1. Paul Palazzolo Past president Kiwanis International
The history of Kiwanis
Paul Palazzolo
Past president
Kiwanis International

2. Mallers Building, Kiwanis’ first office
1915–1919
The first Kiwanis club was officially founded Jan. 21, 1915, in Detroit, Michigan. Originally, the organization was formed to provide fellowship and insurance features. Members had to be young, professional businessmen. The aim of the organization was to provide an opportunity for other men to experience new ideals in human relationships.
(lower right: The first board members)
(middle: After first renting a small, two-room office at the Webster Building in Chicago, Kiwanis International moved its headquarters to the Mallers Building, where a growing number of staff members, including a busy receptionist, worked in more spacious offices.)
Mallers Building, Kiwanis’ first office
First board members

3. Historic marker in Detroit, Michigan
1915–1919
Historic marker in Detroit, Michigan
The first president of the Downtown Detroit Kiwanis Club was Donald A. Johnston.
Johnston was elected at a club meeting in 1915, and served three terms as president, 1915–1917.
First president of the Downtown Detroit Kiwanis Club,
Donald A. Johnston

4. In 1916…
Kiwanis became an international organization with the creation of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
In 1916, Kiwanis became an international organization when the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada was organized.

5. 1920–1929
Photo, left: The Baker Oregon Kiwanis Club provided children in the community with their daily allotment of milk.
Photo, right: The Kiwanis Club of Hagerstown, Maryland, made a commitment to children’s health in its purchase of scales for weighing school children in the community.
Although service was not the original intention of Kiwanis, the members soon realized their clubs could do good for their communities. Many of the services provided by the first Kiwanis clubs focused on children, which ultimately led to Kiwanis championing causes for children.
The first Key Club formed in 1925 in Sacramento, California, with 11 charter members. Key Club was the idea of two Sacramento Kiwanis club members, Albert C. Olney and Frank C. Vincent, who also were high school administrators. They approached their Kiwanis club with the idea of starting a junior service club in the high school. It would resemble Kiwanis, have its own classifications based on school interests and hold luncheon meetings.
The club was comprised of the key boys in the school, willing to serve the school in any way possible and to create better school spirit. Thus, the club was dubbed Key Club.
Soon, the club that started out as a vocational guidance program expanded to become a complete service organization for the whole school. It also offered a social aspect to balance its service activities.
Today, Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students in the world. It has more than 250,000 members in 5,000 clubs in 30 countries.
Some famous Key Club alumni include:
Tom Cruise, actor
Elvis Presley, singer
William “Bill” Clinton, former U.S. President
Brad Pitt, actor
Alan Jackson, singer
Tommy John, former MLB pitcher
Joe Namath, former NFL quarterback
Steve Young, former NFL quarterback
John Young, former astronaut
Mitch McConnell, U.S. senator
Richard Lugar, U.S. senator

6. By 1924…
1,200 clubs 90,000 members
By 1924, Kiwanis had more than 1,200 clubs and almost 90,000 members. Although growth was not without its challenges, Kiwanis managed to persevere.

7. 1930‒1939
Circle K International, or CKI, began in 1936 at Washington State University as a Kiwanis club service project to provide an opportunity for capable, ambitious and worthy young men to acquire a college education by assisting them, where necessary, with their financial problems by means of a scholarship fund, if available, or by securing part-time employment. Soon after the concept of CKI was recognized and accepted, the element of community service was introduced, thus creating an appealing outlet for collegians around the globe.
Today, as the largest collegiate service organization, CKI boasts a membership of more than 12,600 collegians on more than 500 campuses worldwide. CKI is a student-led organization with an international board of representatives elected by its membership each year. Embodied by its tenets of leadership, fellowship and service at the club, district and international levels, CKI continues to grow through service to the world's campuses and communities.
Photo, left: The Pullman, Washington, club’s “Circle K House” provided an opportunity for young men with financial limitations to attend the State College of Washington
Photo, right: Movie stars gather to support the West Palm Beach, Florida, club’s annual benefit to raise funds for work with underprivileged children, which netted US$20,000 in 1930.

8. 1940‒1949
The creation of a Kiwanis International Foundation was proposed in 1937 by Kiwanis International President F. Trafford Taylor. The foundation was publicly launched at Kiwanis International’s 25th anniversary celebration in Detroit in Walter Zeller, past governor of the Ontario-Quebec-Maritime District, initiated the foundation’s funds by donating 25 US silver dollars. These were used to decorate the anniversary cake, and slices were auctioned for a total of $625. Today, the Kiwanis International Foundation receives more than $1 million each year in donations and bequests (plus additional donations for specific projects).
Photo, upper left: The Montreal Kiwanians donated this shiny wagon to transport the young wards of the Province of Quebec Society for Crippled Children.
Photo, lower left: Young patients at the Arkansas Children’s Home and Hospital in Little Rock enjoy a venison dinner compliments of the West Side, Batesville, club.
Photo, upper right: Kiwanians helped sell bonds in the U.S. and Canada to support the war effort.
Photo, lower right: Through the years, pancakes have long been a favorite Kiwanis fundraising product.

