2026 Signature Project Contest winners

2026 Signature Project Contest winners

Jun 27, 2026 | Fundraising, General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Kiwanis Convention, Service projects, Video | 0 comments

Out of a record 590 contest entries, this year’s six winning projects brought communities together. 

By Erin Chandler

Kiwanis clubs around the world brought their communities together over the past year through creative and impactful service, fundraisers and events. The best of Kiwanis clubs’ signature projects were recognized during the 2026 Kiwanis International Convention in Manila, Philippines, when the winners of this year’s Signature Project Contest were announced. 

In the name of fun, food, competition and companionship — or a little of all four — this year’s six winning projects were selected from a record-breaking 590 contest entries from around the world. Through ongoing programs and projects built to last, these clubs promoted the Kiwanis causes — health and nutrition, education and literacy, and youth leadership development — in innovative ways. 

Want to enter next year’s Signature Project Contest? You can find contest details and a link to past winners on the contest’s webpage. 

Group One (clubs with 27 or fewer members)  

Gold 

Annual Baldwinsville Kiwanis Turkey Day Race
Kiwanis Club of Baldwinsville, New York, U.S.
New York District
Over 57 years, the Kiwanis Club of Baldwinsville’s biggest annual fundraiser has become a beloved holiday tradition in the community. The Turkey Day Race, held on American Thanksgiving, includes a kids’ fun run, a 5K and a 10K — with an average of 1,600 runners taking part. Last year’s event welcomed 1,800 runners! Even those who are not running get involved, with the Baldwinsville Village, Sheriff’s Department, Fire Department, School District and local sponsors all providing assistance. Proceeds from the event help the club give over US$50,000 back to the community in scholarships and grants for everything from preschool to local theater, youth sports and the Ronald McDonald House. During the race, the club also hosts a food drive to support local food banks during the holiday season. And thanks to the event, 19 new members have come running to join the club.  

Silver (tie) 

Kiwanis Special Athlete Basketball Tournament
Kiwanis Club of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Pennsylvania District
For 46 years, the Kiwanis Club of Jenkintown has provided athletes ages 8-70 who have intellectual and developmental disabilities an opportunity to compete in an inclusive basketball tournament with players like them from across the tricounty area. The one-day event is positive, welcoming and free of charge, with meals and snacks, Kiwanis T-shirts, medals and trophies for all athletes provided. Athletes and volunteers then participate together in service projects — building bonds among community members of all abilities. Members of Aktion Club, Key Club, Builders Club and Circle K International (all of which are Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs) serve alongside Kiwanians as athlete buddies, coaches, event volunteers and service project partners. Four hundred people attended last year’s tournament. Club members say that many participants, both athletes and volunteers, identify the Kiwanis Special Athlete Basketball Tournament as the best tournament experience they’ve had. Over the years, 80 new members have joined Kiwanis as a result.  

Kiwanis-Led Destination Play Space for ALL Ages and ALL Abilities
Kiwanis Club of Springfield South, Missouri, U.S.
Missouri-Arkansas District
The playground equipment at Fellows Lake recreational area was over 50 years old, unsafe and neglected when the Kiwanis Club of Springfield South stepped in. The club recognizes the importance of play in helping kids build social skills and learn about the world, so it was important that the playground be a place where children of all abilities could play and belong. With help from enthusiastic community partners, members transformed the space into the only fully accessible playground in Greene County — The Hatch: A Playground for ALL. Now thousands of families per year come there to picnic, hike, fish, relax and play together. Through PlayCore, it has been designated a National Demonstration Site for quality, evidence-based research in outdoor recreation. Next, the club plans to make the playground the site for an annual Kiwanis Day of Play event, where families can enjoy refreshments and activities — and get information and resources from local organizations like Abilities First.  

