History
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    Before becoming a international organization, Circle K was establish in 1936 as a fraternity at Washington State College with the help of their local Kiwanis Club. Since then the first Circle K club was established in 1947 at Carthage College, Illinois. Since then Circle K has become the largest collegiate student led service organization and one of the fastest growing branch of the Kiwanis Family (along side Key Club International). From having over 13,000 members back in 2006 to now over 15,000 members in 17 different countries, Circle K always has room to expand.
 
    One major milestone in Circle K International’s history was being the first branch of the Kiwanis Family to allow women to join. The bylaw for this passed during the International Convention of 1971 but found opposition by Kiwanis International, who had to approve the bylaw amendments. Circle K International’s rebuttal Kiwanis International’s refusal was a threat to join Rotary International, which is another service organization. Without Circle K International, the experience of Circle K and in the Kiwanis Family would not have been possible for women. Now today, a majority of Circle K International’s members are women.

     While trying to expand further internationally, Circle K at the International Convention in New Orleans, voted on a new international representative: International Representative at Large, which helps become a liaison for the District of Andes and Central America (DACA) as well as in non district countries like the Philippines and Taiwan. The International Representative at Large also chairs the International Expansion committee, which assists clubs outside districted areas grow by providing as much resources and assistance as possible.
    Circle K has the most service hour per member than any of the branches of the Kiwanis Family. Most notably Circle K is affiliated with various other organizations that help differentiate the experience of being in Circle K than and other collegiate service organizations.

    Circle K has a history of working with the UNICEF. In the early 90’s, Circle K along with the rest of the Kiwanis Family worked to successfully eliminate iodine deficiency disorders, which was a leading cause of mental disability in children. By iodizing salt Circle K along with the Kiwanis Family and UNICEF, helped raised the global IQ level eliminated IDD from the world. In 2010, Circle K and the Kiwanis Family Again partnered up with UNICEF to eliminate Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus, a deadly disease that kills one baby every nine minutes with a goal of raising $110 million by 2015. This campaign is called The EliMiNaTe Project and Circle K has the most funds rise per member than any other Service Leadership Program (i.e. Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids). Circle K also started a partnership with UNICEF and developed the Six Cents Initiative, which helps provide re-hydration salts at the cost of six cents to areas without clean water. Donations to the Six Cents Initiative also go towards family water kits and water purification tablets.

    Circle K is also affiliated with other charitable organizations like the March of Dimes, Better World Books, and Students Team Up to Fight Hunger. In 2013, Circle K with Kiwanis worked together in Vancouver with their new Vision Partner: Landscape Structure. With this new vision partner, Circle K had the opportunity to help build two playgrounds at two schools in Vancouver, British Columbia

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