The Kiwanis Club of Lakewood, Dallas is the product of decades of hard work.  We've grown, moved, shifted and reorganized as our community has changed.  We began life as the Kiwanis Club of East Dallas and, while our name has changed, our commitment to serving children never has.

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Here's how the official history describes our founding on July 28, 1943:

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"The Kiwanis Club of East Dallas, born in the midst of a world-wide conflict between democracy and dictatorship, was chartered by Kiwanis International on July 28, 1943.  Hitler’s Nazi legions were holding Europe’s mainland and were hammering at the gates of Moscow. Japan controlled the western Pacific, but America’s soldiers, sailors and marines, after the debacle of Pearl harbor, were turning the tide in North Africa and the islands of the Pacific."

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That's a lot for anyone to live up to.  But in the years that followed, our club was solely responsible for the creation and development of Samuell Park by the City of Dallas, (now Samuell Grand Park) including the construction of a large community center, a swimming pool, and lighted baseball diamonds.

 

We also organized the East Dallas Branch of the Y.M.C.A., funded the purchase of a bus for transportation of its youth, and have contributed annually to its support since inception.

We conceived of, organized, and sponsored the Boys Club of East Dallas (Now the East Dallas Boys and Girls Club), funded and helped build its clubhouse and contributed annually to its budget.

We founded a local Boy Scout Troop and helped initiate and hold the first annual Circle Ten Jamboree, which was held at Tietze Park on Skillman Street.

 

The club also organized the Woodrow Wilson High School Key Club and with other Dallas Clubs hosted Kiwanis International Conventions in 1959 and 1977.

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