, in some cases, clubs in a geographic region (a "Division" or "District") may take on a project of shared interest, such as our Division’s “Bells of Life” fundraising project for the Albany Medical Center’s Pediatric Trauma Unit.  

Also, beginning in about 2002, Kiwanis International initiated a project in coordination with UNICEF; local clubs and members contributed more than $80 million toward the global elimination of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD).  

Beginning in 2010 Kiwanis International once again joined with UNICEF to launch a new worldwide health initiative, dedicated to wiping out Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT). 



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