Group Two (clubs with 28 or more members) 

Gold 

Breast Cancer Awareness 5K Run/Walk/Wheelchair
Kiwanis Club of Providence-Montego Bay, Jamaica
Eastern Cananda and the Caribbean District
The Kiwanis Club of Providence-Montego Bay’s Breast Cancer Awareness Run/Walk/Wheelchair brings over 2,000 people from Jamaica and beyond together to “support the fighters, admire the survivors and honor the taken.” The event raises awareness about breast cancer and includes an education component. Last year, a surgeon gave a presentation on reconstructive surgery for breast cancer survivors. But it also raises over US$10,000 for screening, scans, surgery and support for people in the community experiencing or recovering from breast cancer. Additional funds go to the Jamaica Cancer Society and the Cornwall Regional Hospital’s pediatric oncology ward, for a total of US$80,000 raised. Sixty-nine Kiwanis club members and 133 Key Club and Aktion Club members participate in and volunteer at the event. The eight area Key Clubs even have a competition to see who can get the most participants to register. This year’s 5K had special significance: After it was postponed by Hurricane Melissa, the race became a celebration of resilience, raising additional funds and using partnerships to provide care packages for those affected by the devastating storm.  

Silver 

Kiwanis Club of Fargo Annual Pancake Karnival
Kiwanis Club of Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Minnesota-Dakotas District
Everyone in Fargo knows and loves the Kiwanis Club’s Pancake Karnival. Held annually for 67 years, it’s a tradition for generations of families — both as attendees and volunteers. Many of the Fargo Kiwanians’ reasons for joining Kiwanis involve childhood memories of the Pancake Karnival. Some attendees have never missed a single Karnival and are now bringing their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for a day of fun that gives back to the community. The goal of the Pancake Karnival is to raise as much as possible for grants to support children. Last year, US$25,000 helped create a Kiwanis-branded space in a city park centered on children’s mental health awareness, with US$42,750 left for local nonprofits. This year, the club plans to award US$30,000 to three organizations that address childhood food insecurity. And many of the organizations that have received grants over the years return the favor as Pancake Karnival volunteers — a full-circle Kiwanis moment!  

Bronze 

Kiwanis Caring Kitchen
Kiwanis Club of Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Pennsylvania District
After an 8-year-old child in the community died from malnutrition, the Kiwanis Club of Erie vowed to make sure such a tragedy would not happen again. In collaboration with Community Shelter Services (CSS), it opened the Kiwanis Caring Kitchen, a small structure in a parking lot that offers three meals a day, seven days a week, for anyone who is hungry — no questions asked. Customers are typically children and families from the neighborhood, but some come from further away, including those experiencing homelessness. The school bus stops nearby, so every child who boards the bus has something to eat. Local Scout troops have made picnic tables for outdoor seating, and Kiwanians painted the kitchen exterior to make it bright and welcoming. CSS staff oversee the kitchen, and on-site volunteers include Kiwanis, Key Club, Aktion Club and K-Kids members. Local businesses and community members have donated money, food and supplies. The project is a true community effort, and it has paid off. In just two years, the club estimates the Kiwanis Caring Kitchen has served 90,000 people.  

Scholarship recipients ready to change the world

Scholarship recipients ready to change the world

Jun 19, 2026 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, News, Service Leadership Programs | 0 comments

The Kiwanis Children’s Fund honors eight Key Club and CKI scholars.

By Erin Chandler

The eight outstanding students who received this year’s Kiwanis Children’s Fund scholarships are not afraid to listen, speak up, innovate and improve the way their clubs and organizations work. As a result, each is leaving their club better than they found it — with new projects and systems that make Key Club and Circle K International (CKI) better, both for members and the communities they serve. Each recipient says that, as they move forward in life, they will take the values and skills they’ve learned in Key Club and CKI with them, informing how they show up and make a difference in business, healthcare, science, law and politics, philanthropy and community service. 

The Children’s Fund is honored to help them continue their education in the upcoming academic year. 

Layla Hurley
Linda Canaday Memorial Scholarship
Layla Hurley recently graduated from Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S., where she served as president of the school’s Key Club. Of her four years in Key Club, Hurley says, “Recognizing what we could achieve together pushed me to reflect on the kind of community I wanted to help build and the role I can play in strengthening it.” She created a new system to organize the club’s information and service opportunities, and she played a key role in service projects focusing on suicide prevention, children in foster care, people experiencing homelessness, people in assisted living, and accessibility for children with autism. Hurley also took leadership roles in the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund Club, Around the World in 180 Days and DECA, and she was the founder of the school’s Economics and Finance Club. She is a dedicated athlete who competed on the girls’ cross country and intramural volleyball teams, was captain of the girls’ track and field team, and founded the intramural spikeball team. Hurley plans to attend Indiana University Bloomington, U.S., where she will pursue a career in business with the goal of strengthening her future communities. 

