The Objects of Kiwanis
The six permanent Objects of Kiwanis International were approved by Kiwanis club delegates at the 1924 Convention in Denver. 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.
The first Kiwanis club was organized in Detroit, Michigan in 1915. A year later, the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada was chartered and Kiwanis International rapidly grew into a leading service club. Today Kiwanis and its family of clubs number over 600,000 members, active in 96 nations around the world.
Kiwanians are ordinary people who perform extraordinary “hands-on” work. Our 270,000 adult members annually invest more than 6 million hours and $100 million in projects that strengthen our communities and serve children.
Wherever there’s a need, Kiwanians will be there – as they have for 100 years, making a difference for children and for their communities