Microgrants create meals, mentors and music

Microgrants create meals, mentors and music

Aug 14, 2024 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service projects | 0 comments

From April through June, smaller Kiwanis clubs made a big impact through the Kiwanis Children’s Fund.

By Erin Chandler

In April, May and June 2024, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded new rounds of microgrants to clubs making a big difference with fewer members — giving away books and personalized shelves to hold them; providing honey, fruits and vegetables to their communities; advocating for mental health, and more. Here are four projects that address kids’ needs in each of the Kiwanis cause areas: health and nutrition, education and literacy, and youth leadership development.  

Health and nutrition

Raintree Children’s Services Oven Repair and New Vision Lunch Project
Sometimes, clubs can make the greatest impact by simply providing for the repair or replacement of essential appliances — and the Children’s Fund is happy to help. The Kiwanis Club of Third District, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., and the Kiwanis Club of Spalding-Christiana, Jamaica, each proved that with projects that received microgrants in June. For more than 10 years, members of the Kiwanis Club of Third District have cooked a monthly meal with the adolescent girls at Raintree Children’s group home. They even plan to make a cookbook together. However, they recently discovered that the temperature control in the home’s oven was broken. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant will help to repair the oven thermostats so that this enriching project can continue.  

Similarly, for four years, Kiwanis Club of Spalding-Christiana has gone all-out annually to prepare a healthy and delicious meal for the kids at New Vision Children’s Home, but the club recently learned that the door on the home’s deep freezer is faulty, requiring weights to keep it closed and maintain the temperature. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant will allow the club to donate a new freezer to the home so food can be safely stored throughout the year. 

Education and literacy

Musical Instruments for Elementary Schools
The Kiwanis Club of the Desert, Tucson in Arizona, U.S., began donating gently used musical instruments to elementary schools in 2022. Each year, they choose a different school to benefit from the project based on the number of students who participate in the free lunch program. To give kids whose families are struggling financially a fair chance at discovering and nurturing a passion for music, the club has partnered with the Kiwanian-owned Chicago Music Store to create an inventory of instruments that can be loaned out at each school. The store also offers discounts on cleaning kits and supplies. This year, with help from a Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant, the students at Butterfield Elementary School will tune up their own musical instrument library. 

Youth leadership development 

Safety Town
Every year, the Kiwanis Club of Springfield, Oregon, U.S., hosts Safety Town, a two-week course that teaches local 5-year-olds how to be safe around strangers, animals, water, railroads, earthquakes, fires — and especially on roads. The club sets up an eight-block town inside a local school gymnasium, complete with buildings, sidewalks and a floor mat depicting streets, crosswalks, traffic lights and signs. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant will help the club update the “town” with new pedal cars and materials to repair the buildings, as well as snacks and craft supplies. Safety Town’s life lessons are not limited to small children: Teenagers serve as mentors, helping the younger children learn — and some teens return after their first Safety Town experience to continue to help out.  

How you can help
To learn more about Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrants, visit kiwanis.org/microgrant-program.  

If you want to help the Children’s Fund provide grants like these that reach children around the world, you can make a gift to The Possibility Project. Your club can also apply for a grant to help kids in your community today.

Ways to deepen club connection

Ways to deepen club connection

Aug 8, 2024 | Club building, General interest, Leadership, Service projects | 0 comments

Increase club value for members by enriching the connection with them and their families. These tips can help.

By Tony Knoderer

If anything can deepen the satisfaction that comes from serving kids, it’s the fellowship you feel with the people who volunteer alongside you. Don’t be shy about that part of club value — recommend a few ways for your club to boost the feeling of belonging.

Want some ideas? Here a few small but popular things that other Kiwanis clubs do to deepen individuals’ sense of connection:

  • Have a member or two (perhaps retirees) volunteer to call fellow members on their respective birthdays. 
  • Set aside a day or two each year to contact former members — or those who haven’t been to a meeting or service project for a while. Let them know that they’re not forgotten — and you’d love to see them again. When appropriate or relevant, tell them they shouldn’t feel guilty about life challenges that have prevented them from being active. 
  • Design an e-card to send Kiwanis anniversary greetings to members to celebrate the day they joined the organization. 
  • Consider recording the names of your members’ children. Where age-appropriate, send them a thank-you card in appreciation of “loaning” their parents to participate in Kiwanis activities. 
  • Design a meeting agenda that appeals to members’ children — and invite them to attend a club meeting, where you can thank them for “sharing” their parents’ time and show them how all members help other kids in the community. 
  • Show your appreciation for nonmember spouses and partners as well. Establish a special meeting — or use a regularly scheduled one — and invite them to learn more about Kiwanis. Members can share testimonials about what the club means to them and to the kids and community they serve. 

Don’t forget: Kiwanis International offers resources to help keep club members engaged. Check out our Achieving Club Excellence tools —including the member survey, which you can download to evaluate how well the club is meeting member expectations. 

Engage your “missing” members

Engage your “missing” members

Aug 6, 2024 | Club building, General interest | 0 comments

Instead of accepting losses, consider these steps to bringing people back — and learning what makes them happy. 

By Tony Knoderer

Kiwanis clubs often lose people who don’t feel engaged in club activities. But the strongest clubs try to find out why — and to re-engage them. Here are a few steps your club can take: 

  1. Review the club roster to identify members who have become inactive.  
  2. Assign club members to contact “missing” members.  
  3. Contact missing members by phone or with a personal visit to tell them what’s happening and invite them to the next meeting.  
  4. Conduct a meeting that’s designed to showcase and celebrate the club’s members and their accomplishments.   

Even among members who continue to attend meetings and service projects, it’s good to keep track of engagement and enthusiasm. Kiwanis International can help club leaders take the initiative. Our Achieving Club Excellence tools include a member survey, which comes with a guide on how to use it and evaluate the results. It’s a handy way to give members a voice — and to give club leaders the information they need to make meaningful change.