Northwest Kiwanis was founded on November 21, 1928, as the Kiwanis Club of Northwest Columbus, which remains the Club’s official name. When the Club was founded the Tri-Village was the far northwest side of Columbus, hence the name, and the club served all northwestern Franklin County – including the small villages of Dublin and Hilliard. Over time new Kiwanis Clubs have begun to serve these communities, and Northwest Kiwanis has increasingly focused on serving the Tri-Village area – Grandview Heights, Marble Cliff, and Upper Arlington.
Although the Kiwanis’ focus is to serve children and improve the world, one community and one child at a time, Northwest Kiwanis has always provided support for the larger community. This began early in the Club’s history when club members raised the funds needed for the Tri-Village’s first emergency response vehicle. This tradition has continued as the Club continues to provide support for organizations the provide services to children, families, and the elderly.
The Club also recognized early on that the need to support the education of the young men and women in its over more than 70 years the Club has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships, primarily to graduating seniors from Upper Arlington and Grandview Heights High Schools. The support for high school students was later extended to sponsoring Key Clubs – service and leadership clubs for high school students – in both the Upper Arlington and Grandview Heights High Schools.
As the needs of the Tri –Village have changed, Northwest Kiwanis has developed new ways to serve the community. In the late 1960s the club began hosting an Easter Egg Hunt for special needs children and young adults the Saturday before Easter. began hosting an Easter Egg Hunt for special needs children and young adults the Saturday before Eastern the mid 2000’s Northwest Kiwanis expanded its support for children with special needs by sponsoring Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation’s Therapeutic Recreational Camp.
In the mid-1970’s the Club created the Northwest Kiwanis Soccer Program, one of the largest continuing service projects run by any Kiwanis Club; since its creation the program over 25,000 children have participated in the program; including many who went on to play college soccer.
During the 1970’s and 1980’s the Club’s support for our community’s parks also began to be more visible and tangible – Northwest Kiwanis provided support for building the North Shelter House at Thompson Park, funded the creation of Ray Buck Park in Grandview Heights, built the shelter house at Northwest Kiwanis Park, and provided financial support construction of the Amelita Mirolo Barn, and improvements at Pierce and Wyman Woods parks in Grandview Heights. The Club’s belief in community continues with our support construction of the new Upper Arlington Community Center.
Please take a few minutes to explore our website and learn more about:
Our meetings to inspire, educate and network
Northwest Kiwanis Soccer
Our service projects
Our partnerships with schools through Builders Club, Key Club, and college scholarships.
Officers and Board Members | International Kiwanis | Ohio District Kiwanis