About Kiwanis

The birth, growth of Kiwanis Service - Utah Idaho District

Roe Fulkerson saw the whole picture. While one faction of Kiwanis founders envisioned an organization to benefit members, another group was intent on a more beneficent purpose. Roe, however, recognized compatibility in their differences.

He realized that Kiwanis builds up its members while building better communities. So Roe - the "Scribe of Kiwanis" - summed up Kiwanis with the motto, "We Build," and by those two words, Kiwanis has been known since 1920.

Through the years, Kiwanis International has urged clubs to help enhance that "We Build" image by working in concert to address a specific service need. The International Committee on Underprivileged Children Work, for example, was organized in 1923, rallying clubs everywhere to a common cause that continues to inspire Kiwanians today: children.

In subsequent years, Kiwanis unveiled annual themes. While continuing to meet local needs, Kiwanis clubs united behind defined national and international purposes, such as 1931' s "Win the War -Build for Peace" and "Liberty - Let' s Keep It" in post-war 1951-52.

By 1970, the themes had grown in scope and became known as Major Emphasis Programs, complete with supporting manuals and suggested activities. Topics ranged from "Operation Drug Alert" in 1972-73 to the multigenerational "The Younger Years - The Greater Years" in 1975-76. Through the 1980s, these programs' annual attention almost always turned to children.

On October 1, 1990, Kiwanis International embarked on a multiyear initiative titled "Young Children: Priority One." In one decade, these four words firmly established Kiwanis' name in communities and nations worldwide. Borne on the success of Young Children: Priority One, Kiwanis initiated the Worldwide Service Project to protect newborn and young children from iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), which led to the declaration of a Kiwanis slogan, "Serving the Children of the World."

 HISTORY

Allen S. Browne, a professional organizer for fraternal groups, has an idea for a new kind of club and begins recruiting business and professional men in Detroit, Michigan. Joe Prance, a merchant tailor, is the first to sign up and becomes "the first Kiwanian." Browne's proposed name for the group, the Benevolent Order Brothers, is rejected, however. As one member commented, "Who wants to belong to an organization called BOB?" A committee consults with a local historian, who tells them about a phrase in the local American Indian language: Nunc Kee-wanis, which means, approximately, "We get together" or "We trade." The club adopts an abbreviated version of this phrase, Kiwanis.

