The Kiwanis Mission
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

The Kiwanis Vision
Kiwanis will be a positive influence in communities worldwide — so that one day, all children will wake up in communities that believe in them, nurture them and provide the support they need to thrive.

The Kiwanis Motto
Serving the children of the world

The Kiwanis Objects

• 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.

Kiwanis members’ activities support the Kiwanis causes:

• Health and nutrition.
• Education and literacy.
• Youth leadership development.

Together, these causes form a continuum of impact — helping young people develop throughout childhood and into adulthood. Each cause also supports the others, ultimately creating a generation of leaders who also contribute to that continuum.

Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. The organization was originally called the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers. A year later, the name changed to Kiwanis, which was selected by the organization’s founders based on their understanding that the word was translatable to “we build” from the Algonquian Native American language family. That same year, Kiwanis became an international organization with the founding of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Initially focused on business networking, the organization changed its focus to service in 1919 — specifically service to children. Over the years, more clubs were created in the U.S. and Canada, and worldwide expansion was ultimately approved in the 1960s. Today, there are Kiwanis clubs in nearly 80 nations and geographic locations.