A century after forming to serve local children, the Kiwanis Club of Kennewick is turning its anniversary celebration toward a pressing community need: shelter for women and children.

Kiwanis members have already begun raising money to support Tri-City Union Gospel Mission’s plans for a new women and children’s shelter.

The women’s shelter, at 110 N. Second Ave. in downtown Pasco, dates to 1914 – 13 years before the Kiwanis club was chartered.

A new facility is “desperately needed,” said Andrew Porter, UGM’s executive director. “We’re full all the time.”

The Kiwanis club toured UGM’s existing facility recently and saw the need firsthand.

“What we found was less than impressive,” said Chuck DeGooyer, club secretary and Kennewick Kiwanis Foundation board president.

Afterward, members wanted to know how they could help.

That response has become a focus of the club’s 100th anniversary fundraiser, set for May 2027.

Women and children’s shelter

Tri-City Union Gospel Mission has wanted to build a new and bigger women and children’s shelter for more than five years, Porter said. It would be around 20,000 square feet and include space for classrooms, a play area for kids, and better accommodations for women and children.

He said the just under 5,000-square-foot existing shelter is “just not adequate and it’s seen better days.”

Electrical and plumbing systems are worn out, and an old boiler in the basement is used for heat.

The space is cramped for both those living and those working in the shelter, Porter said.

In 2021, the nonprofit bought just under 3.5 acres of land at 533 N. Young St., Kennewick, just across the way from Port of Kennewick’s Vista Field.

While the mission’s plan has been building on that empty lot, Porter said construction costs have continuously increased and initial estimates have now gone up to more than $13 million.

Over the years, the nonprofit has raised about $8 million for the women and children’s shelter, with a goal of collecting around $10 million. UGM also recently secured a commitment for an additional $2 million.

The mission is looking at ways to bring the estimated cost closer to $10 million, Porter said. The nonprofit is still in discussions with its architect, but possible ideas include building the new shelter adjacent to the men’s shelter at 221 S. Fourth Ave. in Pasco and selling the Kennewick land.

Amy Coffman, the Kiwanis Club of Kennewick’s 100th Anniversary Committee chair, said the club supports the building even if it doesn’t end up in Kennewick.

The shelter is “something the community needs as a whole, whether it’s in Kennewick or Pasco,” she said. “… Wherever it’s built, we are fully behind it.”

Once the funding is secured, Tri-City Union Gospel Mission can move forward with architectural drawings and the building permit application process for whichever city it ends up building in.

“I think it’s wonderful what Kiwanis are doing,” Porter said. “… I’m sure they’ll do well and make a big difference for the new women’s and children’s facility.”

Kiwanis anniversary event

The club’s “Building Our Neighborhood” anniversary fundraiser to support the shelter will be a May 15, 2027, celebration dinner at Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. Emma Swift Lee, director of the Fred Rogers Institute, will be the keynote speaker and will talk about the legacy of Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood, and creating a community that benefits kids.

Individual tickets to the anniversary dinner will cost $100, with sponsorships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 available. Sponsorship proceeds will go toward funding the shelter, Coffman said.

The club also will celebrate its 100th year during this year’s Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo parade on Aug. 22, followed by a children’s coloring contest in September.

Then, in June 2027, the Kennewick Kiwanis Foundation will give away $100,000 in scholarships for the organization’s 100th year.  

100 years of service

While the Kiwanis Club of Kennewick’s push to raise funds for the women and children’s facility is a part of the club’s 100-year anniversary, it’s one of many fundraising and service efforts the club has engaged in over the years.

The club focuses on serving children, as well as “breaking the cycle of poverty in our community.”

Kiwanis members “adopted” Kennewick’s Amistad Elementary School in 2014 and members frequently volunteer at the school.

They helped raise money for nonprofit B5’s new Community Learning Center, which opened in 2024, and had a playground built at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties’ Kennewick Clubhouse.

Every year, club members volunteer at the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo and support organizations like 2nd Harvest, Meals on Wheels, The Children’s Reading Foundation, Little League Baseball and more.

The club first got its start in service when Kennewick civic leaders met with the Pasco Kiwanis Club in December 1926 to see if there was enough interest to start a Kennewick club. It would take 35 people to become a chartered club, and 19 signed up at the first meeting, Coffman said.

By May 9, 1927, the club was established and held a charter dinner. The group’s first project was paying for a woman to run a summer program for kids.

The group has stayed strong over the years and currently has about 100 members.

Go to: kiwanisclubofkennewick.com/100th-anniv-sponsorship.