In 1925, a group of high school boys in Sacramento, California formed a service fraternity that came to be known as the first Key Club. Over the course of several years, the idea spread to other school districts across the state, then across the nation. By 1930, enough Key Clubs had been created for Kiwanis, the world’s largest service organization, to recognize and sponsor the high school organization.

With the sponsorship of Kiwanis in hand, Key Club continued to grow at a rapid pace. As the number of clubs multiplied, there came to be a plan for combining clubs into districts, with Florida being the first district to do so. Then in 1946 delegates from different districts from the around the country met in New Orleans and decided on the Constitution and Bylaws, thus forming Key Club International.

The year 1946 was also the year Michigan Key Club came into play. Two years before, John Bunker, president of the Eaton Rapids Kiwanis Club, had learned about the idea of Key Club at Kiwanis International Convention, and formed a Key Club at the local high school. It would be two years before the East Rapids High School Key Club was officially chartered.

The charter of East Rapids High School Key Club was followed by many more: Bangor in 1947, Fenton and Hastings in 1948, and Parma Western, Wayne Memorial, and Kalamazoo Central in 1949. By 1951, there were enough clubs to form the Michigan District, and a joint convention was held that year for Key Club and Kiwanis in Lansing, MI. Michigan district officers were first elected two years later.

Today, there are over 112 clubs in Michigan, sixteen divisions, and a whole lot of passion. But Michigan doesn’t stop there: every year, new clubs are chartered all across the state. From new clubs in public schools, private schools, and even community based schools, Michigan Key Club is unstoppable!