Kiwanis’ global impact in 2023

Kiwanis’ global impact in 2023

Dec 20, 2023 | Fundraising, News, Service Leadership Programs | 2 comments

Check out some of Kiwanis’ biggest moments this year.

By Sarah Moreland

Making a difference
Kiwanians all around the world did what we do best: helping others. Members in Barbados provided opportunities to play for kids of all abilities. Further north, Kiwanians in Pennsylvania, U.S., provided disaster relief for 45 people displaced by a fire. Canadian volunteers collaborated with Kiwanians in Iceland to distribute bicycle helmets to kids, and members across Europe have continued to provide relief supplies to Ukrainian refugees (pictured above).

Volunteers’ impact is seen in the lives of kids and communities everywhere. Brooke Moreland, whose family was homeless when she joined Key Club International, credits Key Club for giving her the skills and confidence to pursue her doctorate degree. And a Kiwanis meeting helped “Reggie” Regino save a life.

The best of the best
More than 400 clubs across 42 districts vied for one of the top spots in the 2023 Signature Service Project Contest. Impactful winning projects ranged from programs that empower single mothers to a free children’s health clinic to a reading hub created to eliminate the post-pandemic literacy gap. See the full list of winners.  

Enter the 2024 Signature Service Project Contest! The submission period is now open.

The power of community
We do more good together — and that’s why Kiwanis members joined members of Lions Clubs International, Optimist International and Rotary International to serve even more people, families and neighborhoods. See how Kiwanians from around the world — from India and Canada to the Cayman Islands and the United States — participated in the third annual Celebrate Community week this past September.

Supporting youth leaders
Seven outstanding Key Club International seniors and Circle K International members were recognized with Kiwanis Children’s Fund scholarships — out of an applicant field of more than 450 students. Meet each of this year’s deserving student leaders.

Applications for 2024 scholarships are now open! Encourage eligible Key Club and CKI students to apply by February 1.

A day to give
Our inaugural Kiwanis Day of Giving raised more than US$56,000 — exceeding our initial goal and impacting more than 25,000 kids! Thank you for your support!

Mark your calendars for Kiwanis Day of Giving 2024: On February 21, we aim to raise US$75,000 to reach 30,000 kids. Join us to help kids on this special day!

Helping where it’s needed most
The Kiwanis Children’s Fund helped the Kiwanis family reach more kids in 2023, with a record 183 grants and scholarships awarded throughout the year. The Children’s Fund also added a new opportunity with the introduction of the Microgrant Program. For clubs with 35 members or fewer, the program offers a chance to apply for grants of US$250-$1,000. Meanwhile, the Children’s Fund continued the Kiwanis family’s support for the fight against maternal and neonatal tetanus — with a US$275,000 grant to UNICEF in October.

A global celebration
More than 1,500 Kiwanis members from 49 districts celebrated another year of service to kids and communities at the 2023 Kiwanis International Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Hundreds of members also participated virtually. Kiwanians heard from inspirational speakers, elected Kiwanis’ new leaders and renewed their commitment to help even more kids in their communities.

Save the date! The 2024 Kiwanis International Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado, U.S., July 3-6.

And that’s not all! Our Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs saw successes too!

Key Club International
Our program for high school students continues to grow — with more than 220,000 members globally! Student leaders gathered in Anaheim, California, U.S., in July for the annual Key Club International convention, where they further improved their leadership skills, learned how to help others through Key Club’s service partners and elected the 2023-24 board, led by President Kyle Hanson of the Pacific Northwest District. Key Club members also continue to raise money for Start Strong: Zambia, a fundraising campaign with UNICEF to support early childhood education in the southeastern African nation.

Save the date: Key Club turns 100 in 2025! Ask your sponsored Key Club how you can help commemorate the historic milestone — or charter a new Key Club in honor of the anniversary.

Circle K International
CKI, our program for college and university students, held its 2023 convention in Minneapolis in tandem with the Kiwanis International convention. Delegates elected Zak Kahn of the New England District to serve as 2023-24 Circle K International president. Attendees participated in workshops about CKI projects and initiatives, including its newest: Brick x Brick, in partnership with UNICEF USA. CKI has, to date, raised more than US$72,000 for Brick x Brick, which supports sustainability, education and empowerment for families in the African nation of Côte d’Ivoire.

CKI will again join Kiwanis in Denver in July 2024 for its concurrent convention.

(2023-24 Circle K International President Zak Kahn and 2023-24 Key Club International President Kyle Hanson)

Here’s to more service, more smiles and more fun in 2024!

