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.
| | 
Our club meetings are held every Friday morning
from 7:15 am to 8:30 am, at Simply Ambrosia, 577 Rancho Santa Fe Road in San Marcos. We are served
a delicious breakfast during the meeting. 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.
|
|
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.
 Honorary Members Carol Burton (left), Lynnette Bordeaux, Kathy Kildoo and Linda Allen receive certificates honoring
their contributions. |
| 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 76,000 covering a total
of 31 square miles. The Chamber of Commerce has grown in membership to over 640 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!
 |
|
