Brief History of
Kiwanis
The first Kiwanis club was organized
in Detroit, Michigan. The group received a charter from the state of Michigan on
January 21, 1915, and this is regarded as the birth date of Kiwanis.
The first clubs were organized to
promote the exchange of business among the members. However, even before the
Detroit club received its state charter, the members were distributing Christmas
baskets to the poor. A lively debate ensued between those who supported
community service as the Kiwanis mission and those who supported the exchange of
business. By 1919, the service advocates won the debate.
Kiwanis became international with
the organization of the Kiwanis club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1916.
Kiwanis limited its membership to the United States and Canada until 1962, when
worldwide expansion was approved. Since then, Kiwanis has spread to all
inhabited continents of the globe.
Kiwanis was defined as “an
organization for men” in the constitution and adopted in 1924. In 1987, after
several years of debate and growing support, women’s membership received
overwhelming approval.
Six Canadians have served as Kiwanis
International President. The first International President elected from outside
the two founding nations of the US and Canada was Ian Perdriau AM from
Australia, who served in 1994-95. Eyjólfur Sigurđsson of Iceland was the 1995-96
International President, and Juan F. Torres Jr., MD, of the Philippines, was
president in 2002-03.
From Kiwanis
International web page: "About Kiwanis"
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