In 1936, the Kiwanis Club of Pullman, Washington, established “Circle K House” at Washington State College, which was rented to young men who needed assistance to attend college. For ten years the "Circle K House" became affiliated with a Greek letter organization, although it continued to be sponsored by the Pullman Kiwanis Club.
Eleven years later in 1947, Circle K transitioned from a fraternity to a service-oriented organization. That year, during September, the first Circle K club similar to our present day organization, was chartered at Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois.
In 1949, two more clubs were organized, including one in Canada, making Circle K international. There were 147 Circle K clubs in 1955, when Circle K was officially recognized as a sponsored organization of Kiwanis International.
