KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL
Our local Blue Ridge Kiwanis Club is a small part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time. Members from around the world stage nearly 150,000 service projects and raise nearly $100 million US Dollars every year for communities, families and projects. This service club was founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. Kiwanis International is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas.
We get asked this all the time about our name: The name “Kiwanis” was coined from an expression in an American Indian language of the Detroit area, “Nunc Kee-wanis,” which means, “we trade” or “we share our talents.”
Kiwanis International sponsors several service clubs for young people:
- Circle K International has 11,000 members on 570 university and college campuses
- Key Club International has 215,000 members in 4,600 high schools
- Builders Clubs have been organized in 2,000 junior high and middle schools
Other members of the Kiwanis family include:
- K-Kids in elementary schools
- Young European adults in Kiwanis Junior
- Aktion Club, which involves persons with disabilities in community-service activities.
Locally, the Kiwanis Club of Blue Ridge is proud to sponsor the Fannin County High School Key Club, which was founded in the early 1950’s.