Club grants span continents 

Club grants span continents 

Mar 25, 2024 | Fundraising, General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund | 0 comments

Kiwanis Children’s Fund grants help clubs start projects that support kids’ health and education.

By Erin Chandler

This March, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded club grants to 12 outstanding Kiwanis club projects that are making a difference across four continents. The following projects highlight the truly international spirit of Kiwanis and show how Kiwanians have addressed the specific health and education needs of kids in Italy, Panama, Austria, Nepal and the United States.  

Bright futures start with a diagnosis
Kiwanis Club of Lalbandi, Kathmandu, Nepal
According to a survey conducted by the Kiwanis Club of Lalbandi, four to five cases of autism spectrum disorder are being diagnosed each day in one Kathmandu health clinic alone. Some children stop attending school as a result. Seeing the clear need in its community, the club is partnering with local autism centers to support kids dealing with this often-misunderstood condition. Club members will receive training to help screen for autism spectrum disorder and assist at therapy centers that provide speech-language, play-based, physical, occupational and nutritional therapies. A grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help purchase medications and food supplements for those who can’t afford them, as well as software to track patients’ progress. 

A new dining room for a healthy start
Kiwanis Club of Libertad, Coclé, Panama
The Kiwanis Club of Libertad will use a Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant to purchase tables, chairs, eating and kitchen utensils, a refrigerator, an industrial sink, paint and food for the remodeled dining room at Boca de Chiguirí Primary School. Children in the area suffer from food insecurity and often come to school without receiving meals at home. The club is partnering with various government ministries, local companies and others to create a self-sustaining nutrition program that will include vegetable gardens and poultry farming at the school. Once the dining room is structurally safe and furnished, students, parents and teachers will collaborate to bring the program to life. 

Children’s gardens for kindergartens
Kiwanis Club of Mühlviertel, Schwertberg, Austria
The word “kindergarten” means “children garden” — and the Kiwanis Club of Mühlviertel is taking it literally, installing raised-bed gardens at 19 kindergartens in the Perg district of Austria. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help cover the cost of the aluminum beds. Once the gardens are installed, the “little researchers” will learn how vegetables grow and thrive, how insects pollinate flowers and how fruits and blossoms form — and they will develop a sense of responsibility from caring for the garden. 

A soft room in a safe house
Kiwanis Club of Gallarte, Varese, Italy
A Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grant will help the Kiwanis Club of Gallarte build a Montessori room for children ages six and under living in “protected houses” after leaving dangerous home environments. These children often arrive experiencing severe physical and emotional complications. The room will be painted in “soft colors” to promote tranquility and filled with child-size furnishings, sensory panels, carpets, games, “work” surfaces and more. The club hopes this room will help develop the children’s creativity, intelligence and sensory awareness, setting them on a path for healthy growth. 

Reading in the rain
Kiwanis Club of Malden, Massachusetts, U.S.
Since 2016, the Kiwanis Club of Malden has provided free books to hundreds of local children at its Bubbles and Books event. (It also features a bubble magician for extra fun.) A puppeteer storyteller even takes part to enhance a love of literacy for all kids in this very diverse community, where over 50 languages are spoken in the public schools. Recently, however, the club has had to cancel or reschedule Bubbles and Books due to rain or extreme heat. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help the club purchase tents for shade and shelter, so kids can choose new books to take home in rain or shine.  

More books, playgrounds and essential supplies
Other projects that received club grants in March include: 

  • Book giveaways from the Kiwanis clubs of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, U.S.; Cicero, Indiana, U.S.; and Literacy in Salinas CA, California, U.S. 
  • A book vending machine from the Kiwanis Club of Lincoln, California, U.S. 
  • Inclusive playgrounds from the Kiwanis clubs of Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S. and Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. 
  • A supply closet for students in need from the Kiwanis Club of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, U.S.  

Apply for a club grant   
The upcoming deadline to complete the first application step for a Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grant has been extended to April 15, 2024! Learn how your club can apply for a grant to help kids in your community. If you have any questions, contact grants@kiwanis.org. 

How you can help
The Kiwanis Children’s Fund makes grants that improve the lives of children around the world by identifying projects that create a continuum of impact in a child’s life — one that spans their entire childhood and sets them up for a bright future. By funding projects that target the Kiwanis causes — health and nutrition, education and literacy, and youth leadership development — whether through a Kiwanis club’s local service project or a club’s partner, the Children’s Fund ensures that its grantmaking has the greatest possible impact.

If you are interested in extending your and your club’s impact beyond your community, make a gift to the Children’s Fund. 

Five places to look for new members

Five places to look for new members

Mar 20, 2024 | Club building, General interest | 0 comments

If you’re struggling to find prospective members, reach out to these groups in your community

By Erin Chandler

You’ve recruited family, friends and coworkers to join the Kiwanis family — but your Kiwanis club is always looking for new members to serve the children of the world! Here are five ideas to jumpstart your club’s recruitment efforts outside of your immediate circle. 

