It's a special day for the Swift Current Kiwanis Club.

formed on this date all the way back in 1921, the long-standing non-profit celebrates it centennial year as a charter member of Kiwanis international.

Colin King, Lt. Governor or Kiwanis Western Canada, and Michel Cyrenne, President of the Swift Current Kiwanis Club, were on hand during Monday's meeting of Swift Current city council to discuss the organizations long and storied history, and to invite the public and the seated council members to their celebration taking place on Saturday.

Kiwanis began, and still has, children as its primary focus, as evident through its defining statement:

"Kiwanis is a global organization dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time."

But while ostensibly a children's support organization, the non-profit has adapted and changed its focus numerous times over the 100 years as situations demanded. During the Second World War, for example, where much of their fundraising shifted focus:

As Cyrenne explained:

"Through the second world war, a lot of fundraising went to providing gifts and amenities for our friends and family that were serving in the Canadian Armed Forces overseas. After World War Two, that was when we saw a lot of the government social programs starting to take effect, kick in in our society, and so that provided us with the opportunity to expand a lot of the services we were offering and where Kiwanis dollars were being allocated."

Cyrenne added that when the group began, few local government social programs were available. And so a large part of the role that the Kiwanis played in the community was to provide support to needy families with basic home supplies and other necessities.

This would change over its 100-year history, of course. The club's membership would rise and fall, from a record high of hitting 100 members in the 1980s to as low as 31 members during the great depression. It would be one of the largest clubs in Western Canada by 1972, with 90 members.

In 1987, women would be allowed into the ranks, though the first three would not join the club until 3 years later; one of whom would later become the first female club president in 1995.

More than just a local organization, Kiwanis international meanwhile would partner with UNICEF and the World Health Organization to eradicate iodine deficiency disorder.

But through all the changes and all of the wider-reaching initiatives, one foot would always be planted firmly in its primary focus; that of supporting children.

They would build the Skate Park in the city as part of a millennium project. They would contribute to Safe Places training. In 2005 they would enter a partnership with the Cypress Regional Hospital to donate $25,000 annually until 2010 and they would bring in a "speaker's series" in schools, where kids would learn about topics such as mental health, suicide prevention and other tough topics that kids were dealing with.

And now moving ahead into 2022, yet another legacy project announced in May, that being a new bike park across the street from the skate park on 13th Avenue.

An official centennial celebration event is being held on Saturday, September 11, 2021.