CKI: A History September 2014 Capital District CKI Membership Development and Education Committee

Back to School…  Welcome back to a new school year! Hope everyone’s semester is off to a great start!  In the spirit of new classes and learning new things, let’s take a journey through CKI’s history!

1936  Circle K International began as a fraternity by the Kiwanis club of Pullman, Washington.  It was originally intended as a way to help deserving young men attain a college education through scholarships.  A service component was added soon after.  It was first presented at the collegiate level at Washington State University.

1947  The first CKI club was chartered at Carthage College in Illinois.  This came 11 years after the first Key Club was formed in 1925 in Sacramento, California.

1949  Circle K becomes an international organization with the chartering of a club at the University of Western Ontario (in Canada eh!)

1955  By 1955, there were 168 CKI clubs in the US and Canada.  Representatives from these clubs came together in 1955 in Philadelphia to vote to become an international organization under Kiwanis International.

1971  Girls were welcomed into the organization in  Women were not allowed to be members in Kiwanis International until 1987, 16 year AFTER CKI.

Today  Circle K International exists on more than 500 campuses in 17 countries around the world.  It is the world’s largest collegiate service organization, with more than 12,500 members.  It remains, as it always has, a student-led organization with students acting as leaders, conducting meetings, and planning service projects.  As always, we continue to “Live to Serve, Love to Serve.”