The Kiwanis of Arlington has served the Arlington Community for more than 90 years! We are part of a worldwide organization founded in 1915 with headquarters in Indianapolis whose mission is “to serve the children of the world, one child and one community at a time”. Some of our largest global efforts have involved eradicating iodine deficiency, saving thousands of children from mental illness. Locally, the Arlington Kiwanis donated $75,000 over three years to fund a water garden at Powhatan Springs Park where young children can observe recycling rainwater.
The Kiwanis Club of Arlington serves the children of our community and globally in a variety of ways. We support youth leadership organizations in the schools through Key Clubs at Arlington Career Center, Washington-Liberty and Yorktown High Schools. Through these youth clubs in high school, college, middle and elementary schools, we promote leadership training that supports the students’ own community service projects.
In the last five years, we have become known for our annual blueberry sales, our biggest fundraiser. The combined efforts of our fundraising, our business sponsors and our endowed Arlington Kiwanis Foundation, allow us to distribute close to $80,000 per year to some twenty youth and charitable organizations in Arlington, some examples of which are Arlington Thrive, PRS Crisis Link, Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN), Aspire! After School Learning, Arlington YMCA, Arlington 4-H, Girls on the Run, Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), National Capital Treatment & Recovery, and many others. We support athletic clubs with soccer balls and fund high school senior graduation night, give scholarships to worthy rising college freshman and fund grants to high school mothers trying to finish their education while parenting, sometimes solo, in the Terrific Parent program.
Among our service projects, we assist AFAC in bagging food supplies every second Wednesday, collect children’s books to be given gratis each child visiting the Arlington Pediatric Clinic, read to elementary students at Aspire! After-School Learning and to Randolph Elementary School children on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, assist Salvation Army ring bells for their red kettle Christmas campaign and participate in iCanShine bike program in the summer helping kids with disabilities to learn how to ride a bike. We support and chaperone the Key Club officers attending the state or district convention where they network with peers who will become future civic leaders.
We currently meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month on the Marymount University campus where we invite speakers on a wide variety of topics of interest to our Arlington members. We get updates on the General Assembly, learn about the black history museum, the Arts Center, the Audubon Society, or the value of baseball cards, how to attract pollinators to our gardens, real estate updates, all of which are a sampling of topics as well as the occasional celebrity speaker. Our lunch and fellowship are the hallmark of our club, brought together for the purpose of supporting the children, our core mission.
About Us
The Kiwanis of Arlington has served the Arlington Community for more than 90 years! We are part of a worldwide organization founded in 1915 with headquarters in Indianapolis whose mission is “to serve the children of the world, one child and one community at a time”. Some of our largest global efforts have involved eradicating iodine deficiency, saving thousands of children from mental illness. Locally, the Arlington Kiwanis donated $75,000 over three years to fund a water garden at Powhatan Springs Park where young children can observe recycling rainwater.
The Kiwanis Club of Arlington serves the children of our community and globally in a variety of ways. We support youth leadership organizations in the schools through Key Clubs at Arlington Career Center, Washington-Liberty and Yorktown High Schools. Through these youth clubs in high school, college, middle and elementary schools, we promote leadership training that supports the students’ own community service projects.
In the last five years, we have become known for our annual blueberry sales, our biggest fundraiser. The combined efforts of our fundraising, our business sponsors and our endowed Arlington Kiwanis Foundation, allow us to distribute close to $80,000 per year to some twenty youth and charitable organizations in Arlington, some examples of which are Arlington Thrive, PRS Crisis Link, Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN), Aspire! After School Learning, Arlington YMCA, Arlington 4-H, Girls on the Run, Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), National Capital Treatment & Recovery, and many others. We support athletic clubs with soccer balls and fund high school senior graduation night, give scholarships to worthy rising college freshman and fund grants to high school mothers trying to finish their education while parenting, sometimes solo, in the Terrific Parent program.
Among our service projects, we assist AFAC in bagging food supplies every second Wednesday, collect children’s books to be given gratis each child visiting the Arlington Pediatric Clinic, read to elementary students at Aspire! After-School Learning and to Randolph Elementary School children on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, assist Salvation Army ring bells for their red kettle Christmas campaign and participate in iCanShine bike program in the summer helping kids with disabilities to learn how to ride a bike. We support and chaperone the Key Club officers attending the state or district convention where they network with peers who will become future civic leaders.
We currently meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month on the Marymount University campus where we invite speakers on a wide variety of topics of interest to our Arlington members. We get updates on the General Assembly, learn about the black history museum, the Arts Center, the Audubon Society, or the value of baseball cards, how to attract pollinators to our gardens, real estate updates, all of which are a sampling of topics as well as the occasional celebrity speaker. Our lunch and fellowship are the hallmark of our club, brought together for the purpose of supporting the children, our core mission.
OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
President: Gregory Craddock, D.O.
President-Elect: Linda Chandler
Secretary: Patrick Keough
Treasurer: Julia Wright
Past President: Mary Anthony
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Virginia Geoffrey
Ted Kramer
Gay Mount
Patrick Hope
Katie Clister
Paul Melnick
Joy Myers
OTHER KIWANIS WEBSITES
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL
KIWANIS SERVICE LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS (SLP)
Circle K International College & University Service Leadership Organization
Key Club International High School Service Leadership Organization
Builders Club Middle & Junior High School Service Leadership Program
Kiwanis Kids Elementary School Program