The Kiwanis Club of San Marcos was chartered on May 24, 1976 by our neighbor club, Lake San
Marcos Kiwanis. We are one of 19 clubs in North San Diego County belonging to Division 37 of the CAL-NEV-HA
District of Kiwanis International.
The Kiwanis Club of San Marcos is a snapshot of our community. The men and women in our club range
in age from 18 to 70+ years and are residents or business people from all walks of life. This diversity is unified by
the belief that our children, our seniors, and our community benefit from the efforts of a dedicated group of caring and involved
volunteers. We are a "hands-on" club whose members enjoy the tremendous
satisfaction of knowing we are making a positive difference in our community every day! While our focus is our local
community, we also participate in international projects with other Kiwanis clubs.
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Our Friday morning meetings are held from
7:15 am to 8:30 am, at Pat & Oscar's Restaurant in the Grand Plaza Center at 137 S.
Los Posas Rd. Suite 153 in San Marcos. We enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast during the meeting.
For those who cannot attend on Friday mornings, we also meet the last Thursday of the month at 6:00
pm - instead of Friday morning. Thursday evening meetings are held at The Old Spaghetti
Factory located at 111 N Twin Oaks Valley Rd. Dinner is your choice of three entrees
selected by the club for our members and guests.
Most meetings have a special Guest Speaker, who represents
a program of special interest to our members.
Members are updated each week on upcoming club activities and events. All members are
encouraged to contribute new ideas for projects and community service. Our meetings offer fun, fellowship, and the opportunity
to broaden each member's circle of business and social friends. |
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Charter Members
Wes Rhine, Dick Crockett and Al Schick
President Rick Barthel presents Dennis Hoehn with his 30 year Legion of Honor award.
President Rick Barthel presents Wes Rhine with his 25 year Legion of Honor Award
President Steve Wheeler (left) Lieutenant Governor Chuck Barlow, and Charter Member Wes Rhine present John Smylie
with his 25 year Legion of Honor award.
Legion of Honor awardees John Smylie (left), Wes Rhine, and Dennis Hoehn present George Mickle with his 25 year Legion
of Honor award.
"Friends of Kiwanis" Honorary
Members Carol Burton (left), Lynnette Bordeaux, Kathy Kildoo and Linda Allen receive certificates honoring their contributions.
Kathy Rhine (left) receives a hug and a "Friends of Kiwanis" Honorary Membership from President
Kate Kovrig. |
| In 1976, San Marcos was a fairly
small community with a population of 10,251 over a 14 square mile area. Our Mayor and 4 Council Members focused on the
needs of our growing community. The Chamber of Commerce was also growing strong with 300 members under the Chairmanship
of Joe Waller.
There were 6 schools including
1 High School, 1 Junior High, and 4 Elementary Schools. On July 1, 1976, the San Marcos Unified School District became
operational and boasted of a population of 3,600 students. Palomar College in San Marcos also celebrated 30 years of
service and an enrollment of 15,000 students in 1976.
Today, San Marcos has grown to a population
of over 78,000 covering a total of 31 square miles. The Chamber of Commerce has grown in membership to over 600 business
members and continues to play an integral part in our community.
The San Marcos Unified School District has grown as well, with enrollment approaching 17,000
students. We now have 16 schools including 2 High Schools, 2 Alternative High Schools, 3 Middle Schools, and 11 Elementary
Schools.
Palomar College has celebrated
over 60 years in San Marcos with a current enrollment of over 30,000 part- and full-time students. In addition,
California State University-San Marcos Campus (CSUSM) was founded in 1989 and has an ever-growing student enrollment in excess
of 9,000 students.
And
through all these years of changes, the Kiwanis Club of San Marcos has been actively supporting the community, meeting the
needs of our residents.
We have built bus stop shelters, donated
yearly Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for San Marcos families, assisted with bicycle rodeos, helped with neighborhood
cleanup projects and supported our schools enrichment activities. Our support for seniors has included Meals on Wheels, transportation
to medical appointments and pitching in to clean up yards when the seniors asked for help.
When residents talked about needing to
go to other communities to watch or participate in a holiday parade, our club stepped up and began providing the Kiwanis Club
of San Marcos Holiday Parade in 1995.
We've provided bicycle helmets and car seats for local children and joined other Division
37 clubs in sending 6 trucks of supplies to Wiggins, LA after Hurricane Katrina. We supported Special Olympics for over
25 years and continue to support Children's Hospital Pediatric Trauma Unit on a yearly basis.
The community service projects we provide vary from year
to year as the needs of our residents change of the years. But our focus continues to be centered on meeting the needs
of our growing community through valuable and enriching community service projects.
The Kiwanians of San Marcos work together to achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone. And we have fun!
Please visit our Service Projects page to learn more about the many ways our members are MAKING A DIFFERENCE today and our
Membership Info page to learn how you can help!
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