Historical Information about Kiwanis International

Kiwanis International was founded January 21, 1915, in Detroit, Michigan, by Allen Simpson Browne, a Moose lodge organizer, and Joseph G. Prance, a tailor. The original name has been "The Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order Brothers" known as BOB. From the beginning, the BOBs were unhappy with their organization's name, so a Detroit historian suggested a new name from the Native American phrase "Nunc Kee-wanis". The expression, taken from the Otchipew language, has various interpretations, including, "We have a good time", "We make noise", and "We trade" or "We advertise".
Kiwanis is an organization devoted to the principle of service; to the advancement of individual, community, and national welfare; and to the strengthening of international goodwill.

Since its foundation, Kiwanis has expanded into a family of service clubs that include young European adults (Kiwajuniors), university and college students (Circle K), high school students (Key Club), middle and junior high school students (Builders Club), and elementary school students (K-Kids). Kiwanis-family membership spans the globe, with more than 600,000 members in more than 13,000 clubs in 79 countries. Kiwanis clubs alone give on average $70 million and 6.5 million volunteer hours for community service each year.

In 1916 the first club out of the USA was founded: in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada . At the International Convention in Toronto in 1961 followed a decree to spread the organization over the borders of the founding nations. By 1962, Kiwanis was ready to move beyond its two founding nations, chartering the Tijuana, Baja California, Kiwanis Club in Mexico. Within twelve months the international organization had formed clubs in the Bahamas, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. The first European Kiwanis-club was founded in 1963 in Vienna. The same year the first club in Germany was founded in Frankfurt/Main.

In the middle of 1999 there existed 123 Clubs in Germany with about 2.800 members.