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

By Erin Chandler

In April, May and June, 12 Kiwanis clubs received microgrants thanks to a Kiwanis Children’s Fund program that awards grants of US$250-$1,000 to clubs with 35 or fewer members. The following three projects highlight some of the ways Kiwanis clubs are using microgrants to touch kids’ lives through learning and self-expression in each of the Kiwanis cause areas: education and literacy, health and nutrition, and youth leadership development.     

Health and nutrition
Healing HeARTS
Kiwanis Club of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.
Members of the Kiwanis Club of Cherry Hill plan to personally source, sort and assemble “therapeutic comfort care kits” for patients at Jefferson Hospital’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit (CAPU). The contents of the kits — including high-quality art supplies like washable paints, sketch pads and clay; coloring supplies; guided journals; sensory items and games — will be based on a “wish list” provided by CAPU’s clinical staff. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant, the club’s fundraising budget, community partners and an annual “Art & Joy” community drive will continually replenish the supplies. The goal is for every young person admitted or waiting for admission to CAPU to have immediate and ongoing access to healthy tools for emotional processing, stress and anxiety reduction, social connection and self-expression. In just six months, the project aims to help over 200 children in their recovery and transition back into their communities. 

Education and literacy
Backpacks of Hope
Kiwanis Club of Bloomingdale-Roselle, Illinois, U.S.
A Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant helped the Kiwanis Club of Bloomingdale-Roselle fill 48 backpacks with school supplies. The club holds an annual packing event to fill the backpacks ahead of each new school year. To distribute the backpacks to kids who will need them most, the club partnered with Fill a Heart 4 Kids, a nonprofit organization that works with teachers and social workers across 85 schools and social service agencies in the Chicago area. In this way, the Bloomingdale-Roselle Kiwanians contributed to Fill A Heart 4 Kids’ effort to deliver over 50,000 backpacks to kids experiencing homelessness, foster care or extreme poverty. Club members even placed colorful, encouraging notes into each backpack. 

Youth leadership development
Project Aktion in Action
Kiwanis Club of Athens, Georgia, U.S.
With help from a Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrant — and partnership with the Aktion Club it sponsors — the Kiwanis Club of Athens will bring books focused on social-emotional learning to 150 children in elementary school special education classrooms across the county. The first book, which is written by a special education teacher, helps kids recognize and label emotions, use coping strategies, and develop empathy and problem-solving skills. Members of the Athens Kiwanis club and Aktion Club will join the author in visiting schools to read the book to students. Each student will then get a copy of the book. The club hopes the project will encourage literacy while building confidence, self-expression and the ability to navigate challenges. 

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 Kiwanis Possibility Project. Your club also can apply for a grant to help kids in your community today.   

The Kiwanis Children’s Fund supported 31 service projects through the Youth Opportunities Fund.

By Erin Chandler

Key Club has been making a difference in schools and communities around the world for over 100 years. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Youth Opportunities Fund so that Key Club leaders can continue taking action for the next 100 years and beyond.    

In April, the Children’s Fund awarded Youth Opportunities Fund grants for 31 outstanding Key Club projects that increase access to food, water and hygiene supplies; plant gardens; celebrate art and culture; and inspire other young people on the path to leadership. 

Here are the top 10 projects — as determined by the Key Club International Board committee and Children’s Fund representatives — in alphabetical order by club name:  

Hygiene Drive
Fremont Senior High School Key Club, Nebraska, U.S.
In a school with a 37% rate of chronic absenteeism, the Fremont High School Key Club hopes to help students with financial needs or mental health challenges feel more prepared — and more confident about coming to school. The club will work with other clubs to make personal hygiene supplies available, assembling the supplies into bags for their fellow students to pick up in the school’s guidance office, social worker’s office, nurse’s office, athletic office and at a Key Club Health Fair. The supplies will be purchased by the club — with help from a Youth Opportunities Fund grant — and donated by individuals or local businesses.  

Hygiene Kit Drive
Granite Hills High School Key Club, California, U.S.
A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help the Granite Hills High School Key Club collect unused toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodorant and other essential hygiene supplies from students and staff. Club members will assemble the donated items into over 70 hygiene kits and deliver them to Sharia’s Closet, a local nonprofit that distributes free clothing and hygiene items to individuals and families in crisis. Club members hope the supplies will improve health, confidence and opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and financial hardship. 

