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.

Founded in 1915 in Detroit and with headquarters now in Indianapolis, 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."

Guided by 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
  

Club meetings traditionally are conducted once a week and offer an atmosphere of fun, learning, and fellowship. In addition to attending the meetings, the typical Kiwanian volunteers each month to assist with club service projects.

Service projects often are linked to the Kiwanis program, “Young Children: Priority One.” This initiative places continuing focus on the needs of children in pediatric trauma, safety, child care, early development, infant health, nutrition, and parenting skills.

Service projects also can address other needs within the community, such as working to stop substance abuse, helping the elderly, promoting literacy, supporting youth sports and recreation, responding to disasters, and supporting specific persons in need.

Kiwanis also plays a special role in developing future generations of leaders. K-Kids clubs at the elementary school level, Builders Clubs in middle school and junior highs, Key Clubs in high schools, and Circle K clubs at the collegiate level all are Kiwanis organizations that teach community service and leadership skills to young people. In addition, Aktion Clubs are made up of adults with mental and physical disabilities who enthusiastically perform service to help others.

Worldwide, the entire Kiwanis family is committed to eliminating the devastating effects of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the world’s leading preventable cause of mental retardation. More than 1.5 billion people are at risk of suffering IDD because they do not receive enough iodine in their diet. But, because of Kiwanis’ efforts, many parents who have been affected by IDD are able to watch their children grow up healthy and reach their full physical and mental potential. The results of the IDD program will benefit every future generation.

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 US$100 million in communities around the world. Through these efforts, the Kiwanis organization truly leaves a lasting impression on future generations.

 

The six permanent 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.

 

• 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.

Brief History of Kiwanis

The first Kiwanis club was organized in Detroit, Michigan, USA, on January 21, 1915. A year later the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, was chartered, and Kiwanis International grew rapidly into a leading service club in these two founding nations. In 1962, worldwide expansion was approved, and today Kiwanis clubs are active in every part of the world.

The Kiwanis Motto is: "Serving the Children of the World"

The name "Kiwanis" was coined from an expression in an American Indian language of the Detroit area, Nunc Kee-wanis, which means, "we trade" or "we have a good time."

There are more than 8,400 Kiwanis clubs with nearly 280,000 members in 96 nations and geographic areas.

Kiwanians are men and women from all walks of life, united in their commitment to serving children and their communities worldwide.

Kiwanis International sponsors several service clubs for young people: Circle K International has 12,000 members on 500 university and college campuses; Key Club International has 245,000 members in 4,700 high schools; and Builders Clubs have been organized in 2,000 junior high and middle schools. Other members of the Kiwanis family include K-Kids in elementary schools, young European adults in Kiwanis Junior, and Aktion Club, which involves persons with disabilities in community-service activities.

In one year, Kiwanis clubs sponsored 147,000 service projects. To do so, Kiwanians raised and spent nearly $100 million and contributed 6.2 million hours of volunteer time.

Kiwanis' continuing service emphasis is called "Young Children: Priority One," which focuses on the special needs of children from prenatal development to age five. In one year, projects conducted as part of the "Young Children: Priority One" service emphasis involved $14.3 million and 1.3 million volunteer hours.

In 1994, Kiwanis launched its first Worldwide Service Project, a $75 million campaign in partnership with UNICEF to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders by the year 2000. Iodine deficiency is rare in areas where iodized salt is used, but in other parts of the world, IDD is the leading cause of preventable mental and physical retardation. As many as 1.5 billion people are at risk, especially young children. The initial fundraising goal was surpassed in 2001. IDD projects have now been funded in 95 nations.