Kiwanis is a global organaization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

The Kiwanis Club of St. Mary’s County held its organizational meeting on March 9th, 2000. Fortuitously, Kiwanis International President Nettles Brown was in the Washington, D.C. area a week later, and agreed to bestow a little Irish luck upon the newly formed club by presenting the official charter on March 17th, 2000. Indeed, the Club continues to enjoy those charms as it has grown in size and service.

Founded in 1915 in Detroit and with headquarters now in Indianapolis, Kiwanis International is a thriving organization of service- and community-minded individuals who support children and young adults around the world. More than 600,000 Kiwanis-family members in 96 countries make their mark by responding to the needs of their communities and pooling their resources to address worldwide issues. Through these efforts, Kiwanis International truly is "Serving the Children of the World."

Key aspects to operating an effective club include:

Evaluating both children’s issues and community needs on an ongoing basis

Conducting service projects to respond to those identified needs

Maintaining an active membership roster of professional business people who have both the desire and the ability to serve their community