The Jacksonville Kiwanis Club was organized on November 19,1934. Sponsorship was by the Kiwanis Club of Kinston, and the date of the charter was December 20, 1934.

   Most of the business leaders and professionals of the then approximately 800 residents had a hand in organizing the club, thus boasting the first civic organization in the county. The twenty-seven charter members represented a true cross-section of the town and included several businessmen and at least one of the following: lawyer, physician, school superintendent, school principal, pastor, banker, farmer and sheriff.

   The initial slate of officers included E.W. Summersill, president, a prominent attorney; M.A. Cowell, vice-president, county official and mayor for many years; and B.E. Littlefield secretary-treasurer, principal of Jacksonville High School and superintendent of Robeson County Schools for many years. Meetings were held at 7:00 p.m. each Monday night at the Riverview Hotel, owned by B.J. Holliman, one of the charter members. At that time it was Jacksonville's only hotel and was located on the corner of Old bridge Street (Highway 17 at that time) and Anne Street. It was a landmark with a large artesian well out front which remained active until construction at Camp Geiger across New River destroyed its water source in the early 1940's.

   In the late thirties the membership moved their meeting place to Pine Lodge, about a block away beside New River where they met for several years before moving to City Hall. During this time different church groups took turns in the preparation of meals for the meetings.

   The club moved their meeting place to the Holiday Inn in the early sixties, to Horne's Motel in the late sixties,   to Fisherman's Wharf, in the early eighties, and now its current location Golden Corral in 2004.

   The club has had several District Lt. Governors, the first being B. J. Holloman, a charter member, followed by Roy Nulton, Lenwood Padgett, George Lanvermeier, Don Curlee (three terms), Durwood Shepard, and Perry Parker.

   The club has always attracted many important citizens of the community, and over the years several of its members have served in the North Carolina Legislature. Among them are E. W. Summersill, Carl Venters, Billy Arthur, Albert J. Ellis, Zennie Riggs, and A.D. Guy.

   Underprivileged children have been the focus of the club's fund raising benefits from the time of its inception. While an array of projects to assist children have been supported such as boy's and girl's state, little leagues, etc., the emphasis has been on clothing for underprivileged children at Christmas. In recent years BUG - a program designed to improve student's grades at the elementary school-has garnered a large part of the club's financial support. For more than forty years the club has met at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays for a luncheon meeting.