The Rossmoor Kiwanis Club was organized September 21, 1978, with 24 applicants. Nine additional members were inducted at Charter Night on December 1, 1978, increasing the membership to 33, with Leo Baldwin as the first President.

One of our first major projects was to support the Boys and Girls Homes of Maryland. We have continued to support this organization through 2004. It is now called Hearts and Homes for Youth.

Our first joint project with another club, the Leisure World Club, was in 1979, working together on the Christmas Hanukkah Fund Drive. We continued with this project until 1996.

The Rossmoor Kiwanis Newsletter, KiRoNus, was founded in 1979 by Editor Albert Clagett, with Marion Aylesworth as typist. Publication has continued without a break for 28 years, with editors Howard Braithwaite, Bill Brown, John Wyman, Fehrn Hall, Bob Hollinger and Jeannette Stabler.

The Rossmoor Koffee Korner began in 1979, and operated until the new Terrace Room was built. Also in 1979 we began our participation in the Leisure World Community Fourth of July parade, also through 2004.

In 1980 we adopted the Flag Program as a fund raiser. Harry Barker, Andy Norford and Corky Hansen kept this going for several years, until nearly everyone in the Leisure World Community had an American Flag.

In 1982 we started our big feature called The Steakouts. This was also a fund raiser, with Lee Austin and Howard Aylesworth doing all the grilling. In 1988 the Steakout was a Texas style barbecue.

The Rossmoor Kiwanis Club purchased a large flag in 1984 which was donated to the Leisure World Community to be flown at the entrance to Clubhouse One. The Scholarship program was also started in 1984, and granted to Montgomery College and Magruder High school. The grants have gradually increased, with the addition of the Morris Boley Memorial Scholarship to a Magruder High School student, and the Robert Hollinger Scholarship to a Montgomery College student.

Another fund raiser for scholarships was begun in 1984, with the sponsoring of Bingo games. The Rossmoor Kiwanis Club first operated the Bingo games twice a month on Monday evenings, then later three times a month, and finally every Monday night. We also added Instant Bingo games. They were operated by Leonard French, Larry Zimmerman, Morris Boley, Jim Engle (with callers Bob Hollinger, Bob Force and Harold Brill) and Bill Stabler (with caller Ralph Romano).

The Rossmoor Bulletin Board was organized in 1989, with Ralph Keister as the original worker.

On April 4th, 1990 the Rossmoor Kiwanis Club inducted its very first Lady member, Fehrn Hall. She served as club Secretary for 1990-1991, and served as the President for 1991-1992. She was in several Forth of July parades as Betsy Ross.

The Key Club at Magruder High School was organized by Morris Boley, and chartered on February 21, 1990, with 39 charter embers. For the last few years the chairman has been Bob Hollinger, assisted by Irene Hollinger, and the club grew to 96 members. Key Club Kiwanis Advisors following Bob and Irene were Dorothy Stuart, then Bill Stabler. Bill also served as Kiwanis Advisor for the K-Kids Club at Rosemont Elementary School in Gaithersburg, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Rossmoor beginning in September of 2005.

Irene Hollinger also managed the Head Start program in 1996 at Mill Creek Towne Elementary School, and later at the Twinbrook Elementary School. She attended the Head Start classes, prepared baskets at Easter and Christmas for each child in the groups. Irene's other projects include the Immunization Program at Shady Grove, the Children's Miracle Network Telethon, Dr. Bear's Stroll-A-Thon for Children's Hospital, and the Child Safety Seat Program.

The first annual Howard Aylesworth Golf Tournament was played on September 5th, 1990. John Barley started Auctions, later managed by Nicholas Brie and Bob Force.

The Toys for Tots Program was started by Morris Boley in 1991. and was highlighted with a Christmas party with clowns, refreshments, and Santa Claus giving out toys. This project continued until 1996.

In September 1993 the Rossmoor Kiwanis Foundation was established. This Board consists of four members elected by the Rossmoor Kiwanis Club, and three ex-officio members, who are the club President, the club Vice President, and the club Secretary. Succeeding George Leibowitz as President of the Foundation were Andy Norford, Jim Engle, Bob Hollinger, Paul Williams and Anne Abbott.

Since 1996 the Rossmoor Kiwanis Club has sponsored the Sherwood High School sophomore selected to attend the Maryland HOBY (Hugh O'Brian Youth) three-day Seminar in May. In 1999, Bob Hollinger organized a one-day HOBY Community Leadership Workshop (CLEW), held in the ballroom of Clubhouse One. Sophomores are invited from high schools in Montgomery County, with participation from County leaders, business executives and volunteer organization leaders. The Rossmoor Kiwanis HOBY CLEW was chaired for six years by Bob Hollinger, followed by Paul Williams, then Bill Stabler.

The Kiwanis Capital District, composed of Maryland, Virgiinia, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., holds a Midwinter Conference in February each year, and a Capital District Convention every year in August, and the Kiwanis International holds an annual convention in June. In 1994 the International Kiwanis took on the worldwide campaign to eliminate IODINE DEFICIENCY DISORDER, or I.D.D.. Other programs of great variety are offered on a weekly basis by individual clubs.

This history was written by T. Ray Jones as a testimonial to the dedicated Rossmoor Kiwanians who have given their time, talents and leadership to service in the community, as well as throughout the world of Kiwanis International. (Updated by Club Secretary Eugene Morton in September 2003; updated by Club Secretary Bill Stabler in 2006)

The Kiwanis Club of Rossmoor, Silver Spring, Maryland merged with the Kiwanis Club of Leisure World, Silver Spring, Maryland, on October 1, 2007

Rossmoor Kiwanis PAST PRESIDENTS

Leo Baldwin
T. Ray Jones
Howard Aylesworth
John Barley
Morris Boley
Robert Hollinger
Fehrn Hall
Eugene Morton
John Wyman
Andrew Norford
James Engle
Marion Murch
Harold Brill
Jeannette Stabler
Grace Sisson
Paul Williams
Bob Force
Jeannette Stabler
Edwin Brown

PAST KIWANIANS of the YEAR

John Barley
Don Kinsinger
Royal Montgomery
Harry Barker
Andrew Norford
Morris Boley
T. Ray Jones
John Wyman
Robert Hollinger
Irene Hollinger
Eugene Morton
Edward Hierling
Jeannette Stabler
James Engle
Betty Havener