Annual “Chocolate Walk” fundraiser makes a big impact

Annual “Chocolate Walk” fundraiser makes a big impact

Nov 15, 2023 | Fundraising | 1 comment

A Kiwanis club makes use of its hometown’s renown for an event that’s sweet and scenic.

By Tony Knoderer 

The Kiwanis Club of Lititz Area in Pennsylvania, U.S., raised more than US$90,000 for local kids in October during its 22nd Chocolate Walk. Each year, the club works with chocolate makers big and small to provide treats to attendees. This year, more than 2,000 people bought tickets that allowed them to walk throughout Lititz, gathering goodies from 33 chocolatiers and chefs. 

One reason for the event’s success, says club member Charlie Stickler, is the town itself. 

“Lititz is known as one of the best small towns in America,” Stickler says. “It’s a well-visited tourist area.” 

A scenic small town is a nice place to hold an event where people walk around on an autumn day. It’s also a good place to build an event that people return to year after year — even when the weather doesn’t cooperate. 

“We had rain most of the day,” Stickler says. “But most people, rain or shine, they’re there.” 

Keep ’em coming
After more than two decades, the event’s reputation precedes it. The Chocolate Walk is usually held in the first half of October, with tickets on sale in July. This year, Stickler says, the club had sold out by mid-September.   

That success keeps the chocolatiers — as well as sponsors and partners — coming back. 

“The businesses here say it’s the second or third busiest day in town because of the draw,” Stickler says.  

Of course, a sizable event requires a large number of volunteers to run smoothly — especially for a club with not quite 30 members. This year the Lititz club got help from more than 200 people, including members of the local Key Clubs the Kiwanians sponsor. 

From near and far
At this point, the size and success of the Chocolate Walk attracts people from beyond Lititz itself. In fact, Stickler says, the Chocolate Walk attracts visitors from 16 to 20 other U.S. states every year. 

“A woman called me from New Mexico and asked about tickets,” he says. “She said her family figured, since they were on their way to a family reunion east of us, they might as well try to go to this event they’d heard about.” 

Thanks to the event’s success, the Lititz club has donated funds to several local organizations, such as the Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development, Lancaster Cleft Pallet Clinic and the Lititz and Manheim Township Libraries.

How they do it

The Lititz Kiwanis Club doesn’t have a huge number of members — but that doesn’t stop them from having a big impact. Here are some elements of the Chocolate Walk that could help your club’s signature project. 

  • Planning. The club starts planning each year’s Chocolate Walk in January, with monthly meetings that focus on the event. The key, Stickler says, is to keep members in touch with sponsors, partners and volunteers throughout the year. 
  • Recruiting. Members are reminded to talk about Kiwanis. In fact, the club has cards that feature Kiwanis and what members do — and invites people to attend a meeting.  
  • Town renown. Lititz itself is an attraction, so the club maximizes its fundraiser’s appeal by making it a “walk” — rather than restricting the event to one place. And with the town’s history as the home of Wilbur Chocolate, the club builds on a foundation of local renown. What’s your town’s biggest industry or claim to fame? 
  • Sponsors and partners. Fundraisers cost money. The Kiwanis Club of Lititz Area offsets the expense with sponsorships — everyone from the Ford dealer to insurance companies and local retailers. The “stations” along the walk range from shops to the Lititz Historical Foundation building. 
  • SLPs. Sponsoring and maintaining a bond with a Service Leadership Program club results in eager volunteers for the Lititz club. Even during homecoming weekend, Stickler says, the Manheim Township Key Club provided 15 to 20 volunteers. 
  • Add-on events. The success of the Chocolate Walk has encouraged the club to try smaller fundraisers with similar themes — including the Pretzel Fest and a wine-and-chocolate tasting, which cumulatively raise another $20,000 per year. 

 

Grants fund many ways to read 

Grants fund many ways to read 

Oct 26, 2023 | Fundraising, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Leadership | 0 comments

Thanks to Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grants, more kids around the world are reading and learning. 

By Erin Chandler 

Kiwanis clubs around the world are turning kids into lifelong learners — and the Kiwanis Children’s Fund is there to help. In August, the Children’s Fund awarded grants to eight clubs that brought books into children’s homes and classrooms, overcame language barriers, bridged learning gaps with online apps and combated the stigmas surrounding learning disabilities. And they recruited lots of new Kiwanians along the way! 

