Los Rancheros and Poway Kiwanis clubs merge to become stronger

The Los Rancheros and Poway Kiwanis clubs are in the process of merging, a move that members say will strengthen their organization and increase their abilities to help their communities.

The clubs have adopted a new name — Kiwanis Club of Poway and the Ranches. The “ranches” refer to the communities Los Rancheros covered — Rancho Bernardo (where it was based), 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch and Rancho Peñasquitos.

Bob Beavers, who was president-elect of the Poway club prior to the merger, became president of the new club on Oct. 1, when the Kiwanians’ fiscal and administrative year began. Since then, the Kiwanians from the two groups have been meeting regularly and working on philanthropic and service projects.

Reed Reichert, the Los Rancheros president, said he is officially continuing in that role until all the administrative approvals for the merger for both clubs and their respective foundations are officially approved by Kiwanis International, which could take several months.

Reichert said he and longtime Los Rancheros Kiwanian Jeff Shea approached the Poway club last year with the merger idea.

“We were concerned about the shrinkage of our club, because in 2024 we lost approximately 12 members,” Reichert said. “With a little over 30 members, this was a significant loss. .. Most of those, some of our very best members, had moved away from Rancho Bernardo.”

By merging with the just over 50-member Poway Kiwanians, Beavers said the combined group now has 74 members. Reichert said this makes it one of the largest Kiwanis clubs in the region.

“This has given us a strong member base to work from,” Reichert said.

The benefit was mutual to both clubs, Beavers said.

“The Los Rancheros club potentially risked (their projects) not happening and they have good leadership,” he said.

The clubs’ associations go way back. According to Beavers, the Los Rancheros club, founded in 1957, sponsored the Poway club when it formed in 1973.

They have also worked together for several years. For example, the Poway Kiwanians have assisted the Los Rancheros Kiwanians put on the annual pancake breakfast held in conjunction with the Rancho Bernardo Historical Society each Memorial Day in Webb Park.

“We had already started to help them with manpower,” Beavers said, noting the Los Rancheros’ “very successful” sixth annual golf tournament to support homeless veterans and military families in need was another example of combining resources. It was held at the Oaks North Golf Course in RB on Nov. 1.

The new club now meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and second Thursday of the month at the Hamburger Factory in Old Poway Park. They also have an informal breakfast gathering at 7 a.m. on the third Wednesday at iHOP in Rancho Bernardo so members of both groups can get to know each other better and to keep Los Rancheros members unable to make evening meetings involved.

Beavers said the evening meetings have a speaker, honored guests and various activities, including 50/50 prizes and cash drawings. They also do recognitions such as Kiwanian of the Day and Student of the Month.

Poway and the Ranches is continuing its work with local students that includes sponsoring Aktion Club; K-Kids at Midland Elementary; Key Club at Poway, Mt. Carmel, Del Norte and Westview high schools along with Cathedral Catholic; and Kiwins at Rancho Bernardo High.

One of the early service projects they did together last fall was putting on a trade careers fair at San Diego Oasis in RB, an endeavor Los Rancheros began a few years ago to help young adults learn more about careers in construction and other trades.

Some of the funded programs include Santa visits at local elementary schools, the Shoal Creek Running Club, a transitional youth program, Wounded Marine program, Abraxas High garden, the Backyard Produce Project and local scout troops and projects.

Over the last three months, their service projects included water sales and the fun zone at the Poway Rodeo; the Ride Above Disability, Midland Elementary and Villa de Vida pancake breakfasts; Villaween (an event for adults with special needs), Holiday with Heroes (an event for low-income students), providing 120 Thanksgiving dinners to Camp Pendleton Wounded Warriors families and a garden clean-up.

As for upcoming events, they include food and clothing drives, a Little League pancake breakfast, supporting the Miss Poway Scholarship Pageant, Breakfast of Champions (scholarship program for Poway Unified student-athletes), a safety fair and the Poway Rotary Parade’s pancake breakfast.

“This merger has been everything we hoped it would be when we started to have conversations with the Poway club,” Reichert said. “Our goal was to strengthen and preserve the Kiwanis organization.”

Reichert added that there has been “a tremendous boost of energy” as the Kiwanians move into 2026.

In addition to doing all their philanthropic work, the Kiwanians are focused on the future, Beavers said. One aspect of this is “providing opportunities for mentorship and leadership roles for younger generations,” he said.

Annual dues are $225. Those interested in joining or learning more about the club can visit powaykiwanis.org.