service club

service club, an organization, usually composed of business and professional men or women, that promotes fellowship among its members and is devoted to the principle of volunteer community service. The idea of the service club originated in the United States and has had its greatest popularity there, though service clubs now exist in many other countries and are often linked in international associations.

All service clubs have high-principled mottoes and creeds, such as Rotary International’s “Service Above Self.” About half of these clubs are in semirural communities and have memberships of less than 50. Most hold a luncheon or dinner meeting each week. The larger service organizations publish magazines that report their activities and also carry articles of general interest. Many of the service organizations have clubs in more than one country.

The idea of creating a civilian service club originated in 1905 with Paul P. Harris, a young attorney in Chicago. His plan of organization envisioned all the essential features of the present-day service club and included the classification principle that restricts membership in a given club to a quota from each business or profession. Because meetings were to be held in rotation in members’ offices, Harris proposed the name Rotary. Growth was rapid. With the formation of clubs in Winnipeg, Man., Dublin, and London, the name International Association of Rotary Clubs was adopted but was replaced in 1922 by the name Rotary International. By the late 20th century, there were more than 28,000 Rotary clubs in 158 countries, with a total membership nearing 1.2 million.

Other clubs of somewhat similar design followed in rapid succession. In 1915 Kiwanis (International) was organized in Detroit, the name being derived from Indian lore suggesting self-expression. Kiwanis clubs may select two members from each business or profession. The International Association of Lions Clubs was organized in Dallas, Texas, in 1917. Lions clubs adopted more lenient rules for admission and did not follow the classification principle rigidly. As a result, their membership increased rapidly, and the Lions soon became one of the largest of the service-club organizations.

Other large service clubs include Sertoma (International), 1912; Gyro (International), 1912; National Exchange Club, 1917; Optimist (International), 1919; Civitan (International), 1920; Ruritan (National), 1928; and Cosmopolitan (International), 1933. Major women’s service clubs include Altrusa (International), 1917; Quota (International), 1919; Zonta (International), 1919; Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (International), 1921; Soroptimist (International), 1921; and Pilot Club, 1921.

It is estimated that each year service clubs carry on several hundred thousand local community projects, ranging in complexity from sponsoring bazaars to building and equipping hospitals or summer camps for underprivileged children.