Everyone knows Kiwanians love to eat! So, what’s the deal with Skip-A-Meal?

Kiwanis clubs are encouraged to designate at least one or several regular meetings per year as a "Skip-A-Meal" event, and members are invited to donate at least what they otherwise might have spent for a meal associated with the meeting. Generosity on such occasions normally exceeds the cost of a meal. Funds collected on "Skip-A-Meal" days are then channeled to Kiwanis International Foundation to underwrite the worldwide Kiwanis Children’s Fund. This fund awards grants to support child-oriented relief efforts.

The idea of creating a Kiwanis International Foundation was first proposed in 1937. The idea was officially launched when Kiwanis International observed its 25^th. Anniversary in Detroit, Michigan in 1940. To initiate the Foundation’s funding, a former district governor from Canada donated 25 silver dollars for the occasion. Those dollars were used to decorate a large anniversary cake and then auctioned off to the celebrants. Those 25 silver dollars raised $625. Today, the Foundation receives more than $2 million in donations and bequests each year.

Aktion Club became an official sponsored program of Kiwanis International in October 2000. But it has a much longer history than that. As early as 1987, steps were taken in Florida by several visionary Kiwanis members and the District Governor to address the special needs represented by citizens with developmental disabilities. The first Aktion Club, for adults who live with a disability, was formed in Putnam County, Florida, in 1987.  

Originators of the Aktion Club approach recognized that individuals who live with developmental disabilities often have many talents but little opportunity to develop or apply them. These special citizens have few chances to interact socially and sometimes little opportunity to function in society. Too often, they are isolated and dependent when they could be making valuable contributions to themselves and to the world around them.

That was the beginning of Aktion Club. Today, in addition to the US, there are clubs in Australia, Canada, Jamaica, and Malaysia.

The success of an Aktion Club depends on the involvement of the sponsoring Kiwanis club and the support of local agencies serving adults with these disabilities. There are no chartering or sponsorship fees for the Kiwanis club.

One person can make a difference. In 1936, Kiwanian Jay Emerson--a member of the Pullman, Washington Kiwanis Club-- presented a plan to his club proposing they purchase a house that could be rented to young men in need of assistance to attend the local college. The plan became a reality as the Kiwanians established the "Circle K House" at Washington State College. For ten years the "Circle K House" became affiliated with a Greek letter organization, although it continued to be sponsored by the Pullman Kiwanis Club. In 1942, Kiwanis International recognized and sanctioned the Pullman club’s initiative. Then in 1947, Donald T. Forsythe, Trustee of Kiwanis International, aided in transitioning Circle K from a fraternity to a service-oriented organization. That year, during September, the first Circle K club similar to our present day organization, was chartered at Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois (the college later moved its campus to Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1962.) The Carthage Circle K was the only one for two years, then other campuses started to latch onto the idea. Circle K was given "International" status in 1955, when there were 156 Circle K clubs. Of those, 77 affiliated with Circle K International. Five years later, Circle K International boasted 217 clubs in the U.S. and Canada, and grew to 402 clubs by 1962; the 500 Circle K club milestone was reached in 1964 when Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas was chartered. Today, there are Circle K clubs in 14 nations.

In the February 1925 edition of Kiwanis magazine, author Frank C. Vincent introduced the concept of "Key Clubs" to its readers. The article explained, "The Key Club is a new type of service, which was instituted by the Sacramento Kiwanis club; and having proved its worth is being adopted by other California clubs. It is a junior service club composed of high school boys who are the ‘key’ boys of the school, banded together in the same spirit of service that bands men of industry and the professions into groups called Kiwanis. The Kiwanis club maintains close supervision over the Key Club," the article explained.

Now, nearly 80 years later, that Sacramento High School Key Club is still going strong. And several thousand Key Clubs have been organized in high schools here and abroad. Of course, girls have been welcomed into the club, as well. And all clubs are promoting the "50-hour" rule of thumb: Every Key Club member should be willing to undertake 50 hours of service each year. That really adds up! Throughout the entire organization, more than 10 million service hours are produced annually. That’s a key that unlocks the future.

Builders Clubs are a Kiwanis International club sponsored activity aimed at youngsters during their middle school years. These are often difficult periods for kids trying to deal with peer pressure and to bridge the gap between childhood and young adulthood. They are at an early crossroads in their life. This is their first taste of making choices and defining who they are.

A locally-sponsored Builders Club provides a way for its young members to form sound personal values based on experiences in meaningful community-service activities. The members learn by doing. They learn organization, teamwork, and leadership. But the most important lesson they can learn is that individuals volunteering together can and will make a difference to the world around them.