Walk for Clean Water
Hershey High School Key Club, Pennsylvania, U.S.
A past Youth Opportunities Fund grant recipient, the Hershey High School Key Club will use this year’s grant to increase attendance at its annual Walk for Clean Water. Members plan to launch a new online advertising platform and add more games and activities for event attendees. The club partners with Thirst Project each year to bring the community together for a 3.75-mile walk — the average distance that people in communities without clean water walk to the nearest well. Since 2016, the club has raised over US$202,000 to fund more than 17 wells in the African nation of Eswatini, improving health outcomes while freeing up more time for children to attend school and for mothers to pursue careers. 

AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Community Day
Hmong American Peace Academy Key Club, Wisconsin, U.S.
The Hmong American Peace Academy Key Club has only existed for three years, but this is already its second Youth Opportunities Fund grant for AAPI Community Day. The event kicks off AAPI Month in May with an event that celebrates the cultures and interests of students from kindergarten through high school. The entire Key Club participates in displaying members’ art, making or bringing cultural foods, leading activities ranging from Hmong dance lessons to Esports, and participating in the event highlight: the talent show. The student performers sing in multiple languages, dance, play instruments, put on a fashion show, juggle, do card tricks and more. Funds go to organizations that support the AAPI community, such as the Hmong American Women’s Association and the Hmong American Friendship Association. 

Pillars Create Pathways
Lincoln High School Key Club, Iowa, U.S.
When members of the Lincoln High School Key Club received funds to attend a district event from their sponsoring Kiwanis club, they came back inspired — but realized that, in an area with limited economic resources, most would not be able to access a similar experience. That’s why they decided to launch their own daylong leadership seminar and workshop based on the Pillars of Key Club (Leadership, Character Building, Caring and Inclusiveness). The event will feature lectures and presentations from “local celebrity” guest speakers, each of whom also will lead a small group discussion. With help from a Youth Opportunities Fund grant, students from six area schools will be able to attend the event at Lincoln High School free of charge. The club hopes attendees will be inspired and motivated to achieve their life goals. 

Little Free Pantries
Lincoln Southeast High School Key Club, Nebraska, U.S.
A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help the Lincoln Southeast High School Key Club place Little Free Pantries containing food, essential hygiene products like soap and hand sanitizer, and school supplies throughout the community. The pantries will be built with help from the school’s shop department and then placed in areas where people in need can access them 24/7, including at the local Boys and Girls Club and in front of the school itself. Members hope the pantries will help improve the community’s health and wellbeing while strengthening bonds between community members. 

Youth Leadership Garden
Morris Knolls High School Key Club, New Jersey, U.S.
Community surveys indicated the need for a project that addressed mental health and improved the local environment with more green spaces. The Morris Knolls High School Key Club responded with the idea for a community garden at a local elementary or middle school. A Youth Opportunities Fund will help the club educate younger students on the environment through games and activities, plant the garden with a combination of flowers and vegetables, and maintain the project with a combination of students and volunteer groups. 

Community Care Health Kits
Oswego East High School Key Club, Illinois, U.S.
A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help the Oswego High School Key Club purchase essential health and hygiene supplies — including toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo, feminine hygiene products and more — to create 40 health kits. Club members will purchase and organize the supplies, assemble the kits and deliver them for distribution to Hesed House, a local shelter for those experiencing homelessness, and Mutual Ground, a domestic violence and crisis services organization. The club views the project as a meaningful, hands-on way to help others in the community toward health, dignity and overall well-being. 

Level Up: Building Pathways to the Future
Rosiorii de Vede Key Club, Romania
Last year, the Rosiorii de Vede Key Club piloted two successful workshops to get students at Mihai Eminescu Secondary School and Alexandru Depărățeanu Secondary School engaged and enthusiastic about learning. This year, a Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help expand the program to weekly after-school sessions that include homework support, learning reinforcement, creative workshops and personal growth activities. The 15 Key Club mentors, many of whom are graduates of these schools, will receive professional training sessions before taking on their roles, while other volunteers will work on promoting the project and coordinating sessions. The club hopes the project will help at least 50 younger students in difficult circumstances to rediscover their confidence and the joy of learning. 

Solving Food Insecurity
Washtenaw International High School Key Club, Michigan, U.S.
The Washtenaw International High School Key Club will collaborate with local food banks to figure out what items are most needed for families to have well-rounded meals. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help them supplement what they collect from their existing food drives to fill these gaps. Club members will assemble the donated and purchased food into nutritious food packs that can last for several weeks. The food packs will be distributed by local organizations to thousands of local families, helping to address food insecurity and the achievement gaps it can cause. 

How to get involved 
Does your Key Club have a project idea that could benefit from a Youth Opportunities Fund grant? Learn more about the grant and how to apply on the Key Club website. If your club does not yet sponsor a Key Club, learn about the advantages of chartering one today.