LEXINGTON KIWANIS CLUB
FOUNDED MARCH 26, 1924

The Lexington Kiwanis Club was chartered on March 26, 1924, at an evening meeting in the old Hotel March. P.V. Critcher was elected President by the fifty-three charter members. Kiwanis representatives from the sponsoring club in Salisbury were impressed by the enthusiasm and the good singing voices in the new club. The Lexington Rotary Club sent their kindest greetings and pledged to work together for the best interest of the town and community.

The first regular meeting was held at the March Hotel on April 3, 1924, at 1:00 p.m. with fifty-one members present. It was noted that a quintet sang “The Old Oaken Bucket,” accompanied by Mrs. Zeb Walser.

From the very beginning, the club established helping underprivileged children as their primary objective. The Kiwanis International motto was “We Build,” but the club adopted their own motto, “Use Me or Lose Me.”

Lexington Kiwanians immediately embarked on a number of service projects including the sale of Tuberculosis Seals, furnishing a Kiwanis room at the old Davidson Hospital, and taking crippled children to the State Institution at Gastonia. In 1928, the club founded the service project that continues to this day when it held the first “Kiddie Kamp” on the farm of Woody McKay.

In the 1920s all children were threatened by tuberculosis, but underprivileged children were the most susceptible. The early Kiwanis Camps were operated as “Tuberculosis Preventoriums” with the goal of fattening the kids and making them stronger. It was reported that the average camper gained 10 pounds!

The first camp cost the Kiwanis Club $3,561.77. Campers slept in four large tents and the farmhouse was used as a kitchen and dining hall. The good farmers of Davidson County donated vegetables and merchants in town donated supplies. A camp nurse was on duty and Kiwanians in the medical field donated their professional services. Other Kiwanians transported the children to and from camp and daily drove around the county collecting food and supplies.

The camp moved to the Pilgrim Reformed Church from 1930-1942. The “Kiddie Kamp” ran for ten weeks starting in June of each year. There was no camp from 1943 to 1946 due to the war.
As the expenses for the camp continued to rise, the club looked for ways to raise the needed funds. They had presented several Minstrel Shows in the 1930s and a “Womanless Wedding” in 1943, but a consistent source of revenue was needed. In 1945 a committee appeared before the Davidson County Commissioners and requested the right to sponsor the annual Agricultural Fair. With the blessing of the county commissioners, the Davidson County Fair Association was incorporated on July 20, 1945. For sixty years now, the revenue generated from the fair provides the operating funds for Kamp Kiwanis.

In 1946 the club had the opportunity to purchase land for the permanent fairgrounds, however, they did not have the necessary funds. In what has to be one of Lexington Kiwanis Club’s finest hours, fifty-five members signed a note to guarantee the loan, and each Kiwanian placed beside his name the amount of money he was personally willing to guarantee.

In 1953 land was purchased for a permanent Kiddie Kamp. The club invested $45,000 in land, buildings, and improvements. The annual cost of operating the four-week camp in the 1950s was around $10,000.

The original lodge and cabins were showing their age as we entered the new century. Kiwanians started a major renovation project in 2003 to upgrade the camp facilities. The main lodge and cabins were renovated in 2004 and the swimming pool renovation was completed in the summer of 2005. Plans are being made to build new cabins to enable more campers to experience Kamp Kiwanis.

The Kamp Kiwanis Foundation was established in 2004 to provide revenue for the capital improvements at the camp. With the annual cost of operating the camp approaching $50,000, the success of the Foundation is critical to secure the future of Kamp Kiwanis.

Much has changed since the Kiwanis Club was chartered in 1924, but the enthusiasm of the club, the good singing voices, and the commitment to help deserving children are as strong as ever. The Lexington Kiwanis Club is now the premier service organization in Davidson County. With your commitment and faithfulness, we will continue our legacy of community service for years to come.