The Kiwanis Club of Montgomery County-Blacksburg was formed on February 1, 1997 through the merger of the Kiwanis Club of Montgomery County and the Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg. Under the terms of the agreement, all funds of the clubs were merged and the projects of both clubs were continued for the remainder of that year. The Circle K Club of Virginia Tech, (Kiwanis International's collegiate-level club), was previously sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg, and the new Kiwanis Club of Montgomery County-Blacksburg, agreed as a unit to continue to sponsor VT Circle K.

The new club elected to retain the charter of the Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg since it dated back over 50 years. With the approval of both clubs, John C. Lipsey, President of the Kiwanis Club of Montgomery County and Don W. Linkous, President of the Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg, signed the merger agreement.

Election of new officers and directors of the Montgomery County-Blacksburg Kiwanis Club took place on May 15, 1997. 

Officers were:
     Sue Bentley, President
     Don Linkous, President-Elect
     Marty Muscatello, Vice President
     Tom Murphy, Treasurer
     Carle Burke, Secretary

Initial elected directors were:
     Herb Alcorn
     Beany Butt
     Walt Davis
     Jim Lyons
     Jim Palmer
     Davis Walker

The history of Kiwanis in our community extends over decades through each of the two clubs prior to and following their merger. To understand the background of our club as it is today, the history of the two clubs which combined to form the Montgomery County-Blacksburg Kiwanis Club must be understood.

The Kiwanis Club of Montgomery County

In January 1979, a steering committee consisting of Harland Little, Mile Olsen, John Cathey, Bob Lecky, and Ben Crawford (chairman) was formed to solicit potential members and to work with the Capital District of Kiwanis International to form a new Kiwanis club in Montgomery County, Virginia. The steering committee decided that the club would be a day club, meeting Thursdays from 12:00pm (noon) to 1:00pm. They also decided the club would be open to any qualified individual and that the club would strive to maintain a healthy mix of university and permanent local residents.

Co-sponsors of the new club were the Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg, (under the leadership of President Blackie Blevins) and the Kiwanis Club of Princeton (under the leadership of President Dean Kenny). With 26 charter members, the charter meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Montgomery County was held on April 21, 1979 at the Holiday Inn in Blacksburg, VA. Charter officers, who served until October elections, were Bob Leckey (President) and Harland Little (Secretary). The first elected officers were Ben Crawford (President), Mike Southern (1st Vice President), John Cathey (2nd Vice President), Dick Patton (Treasurer), and Glenn Valentine (Secretary). The first elected directors were Richard Duffner, Jim Dymock, Dennis Lamm, Dave Nunley, Mike Olsen, Dick Phillips, and Merv Timberlake.

Weekly luncheon meetings in the Wallace Hall dining room on the Virginia Tech campus began in the fall of 1979. In addition to conducting club business, priority was placed on securing informative speakers from the community and the university. The location of the weekly meetings later changed to Hillcrest Dining Room where it remained until 1993 when it was moved off campus. The club met at Western Sizzler Steakhouse in Blacksburg then Ryan's Steakhouse in Christiansburg.

The Kiwanis Club of Montgomery County quickly became involved in a number of community projects. One of its most timely and successful projects begun soon after the club was chartered, was its Glass Recycling Program. At a time of great public concern about liter and environmental responsibility, the club stepped forward and initiated a county-wide recycling program. The club opened a recycling center for glass, which operated five days per week. Grants were secured from government and private sources to help acquire needed facilities and to conduct educational efforts throughout the community to encourage recycling. The club was recognized and received expressions of thanks from governments and private groups for the club's leadership in starting the program. A 1981 Certificate of Appreciation from the Commonwealth of Virginia cited the club for "distinguished leadership in glass recycling for Montgomery County and the Towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg". The recycling center was operated by the club until 1984 when recycling operations became the responsibility of and were transferred to local governments. 

The club became involved in several other community projects, including the raising of $10,000 to establish a children's reading room for the Blacksburg Branch of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library. Another major fundraising project, which began in 1984 was a barbeque sale conducted each spring at the annual Brush Mountain Craft Fair. Barbeque sales continued into the late 1990's and the club added sales at other local events including the YMCA Craft Fair each fall as well as others.

The club is also responsible for the establishment of the Gunnar Teilmann Layperson of the Year Award in 1984, created to recognize individuals who made outstanding contributions in time and service in their churches. This recognition continues to be awarded annually to this day to those who go above and beyond in the spirit of service to the Montgomery County and Blacksburg communities.

The Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg

The Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg held its organizational meeting on October 1, 1946. The 26-member club was officially chartered on October 23, 1946 with George L. Guilette being elected President and Everett Loutt elected Secretary. The club spent most of the fall of 1946 educating themselves about the objectives of Kiwanis and planning ahead for the year to come. Christmas of 1946 saw the Blacksburg Kiwanians preparing and distributing holiday baskets to 30 local families in need.

In 1947, C.R. Woolwine was elected President and C.H. Duncan was elected Secretary. Club membership increased to 29.

The club became involved in a number of fundraising projects to support its community programs. One of the earliest was a 1947 Amateur Show, which netted over $200 designated to benefit underprivileged children in the community. ($200 in 1947 is the equivalent of approximately $3,000 in 2025.)