Our Story

The Kiwanis Club of Missoula was founded by a group of dedicated Missoulians in 1921. We are one of Missoula’s oldest and longest serving service clubs. The club is a special organization of fun-loving members who work hard to help make Missoula a better place to live for all children.

Founded in 1915, Kiwanis International is a global organization dedicated to fulfilling our motto: “Serving the children of the world.”  Kiwanis International is comprised of over 8,100 adult clubs with over 277,000 adult members and over 7,900 youth clubs with over 350,000 youth members, spread throughout 80 countries and geographic areas around the world. 

One of the many pleasures of living in the Missoula area is the opportunity for all of us to give back to our community through service. Kiwanis is the kind of service club that people want to join because we have fun through our service projects, club meetings and other worth while activities.  We have a diverse membership and utilize the many talents of our members to serve Missoula children.  Our members have a wide variety of backgrounds, educations and vocations.

The Kiwanis Club of Missoula strives to make a difference for our local youth through sponsored programs. Our programs include the Kiwanis Youth Basketball Program a free basketball league which has served thousands of Missoula boys and girls since 1944.  We support and mentor Key Clubs at Big Sky High School and Sentinel High School, an Aktion Club (adults with disabilities), and a Circle K Club at the University of Montana.  We also support other local organizations focused on helping the young people in our community, including the Joseph House residence for homeless families, Mountain Home for expecting or unwed mothers, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and Watson’s Children’s Shelter, to name a few.  We fund these programs and activities primarily through our annual Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and parking cars for the Western Montana Fair.

Every Tuesday at noon the club meets at the Westside Lanes and Fun Club for our weekly luncheons.  Our meetings consist of a catered lunch, some fun mixed in with a little club business, and a guest speaker.  We pride ourselves on inviting guest speakers who present interesting programs on subjects topical and timely.  We strive to be a leading forum for some of Missoula’s and Montana’s most interesting issues of the day.