100th Celebration

In 2022, our Club was honored to celebrate our 100th year of existence. We were privileged to give our gift to Rock Hill’s Main Street Children’s Museum, and we commissioned our local Poet Laureate the beautiful poem below.

“Gardens”
By Angelo T. Geter, Poet Laureate of Rock Hill, SC
Commissioned for Rock Hill Kiwanis Club’s 100 year celebration (May 2022)

For over a century, Kiwanis has served thousands of Rock Hill
citizens by dedicating time and dollars to serving others.
Feeding a community through prayer and reflection.
Impacting thousands through tenacity and determination.
Building futures and breaking statistics.
Yielding seasons of innovation and progress.

Improving the world one child, one community at a time
is more than just a slogan. It is a way of life.
A mantra for those whose hearts are made of gold.
For those whose mission is more about access than accolades.
Who know that the growth of tomorrow’s world
depends on the seeds we implant in today’s soil.

For one hundred years, the Rock Hill Kiwanis club
has been a careful gardener tending to a field of young minds.
Fertilizing their brains with education to ensure
their potential will reap a bountiful harvest of hope.
These children are roots that need to be watered properly
so their dreams can be firmly planted in the ground.

We irrigate this crop of opportunity through Terrific Kids.
We tell them that character isn’t born but cultivated.
Show them that growth is possible with preparation and intention.
How excellence is the byproduct of effort and sacrifice.
We till their potential by breaking the weeds of doubt
and nurturing their tireless ambition.

We know the value of a strong village,
so we collaborate with others to make a difference.
We work with the Boys & Girls Club to reach younger generations.
We assist with the Worthy Boys & Girls Camp
to show children the weight of their value.
We plow the pathways to their future and show them
how to water their own gardens of growth.

We will continue to nurture this crop of brilliance.
Preserve a harvest of unity and love for centuries to come.