Club History

The Kiwanis Club of Ellicott City has been serving the children of Howard County since it’s charting in 1940. In our early years, the club was instrumental in helping to create the Howard County Library System.

The club started the youth baseball program in Howard County when the members served as coaches for their children’s teams. They used the property owned by the club which had the original name of Wallas Park. Mr. Wallas donated several acres of ground to the club with the express condition that it be used for the youth of the Howard County. As the member’s children grew out of the program, it later became the Howard County Youth Program (HCYP) and they continued to use the property at no cost to them. The Ellicott City Kiwanis Club purchased additional acreage until they owned about 25 acres. This provided space for many baseball fields. The park was renamed Kiwanis-Wallas Park. The property was sold to Howard County and the proceeds from investments of the sale continue to fund the many services and organizations today.

A scholarship was founded to provide a $5,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from one of the County high schools.  That scholarship program continues today.  More information about the scholarship can be found here.

In 1995, our Kiwanis Club established a clinic in the neo-natal section of the Howard County General Hospital. This program provides assistance for the newborn and also helps provide a program for nursing mothers.

In the year 2000, the club donated the iconic clock in the historic Old Ellicott City Depot Yard. In 2017 the clock was restored and put back into place, only to be washed away by the floods in 2018.  In June and July 2018, the post and the face of the clock were found again, damaged in the Patapsco.  The damaged face of the clock now reside in the Museum of Howard County History at 8328 Court Ave.

Today, our club has 25 members. Currently, the club is an official partner of the Howard County Public School System. Supporting service and leadership opportunities is a core priority for our club. We sponsor Key Clubs at Atholton, Centennial, Glenelg, Guilford Park, Howard, Marriotts Ridge, Mt. Hebron, and River Hill High Schools. As the world’s largest student-led community service organization, Key Club is one of Kiwanis International’s most notable signature programs. Many Howard County students have served in regional and international leadership roles thanks to their Key Club membership. We also sponsor an award-winning K-Kids Club at Worthington ES.

Our signature project is a long-time partnership with Cradlerock ES and Lake Elkhorn Middle School for our Backpacks for Breaks program. We also work with Mayfield Woods MS for our annual Set for School School Supply project. This Kiwanis Club is a long-time donor to the Bright Minds Educational Foundation. Members volunteer at school functions, such as Simulated Congressional Hearings and FBLA competitions.  Within the county, we have a relationship with the Roger Carter Community Center to support programs for teens, and we meet there every other month.  Other organizations we support through annual donations and volunteering are the Howard Community College Educational Foundation, Howard County General Hospital, Howard County Library System, Tastewise Kids / Days of Taste, Girls on the Run of Central Maryland, Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, and Cub Scout Pack 838 at Thunder Hill ES.

The Kiwanis Club of Ellicott City is very proud of its contributions to the community in the past and will continue to serve in the future.