The Kiwanis Club of Houston was organized in 1918 and chartered in January 1919 and is one of the oldest Kiwanis clubs in the world. 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.  The first clubs were organized to promote the exchange of business among the members. However, even before the Detroit club received its state charter, the members were distributing Christmas baskets to the poor. A lively debate ensued between those who supported community service as the Kiwanis mission and those who supported the exchange of business. By 1919, the service advocates won the debate and the Kiwanis Club became forever known as an organization that came to the aid of the neighborhood community.

The Kiwanis Club of Houston has always been a service organization devoted to the Houston community at large and particularly the needs of children for education, sustenance, medical attention, rehabilitation and encouragement.  The Kiwanis Foundation of Houston was organized in 1966 as a non-profit organization to grant requests and meet needs of numerous charitable organizations around the area.  

The Kiwanis Club of Houston has boasted a number of community leaders, including mayors, local and state officeholders, county and district judges, and political party leadership from both national parties.  Business leaders from the energy, manufacturing, banking, publishing, legal, engineering, real estate, insurance, accounting, education and retailing industries make up the wide array of professional men and women who are members.  The Club is especially proud of the large number of career military officers and the veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf Wars, who bring their special brand of patriotism and perseverance to our activities.

Belonging to the Kiwanis Club of Houston is an honor and a privilege and many Houston families have answered the call across several generations, where sons and daughters have followed their parents and grandparents into the Club to take up the valuable work and enjoy the special relationships formed here.