Kiwanis

KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL -  Kiwanis International is an international, co-educational service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan.   It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas.  Membership in Kiwanis and its family of clubs is more than 600,000 members strong.   Each year, Kiwanis clubs raise more than $100 million and report more than 18.5 million volunteer hours to strengthen communities and serve children.

The name “Kiwanis” was coined from the Ojibwe language expression derived from the word giiwanizi meaning to "fool around":  ningiiwaniz, which is found in the Baraga Dictionary as "nin Kiwanis", meaning "I make noise; I am foolish and wanton" or "I play with noise".   However, Random House Dictionary claims that it comes from one of the Algonquian languages to mean "to make oneself known" but in Ojibwe and other related Algonquian languages, this expression would be gikendami'idizo.  The organization's founders translated it as "We build," which became the original motto of Kiwanis.   In 2005 the organization chose a new motto, "Serving the Children of the World".   Members of the club are called Kiwanians.

The six permanent Objects of Kiwanis International were approved by Kiwanis club delegates at the 1924 Convention in Denver, Colorado.

• 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.