Textbooks and other tools for learning
The Kiwanis Club of Yaoundé, Cameroon, noticed that some children in low-income areas were going to school without the necessary textbooks, while others were not attending school at all. In 2019, the club launched a project in conjunction with area partners to provide textbooks and notebooks to 100 kindergarten and primary school students. The children they helped saw dramatic progress in their academic achievement. With help from a Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant, the club hopes to meet this year’s expanded goal of delivering textbooks, notebooks, writing utensils and other school supplies to 250 children.  

The reward of reading
With help from a Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grant, the Kiwanis Club of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., plans to install book vending machines in area elementary and middle schools that are part of the Title I program. The club estimates that over 5,000 students will be able to select books from the machines as rewards for good deeds, good grades and good citizenship. Club members will also work directly with the students. The machines will be continuously stocked with books purchased through club and school fundraisers.

A little holiday reading
Before the month of December, 60 children in kindergarten through second grade will each be given a basket of 25 giftwrapped books by the Kiwanis Club of Jefferson, Georgia, U.S. It’s all part of the club’s Literary Launch program. One book can be opened each day of December leading up to Christmas, with the addition of a toy to open on the last day. Book basket recipients are selected by local schools based on family income, so that children who might not have many books at home will be able to build their own home libraries. With help from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, the club hopes to purchase all new books this year. 

A community culture of reading
The community of Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S., knows the Kiwanis Club of Ormond Beach as “the organization that gets books into kids’ hands.” Through their Kiwanis READS! Backers-4-Books program, the club supplies books to Ormond Beach Elementary School’s media center and classrooms. They also organize an annual sponsored book fair that lets children take home four books for free. In partnership with Volusia County Library, the club hosts a summer reading challenge and read-a-thon, and at the beginning of the school year, they honor top readers with an ice cream party. A grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help the club expand its efforts across the five Ormond Beach elementary schools. 

Literacy across languages
Three years ago, the Kiwanis Club of Plano, Texas, U.S., launched Books and Buddies, a project to provide bilingual books in English and Spanish for early readers who come from Spanish-speaking families. The project has received positive feedback from both parents and teachers. This year, a Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help the club print 1,500 copies of a brightly colored bilingual booklet containing a story and information about dialing 911 in an emergency. The booklets will be distributed at after-school events and to Boys and Girls Clubs, waiting rooms, Head Start programs and more. 

Apps for accessibility
Last year, the Kiwanis Club of Papine in Kingston, Jamaica, helped 130 students at the Jamaica House Basic School and Danny Williams School for the Deaf improve their literacy skills. The club served the students through a combination of the Lalilo online early childhood literacy tool, donated books, access to virtual libraries, tuition support and a reading competition. However, they had to limit the scope of the project to schools that had access to the necessary electronic devices. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help them bring students and schools with greater financial need on board with the purchase of more tablets and more accessible devices for deaf students. The Reading For the Stars program saw great success in its first year, with 80% of parents reporting improvements in their children’s reading. The club plans to continue its effectiveness based on regular community needs assessments. 

Literacy through technology
The Kiwanis Club of Imperial Beach-South Bay, California, U.S., is also turning to technology. A grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help the club purchase more subscriptions to the Readability Tutor online app — as well as tablets so more students can access it. The club will also partner with the local library for literacy events, where they will give out free books. In an area where the primary language in many homes is Spanish — and fewer than 30% of students currently meet English Language Arts curriculum standards — the club hopes to help 100 children in kindergarten through sixth grade to meaningfully enhance their English reading skills and scores through its 2023-24 Literacy Program. 

Raising awareness, fighting stigmas
The Kiwanis Club of Montego Freeport, Jamaica, is helping to end the stigma surrounding learning disabilities. Through its Learning Disabilities Awareness Program, the club partnered last year with Sam Sharpe Diagnostic and Early Intervention Centre to assess 45 students for issues such as ADHD, dyslexia and others. Those in whom learning disabilities were identified have seen improved verbal skills and academic performance, thanks to academic intervention and treatment. In addition, teachers have been trained to recognize signs of learning disabilities. Sam Sharpe is currently the only public facility in western Jamaica that diagnoses learning disabilities, with over 100 students on a waitlist, so the Montego Freeport Kiwanians decided to expand their assessment program this year. A grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help them assess 100 children and establish a support group for parents. 

How you can help  
The Kiwanis Children’s Fund makes grants that improve the lives of children around the world by identifying the 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 through 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 or learn how your club can apply for a grant to help kids in your community.