August grants develop leadership skills

August grants develop leadership skills

Sep 20, 2024 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, News, Service projects | 0 comments

Four clubs received grants for outstanding youth leadership development projects.

By Erin Chandler

This August, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded club grants to a remarkable 32 clubs serving communities around the world. Out of those projects, some of the most distinctive focused on the Kiwanis cause of youth leadership development by fostering young people’s creative independence. The following four projects exemplify different ways Kiwanis projects can guide the next generation on the path to becoming future leaders. 

CleanUP Community
Kiwanis Club of Craiova, Romania
The Kiwanis Club of Craiova is addressing Romania’s struggles with waste management, especially recycling, by getting the next generation involved. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help purchase materials for seminars and workshops to educate kids from age six through 18 on environmental issues. The grant also will go toward supplies for conservation activities in which local children can participate with other members of their community, such as recycling drives, cleanups and community gardens. The ultimate goal of the CleanUP Community project, though, is to give young people the means to become advocates and leaders, developing their own plans and strategies to improve waste management in their community. Within a year, the club hopes its community youth teams will develop at least one implementable plan and be ready to promote sustainable development goals. 

Creativ in die Lehre mit Kunst (Creative Teaching with Art)
Kiwanis Club of Lavanttal, Austria
A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help the Kiwanis Club of Lavanttal purchase paints, brushes, canvas, ceramics and more to turn its community’s young people into artists. The Kiwanians are collaborating with a vocational school and a local artist to provide art classes for teens, including those with disabilities. Culminating in a public art exhibit to show off the students’ creations, these classes will allow the students to explore their artistic sides — with club members helping the students place their sculptures and other artworks in parks, gardens and other public places.   

Let’s Play! Leadership Training Program
Kiwanis Club of Melbourne, Florida, U.S.
Members of the Kiwanis Club of Melbourne noticed a lack of local accessible and affordable child development programs that focused on mental health for kids and families alike — and they decided to change that. Through the “Let’s Play!” program, the club will provide free programs at local libraries for kids ages 18 and younger and their caregivers. The programs will promote creativity, innovation and collaboration through activities like open-ended play, art projects and storytelling sessions. After working together to complete their projects, participants will reflect on their experiences through dialogue, drawing and writing. A grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help the Melbourne Kiwanians produce “how-to” videos, presentations and manuals to help other Kiwanis clubs and communities replicate “Let’s Play!” The club hopes to guide young people and families, regardless of income, to value play as a way of reducing anxiety and increasing understanding of their own and-w others’ creative abilities.  

Lifewise Program
Kiwanis Club of Wapakoneta, Ohio, U.S.
The Kiwanis Club of Wapakoneta’s Lifewise Program is geared toward at-risk adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 who may be aging out of the foster system, not attending traditional schools or involved in the judicial system. Through a weekly series of six three-hour courses, club members hope to help these vulnerable young people graduate high school and prepare for the next steps in their lives. The courses will focus on basic cooking and cleaning skills, identifying risky situations, finding a job and achieving financial independence, basic auto knowledge, and dressing for success — with the sixth course serving as a culmination of the program. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will go toward meals for instructors and participants at each course, as well as supplies the students can use during the courses and then take home with them. The entire Lifewise Program wraps up with a graduation ceremony to celebrate the participants’ achievements. 

More health and education projects
Other projects that received club grants in August include:  

  • A weekend food program from the Kiwanis Club of Hilliard, Ohio, U.S. 
  • Mental health care kits from the Kiwanis Club of Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S. 
  • A program to honor most-improved third-grade students from the Kiwanis Club of Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S. 
  • After-school tutoring from the Kiwanis Club of Shan Hsin, Taiwan. 
  • An inclusive playground from the Kiwanis Club of Lapeer, Michigan, U.S., and a musical instrument playground from the Kiwanis Club of Sycamore, Illinois, U.S. 
  • A recreation hour for children in the hospital from the Kiwanis Club of Granada-Meta, Colombia. 
  • A high school herbal garden from the Kiwanis Club of Greater Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica. 
  • Renovation and repairs at Shady Grove Basic School from the Kiwanis Club of 23 Central Surrey Online, Jamaica. 
  • Children’s swimming lessons from the Kiwanis Club of Rockaways, New York, U.S. 
  • Miracle League of Montgomery County inclusive baseball training and recruitment from the Kiwanis Club of Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. 
  • 2024 Signature Project Contest Group II Bronze-winning project “Kiwanis Cares for Kids,” providing supplies and experiences to local school children from the Kiwanis Club of Gig Harbor, Washington, U.S. 
  • Clothing, school and essential supply projects from the Kiwanis Clubs of Brigham City, Utah, U.S.; Fostoria, Ohio, U.S.; Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S.; Lenape Valley, New Jersey, U.S.; and North Shore, Long Island, New York, U.S.  
  • Holiday events from the Kiwanis Clubs of Bald Eagle and Nittany Valleys, Pennsylvania, U.S.; Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.; Providenciales, Florida, U.S.; and Sierra Vista-San Pedro, Arizona, U.S. 
  • Literacy projects from the Kiwanis Clubs of East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.; Hickory, North Carolina, U.S.; Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, U.S.; Richmond, Virginia, U.S.; The Rising Sun, Bahamas; and Siesta Key, Florida, U.S.  