• 1915 — January 21 becomes the official birthday of Kiwanis when the Detroit group receives a corporate charter from the State of Michigan. Membership in the Detroit #1 club quickly grows to more than 200. A second club is organized in Cleveland. Both the Detroit and Cleveland Kiwanians sponsor projects to benefit disadvantaged children -- a service slant that will become an enduring theme of Kiwanis.
• 1916 — Thanks to Allen Browne's energetic organizing and member contacts in other cities, Kiwanis grows to 32 clubs -- including the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, "the club that made Kiwanis international." The      Cleveland club calls a convention. A basic constitution is adopted and George F. Hixson, Rochester, New York, is elected as the first International President.
• 1917 — Many more clubs are organized. The second annual convention is held in Detroit, and George Hixson is elected to a second term -- the only International President to serve more than one year. A "K" with the words "Kiwanis Club" enclosed in a double circle becomes the official symbol. The first rumblings of discord are heard from two contending groups: those who support Allen Browne's concept of an organization that provides mutual business benefits for members, and those who believe that Kiwanis'     long-term success depends on a higher ideal, community service.
• 1918 — Membership reaches 10,000. The first Kiwanis headquarters, a two-room office, is opened in Chicago, Illinois, with O. Sam Cummings serving as the first International Secretary. The convention is held in Providence, Rhode Island. Perry S. Patterson of Chicago is elected President.
• 1919 — The debate over the organization's purpose, personal business advantage or community service, reaches a climax at the convention in Birmingham, Alabama. As a professional organizer, Browne owns rights in the      organization. The anti-Browne majority offers to buy him out and Browne names his price: $17,500. Members and clubs quickly subscribe the sum on the convention floor. Kiwanis "buys itself" and service triumphs over mutual back-scratching. Henry J. Elliott, Montreal, Quebec, is the first Canadian President.
• 1920 — A record year for growth ends with 265 clubs and 28,500 members. The Kiwanis Motto, "We Build," is proposed by Kiwanis Magazine editor Roe Fulkerson and adopted. Portland, Oregon, hosts the International Convention. J. Mercer Barnett, Birmingham, Alabama, is elected President.
• 1921 — Kiwanis officially adopts policies that emphasize community service in the areas of urban-rural cooperation, public affairs, and underprivileged children. O. Sam Cummings is succeeded by Fred C. W. Parker as      International Secretary. The convention is in Cleveland, Ohio. Harry E. Karr, Baltimore, Maryland, is elected President.
• 1922 — Administrative policies are adopted to guide clubs in their activities. In later years, these will evolve into annual Themes and Objectives. Kiwanis observes US-Canada Day for the first time, which will later become Canada-US Goodwill Week, the oldest continuing Kiwanis observance. The first Kiwanis districts are formed. The convention is held in Toronto, and George H. Ross, Toronto, Ontario, is elected President.
• 1923 — Kiwanians donate $44,500 to finance a memorial to US President Warren G. Harding, a charter member of the Marion, Ohio, club. The convention is in Atlanta, Georgia. Edmund F. Arras, Columbus, Ohio, is elected President.
• 1924 — A constitutional convention is held in Denver, Colorado. A more detailed constitution is adopted, which creates the International Council (composed of the International Board members and District Governors) and defines the functions of major committees. The six Permanent Objects of Kiwanis are adopted, Kiwanis International becomes the official name. Victor M. Johnson, Rockford, Illinois, is elected President.
• 1925 — The Kiwanis Club of Sacramento sponsors a club for "key boys" in the local high school. This first Key Club will eventually grow into the world's largest service club for high school students, but for the next decade the Key Club idea will spread slowly, at first in California and then other states (see 1939, 1946). The International Council meets for the first time and the new District Governors jointly plan their Kiwanis year. The Harding International Goodwill Memorial is dedicated in Vancouver, British Columbia. The convention is held in St. Paul, Minnesota. John H. Moss, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is elected President.
• 1926 — Membership nears 100,000. The Montreal convention is the largest to date, with 5,248 members from 1,546 clubs. Ralph A. Amerman, Scranton, Pennsylvania, is elected President.
• 1927 — Kiwanis service achievements become increasingly important, with youth work, public affairs, and rural-urban cooperation stressed. US Kiwanians join with Canadian members in celebrating the Dominion of Canada's Diamond Jubilee. The International Board authorizes field service contacts to assess the problems and opportunities faced by local clubs. The convention is held in Memphis, Tennessee. Henry C. Heinz, Atlanta, Georgia, is elected President.

ABOUT THE NAME 

The name "Kiwanis" was adapted from the expression "Nunc Kee-wanis" in the Otchipew (Native American) language, meaning "We have a good time," "We make a noise," or, under another construction, "We trade or advertise." Some persons prefer to pronounce the word "ki"; others, "kee."

During the organization's founding in 1915, members belonged to the "Benevolent Order Brothers." The name, however, was unsatisfactory from the first.

"It seems to me," said member Harry A. Young, "that Benevolent Order Brothers is a might peculiar name for an organization of businessmen. Who wants to be a BOB? Well, I don't for one. The name sounds downright silly, and I think we'd be getting off to a better start if we changed it right now before we go any further."

A committee of members sought the assistance of Clarence M. Burton, then historian for the City of Detroit, Michigan. Burton found the expression "Nunc Kee-wanis" in Bishop Baraga's dictionary of the Otchipew language.

The name was perfect. It satisfied founder Allen Simpson Browne, because one variation of its meaning, "We trade," corresponded with his conception of the new organization. He believed that better business opportunities among the members--adding up to a sort of reciprocal trade arrangement--constituted its prime purpose.

Other members, however, believed that the group should "make a noise"--a noticeable difference--through community service.- Adapted from Dimensions of Service-The Kiwanis Story.  (more about Kiwanis International.)