The History of CKI

It all began with a helping minded Kiwanian by the name of Jay N. Emerson.  In 1936, he presented to the Pullman Washington Kiwanis the idea that the Pullman Kiwanis Club should purchase a house that could be rented to young men in need of assistance in order to attend the local college. The plan became a reality as the Kiwanians established the "Circle K House" at Washington State College.  It took eleven years and a little evolution for the idea of a “Circle K House” to become a service club like those we know today that promote fellowship, leadership, and service. This first club was chartered at Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois. 

            Circle K continued to rapidly grow.  Soon there was need for a distinct structure. The first four unofficial districts were California-Nevada-Hawaii, Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, and Missouri-Arkansas. In 1957, the first official district was chartered, the Texas-Oklahoma District. The Carolinas District jumped on the bandwagon soon after, chartering in 1961.

             In 1953, Circle Kers decided it was time to celebrate.  They converged on New York City, New York, for the first ever International Convention.

But it is not only where Circle K came from that is important…what it stands for is even more meaningful.  Circle Ker’s live heroically by their motto, “I pledge to uphold the Objects of Circle K International, to foster compassion and goodwill toward others through service and leadership, to develop my abilities and the abilities of all people, and to dedicate myself to the realization of mankind’s potential.”

            In order to aide them in making their motto a ruling factor in their lives, and to live the mission of developing college and university students into responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commitment to serving the children of the world, lofty goals have been set.

            In the 2007-2008 Circle K year members will strive to perform 450,001 hours of community service, raise $70,001 for the Saving Lives: Six Cents Initiative, increase the number of active clubs to 504, and increase Circle K’s membership to 14,001 members.  The theroy behind the addition of "1" to most of the goals is to emphasize that one can make a difference, and that each and every one person does matter.