To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life.
To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.
To promote the adoption and the application of higher social, business, and professional standards.
To develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.
To provide, through Kiwanis clubs, a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service, and to build better communities.
To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which makes possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism, and good will.

History:
Seventy-five years ago Chapel Hill was a village of 2,500 people, a figure that had increased over the 1,495 reported in the 1920 census. The village community was contained on the hill.
In the period of time between 1924 and 1928, the road to Sanford by way of Pittsboro had been paved, as had the road leading to Hillsborough by way of Carrboro and the road to Durham. Franklin Street, which had had an 18-foot strip of pavement down the middle of the road with mud on either side to the curbs, was being paved for the full width of the road. The enrollment of the University had doubled following the First World War from approximately 1,500 to approximately 3,000. The village community was still contained on the hill.
At this time, civic clubs were being established across the state. (The Durham Kiwanis Club was established in 1920.) In this village environment, both the Rotary Club and the Kiwanis Club were founded in the summer of 1928.