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About Kiwanis
Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Kiwanis and its youth-oriented Service Leadership Programs serve communities in more than 80 countries and geographic areas.
Founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan, Kiwanis International now comprises 600,000 members - men, women boys and girls - worldwide.
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 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.
History
The first clubs were organized to promote the exchange of business among the members. However the members were distributing Christmas baskets to the poor. A lively debate ensued between those who supported community service as the Kiwanis mission and those who supported the exchange of business. By 1919, the service advocates won the debate.
- Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan, on January 21, 1915.
- In the early years, Kiwanis clubs focused on business networking, but even then, members were serving the needs of the poor.
- By 1919, the organization had changed its focus from business to service.
- Kiwanis became an international organization in 1916 with the organization of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario.
- Kiwanis limited its membership to the United States and Canada until 1962 when worldwide expansion was approved.
- Until 1987, Kiwanis was a male-only organization. But after years of debate and growing support, women's membership was received overwhelmingly.
The Kiwanis Club of St. Johnsbury, VT
The Kiwanis Club of St. Johnsbury, VT was chartered on November 17, 1930. We were the first Kiwanis club in the state of Vermont.
Our key focus has been the maintenance and upkeep of the Kiwanis Pool, tennis courts and bocce court adjacent to the St. Johnsbury School. The pool was built by the Kiwanis Club and opened in 1944 and has been supported by fundraising efforts, primarily our annual auction, for the past 60 years.
Over 685 children participate in our Red Cross swimming program earning certificates in various levels of swimming competence, all at no charge. The Kiwanis Swimming Pool is, to the best of our knowledge, the only privately owned, completely free to the public, swimming pool being run in the country.
We are also actively involved in many community events including:
- First Night in St Johnsbury
- Maple Fest
- VT State Youth Track Meet
- Caledonia County Relay for Life
- Summer Fest
- St Johnsbury Fall Foliage Parade
- Victorian Holiday
- Sponsor of the Kiwanis Key Club of Groveton, NH
- Concessions at all St. Johnsbury Academy home varsity football games
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