  1. Partner organizations. Think about companies and organizations that believe in your club’s mission and support you throughout the year. Get in touch with their leaders and ask if they would be interested in taking your partnership to the next level by sponsoring a corporate membership in your club — or if they would be interested in joining themselves. 
  1. Diverse groups and businesses. Diversity is key to a successful club — it is important to seek a diverse membership to offer a wide range of ideas for how to serve and enrich your club’s impact. Research various business groups and nonprofits — including minority-owned businesses and organizations — that represent the demographics of your community. Seek opportunities to speak during one of their membership or board meetings to promote your club’s contributions to the community. Invite them to speak during one of your upcoming club meetings as well. You can find Diversity, Equity and Inclusion resources on the Kiwanis members page. 
  1. New businesses and nonprofits. Scan local business articles and think about inviting owners of recently opened businesses and new nonprofit executives to attend a club meeting. Allow them to make a two-minute plug for their business, and make sure you provide them with Kiwanis membership information. 
  1. Retired teachers. Invite local teachers who have recently retired to a Kiwanis meeting or service project. These individuals have spent their lives working with kids and might be looking for a new way to continue mentoring young people. 
  1. Former members. Sometimes Kiwanians leave clubs when they are not fully engaged in activities, when life circumstances do not allow time for Kiwanis — or when no one attempts to reinvolve them. However, circumstances can change over time. You can “ReMember” a former member by inviting them to attend a meeting or event and following up with any concerns they might have about the club. Remind them that kids still need Kiwanis in your community and ask them to rejoin. 
Service that protects the environment 

Service that protects the environment 

Mar 15, 2024 | General interest | 0 comments

With “green” projects, Kiwanis clubs are serving kids and safeguarding the future. Here are a few examples.  

By Julie Saetre

Kiwanians around the world know that helping kids includes helping the planet we all live on. These Kiwanis clubs have found innovative ways to do both, from community gardens to environmental awareness programs. Let them inspire your own Earth-friendly club project. 

Recycling plastic in Aklan, Philippines
The Kiwanis Club of Golden Salakot Aklan in the Southern Philippine District recently launched Project BAYLO: “Basura ay Yaman at Likas kayang Oportunidad Para sa Kabataan,” a Filipino acronym for “Trash is a treasure and a sustainable opportunity for the children.” 

The initiative encourages children to collect at least 525 grams of shredded and compacted single-use plastics, place them in plastic bottles and exchange the bottles for a kilo of rice and school supplies. This innovative approach not only tackles plastic waste but also empowers kids by providing them with essential resources in exchange for their help in creating a cleaner environment. 

This project aligns with the Kiwanis Asia-Pacific Region’s environmental stewardship campaign by promoting social responsibility and by contributing to the production of eco-friendly chairs, benches and other items made from the collected plastics. 

Project BAYLO kicked off at Kalibo Pilot Elementary School in Aklan, Philippines, with 150 children participating. 

Putting down roots in Jamaica
In Jamaica, two club presidents had an idea: Get young people involved in raising awareness about climate change issues. The result was the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Mitigation Project — a joint effort of the Kiwanis Club of North St. Andrew and the Kiwanis Club of Eastern St. Andre.  

In 2018, members of several CKI, Key and Builders Clubs were challenged to develop a project in their schools to reduce the effects of climate change based on training they all received from experts. The winner of the competition was the Half Way Tree Primary Builders Club for its rooftop garden project, which is still growing strong today. The green roof helps absorb rainwater, provides insulation, creates a habitat for wildlife and lowers urban air temperatures. 

Growing produce and job skills in Tulsa
In North Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., some 4,000 children live in low-income families. Twenty-five percent go to bed hungry every night, and 58% drop out of school before graduating high school. 

Chris Beach, a member of the Tulsa Kiwanis Club, knows these statistics too well. He is the director of partnerships and development for Tulsa YouthWorks, which empowers more than 200 at-risk elementary school children in North Tulsa. Beach’s fellow Kiwanians provided YouthWorks with a US$55,000 donation to teach kids how to grow fruits and vegetables year-round in the Multi-Ponic Greenhouse, which uses hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic systems.  

Now kids are learning advanced gardening skills, and the produce is helping feed North Tulsa families through area churches and other strategic partners. 

Teaching green living in Victoria
The Kiwanis Club of Shepparton Sunrisers, Victoria, Australia, received a silver award in the 2023 Kiwanis Signature Project Contest for its Sprout Healthy Lifestyle Garden and Education Centre. Attached to the KidsTown Adventure Playground, this interactive space offers multicultural and indigenous food demonstrations, workshops on caring for the local environment, health programs for children and the chance for families to spend quality time together outdoors. The interactive Adventure Playground is free and easily accessible to the 10,000 annual KidsTown visitors. 

Tagging trees in Ohio
Mike Marks, a member of the Bath Richfield Kiwanis Club in Ohio, U.S., loves trees. In 2022, he and fellow Kiwanian Laura Yost proposed labeling trees as a club project. Through Kiwanis Naming of Trees, or KNOT, Bath Richfield club members create club-branded signs that include the common name of the tree, its genus and species, a picture of its bark, nut or flower and a fun fact. 

The entire club membership researches the fun facts used, and arborists contribute their time to help identify each tree and supply the scientific information. Next up: a partnership with staff and students at Bath Elementary School to identify, tag and name trees along nature trails on the school’s property.