Skip to main content





"UNITY FOR SERVICE"





Mission Statement

Exchange, America's Service Club, is a group of men and women working together to make our communities better places to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities, and its national project, the Prevention of Child Abuse.



Covenant of Service

                                        (Adopted as the philosophy which characterizes an Exchangite)

  • Accepting the divine privilege of single and collective responsibility as life’s noblest gift, I covenant with my fellow Exchangites:

  • To consecrate my best energies to the uplifting of Social, Religious, Political and Business ideals;

  • To discharge the debt I owe to those of high and low estate who have served and sacrificed that the heritage of American citizenship might be mine;

  • To honor and respect law, to serve my fellowmen, and to uphold the ideals and institutions of my Country; To implant the life-giving, society-building spirit of Service and Comradeship in my social and business relationships;

  • To serve in Unity with those seeking better conditions, better understandings, and greater opportunities for all.


Charles A. Berkey is credited with the founding of this great organization. At his suggestion, the name "Exchange" was selected because the group wanted to exchange ideas and information with like-minded individuals about how to better serve their communities.

 

The first local Exchange Club was formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1911. The second was the Exchange Club of Toledo, Ohio formed in 1913. Subsequently, two others were organized in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio. These four clubs were the first to be chartered by the National Exchange Club after it was organized as a nonprofit, educational organization in 1917. Since then, hundreds of clubs have been chartered in the United States and Puerto Rico, with nearly 28,000 members making a positive difference in their own communities everyday.

 


 

Charles Berkey

Founder of

Exchange Club