Kiwanis Club turns 100

“I look pretty good for my age,” Steven Katz, president of the Seaford Kiwanis Club, joked as he sat down to talk about the 100th anniversary of the international service organization.

Neither Katz, nor Seaford Kiwanis, is 100 years old, as the local chapter is still in its infancy. But as Kiwanis chapters all across the country prepare to celebrate the milestone, the Wantagh club will mark its 60th year.

Kiwanis was founded in 1915 in Detroit, and has evolved into an international organization focused on helping youth. There are plenty of examples of service in the local communities, from a school supply drive last summer in Seaford to contributions for a new playground at Wantagh’s Mandalay Elementary School.

Ann Torcivia, a past lieutenant governor of the Kiwanis South Central region on Long Island, and an active member of the Seaford and Bethpage clubs, said the organization does so much good all over the world, and that starts with service in the local communities.

“It just shows that there’s a lot of people who want to give and help children,” Torcivia said of Kiwanis turning 100. “It’s withstood the test of time.”

Heidi Felix, president of the Wantagh Kiwanis Club, said that any organization dedicated to helping children is going to be successful. “Kiwanis, not only has it been around 100 years, but it is an incredible organization,” she said.

Both the Wantagh and Seaford chapters have had their ups and downs. While Wantagh Kiwanis is six decades old, it came close to folding at least twice, explained Chris Brown, who has twice been the president of the local chapter and is a past lieutenant governor. He said that when he took over a few years ago, the club was down to five members and almost out of money. Today it has 55 members.

Felix said she is less concerned about numbers and more interested in having active members. She wants people who embrace the value system of Kiwanis, and said that is reflected in the current membership.