 

Kaleb Tieu
Wagner Family Scholarship
Kaleb Tieu, a recent graduate of La Quinta High School in Fountain Valley, California, U.S., was recovering from a concussion and Long COVID when he joined his school’s KIWIN’S club. “I was in a wheelchair — cut off from my sport, friends and the version of myself I recognized,” Tieu says. “Still, I wanted community.” Through membership, he “saw how KIWIN’S inclusiveness wasn’t a tagline; it was real. Once I found that belonging, I wanted to pass it on.” As he moved through four years of KIWIN’S — serving as freshman representative, club treasurer, district sponsorship chair and finally governor of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District — Tieu passed on his sense of community by forming a club mentorship system, helping develop a pilot fundraising platform, raising a record-breaking US$26,000 to help others attend the district convention, increasing club membership by 39% and focusing on chartering new clubs. He also held officer positions in HOSA-Future Health Professionals, math club, National Honor Society, School Site Council and Garden Grove Unified School District Senate. Outside of school, Tieu mentored fifth-graders as a youth basketball coach. He is a part-time certified nursing assistant at a nursing home and part-time medical assistant at an OB-GYN clinic. Tieu plans to pursue a career in medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), U.S. 

 

Maya Aminova
Kiwanis Children’s Fund Scholarship
Maya Aminova is a recent graduate of Taunton High School, Massachusetts, U.S. Aminova’s first leadership role in the Taunton High School Key Club was as publicity coordinator; from there, she went on to serve Key Club International as a trustee and as editor. These roles called her to document and highlight stories, first from her home club, then from clubs around the world. “I focused on moments that reflected care: paint-stained hands making cards for seniors, laughter during long shifts distributing winter clothing. I learned that caring is consistent attention to people and purpose.” Aminova shows care most as a mentor who inspires her fellow students. She was an after-school math instructor with Mathnasium, an assistant eighth-grade algebra teacher at Taunton High School, a bilingual math tutor at the Russian School of Mathematics, a mentor to middle school clarinetists and an assistant dance teacher at On the Barre Dance Studio. She also held leadership positions on the Taunton High School band council, math team and clarinet choir, and is a competitive dancer. Aminova already has assisted in neuroscience research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in developing improved surgical tools with Johnson & Johnson MedTech. She will study public health at Yale University, Connecticut, U.S. 

 

Samantha Orr
Kiwanis Children’s Fund Scholarship
Samantha Orr recently graduated from Voorhees High School in Glen Gardner, New Jersey, U.S. Her family has a history of Key Club membership, but when Orr joined, she saw the need for changes in her club. As a Key Club member, treasurer and president, she worked to improve her club’s organization and reorient its focus to more sustained and impactful service projects — including the Giving Tree program that supports members of the community during the holiday season. Orr even led her club to join in service projects with its sponsoring Kiwanis club. Orr says Key Club “drastically changed the way I view myself and my goals in life,” and she hopes to bring its “service-based mindset” into the next stages of her life. In addition to Key Club, she had leadership roles in the Or Chadash Temple Youth Group, as well as her school’s drama club, Hebrew Culture Club and Relay for Life club. (She even helped found the latter two.) Orr was a lead youth soloist in the Or Chadash Temple Choir and a stage manager in both her school’s theatre program and the Unified Theater. In the upcoming school year, Orr will study biomedical sciences at the University at Buffalo, New York, U.S. 

 

Ananya Bommineni
CKI Past Presidents Scholarship
Ananya Bommineni is the current president of the Circle K International Club of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, U.S., and treasurer of the Michigan District. She also has served as Michigan District governor and on several committees at the club and district levels. Since joining CKI as a freshman, Bommineni has worked to increase accessibility and engagement in her home club, shifting focus to more impactful service activities, creating incentives for attendance and participation, strengthening relations with the sponsoring Kiwanis club and working with Kiwanis to reduce membership costs. “What CKI taught me,” she says, “is how to be a leader: to listen before acting, to center the needs of the people you serve and to design systems that enable others to contribute.” She says these lessons have changed her approach to her other activities — including her volunteer service with Ann Arbor Public Schools and as a staff reporter for the university newspaper — and to her future career in healthcare. Bommineni is majoring in biopsychology, cognition and neuroscience, and she is DEI chair of the Mu Epsilon Delta professional pre-health organization. She has also volunteered in the Michigan Medicine Child and Adolescent Psych Unit and worked for a year as a nurse technician in a hospital pediatrics unit. 

