Kiwanis Club of El Centro celebrates 100 years of community impact
Lynette Niebla
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – Local leaders, community members, and volunteers gathered Thursday night to celebrate a historic milestone as the Kiwanis Club of El Centro marked its 100th anniversary.
The centennial celebration honored a century of dedicated service to the Imperial Valley since the local chapter was first chartered in 1924.
As part of an international service organization, the El Centro chapter has spent the last 100 years focused on improving the city and supporting its youngest residents.
Over its century-long history, club members have contributed millions of dollars and countless volunteer hours to local projects.
These efforts have funded community playgrounds, student scholarships, band uniforms, and numerous other resources for local children.
Courtesy: KIWANIS CLUB OF EL CENTRO
During the event, El Centro Kiwanis Club President Kurt Leptich highlighted the organization’s core mission of lifting up local youth who need help the most.
“This is for kids that can’t otherwise afford it,” Leptich said. “Obviously, we want to make sure that those kids, the underserved, the underprivileged, get the first opportunity. It’s a very positive feedback we get from the city, very positive feedback we get from the community. We had a great time of fellowship last night and a great time to remember our past.”
Dozens of community leaders and long-standing club members attended the Thursday night gathering to reflect on the club’s deep roots in the area.
Many noted that the history of El Centro is closely tied to the civic club, with several local streets, parks, and public facilities named after past Kiwanis members who dedicated their lives to public service.
As the club looks ahead to its next century, leadership emphasized that the core focus remains unchanged: Making the world better, one child and one community at a time.