Founded in Toledo, Ohio, USA in 1922 by Judge Paul William Alexander to support a local YMCA, Y's Men International is now oriented to serving the worldwide YMCA, the world's largest non-governmental youth organisation, and through it the communities in which it is present throughout the world. Since the YMCA is usually known as "the Y" in the USA, and as the Y's Men movement started there as a club of "men of and for the Y", it was named the "Y's Men's Club".
However, today women are also full members of our movement and family participation is encouraged in numerous activities. Since 1995 local affiliated clubs wishing to emphasize this openness can choose to call themselves "Y's Men and Women's Clubs" or "Y Service Clubs". Members are known as Y's Men or Y's Women.
