Kiwanis International
Kiwanis International 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. Kiwanis membership spans the globe,
with more than 300,000 members in more than 8,000 clubs in 82 countries, giving
on average $70 million and 6.5 million volunteer hours for community service
each year. The central message of the Kiwanians is friendship and the
commitment in service of human rights and humanity.
Objects of Kiwanis
The six permanent Objects of Kiwanis International were approved by Kiwanis
club delegates at the 1924 Convention in Denver, Colorado. Through the
succeeding decades, they have remained unchanged.
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 ("Do unto others as you would like to have others unto
you") 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.