Ron Smithfield, past president 1976-77 of the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville, as part of the essay series “The Road to 250: Community Spirit in Action,” celebrating the history of unity in Clarksville ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.

The tradition of community service of the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville started soon after its charter by 50 businessmen on May 18, 1920, as one of the first clubs in Tennessee, and only five years after Kiwanis International was founded in Detroit.

Focus on kids’ health, literacy, patriotism

From the start, the Clarksville club’s major emphasis has been helping children with food, health, literacy, character building and patriotism. For example, during the Depression, the club supplied food and clothing for young families. Later, free baby carriers were given to new parents, and children were taught bicycle safety. For years, our club co-sponsored a Children’s Health Fair at which over 300 low-income children received free medical, dental and eye exams, as well as prizes including bicycles. More recently, the club donated educational toys to the Clarksville-Montgomery County Children’s Library so young children can play and learn colors, shapes and numbers.

Santa and Kiwanians with children (Kiwanis Club of Clarksville, contributed)
Santa and Kiwanians with children (Kiwanis Club of Clarksville, contributed)

For more than 38 years, a signature Kiwanis event has been the Children’s Christmas Party, which has grown from 20 Head Start children to more than 240. Each December, excitement builds as Santa arrives with toys, hats and gloves for every child.

To encourage young people to build character by service, teamwork and leadership, we sponsor Key Clubs at four high schools and Circle K at APSU. The members of these student clubs quickly learn the value of community projects working side-by-side with Kiwanians at the annual Rodeo. Additionally, we join with Hilldale Kiwanis to sponsor Builders Clubs in middle schools and K-Kids in elementary schools.

Preserving history of Montgomery County

The “History of Montgomery County” project in 1957 resulted in Ursula Beach’s book Along the Warioto. The first edition was printed in 1964 and is now a collectable local history book.

Through the years, the Clarksville club has sponsored the formation of 10 new Kiwanis clubs: The club is in the 14th Division and is currently the largest club in the KY-TN District with 132 members.

In 2004, the club, working with veterans and donors, collected and mounted a permanent “Faces of Valor” display of 244 local veterans’ pictures in the Montgomery County Courthouse. From 2006 to 2017, a total of five Faces of Valor books were published honoring the service of 1,600 local veterans.

The Memories of Service & Sacrifice Project has sponsored an “Interview a Veteran” Essay Contest for 26 years. More than 80,000 middle and high school students have interviewed veterans or active-duty personnel and written essays about what they learned. The lessons in patriotism and citizenship have also been rewarded with a total of over $35,000 in prizes.

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A great example of the national motto e pluribus unum here in Clarksville occurred in 2009 when club members worked with local contractors, suppliers and volunteers to build two Habitat for Humanity houses in only two weeks. Over $120,000 in value was donated for new homes for two single mothers with young children.

McGregor’s Market at “Our Town” in Explorers Landing at the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center. (Photo courtesy of Customs House Museum)
McGregor’s Market at “Our Town” in Explorers Landing at the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center. (Photo courtesy of Customs House Museum)

Encouraging reading, education for kids

In 2017, the Kiwanis Club helped the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center create a “Kiwanis Family Art Studio.” In 2021, the club was the lead donor for the Children’s Museum area called “Explorer’s Landing” and “Our Town.” Thousands of children and adults enjoy this special hands-on exhibit each year and learn about local history.

Starting in 2017 the new “Reading Rodeo” project donates the same novel to every 3rd grade student in the school system. The number of students has grown each year to over 3,300 in 2026. The best-selling author Chris Grabenstein entertained all 3,300 students at the F&M Arena, encouraging them to read and to write. This annual Reading Rodeo was selected as a finalist in the Kiwanis International Signature Project Contest at the 2026 Convention.

Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)

Another ongoing emphasis is early childhood literacy by sponsoring the Imagination Library one month a year and support of the Childrens’ Libraries at both locations of the Public Library.

Funding for these numerous projects comes from the annual Kiwanis Professional Rodeo (May), Kiwanis Raffle (July), Best of Clarksville (September), and Smoked Turkey Sale (November). Community support of these fund-raisers is vital to the continued mission of serving children in the Clarksville community.

We continue to partner with other community groups and individuals for the benefit of children in Clarksville and Montgomery County while fulfilling our motto “Dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.”

Ron Smithfield

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