FAQ
FAQs About Kiwanis
How/Where/When did Kiwanis begin?
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.
What is the Kiwanis Motto?
"Serving the Children of the World"
What does the name "Kiwanis" mean?
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."
How many Kiwanis clubs/members are there?
There are more than 8,400 Kiwanis clubs with nearly 280,000 members in 96 nations and geographic areas.
What are Kiwanians?
Kiwanians
are men and women from all walks of life, united in their commitment to
serving children and their communities worldwide.
What other organizations does Kiwanis sponsor?
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.
How much community service is done by Kiwanis clubs around the world?
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.
What does Kiwanis do on an international scale to serve the children of the world?
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.
What are the Objects of Kiwanis?
- 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