What is Kiwanis ?
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.
- Kiwanis defining statement, adopted October 2004 -
Kiwanis International: Serving the Children of the World
Kiwanis International is a thriving organization of service-minded men and women who respond to the unique needs of their communities and address worldwide issues by "Serving the Children of the World."
Today, the entire Kiwanis family has more than 600,000 members in more than 13,000 clubs. Kiwanis clubs serve in 96 countries around the world and achieve what individuals cannot do alone.
The six permanent Objects of Kiwanis, written in 1924, are:
• To give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than 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.
Fellowship & Service
Kiwanis offers an opportunity for personal involvement in the leadership and improvement of the community, the nation and the world. While community service is what Kiwanians are known for, their club offers much more. Meetings and projects provide fellowship - fellowship that is sincere and lasting.
In Malaysia , there are 49 Kiwanis clubs across the country, with more than 1300 members. The first club, the Kiwanis Club of Kuala Lumpur was chartered in 1976 by the then returning Ambassador to the US, "Bapak Kiwanis" Tan Sri Khir Johari.
Kiwanians are engaged in a variety of industries, commerce and profession. They are corporate officers, businessmen, professionals, and homemakers. They are young individuals embarking on careers, successful executives, and active retirees.
Quick Facts
The name "Kiwanis": "Kiwanis" stems from an American Indian phrase which, roughly translated, means "to express one's self".
History : 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.
Motto: "We Build."
The "average" Kiwanian: The average Kiwanis member is 55.1 years old, a college graduate, married, and a homeowner. He or she is an owner or manager of a firm in the US$25 million or less range.
Women in Kiwanis: Membership was opened to women in 1987. There are now more than 51,000 women members, and 1 in 7 club presidents is a woman.
Kiwanis youth organizations
Kiwanis also plays a special role in developing future generations of leaders. K-Kids clubs at the elementary school level, Builders Clubs in middle school and junior highs, Key Clubs in high schools, and Circle K clubs at the collegiate level all are Kiwanis organizations that teach community service and leadership skills to young people. In addition, Aktion Clubs are made up of adults with mental and physical disabilities who enthusiastically perform service to help others.
Kiwanis service
In one year, Kiwanis clubs sponsored 147,000 service projects. To do so, Kiwanians raised and spent almost $170 million and contributed 6.2 million hours of volunteer time in the communities around 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 5. 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. But, because of Kiwanis' efforts, many parents who have been affected by IDD are able to watch their children grow up healthy and reach their full physical and mental potential. The results of the IDD program will benefit every future generation.
Links to find out more
Kiwanis Malaysia
www.kiwanis.org.my
Kiwanis International
www.kiwanis.org
K-Kids
www.kkids.org
Builders Club
www.buildersclub.org
Key Clubs
www.keyclub.org
Circle K
www.circlek.org
Aktion Clubs
www.aktionclub.org
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