Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard - Arabi History

The Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard - Arabi has been an active service club in St. Bernard Parish since 1957 and we are looking forward to many more years of serving our community!

Chartered on April 15, 1957, our club was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Third District. The chartering ceremony took place on May 29, 1957 at Lenfant’s Boulevard Room in New Orleans. There were 39 original chartering members. Jim Ryan was the club’s first President.

The first meeting place of the club was at Maumus Gym followed by Louque’s Restaurant and finally a permanent home at Bud’s Florist that served as the meeting place for many years to follow.

One of the first projects was the establishment of the Key Club at Chalmette High School, which we continue to sponsor, along with Builders Clubs (in Elementary Schools) and K-Kids (in Middle Schools) throughout the Parish.

In 1960 the scholarship program was established. This continues to be one of our finest programs. Please visit the Scholarship Info page for the most up to date information on our Scholarships.

Other early projects included United Way, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Junior Achievement, Red Cross, Council on Aging, Boys & Girls Group Homes and Red Cross.

In 1979, our club constructed a playground at Parc Chenier (now Torres Park). Other playground projects included playground equipment for special education children at St. Claude Heights School and a second playground equipment construction at Torres Park.

In 1981, our club erected a Flag Pole at the Red Cross Chapter House followed by construction of a Flag Pole in 1983 which stands 66 feet and sits at the entrance to St. Bernard on St. Claude Ave. To this day, our Kiwanis Club maintains this flag pole regularly replacing the flag. Shortly afterwards, a memorial monument was constructed to recognize the service of our club’s deceased members.

In the 1990’s our club created programs such as Terrific Kids/Terrific Teens, Coats for Kids, Reading is Fundamental, Lifesaver Award, Invention Convention and the Read to Ride Program. Visit the Activities page to learn more about our current activities. 

In 1997, members created a community foundation, known as the St. Bernard Kiwanis Foundation (later renamed The Spirit of St. Bernard Foundation) which has raised over $500,000 to fund Kiwanis Service Projects as well as programs benefiting the St. Bernard Community. Visit The Spirit of St. Bernard Foundation page if you’d like to learn more about leaving a legacy by establishing your own fund for scholarships or other charitable contributions, or if you’d like to make a donation to our club or any of our projects. 

Kids need Kiwanis and Kiwanis needs you! Contact us to learn more about how to get involved.