DOWNEY — The Downey Kiwanis Club officially kicked off their centennial year on Thursday, unveiling a new logo and embarking on an ambitious recruitment campaign.

Founded on Nov. 6, 1924, Downey Kiwanis will celebrate its 99th anniversary in the coming days. However, the club already has its eyes fixated on the even greater milestone next year.

Held at the Rio Hondo Event Center, the kick-off festivities were a celebration of everything past and still to come with Downey’s first Kiwanis Club.

“This is not the best party,” said Downey Kiwanis president-elect Ed Schneeberger. “This is the kick-off; this is to get people excited about the centennial. So, we’re going to celebrate the entire year and we will end on Nov. 6, the actual day, 2024.”

Current president Jason Cierpiszewski said that the focus of Kiwanis was “developing the next generation of leaders.”

“It’s 100 years of service that we’re all very proud of, and honestly we’re looking forward to the next 100 years of service, serving our community both here in Downey and around the world,” said Cierpiszewski.

To commemorate their legacy, 20 club members – 15 preselected and five voted on that night - from throughout time were selected to be a part of the “All-Century Team.” Those individuals are Jules Ardis, Walter M. Booth, A.G. Haygood, Richard S. Williams, Haygood Ardis, Cliff Mills, Schuyler Strang, Dick Holmes, J. Donald Fisher, Don Wilson, E. John Kozey, Dick Lehn, Bill Griffith, Chris Greenbeck, Del Clawson, Chuck Pifer, Gary Nesbit, Rick Lopez, Gale Dalton, Gary Munger, Jerry Wetzstein, Rose Schneeberger, Jason Cierpiszewski, Stephen Chu, and Ed Schneeberger.

“It’s important that our members are not forgotten, and if we don’t recognize them now, there won’t be people around who will be able to bring those stories to the next generation of Kiwanians,” said Cierpiszewski.

The main event of the evening was the unveiling of the new 100th anniversary logo, which will be featured on the club’s banner and worn as a pin by club members year-round.

To find their new logo, Kiwanis held an area-wide contest.

Featuring a rocket to tie into the city’s aerospace history, the design is that of Gahr High School sophomore Jacob Gutierrez, who received $250, in addition to $250 that went to the Gahr High School Key Club.

Of course, there is still work to be done for Downey Kiwanis, including an aggressive campaign to reach 100 members for the 100th celebration.

The club currently stands at around 70 members, meaning that they have a year to add 30 to their ranks.

“This is a big task, to try to increase that much,” said Cierpiszewski. “But we think if we keep focused on it, we’ll be able to do that.”