The Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded 17 Youth Opportunities Fund grants to outstanding Key Club projects in April.

By Erin Chandler

This year, Key Club International is celebrating 99 years of making a difference in schools and communities around the world. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Youth Opportunities Fund so that Key Club leaders can continue taking action for the next 99 years and beyond. 

In April, the Children’s Fund awarded Youth Opportunities Fund grants for 17 outstanding Key Club projects that foster collaboration between clubs and their communities. Of the top 11 projects — as determined by the Key Club International Board committee and Children’s Fund representatives — eight are new projects launched this year. In alphabetical order by club name, the top 11 are: 

Firebird Garden
Key Club of BASIS Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
The BASIS Phoenix Key Club will work with their school’s National Honor Society, Science National Honors Society and National Art Honor Society to turn part of the campus into a raised-bed community garden with a decorated bench and shed. The garden will serve as a hands-on outdoor “lab” classroom where students will be responsible for growing and studying pumpkins, watermelon, carrots, tomatoes and more. It also will be a space for social interaction, collaboration and the cultivation of mental health. 

Children Christmas Lane and Community Fund Day
The Key Club of Bishop Michael Eldon High School, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas
Teaming up with the Kiwanis Club of Freeport, the Bishop Michael Eldon High School Key Club is bringing holiday cheer to the entire community. The project began by distributing holiday gifts to kids in need but is now expanding so that 100 families also receive grocery bags filled with food and toiletries. The event will also feature festive decorations, an arts and crafts corner, a bouncy castle, face painting, games and stations where nurses will provide health screenings. 

Operation Warm Coats
Key Club of Huntington Park High School, California, U.S.
With monthly food baskets, grocery gift cards, and school and hygiene supplies, members of the Huntington Park High School Key Club have been helping people who struggle with homelessness and food insecurity in their community — including students in the Key Clubbers’ own school. Now they will expand their project by providing warm winter coats to students at Huntington Park High School, Marquez High School and Roybal-Allard Elementary School. Members hope the coats will help more students attend school regularly in poor weather — and maybe even help save lives. 

Supporting Our Seniors
Key Club of Lake Ridge High School, Texas, U.S.
“Supporting Our Seniors” is an expansion of the Lake Ridge High School Key Club’s previous “Elevating the Elderly” program. Club members will combat loneliness among residents of Walnut Creek Assisted Living and Memory Care with planned visits, events and projects, including a talent show, care packages, handwritten cards, arts and crafts, and fun games. The senior citizens will benefit from the companionship and excitement, while the Key Club volunteers will learn about their elders’ life experiences and receive their advice. 

Gifts That Keep Giving
Key Club of Mayde Creek High School, Texas, U.S.
The Key Club of Mayde Creek High School will support people experiencing homelessness in their community by assembling 90 care packages containing high-quality, long-lasting resources to safeguard recipients’ physical and mental health. The packages will contain hygiene supplies like body wipes and bandages, socks and underwear, reusable water bottles, notebooks and writing utensils, and candies that will be especially helpful as grounding aids for people with PTSD. Club members will also personalize the packages by including handwritten letters. The club will make some of the packages available to fellow students at their school and will donate the rest to be distributed to those in need by two local ministries. 

Cozy Care for Companions
Key Club of North Garland High School, Texas, U.S.
When members of the Key Club of North Garland High School heard about the overcapacity and lack of resources in Texas’s animal shelters, they knew they had to do something to help both the animals and the shelter workers. Through donation drives — including tennis balls donated by the school’s tennis coach — and events dedicated to making pet toys, the club will provide beds and care packages to comfort and enrich the lives of the furry shelter residents. Club members will also write adoption biographies and volunteer to support shelter staff. In collaboration with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Garland Animal Shelter, they additionally hope to create informational posters for new and potential pet owners. 

Adopt-a-Kinder
Key Club of Santa Ana Valley High School, California, U.S.
In the Key Club of Santa Ana Valley’s “Adopt-a-Kinder” program, high school students “adopt” kindergarten students at a local elementary school for Read Across America, an annual day to celebrate and promote literacy. The high schoolers read books with the kindergarteners, and each kindergartener then keeps the book — and gets a tasty treat. The project has been so successful that it is expanding from one to three elementary schools this year. 

