About the Michigan District

Historical marker titled Birth of Kiwanis


It all started here, in the Michigan District!

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

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.

[Learn more about Kiwanis]

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