9. 1950‒1959
Photo, left: Two little guys receive a free medical checkup at a pediatric clinic operated by the Hampton, Virginia, club.
Photo, upper right: Participating in Kiwanis International’s 1952 “Ballot Battalion” campaign, Asbury Park, New Jersey, Kiwanians send a clear message about citizenship responsibilities.
Photo, lower right: The Oak Park, Illinois, club sponsors an action-packed touch-football league for youth.

10. 1960‒1969
First club outside North America: Tijuana, 1962
50th Anniversary, 1965
Kiwanis celebrated its 50th anniversary at the convention in _________.
Here’s a Kiwanis fun fact: Do you know who the catering manager was at that event? Soon-to-be member, Case Van Kleef, who eventually was the international president in
Photo, upper left: Harry Young, the last living founder of the Kiwanis Club of Detroit No. 1, does the honors cutting the cake at Kiwanis’ 50th anniversary party at Detroit’s Cobo Hall on Jan. 21, 1965.
Photo, upper right: On May 15, 1962, the Kiwanis Club of Tijuana, Baja, California, Mexico became the first Kiwanis club organized outside the United States and Canada. (The charter members of the Kiwanis Club of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, enjoy their welcome into the Kiwanis world during the club’s charter night.)
Photo, lower left: The first Kiwanis club in Europe organized in Vienna, Austria, in (On the first stop of the European Mission in 1963, Kiwanis International President Merle Tucker speaks at the charter night celebration of the first Kiwanis club in Europe-Vienna, Austria.)
Photo, lower right: The first Kiwanis club in the Asia-Pacific region organized in Tokyo, Japan, in January At a charter banquet, Tokyo club President Nobutaka Shikanai – with International President Nick Swain at his side – addresses the audience, commenting on the significance of the moment: Kiwanis’ entrance into the Asia-Pacific region.
First club in Europe:
Vienna, 1963
First club in Asia-Pacific: Tokyo, 1964

11. 1960‒1969
Photo, left: Recipients of the Kiwanis International Foundation’s Tablet of Honor, which originated in 1967, are recognized with brass name plates on the tablet at Kiwanis headquarters and receive a special plaque and patch.
Photo, right: Dressed in traditional Filipino formal wear, Kiwanis International President Harold “Hi” Heimbaugh enjoys the Governor’s Ball at the first convention of the Philippines Provisional District in November 1968.

12. Kiwanis firsts… Walter Sellers First African- American president
Ohio District
1997‒98
Ian Perdriau
First Asia-Pacific president
Australia District
1994‒95
While we’re on the subject of Kiwanis firsts, here are some notable firsts in Kiwanis history:
Ian Perdriau, first Asia-Pacific president, Australia District,
Eyjólfur “Eddie” Sigurðsson, first Europe president, Iceland-Faroes District,
Walter Sellers, first African-American president, Ohio District,
Juan "Ito" Torres, first Asia president, Philippine Luzon,
Eyjólfur “Eddie” Sigurðsson
First Europe president
Iceland-Faroes District
1995‒96
Juan "Ito" Torres
First Asia president
Philippine Luzon
2002–03

13. 1970–1979
Builders Club is the largest service organization for middle school and junior high students, with more than 40,000 members worldwide.
The first Builders Club was chartered in Today, there are more than 1,200 clubs in Aruba, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Martinique, Netherlands Antilles, Philippines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
Builders Club is a student-led community service organization that operates under school regulations and draws its members from the student body. Community-based Builders Clubs can also be established at churches, libraries, YMCAs, lodges or similar facilities. A Kiwanis club, composed of like-minded, service-oriented people from the community, serves as the club’s sponsor.
Builders Club is structured only on the local club level but is supported by the Kiwanis International office in Indianapolis, Indiana, which provides programs, literature and opportunities to relate to teenagers from countries worldwide.
Photo, lower left: Nairobi, Kienya, Kiwanian Dr. R.V. Pandya consults with a patient at the medical camp his club organized and operated in the 1970s.
Photo, upper right: Besides serving with distinction as the Circle K International president, Greg Faulkner of the New York district holds the distinction of being the first African-American to fill one of the Kiwanis family’s international presidencies.
Photo, lower right: In 1971, Medford, Massachusetts’ Keystone Cops, also known as Kiwanians, haul the town’s retired police chief off to “the pokey” on Jail Day, a fundraiser based on “bail” money.

