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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the members of Kiwanis
4International on the occasion of the organization's 100th
5anniversary in 2015; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Kiwanis International originated in August of
71914 in Detroit, Michigan from a conversation between Allen S.
8Browne and Joseph G. Prance; Browne's idea was to solicit
9business and professional men asking them if they would be
10interested in organizing a fraternal organization with a health
11benefit feature; Browne and Prance set out and recruited enough
12members to apply to the state for a non-profit status; the
13State of Michigan approved the application on January 21, 1915
14and the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order Brothers was formed; the
15organization's name was changed to Kiwanis a year later; by
161927, the organization had more than 100,000 members; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Kiwanis International is a volunteer-led
18organization based in 7 regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada
19and Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the
20United States and Pacific Canada; there are nearly 600,000
21members in Kiwanis and the organization annually raises more
22than $100 million, sponsors nearly 150,000 service projects,
23and reports over 18 million volunteer hours to strengthen

 

 

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1communities and serve children; Kiwanis also sponsors about
27,000 youth service clubs with nearly 320,000 youth members;
3and
 
4    WHEREAS, Kiwanis International's original motto was "We
5Trade"; a new motto of "We Build" was adopted during the 1920
6International Convention and represented Kiwanis for more than
780 years; the current motto, adopted in 2005, is "Serving the
8Children of the World"; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Women constitute about 26% of total members in
10Kiwanis International; at the 2013 International Convention,
11Sue Petrisin was elected to serve as the organization's first
12female international vice president; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Kiwanis International is the founder and major
14supporter of Key Club International, which was started in
15Sacramento, California in 1925; Key Club is the oldest and
16largest service program for high school students in the world;
17as of 2010, Key Club had 250,000 members in 5,000 clubs in 30
18nations; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The members of Kiwanis International serve as
20models of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people
21of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3congratulate the members of Kiwanis International on the
4occasion of the organization's 100th anniversary and wish them
5continued success and happiness in the future; and be it
6further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Kiwanis International as a symbol of our esteem
9and respect.