KIWANIS HISTORY

The Kiwanis Club of St. Petersburg was founded in 1922. We currently have about 100 members and are one of the five largest Kiwanis Clubs in the State of Florida. Our members come from a wide variety of back grounds, including attorneys, bankers, business owners / managers, realtors and retirees.

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Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 by a group of businessmen in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The organization was originally called the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order of Brothers, but changed its name to Kiwanis a year later. 

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The name "Kiwanis" was coined from an expression in an American Indian language of the Detroit area, "Nunc Kee-wanis," which means, "we trade." In 1920, the motto of Kiwanis became “We Build.” It remained the motto until 2005, when members voted to change it to “serving the children of the world.” In the early years, members focused on business networking but in 1919, the organization changed its focus to service—specifically service to children. 

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Kiwanis became an international organization with the founding of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1916. Kiwanis clubs formed in communities across the United States and Canada until the 1960s when worldwide expansion was approved. Today, Kiwanis clubs are helping children thrive, prosper and grow in nearly 80 nations and geographic locations.  

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