14. 1980–1989
Photo, left: The first Kiwanis World Service Medal winner, Dr. Giuseppe Maggi, dedicated his life to tending to the health needs of the poor.
Photo, top middle: In July 1981, the new Kiwanis headquarters in Indianapolis’ College Park stood ready for occupation.
Photo, bottom middle: U. S. president – and peanut farmer – Jimmy Carter loads up on Kids’ Day peanuts.
Photo, right: Julie Fletcher of Ridgewood, New Jersey – the woman who challenged Kiwanis’ “male-only” membership in the mid-’80s – listens to delegates debate the “genderless amendment” at the 1987 Washington, D.C., international convention.

15. 1990–1999
K-Kids, a Kiwanis-sponsored program, has seen steady growth since its inception in Begun in Florida, where Kiwanis Gov. Lamar Fisher developed the program and provided continuing support, K-Kids soon spread to other Kiwanis districts. As a result of its growth, K-Kids was adopted as a sponsored program on October 1, The first club chartered by Kiwanis International was the K-Kids Club of Brooksville Elementary School in Florida.
Today, in addition to the United States, there are clubs in Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Martinique, Nigeria, the Philippines and Trinidad and Tobago. There are more than 600 K-Kids clubs across the world!
Photo, upper right: Korean Kiwanians regularly visit a home for blind people. In addition to sweet treats, they bring fellowship.
Photo, lower left: The needle-wielding Kiwanians from the Barbados-Central, Barbados, club diligently work on their “pajama project” for young patients at a local hospital.

16. By 1992…
324,726 members 8,972 clubs 83 countries and geographic areas

17. 2000–2009 Lisa McCoy Texas-Oklahoma District,
George D. “Jake” Swartout, governor of Kiwanis International's Florida District, organized the first Aktion Club for adults living with a disability in Putnam County, Florida, in With the assistance of fellow Kiwanians Ed Brooks and Dick Wittner, Swartout spread the Aktion Club concept throughout the Florida District and, by world-of-mouth, throughout the Kiwanis world. Aktion Club became an official Service Leadership Program of Kiwanis International on October 1, 2000.
Today, there are clubs in Canada, Barbados, Malaysia, Jamaica, Bahamas, Philippines, Australia and the United States. Lisa McCoy was the first female to serve on the Kiwanis International Board.
Lisa McCoy Texas-Oklahoma District,
first female international board member
Iodine Deficiency Disorder, 1993

18. IDD
In 1992, the United Nations Children’s Fund released a report that stated 250,000 of the world’s children were dying every week and that millions more were surviving in the “half life” of malnutrition and permanent ill health. In 1993, Kiwanis announced its plan to remove the scourge of iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) from the Earth. An estimated 1.5 billion people were at risk, 500 million whom were children. Fundraising efforts were introduced in five pilot Kiwanis districts: Iceland, Japan, Michigan, Pacific Northwest and Republic of China. In 1994, an organization-wide kickoff took place at the New Orleans Kiwanis International convention. Our youth programs — Key Club International, Circle K International and Builders Club — also took up the cause, raising money for the virtual elimination of IDD. And now… 70 percent of households around the world have iodine, compared to 25 percent before Kiwanis took up the cause and more than 8 million newborns are protected annually.
Photo, upper left: North Suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kiwanian Ellen Jogwer makes it clear she appreciates Morton Salt’s partnership with Kiwanis in the Worldwide Service Project’s battle against IDD.
Photo, lower left: A Kiwanian from the Pacific Northwest District watches while a UNICEF official tests a Vietnamese family’s salt for iodine.
Photo, upper right: A Kiwanis delegation tours a salt-producing plant during a Worldwide Service Project site visit in the Philippines, one of many nations with populations suffering the bane of IDD.
Photo, lower right: A girl’s goiter is a clear sign of iodine deficiency, not just for her but likely for all the people of her village.

19. 2000–2009
Photo, upper left: Kiwanians from the Napa, California, club assemble one of 15 school playgrounds that they built.
Photo, upper right: The Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Kiwanians brightened the lives of hospitalized indigent children with a Christmas party, plenty of toys and a caring touch.
Photo, lower left: Ringing in the New Year – and a new century and millennium – the Kiwanis entry in the Tournament of Roses Parade “bears” forth on a chilly January 1st.
Photo, lower right: A Medicine Hat-Gas City, Alberta, Kiwanian worked on the woodwork in a club-purchased house that soon became the Kiwanis Community Center.

20. 2010–2015
The Eliminate Project—Kiwanis is once again joining forces with UNICEF to confront another threat to the world’s children. In June 2010, Kiwanis International announced The Eliminate Project: Kiwanis eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus, which aims to save 129 million mothers and their future babies from the disease by the year 2015.
Photos: A visit by Kiwanis International to the Philippines. A Kiwanis representative witnessed maternal/neonatal tetanus vaccination at a clinic in Dumaguete City. Representatives also toured San Lazaro Hospital, where they came face to face with maternal/neonatal tetanus.

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