Why we exist

Have a good look at the people around you: family, friends, colleagues and business partners. You will probably realise that you owe them a lot. Personal achievement and happiness may have been largely your own doing, but without support of the others you would have gotten nowhere. The age of pure individualism fortunately lies behind us: you may participate to society again, put something back. And that is exactly what Kiwanis does: provide support to those who really need it.

Nunc Kee-wanis, you read it right, "we let ourselves be known", is a direct translation from Otchipew, one of the native languages of North America. This Amerindian phrase may sound incomprehensible, but for Kiwanis, it represents a clear message. Because we have a clear message to spread. Without political or religious smoke signals.

Kiwanis is a service organisation. And has been since 1915. Kiwanis provides services to others, to the world which made you a successful man or woman. We are well aware that this world is still far from perfect. And we feel that someone with your abilities could make that world just a little better. We provide the infrastructure to enable you to develop your ideas together. That helps you to meet new people, to make new contacts. And this is to your benefit as well.

'Serving the Children of the World'. You can do that in many ways. You could just give money, but how do you know what happens to that money? For that reason we prefer to create and manage our own projects to improve the quality of the lives of children and their families. Projects which may sometimes benefit your next-door-neighbour, sometimes a family in a faraway country. Projects that require courage and enterprise. Which is why we make this appeal to you. To people who are accustomed to taking decisions and making tough choices. People who are committed to improve society. Your reward will consist of self-respect, self-affirmation and self-confidence, invaluable assets in a world in need of a healthy relationship between welfare and well-being.

The six objects of Kiwanis International
 

At our last International Convention in Denver Kiwanis was celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the six permanent Objects, which were adopted at the 1924 International Convention also in Denver. It is necessary to remind ourselves of these important ground rules of our organization.

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, trough 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 good will