President's Welcome

John O'Kane

There is something special about the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta and we are excited to share it.

For 95 years the Club has been serving our Atlanta community, connecting with a diversity of community leaders and welcoming weekly distinguished speakers. Georgia’s first Kiwanis Club and a proud member of Kiwanis International, joins almost 250,000 Kiwanians worldwide.

The founding Objects of Kiwanis remain our core objects today. Through special worldwide initiatives, like Eliminating Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus, Kiwanians impact the world as well as their local communities.

Simply stated, the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta is:

· a dynamic group of leaders

· who meet weekly to hear excellent speakers

· who grow in friendship and fellowship

· who attract new and emerging leaders and

· who serve the community.

A sampling of weekly speakers include Mayor Kasim Reed; Frank Blake, CEO of Home Depot; Shan Cooper, VP and GM of Lockheed and Georgia Hall of Fame author Melissa Faye Green. Our more than 200 members bring a colorful palate of different vocations, skills and life experiences. Where else can you join an age range of 24 -100+ of dynamic and interesting individuals?

Committed to serving the youth of Atlanta, Club members serve at the Boys and Girls Clubs, Hillside, Dean Rusk Head Start Academy, the Georgia Radio Reading Service, the USO at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and many more.

Some may say that a service club is old fashioned and outdated. I say good information, good friends and a way to serve and connect with our community is more relevant today than ever before. So do the 10% of our Club who come from a generation or more of Kiwanis members. There is a youth movement happening in Atlanta Kiwanis as a new generation of bright and energetic young professionals seek to carry on the traditions of the generations of distinguished Atlantans who built this Club.

Come join us – as a visitor and guest to learn more. Your lunch will be on us. Better yet, join us as a member as we are eager to share with you what has become so special to us as members of Georgia’s first Kiwanis Club.

John F. O’Kane

President

2012-2013