About Our Club

History of Our Club

 Starting as the Sunrise Kiwanis Club of Delray Beach, the club held its first organizational meeting on June 20, 1973.  The first program was given by Matthew Mitchell and Jack Moore on June 22, 1973, entitled “Your Police Department”.  We officially received our charter on July 11, 1973. The first charter night celebration and installation of officers was held on September 28, 1973. In 2015, The Delray Beach Noon-Time club, originally chartered on September 30, 1925, disbanded. As the only Kiwanis club now in Delray Beach, on October 1, 2017 we officially changed the club’s name to Kiwanis Club of Delray Beach, dropping the name “Sunrise”.

The club was incorporated as a Florida non-profit organization on April 10, 1974. The Kiwanis Club of Delray Beach – Sunrise Foundation was incorporated on August 11, 1997.

Over the years we have had the pleasure of having several Mayors/Commissioners of Delray Beach as members and President:  Tom Lynch and David Randolph (still a member), who were also charter members; Jerry Taylor, who also became Mayor of Boynton Beach; and Jay Alperin, who became a member in November of 1973 and is still a member of our Club.

The Club inducted the first female member in South Palm Beach County, Mary McCarty.  We are honored to also have a past Distinguished Lieutenant Governor in our membership, Scott Youngberg. Another member, Joel Davidson, who joined our club in 2021, earned the Outstanding Lt. Governor of the Year award in 2014, while a member of the Tamarac Club. Pam Davidson also served as Lt. Governor while a member of the Tamarac Club, and as Lt. Governor in our Division for two years.

Our first fundraising and Service activities began in the years 1974 through 1976.  Service Programs and fundraising included:  Christmas tree sales, soap box derby, skateboard competitions, construction of playgrounds at Spady Elementary, a co-sponsored Christmas party at a nursing home, a Christmas party where Santa arrived by way of helicopter, a Summer Beach Festival, and the first T-ball league in Delray Beach formed, sponsored and umpired by our Club. 

Who We Are
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 helps kids around the world. Our Kiwanis club looks out for our community and the Kiwanis international organization takes on large-scale challenges, such as fighting disease and poverty. Our Kiwanis club is generous with its time. We are creative with our ideas. We are passionate about making a difference. And we have fun along the way!

For more than a century, Kiwanis has created opportunities for children to be curious, safe, and healthy regardless of the community in which they live. When you give a child the chance to learn, experience, dream, grow, succeed, and thrive, great things can happen.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
   At Kiwanis, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change. We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, color, disability, learning style, religion, faith, socioeconomic status, culture, marital status, languages spoken, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as differences in ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.

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.

Discover What We’re All About – Join Us!

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!