Kiwanis was organized in Detroit, Michigan, USA, on January 21, 1915. Kiwanis focuses on the needs of ordinary people and children to create extraordinary life-changing moments.

 Kiwanis and its Service Leadership Programs boast a membership of more than 600,000 men, women, and youth in nearly 16,000 clubs in more than 70 countries and geographic areas. Members of Kiwanis and its Service Leadership Programs volunteer more than 21 million hours and invest more than $113 million in their communities around the world. Kiwanis is taking itself from a good organization to a truly great organization that defines excellence for service and leadership and builds leaders through service opportunities.

 Kiwanis International is the only service organization that builds leaders at every level from the youngest Kiwanis Kids all the way through several youth programs and adult programs. (Kiwanis Family of Programs) Kiwanis impact on the world will be measured by the 10 million young leaders it nurtures, rather than by the number of members it attracts. 

 In 1994, Kiwanis launched its first Worldwide Service Project, a $75 million campaign in partnership with UNICEF to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders by the year 2000. IDD projects have been funded in 95 nations. Kiwanis International Foundation has raised nearly $100 million to eliminate IDD worldwide.

 Kiwanis One Day occurs annually during the first weekend of April. It is an opportunity to unite Kiwanis-family members from around the globe and their communities in a dedicated day of action devoted to hands-on community service projects.