What is Key Club?

Key Club International is a high school organization sponsored by Kiwanis International. Key Club assists Kiwanis in carrying out its mission to serve the children of the world. High school student members of Key Club perform acts of service in their communities, such as cleaning up parks, collecting clothing, and organizing food drives. They also learn leadership skills by running meetings, planning projects, and holding elected leadership positions at the club, district, and international levels. Key Club International is the oldest, largest, and most successful non-profit student-led organization for high school students with core values of: caring, character-building, inclusiveness, and leadership. Key Club was inspired by the vision of California State Commissioner of Schools Albert C. Olney and vocational education teacher Frank C. Vincent who both worked to establish the first Key Club at Sacramento High School in California on May 7, 1925. Female students were first admitted into Key Club in 1976, eleven years before women were admitted to Kiwanis International, our sponsoring organization. Key Club exists on almost 5,000 high school campuses, in 31 different countries, primarily in the United States and Canada. It has also grown internationally to the Caribbean nations, Central and South America, and most recently to Asia and Australia. With over 12 million hours of community service a year, Key Club International is an organization comprised of multi-state districts, divisions, and individual Key Clubs on high school campuses around the world. Our organization is funded by nominal dues paid by every member, as well as generous contributions by Kiwanis International to fund service-leadership training programs. Key Club’s district & and international officers are high school leaders elected by the members at district and international conventions.