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. Through The Possibility Project, the Children’s Fund ensures that its grantmaking has the greatest possible impact, supporting 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. 

Learn how your club can apply for a grant to help kids in your community. If you are interested in extending your and your club’s impact beyond your community, make a gift in support of The Possibilty Project.  

Grants help CKI do more in communities

Grants help CKI do more in communities

Sep 6, 2024 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service Leadership Programs | 0 comments

Six Circle K International projects receive Tomorrow Fund grants.

By Erin Chandler

Circle K International members are the next generation of servant leaders — and they’re already making a difference in college and university communities around the world. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Tomorrow Fund to help these clubs implement more creative solutions to problems and make the greatest possible positive impact. 

This July, the Children’s Fund awarded Tomorrow Fund grants to six new CKI projects that will bring vital resources where they are needed most. 

Connect, Learn and Act for Disaster Prevention
Circle K International of Ashiya University, Japan
Ashiya University CKI plans to host a disaster-preparedness course for attendees of the 2025 CKI Asia-Pacific Conference. A Tomorrow Fund grant will go toward the fees for an expert-led lecture and workshop. The course will also include a tour of a disaster-prevention experience-learning facility. Ashiya CKI members hope the clubs that take part in the experience will be motivated to host similar courses in Asian communities that commonly deal with disasters such as earthquakes, floods and tsunamis. 

Literacy Kits Donation for Young Students
Circle K International of Pace University, New York, U.S.
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help Pace University CKI purchase backpacks, school supplies and hygiene kits to distribute to kids in need in New York City. CKI members will fill the backpacks with supplies and deliver them to schools participating in Jumpstart’s “Read for the Record” early literacy program. The school supplies, including copies of the book being read aloud during “Read for the Record,” will help engage kids in learning and reading, while the hygiene supplies will reduce absences and boost confidence. 

Leading for Literacy: Little Free Libraries
Circle K International of the University of Alabama, U.S.
University of Alabama CKI will use its Tomorrow Fund grant to help purchase kits with all the materials necessary to build Little Free Libraries at three area Title I schools. Through this project, kids whose families might not be able to purchase books will be able to build their home libraries, practice reading outside of school and develop their love of learning. The club plans to turn its Leading for Literacy book drive into an annual event that will allow club members to continually restock each Little Free Library.   

Community Book Fair
Circle K International of the University of Central Florida, U.S.
University of Central Florida CKI intends to increase literacy rates in its community’s public elementary schools by hosting a series of engaging, interactive book fairs. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help the club purchase books and school supplies, some of which will be available to students for free, and themed learning games. CKI volunteers will lead the games during the book fairs and donate them to the schools afterward. The club also intends to follow up with the participating schools, hosting storybook readings and providing tutoring where needed. 

Decorating Bags for Meals on Wheels and Senior Resources
Circle K International of the University of South Carolina, U.S.
The University of South Carolina will use its Tomorrow Fund grant to purchase paper and cloth bags for the local Meals on Wheels and Senior Resources programs, as well as art supplies to decorate the bags with messages and artwork. The bags will be filled with food for community members who struggle to afford groceries or to get to the store. CKI members hope the decorated bags will help fill both the nutritional and emotional needs of those who receive them.  

Once Upon a Time Literacy Service Project
Circle K International Florida District, U.S.
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help purchase supplies for the district-wide “Once Upon a Time” project to promote literacy at the 2025 CKI Florida District Convention. Participants will rotate through a variety of small service projects: making reading pointers, bottle cap letters, sight word flashcards, number flashcards, paper bag hand puppets, bookmarks and booklets. They will also write messages inside books that the Kiwanis Club of Avalon will distribute to local K-Kids. The project’s organizers hope to inspire young children to love reading and to inspire clubs to replicate these projects in their communities. 

How to get involved
Does your Circle K International group have a project idea that could benefit from a Tomorrow Fund grant? Learn more about the grant and how to apply. If your Kiwanis club does not yet sponsor a CKI club, learn about the advantages of chartering one.  

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.