The Adrian Kiwanis Club began in 1940, about 35 years after Kiwanis was founded in Detroit. Chartered by the Hillsdale Kiwanis Club, it held Charter Night on September 25, 1940, with an initial membership of 34. Its purpose remains the altruistic support of the needs of the Adrian community, particularly children and the elderly, guided by the Kiwanis motto, "We Build." Over time, the club initiated or supported hundreds of significant projects, including the Interclub Council Welcome to Adrian signs at the north and west city limits, the Adrian High School football press box, the Adrian Community Preschool Building, the room now used as the Fitness Center at the YMCA, contributions to the city ice rink and swimming pool funds, support for Comstock Park and Trestle Park, the Kiwanis Trail and Ted Durst Kiwanis Gateway Park, the flag pole atop the Lenawee County Courthouse, playground equipment at Garfield and McKinley Schools, the Lenawee County Airport Terminal Building, and contributions to the soccer fields at Centennial Park and the Island Park playground. Its largest project was Kiwanis Riverview Terrace across Maumee Street, dedicated in 1973, and the eventual sale of that building funded the Adrian Kiwanis Foundation, which has provided financial support for many organizations and projects in the community. Longtime member Ted Durst led the Kiwanis Community Pride Committee devoted to public beautification, donated this park property to the City of Adrian on behalf of Kiwanis, and was honored when the city named the park for him only weeks before his death in 2014. Now at over 100 members, the Adrian Kiwanis Club remains a vibrant promoter of improvements in the greater Adrian community.