What is Key Club?
Key Club is a service leadership organization for high school students, operating under school regulations and drawing its membership from the student body. Key club is special because it is jointly sponsored by a local Kiwanis club, composed of the leading business and professional people of the community and a school. Key Club’s exists as a student-led organization on the club level, on a district level (state / province), and the International level. This highly developed structure provides programs, literature, and the opportunity to relate to teenagers in the United States and other nations. Key Club is the largest service organization of its kind, with more than 210,000 members and approximately 4,500 clubs.
History of Key Club
The first Key Club was sponsored in May 1925 at Sacramento High School in California by the Kiwanis Club of Sacramento. The original concept was to develop a vocational guidance program aimed to combat the problems of student fraternities. From this evolved the idea of a service organization for the home, school, and community. This idea slowly spread throughout the United States, and by 1939, Florida had a sufficient number of Key Clubs functioning to hold a state convention and form a district. Other districts followed Florida’s lead, and finally in 1943, a national organization was started. In 1946, the first club in Canada was formed. Also to establish a strong foundation, the Key Club International Constitution and Bylaws were adopted during the same year. Today, key Clubs exist across North America and the Caribbean.
Mission, Pledge, Motto, Objectives of Key Club
Key Club International is an international student-led organization which provide its members with the opportunity to perform service, build character, and develop leadership.
Pledge
I pledge, on my honor, to uphold the Objects of Key Club International; to build my home, school and community; to serve my nation and God; and combat all forces which tend to undermine these institutions.
Motto
"Caring, Our Way of Life" - Through Key Club's work in the home, school, and community, Key Club members have learned that their organization is built around the concept of caring. With this concept as the foundation of the organization, Key Club will continue to be an effective and contributing organization in schools and communities.
Objectives
- To develop initiative and leadership.
- To provide experience in living and working together.
- To serve the school and community.
- To cooperate with the school principal.
- To prepare for useful citizenship.
- To accept and promote the following ideals:
- To give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than to the material values of life.
- To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.
- To promote the adoption and application of higher standards in scholarship, sportsmanship, and social contacts.
- To develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.
- To provide a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render unselfish service, and to build better communities.
- To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which makes possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism, and good will.