--Meeting times and venues

KIWANIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO THE PRINCIPLE OF SERVICE, TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL, COMMUNITY AND NATIONAL WELFARE AND TO THE STRENGTHENING OF INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL.

Through nurturing many lives into service of others and providing this service to all peoples, Kiwanis International represents a vision of an international community. Kiwanis is an international organization based on the foundations of innate human rights for all. Kiwanis crosses the barrier of racial and ethnic disparities, ensuring that every person possesses equal rights and a standard of living, which upholds these rights. The focus on children who are often times neglected, abandoned and abused is probably the most descriptive way in which Kiwanis International proves that all are equal. One of the most important goals of Kiwanis is not only to improve the standard of life and living for children around the world but to establish an understanding that children are just as important and in addition to equal rights they deserve special care and nurturing in every way.

Founded in 1915 in Detroit and with headquarters now in Indianapolis, Kiwanis International is a thriving organization of service- and community-minded individuals who support children and young adults around the world. More than 600,000 Kiwanis-family members in 94 countries make their mark by responding to the needs of their communities and pooling their resources to address worldwide issues.

Guided by six permanent Objects, Kiwanis clubs view their role within their respective communities with a great deal of foresight. Key aspects to operating an effective club include:

• Evaluating children’s issues and community needs on an ongoing basis

• Conducting service projects to respond to needs identified

• Maintaining an active membership roster of professional business people who have both the desire and the ability to serve their community

Club meetings traditionally are conducted once a week and offer an atmosphere of fun, learning, and fellowship. In addition to attending the meetings, the typical Kiwanian volunteers each month to assist with club service projects.

Worldwide, the Kiwanis family is committed to eliminating the devastating effects of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the world’s leading preventable cause of mental retardation and of which more than 1.5 billion people are at risk.

In a typical year, Kiwanis clubs invest more than 6.2 million hours and US$100 million in communities around the world.

The following organizations are part of the Kiwanis Family:

• Kiwanis Clubs
• Kiwanis International Foundation
• Circle K Clubs
• Key Clubs
• Builders Clubs
• K-Kids
• Aktion Clubs
• Kiwanis Junior
• Key Leader