 

Alilah Mora De Jesus
John E. Mayfield CKI Scholarship
Alilah Mora De Jesus is the current president of the Circle K International Club of Chaffey College, California, U.S., where she studies political science, law and public policy. De Jesus was one of the club’s founding members and quickly discovered her voice as its vice president, taking on additional leadership roles as the media and marketing director of the Moonlight Division, California-Nevada-Hawaii District communication specialist, and chair of the district’s Service and OnTo International Convention committees. She led her club’s growth from eight to 44 members in less than a year, helped create a toolkit of district service opportunities, launched a club mentorship program and organized Go West, CKI’s marathon event to decorate the Kiwanis International float for the Rose Parade. Of her time in CKI, she says, “I realized I had grown into a leader who doesn’t just speak, but creates spaces where others discover confidence and purpose.” Outside of CKI, De Jesus was the founding president of the Chaffey College Model United Nations and served as a senator in the Chaffey College student government. She is a cultural dance instructor and performer with the Philippine American Cultural School, a volunteer veterinary assistant and a competitive weightlifter — all while maintaining multiple part-time jobs. 

 

Sarah Nguyen
Kiwanis Children’s Fund Scholarship
Sarah Nguyen, a biology major at Chaffey College, California, U.S., founded the Circle K International Club of Chaffey College in her freshman year. She quickly became inspired by the shared purpose and intergenerational bonds she found within the Kiwanis family. “When I first joined CKI,” she says, “I believed leadership was being the loudest voice in the room and service was a contractual obligation. My time in CKI challenged those ideas and reformed me into the compassionate leader I am today.” Nguyen served on numerous CKI California-Nevada-Hawaii District committees during her term as club president, including as District Convention Entertainment Committee chair, before becoming lieutenant governor of the Moonlight Division. She was also cochair of the Go West event, which brings CKI members together over a number of days to decorate the Kiwanis float for the Rose Parade. Outside of CKI, Nguyen holds officer positions in the Chaffey College student government, Pre-Med Society, and Fashion and Interior Design Club. She volunteers at the Community Hospital of San Bernardino. 

 

Kayla Docteur
Kiwanis Children’s Fund Scholarship
Kayla Docteur is a public relations major and the current president of the Circle K International Club of the University of Florida, U.S. Docteur previously served as her club’s recruitment chair and vice president. Under her leadership, the club has organized 122 service events, including a “Trick-or-Treat” donation drive that assembled over 60 volunteers to collect nearly 2,500 pounds of food and supplies for people experiencing homelessness. “While it feels amazing to work with people hands-on and see the impact I make in real time,” Docteur says, “I think the real reward of volunteer work is knowing that you will touch a life in ways you can’t begin to imagine.” Outside of CKI, Docteur is the current copresident of the Black Public Relations Student Society, and she works part-time as a writer in the marketing and communication services department at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. She hopes to take her passion for community service into a public relations role in a large corporation’s philanthropic or social responsibility efforts. 

Learn more about scholarship opportunities from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, including award notification dates and who to contact with questions. 

Two clubs combat juvenile diabetes

Two clubs combat juvenile diabetes

Jun 3, 2026 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service projects | 0 comments

Grants help promote safety and joy for kids with Type 1 diabetes.

By Erin Chandler

Among the projects that received Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grants in March, two support children with Type 1 diabetes and their families. Kids who grow up with diabetes need extra support for their health, and they thrive with the emotional support that helps them enjoy just being kids. The Kiwanis Club of the Foothills, Boulder’s Diabetes Alert Dogs for Kids project in Colorado, U.S., and the Kiwanis Club of Texarkana’s Kiwanis K.I.D.S. Camp in Texas, U.S., make sure they get both. 

Members of the Kiwanis Club of the Foothills, Boulder first learned about the difference that dogs trained to detect changes in blood sugar can make for kids with diabetes in 2010. In the 16 years since, they have matched 35 trained dogs to kids. The primary fundraiser for the dogs’ training and placement comes from the Coolest Dog on the Front Range contest, an eight-week online competition where local dogs are judged by the community for the cuteness of their pictures and the coolness of their bios. The fee to enter is US$10, and a vote costs US$1. The winner is featured on a specially brewed craft beer label. 

