Kiwanis International is a service organization whose stated purpose, "Service to Youth, Community, and Nation," is an apt description of the work its members undertake. They are professional men and women who voluntarily share in the burden of community leadership. As a phenomenon of the twentieth century, the members of Kiwanis are motivated by a common desire to serve plus a desire for fellowship.

     The name "Kiwanis" has an Indian flavor. It is a coined word taken from the language of the Indians around Detroit, Michigan. The original term was "Nunc Kiwanis" which was shortened and modified to the present term, "Kiwanis." The term roughly means "self- expression."

     Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan on January 21, 1915. Kiwanis grew up simultaneously in the United States and Canada. On November 1, 1916, the first Canadian club in Hamilton, Ontario was formed. In 1916, fifteen of the more than twenty clubs then in existence met in Cleveland, Ohio to adopt a "national constitution" and to take the "Kiwanis Club" as their official name. In 1924 at the eighth annual convention in Denver, Colorado, Kiwanis changed its name to Kiwanis International, adopted the six Constitutional Objects which form the written basis of Kiwanis philosophy, and adopted the present constitution and Bylaws.

     Since that time, Kiwanis has grown enormously in numerical strength and in service rendered, constantly broadening or adding to its programs to meet the changing problems of the day. Kiwanis operated solely in the United States until 1962. The latest step in Kiwanis growth is the current international extension program which was commenced following authorization by delegates attending the forty-sixth annual convention of Kiwanis International in Toronto, Canada, in 1961. Kiwanis now serves in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean area, the Far East, the Southwest Pacific, and Europe. On October 1, 1966, Kiwanis established a European office in Zurich, Switzerland that now serves Kiwanis International-Europe which was established in June of 1968.

     Kiwanis International is headed by an annually elected president, president-elect, two vice-presidents, treasurer, and four trustees. There is a total of twelve trustees with each serving a three-year term. These officers form the Board of Trustees of Kiwanis International which includes the immediate past International President and appoints a International Secretary on an annual basis.

     Kiwanis clubs are banded into geographical groupings called districts. There are thirty Kiwanis districts in the United States and Canada which are, in turn, subdivided into smaller geographical units called divisions. Individual clubs constitute each division.

     An annually elected governor heads each Kiwanis district. In addition, each district has a secretary and a treasurer who are also elected annually. In many cases, secretaries maintain a permanent district headquarters office. Each Governor is responsible for appointing the committees they feel are necessary to effectively run the district. Every division possesses a Lieutenant Governor who oversees the clubs constituting that division.

     Kiwanis is unique in that it sponsors two youth service organizations similar to itself--one for college students and one for high school students. The college organization, named Circle K International, has more than 10,000 members in 648 clubs on United States and Canadian campuses. Circle K was founded at Washington State College in Pullman, Washington in 1936. The high school organization, named Key Club International, was founded in 1925 in Sacramento, California when eleven members officially met for the first time in May. Key Club was founded to curb what was seen as pernicious behavior and to provide vocational guidance.

     Kiwanis International and the student organizations it has created continue to enrich the hearts and minds of people all over the world through community service and respect of others.