About Kiwanis

Kiwanis is a worldwide service organization for individuals desiring personal involvement in the leadership and improvement of their communities. As a group, we can achieve what individuals cannot do alone. Thus our motto and the cornerstone of Kiwanis – "Serving The Children of the World"

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Kiwanis International is a service organization whose mission is "Serving the Children of the World". The organization was founded on January 21, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan by Joseph C. Prance (a tailor) and Allen S. Browne (a professional event organizer). The two came up with the idea in August 1914, and in 1915 founded Kiwanis Club of Detroit Number One.

Today, Kiwanis is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Its original purpose was to exchange business between members and to serve the poor. The debate as to whether or not to remain a networking organization or a service organization was resolved in 1919 when Kiwanis adopted a service focused mission. The organization was for men only until 1987 and since then female membership has grown to be 22% of total members.

Kiwanis International

The third-largest service organization in the world, membership in Kiwanis International in 2005 stood at 275,000. The average age of members is 57 years old. Average size of the 13,000 clubs is 34 members. The organization has chapters in 93 countries.

Kiwanis International also founded and supports Key Club. Started in Sacramento, California in 1925, it is the oldest and largest service program for high school students in the world. Membership in Key Club International was some 245,000 in 2005.

The collegiate version of Kiwanis is Circle K. The first official Circle K club was chartered in September, 1947 at the campus of Carthage College (then in Illinois).

Key Club and Circle K are part of Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs. While both of them are considered organizations, the K-Kids (elementary school), Builder's Club (middle school) and Aktion Club (for people with disabilities) are considered sponsored programs. The difference is that Key Club and Circle K, just like Kiwanis, elect their own Club, District and International officers each year to lead the organization.

The Objects of Kiwanis are:

	To give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than the material values of life.
	To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.
	To promote the adoption and the application of higher social, business, and professional standards.
	To develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.
	To provide, through Kiwanis clubs, a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service, and to build better communities.
	To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which make possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism, and goodwill.

(Source: http://www.kiwanis.org/membership/ ) (Source: Staff at Kiwanis International Headquarters)

The six permanent Constitutional Objects of Kiwanis International were approved by Kiwanis club delegates at the 1924 Convention in Denver, Colorado. Through the succeeding decades, they have remained unchanged.