The Kiwanis Club of Texarkana took over running the K.I.D.S. (Kids Improving Diabetes Safety) Camp just last year after providing long-term grant and volunteer support. It is the only camp in the area designed for the safety of kids with diabetes — a one-week experience that combines traditional summer camp activities such as hiking, fishing, swimming and crafts with education on dealing with a diabetes diagnosis. The camp also welcomes siblings of kids with diabetes to help them better understand the condition and feel included in the fun. And, importantly for families already managing the expenses that come with diabetes, it is free to attend. 

Chris Austin of the Kiwanis Club of the Foothills, Boulder and Destiny Carter of the Kiwanis Club of Texarkana told us more about what makes their projects special. 

What is the most difficult/challenging part about your project? 

Austin: The hardest part is the gap between need and capacity. We frequently must turn away deserving children because we simply don’t have enough qualified puppies, trainers or volunteer hours to meet demand. We encourage them to stay on our waitlist while we expand capacity. Logistics is another challenge. Training these dogs requires significant time, specialized expertise and ongoing follow-up with families to ensure the dog and child are a good long-term match. Long distances and travel time can limit who we can serve.  

Carter: As with any camp, getting a great schedule of events is a challenge. We also need to make sure everyone is safe. That means having nurses on hand, getting lifeguards, etc. But the biggest challenge is feeding kids! Creating diabetic-friendly meals for children means getting creative. All of our meals have to help the kids keep energy throughout the day, avoid spiking insulin levels and still be delicious!  

What is the best/most rewarding part? 

Austin: The most rewarding part is the direct, tangible impact on children’s safety and family peace of mind. One of our founding trainers, the late Jerry Gilland, often said that despite a distinguished career as an aerospace engineer, the gratitude he received from parents of program graduates was what he was most proud of. Parents have told us that our alert dogs have prevented hospital visits and at least one very likely saved a child’s life. 

Beyond lifesaving moments, the project strengthens community bonds: volunteers gain new skills, families gain confidence and independence and kids gain a constant, reassuring companion. 

Carter: As we finished our camp last year, we had a family day where parents could come out and see what the kids had done over the week. I visited with the kids and parents, and so many kids asked if they could come back the next week or if camp could last two weeks, three weeks, six weeks and so on. Knowing that they had so much fun that they wanted to spend their summer with us at camp was very rewarding. They get that week to not feel like they are so different because everyone is stopping to check their blood sugar or make sure they have enough insulin, etc.  

What are your favorite memories from this project? 

Austin: Graduation ceremonies are unforgettable: The moment a child receives the leash and the dog’s official ownership transfers to the family is emotional and celebratory. Members also treasure early memories — selecting puppies from a litter at eight weeks old, watching them grow through training and building relationships with recipient families over the months of training and transition. Those personal connections, seeing a nervous child become confident with their dog, are highlights for everyone involved. 

Carter: The kids are all so great and seem to enjoy all the activities, but honestly, my favorite memory with the kids is fishing with them. Fishing is underrated. We had some campers who fish frequently. They were teaching the others. The kids were just proud if they got the worm on the hook. A few kids that had never been fishing before reeled in fish, and they were just so excited. Seeing them in this moment was just awesome.  

What do you want Kiwanians to know about the cause of juvenile diabetes? What would you say to get other clubs to support this cause? 

Austin: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that typically begins in childhood. It is not caused by diet or behavior and is not the child’s fault. It requires lifelong management — insulin therapy, monitoring and rapid response to blood sugar swings. Hypo- and hyperglycemia can develop quickly and be life‑threatening, particularly during sleep when symptoms can go unnoticed. Alert dogs add an essential layer of protection. Many can detect blood sugar changes before alarms or symptoms occur, providing early warnings that allow families to intervene, especially at night, reducing emergency visits and easing parental anxiety. For children, an alert dog also supports independence and confidence at school and in social settings. 

Carter: There is no prevention for Type 1 diabetes, and it wasn’t that long ago that there was no cure. We have come so far. Most campers have continuous glucose monitors, and some have insulin pumps. These devices aren’t a guarantee of “no emergencies,” but they definitely make it easier than it was when our predecessor started K.I.D.S. Camp. Type 1 diabetes can be a challenge, but our goal is letting these kids live life to the fullest. The confidence a week at camp can bring on is amazing.  

How you can help 

Your donations to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund through The Kiwanis Possibility Project help keep club projects like these running. Learn more at kiwanis.org/possibilityproject.