A Brief History of Kiwanis

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. --Kiwanis defining statement, adopted October 2004.

The first Kiwanis club was organized in Detroit, Michigan. The group received a charter from the state of Michigan on January 21, 1915, and this is regarded as the birth date of Kiwanis. The first clubs were organized to promote the exchange of business among the members. However, even before the Detroit club received its state charter, the members were distributing Christmas baskets to the poor. A lively debate ensued between those who supported community service as the Kiwanis mission and those who supported the exchange of business. By 1919, the service advocates won the debate.

Kiwanis became international with the organization of the Kiwanis club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1916. Kiwanis limited its membership to the United States and Canada until 1962, when worldwide expansion was approved. Since then, Kiwanis has spread to all inhabited continents of the globe. The headquarters for Kiwanis International is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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

To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to 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.

Guided by these six permanent Objects, Kiwanis clubs view their role within their respective communities with a great deal of foresight. Key aspects to operating an effective club include:

• Evaluating both children’s issues and community needs on an ongoing basis
• Conducting service projects to respond to those identified needs
• Maintaining an active membership roster of professional business people who have both the desire and the ability to serve their community.

A typical Kiwanis club is a snapshot of its community, with members from all walks of life and at every step of the career ladder. They are unified in their belief that children and their communities benefit from the efforts of a proficient group of caring and involved volunteers. In a typical year, Kiwanis clubs invest more than 6.2 million hours and $100 million in communities around the world. Through these efforts, the Kiwanis organization truly leaves a lasting impression on future generations.

Kiwanis was defined as “an organization for men” in the constitution and adopted in 1924. In 1987, after several years of debate and growing support, women’s membership received overwhelming approval.
Kiwanis International is a thriving organization of service- and community-minded individuals who support children and young adults around the world. More than 600,000 Kiwanis-family members in 96 countries make their mark by responding to the needs of their communities and pooling their resources to address worldwide issues. Through these efforts, Kiwanis International truly is "Serving the Children of the World."