Kiwanis International is an international secular service club whose motto is "Serving the children of the world." Founded in 1915, it is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and comprises approximately 8,000 clubs in 96 countries, with over 260,000 adult members. The name Kiwanis comes from an American Indian expression, Nunc Kee-wanis, translated as "We build."
Women have been allowed to join the Kiwanis only since 1988. Currently, women constitute about 22% of Kiwanis members internationally.
Affiliated Organizations
Kiwanis founded and supports Kiwanis Kids for elementary school students, Builder's Club for middle school students, Key Club International for high school students, Circle K for college students, and Aktion Club for adults with developmental disabilities.