The Kiwanis club organizes the Builders Club by enlisting interest from school administration, and then underwrites costs and provides adult guidance in costs and provides adult guidance in coordination with school personnel.

The possibilities are endless: They may organize canned food and clothing drives to support local shelters; they may adopt a resident at a local senior citizens home; or participate in the Adopt-a-Highway program, for example. Some Builders Club members even tutor other students.

Above all, members lay the foundation for a lifetime of volunteer service.

With the adult Kiwanis clubs, and college-based Circle K and high-school oriented Key Clubs, it seemed like a natural move to reach down into the elementary grades to get children, their parents and their schools introduced to the service aspects of being a kid.

That led to the concept of "K-Kids" as a Kiwanis club sponsored program. The idea originated in a Kiwanis district in Florida in 1990, and soon spread to other districts.

K-Kids was adopted as a sponsored program on October 1998. The first club chartered by International was the K-Kids Club of Brooksville Elementary School in Florida.

Today, in addition to the US, there are clubs in Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Martinique, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Now, there are more than 600 K-Kids clubs across the world!

Young Children: Priority One is the ongoing service program of Kiwanis International, addressing the needs of children prenatal through age five. All clubs are urged to carry out at least two projects each year—one addressing a local children’s need and one supporting the Worldwide Service Project to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders. Kiwanis International provides a Young Children: Priority One award banner patch.

Maternal and Infant Health – Projects include immunizations, lead-poisoning prevention, and educating future mothers about the dangers of smoking or drinking while pregnant.

Child Care and Development – Clubs can support projects like literacy development and Reading is Fundamental, support of childcare and Head Start centers, playground improvement or construction, educational play, and inter generational programs.

Program Education and Support – This includes parenting fairs and education programs, prevention of shaken baby syndrome, play day programs, and support of Parents Anonymous.

Safety and Pediatric Trauma – Projects range from support of pediatric trauma centers and Children’s Miracle Network hospitals to distribution of the home-safety checklists and prevention of scald burns.

Kiwanians have heard repeatedly over the past 10 years about the commitment to work with UNICEF to help stop Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) in the world’s poorly-developed countries where iodized salt is not available. IDD is thought to affect the mental and physical health of 1.5 billion global citizens. Kiwanis has been contributing significant funding each year to provide iodized salt to countries where IDD is prevalent. But, do you have any idea how little iodized salt it really takes to prevent IDD?

Health scientists say prevention consists of merely consuming less than one teaspoon of iodine over one’s entire lifetime! That is a tiny one-ten-thousandth of a gram daily. Iodized salt in diets delivers all of the requirements the body requires. Iodized salt has been around since the 1920s. In 1923, the ‘father’ of iodized salt—Dr. David Marine—said, "IDD is the easiest of all known diseases to prevent." Yet 113,000 children a day are being born with the affliction. Our work is not done.

The goal was worthy and ambitious, but the job proved much more monumental than first thought. In 1994, Kiwanis launched its first Worldwide Service project. In partnership with UNICEF, Kiwanis was determined to do all it could to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders in the world by the year 2000. It has taken more time and more money than ever imagined, because the disorder is so widespread across the globe. Kiwanis has devoted $75 million to the crusade to conquer IDD. IDD is the leading cause of preventable mental and physical retardation in those countries where iodized salt is not used in diets. Iodine deficiencies are rare where iodized salt is available. IDD afflicts an estimated 113,000 children born EACH DAY. That’s more than 41 million new reasons each year to keep up the fight against IDD.

Kiwanis… International. Sometimes we say "International" without really thinking about what that means. For example, in the early years of the organization, Kiwanis Clubs were limited to locations within the United States and Canada. The first sense of being "international" came in 1916 when a club in Hamilton, Ontario was formed. But it wasn’t until some 46 years later when the organization took on a much more worldwide flavor and mission. Kiwanis voted to expand its membership globally, in 1962. Kiwanis has never been the same. Today there are nearly 300,000 members belonging to more than 8,600 clubs—in at least 92 nations and geographic areas. Now, when we say "International," we mean it!

Kiwanis International got serious about going global, and voted to expand its global footprint in 1962, realizing the important work to be done worldwide. The first Latin America club was formed in April 1962 in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The first European club was organized in February 1963 with a new club in Vienna, Austria. But that was just a beginning. In July 1964, the first Asia-Pacific club was established in Manila, Philippines. A dozen years later, in 1976, the first African club was established in Kano, Nigeria. Just recently, the International President was from the Philippines. Today, there are more than 90 countries worldwide that have one or more Kiwanis clubs. Still no clubs in Iraq, or Iran or Afghanistan, but that is probably just a matter of time. We know the need is there, and Kiwanis surely has a role to play in nation building and service to under served children.

