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Member Orientation to Kiwanis
As a new Kiwanian, what should you know?
- A Brief Kiwanis History
- What is a Kiwanian?
- How our club operates
- About our club
- Club activities
- Benefits and expectations of membership
There are three pages to this orientation program to read.
A Brief History of Kiwanis International
- Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan, on January 21, 1915, the date the club received its official corporate charter. Organizational efforts had begun about five months earlier.
- In the early years, Kiwanis clubs focused on business networking, but even then, members were serving the needs of the poor.
- The original name of Kiwanis was “The Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers. Kiwanis it was not.
- The growing membership soon fixed that. They quickly grew tired of belonging to an organization known as “BOB”. With a helping hand from Detroit’s official historian, an Indian phrase—“NunKeewanis”—was adapted as a name.
- During a club meeting in the first week of January 1915, Kiwanis was approved as the new name for this club, which translated as, “We trade.” or “We share our talents.” A more thorough check later revealed that a truer meaning is, “We have a good time - we make noise.”
- By 1919, the organization had changed its’ focus from business to service.
- Kiwanis became an international organization in 1916 with the organization of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario.
- Kiwanis limited its’ membership to the United States and Canada until 1962 when worldwide expansion was approved.
- Until 1987, Kiwanis was a male-only organization. But after years of debate and growing support, women’s membership was received overwhelmingly.
- In 2005, during the 90th anniversary year of Kiwanis, delegates to the International Convention voted to adopt a new motto, “Serving the Children of the world,” to emphasize the primary focus of Kiwanis.
- Today, Kiwanis International is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
What is a Kiwanian?
Our defining statement: Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.
Kiwanians are volunteers changing the world through service to children and communities. Kiwanis members help shelter the homeless, feed the hungry,
mentor the disadvantaged, and care for the sick.
They develop youth as leaders, build playgrounds, raise funds for pediatric research, and much more. No problem is too big or too small. Why?
Because working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone.
When you give a child a chance to learn, experience, dream, and succeed, great things happen!
As Kiwanis clubs and members, we see it everyday!
The six permanent Objects of Kiwanis International
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.
Membership
- About 8,000 clubs in 96 countries
- More than 260,000 adult members
- Approximately 320,000 youth
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