History

The Kiwanis Club of Bensalem was chartered on July 29, 1998 with 15 charter members.  Our First President was Fred Harran, Bensalem Township Public Safety Director.  The 15 members were Bensalem Public Service employees, Bensalem Educators, Local Business People, and Township Residents.  Our mission is to provide programs for the children of Bensalem.

What is a Kiwanian?

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.

Kiwanis Name
The name “Kiwanis” means “we trade” or “we share our talents.” It was coined from an American Indian expression, Nunc Kee-wanis.

The first Kiwanis club was organized in Detroit Michigan.  The group received a charter from the state of Michigan on January 21, 1915, and this is regarded as the birth date of Kiwanis.

Kiwanians are volunteers changing the world through service to children and communities. Kiwanis members help shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, mentor the disadvantaged, and care for the sick. They develop youth as leaders, build playgrounds, raise funds for pediatric research, and much more. No problem is too big or too small. Why? Because working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone. When you give a child a chance to learn, experience, dream, and succeed, great things happen!

As Kiwanis clubs and members, we see it everyday!

Membership

About 8,000 clubs in 96 countries

More than 260,000 adult members

Approximately 320,000 youth

Mission

To serve children of the world.

Service
Each year, clubs:

Sponsor nearly 150,000 service projects.

Raise more than $107 million.

Global Results

Members and clubs have contributed more than $80 million toward the global elimination of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the leading preventable cause of mental retardation.