Sometimes in its history, Kiwanis proved that it just couldn’t wait for something to happen. They got ahead of the curve. Such was the case in Alaska. For years, Congress had turned the idea of statehood into a political football. Kiwanis couldn’t wait. The first Kiwanis club was formed in Fairbanks in August 1946. Anchorage organized its own Kiwanis club a month later. It would be another 13 years before Alaska would officially achieve recognition as the 49^th state, in January 1959. By then Kiwanis was well rooted in the frontier.

Similarly, the first Kiwanis club in Hawaii was chartered in Honolulu in 1947 before that year’s Kiwanis International Convention. The people of Hawaii voted in 1950 that they favored statehood. But it would be another nine years before Hawaii actually became the 50^th state with an Act of Congress in May 1959. That was a dozen years after Kiwanis had already established a beachhead. Honolulu hosts the Kiwanis International Convention in 2005.

Do you remember 1987? Elvis has been dead 10 years. It’s the year Jackie Gleason died. So did Liberace, and Fred Astaire. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was teaching the world two new words -- perestroika and glasnost, while a 19-year-old pilot tested the theory while landing his plane in Red Square. Rev. Jim Bakker admits making payments to cover his sexual liaisons with Jessica Hahn. Wall Street crashed on Black Monday, dropping a record-shattering 508 points in one day. "Baby Jessica" McClure survived days in an empty Texas well. The St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. The second-most popular movie was "Dirty Dancing" and "The Cosby Show" dominated the TV ratings. The health-conscious were pushing their way through bookstores to buy "The Eight-Week Cholesterol Diet." Alan Greenspan became chairman of the Federal Reserve.

…And at the 1987 Kiwanis International Convention, delegates voted to admit women into membership.

She Belongs to Kiwanis

Imagine a Kiwanis club going against the established Constitution and Bylaws of Kiwanis International—even at the risk of losing their charter! Well, that is exactly what the Kiwanis Club of Great Neck, New York and the Cheyenne Mountain club in Colorado Springs, Colorado did. And, they got in hot water with the international organization. They had broken the rules.

But, others also followed. And, by August 1985 the issue was forced into the national spotlight. The Kiwanis club of Ridgewood, New Jersey had not only broken the rule, they hired a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to bring a lawsuit against Kiwanis International. Kiwanis got its own lawyer, and the courtroom battles ensued. Kiwanis lawyers filed a countersuit against the Ridgewood Kiwanis club demanding its charter be revoked for its "unlawful" actions.

So what was the big deal? The Ridgewood club and others around the country had begun admitting women into their membership. The Kiwanis International Constitution and Bylaws allowed only male membership. An attempt to appease women was made by offering them honorary membership. But that wasn’t going to put out the fire.

The national flag has always been a central element of Kiwanis meetings. In the formative years of Kiwanis, the U.S. and Canada were each promoting new clubs across the borders, and that has led to some confusion. Many of the archive photos for such things as international meetings shows pictures of the U.S. flag alongside the familiar British Union Jack flag or the national Canadian Red Ensign flag. That all changed in 1965. The now familiar red and white "Maple Leaf" flag was designed and flown for the first time February 15, 1965. The country will soon celebrate the 40^th anniversary for the Maple Leaf flag.

It’s False, of course. But, in fact, there was a "Walter Kiwanis."

Kiwanis has its roots in Detroit, Michigan, having been organized for the first time there in 1915. Its early years led to internal struggles among members over its primary purpose as an organization. Some saw it as a business organization; other wanted it to be devoted to community service. But one incident in particular set Kiwanis on its course for assisting children.

In a poverty stricken neighborhood of Detroit, a five-year-old boy was at risk. His mother was divorced and at a point where she could no longer care for the boy. The young Detroit, Michigan Kiwanis club adopted him, found a foster home to raise him, and gave him the name Walter Kiwanis. The club paid for all of his expenses until his mother remarried and again assumed parental status.

Kiwanis had found its calling, through work with underprivileged or at risk children. Nearly 90 years later, in countries around the world, Kiwanis is making big differences in small ways. There are still plenty of little Walters in the world.

While Kiwanis is always open to progressive change, the organization has stood steadfast on six principles by which it stands….and it has for 80 years. 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.

Here are the six Objects: 1. To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life.

2. To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.

3. To promote the adoption and the application of higher social, business, and professional standards.

4. To develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.

5. To provide, through Kiwanis clubs, a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service, and to build better communities.

6. To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which make possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism, and goodwill.