Soles for Souls
Key Club of Southmoore High School, Oklahoma, U.S.
In their “Soles for Souls” program, the Key Club of Southmoore High School will place decorated donation boxes in classrooms and local businesses to collect new shoes and socks for people who need them in Guatemala. The club hopes to collect 2,000 shoes that will be distributed, in cooperation with Believe Guatemala, to approximately 100 Guatemala City families who make their living by picking through a landfill for items to resell. The shoes and socks will protect the feet of adults and children alike from glass, needles, chemicals and other hazardous materials. 

Clean Shores Initiative: Bin the Waste, Keep the Coastline Great!
Key Club of St. Maarten Academy, Sint Maarten
Members of the Key Club of St. Maarten Academy took it upon themselves to maintain the public Little Bay Beach for their community, as well as for visitors to the area — but they noticed that trash continued to pile up between their bimonthly cleanups. To help address the problem, they will install six waste bins along the beach with signs that promote the preservation of the environment and its fragile ecosystems. Additionally, club members will contribute hand-painted signs encouraging the proper disposal of waste, painted murals to further beautify the area and sea grape trees to protect the shoreline. They also plan to partner with the St. Maarten Academy science club to install three recycling bins as part of their UNESCO-funded Green Dream project. 

Enhancing Senior Well-being
Key Club of Stephen F. Austin High School, Texas, U.S.
The Key Club of Stephen F. Austin High School will bring mental and social engagement to residents of the Clayton Senior Living Center with a roster of activities. Club members will lead residents of the center in various workshops, including board games, bingo, crochet and other arts, and technology. In doing so, they hope to forge stronger intergenerational bonds in their community. 

Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Key Club of Webster High School, South Dakota, U.S.
The Key Club of Webster High School will partner with the Sleep in Heavenly Peace organization to build twin beds for children in the community. Having learned how children sleep better in their own beds — and enjoy better mental, emotional and physical health — the club members will work with local Kiwanis and Builders Clubs to help measure, cut, sand, stain and assemble the beds. Sleep in Heavenly Peace will then deliver the beds to families.  

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 on the Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs page. 

Circle K International clubs serve their communities with help from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund.

By Erin Chandler

Circle K International clubs are making a difference in university and college communities around the world. CKI members are the next generation of servant leaders — and they’re not afraid to form ambitious partnerships and find creative solutions to problems. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Tomorrow Fund to help CKI service projects reach their full potential.  

This year, the Children’s Fund awarded Tomorrow Fund grants to 10 outstanding projects that connect CKI members to their schools’ and districts’ larger communities.

Circle K International at ASU Fellowship Night
Circle K International of Arizona State University, U.S.
At Arizona State University CKI’s Fellowship Night, CKI members and local Key Club members come together to assemble 40 kits of essential items — including toiletries, first aid supplies and duffle bags — for people experiencing homelessness in their community. This project serves dual purposes: helping the growing population of unhoused people in Tempe, Arizona, and giving Key Club members the opportunity to learn about and experience the fellowship of CKI. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help pay for the kits, which will be distributed by AZ Hugs. 

Essentials for Empathy: Homeless Support Packs
Circle K International of City College of New York, U.S.
City College of New York CKI members are also using a Tomorrow Fund grant to serve people experiencing homelessness. By distributing “support packs” containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, sanitary wipes, hand sanitizer, menstrual hygiene products, first aid essentials and nutritious snacks, the club hopes to provide assistance and relief to approximately 100-150 people. Club members also hope to increase awareness of and empathy about the issue of homelessness in their community. 

Luggage of Love and Literacy
Circle K International of Florida International University, U.S.
Florida International University CKI is working with the nonprofit Luggage of Love and Literacy to fill backpacks and duffle bags with supplies to help local unhoused and at-risk high school students transition into their college dorms. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help the club purchase bedding, small fans, hair dryers, dishes, shoe racks, folders, headsets, books and fun socks. Members hope these supplies will set students on the path to a successful college experience. 

Nourishing Neighborhoods: Little Free Pantries
Circle K International of New Jersey Institute of Technology, U.S.
The New Jersey Institute of Technology CKI will use its Tomorrow Fund grant to build, stock and spread the word about Little Free Pantries across every division of the New Jersey District. Members plan to build the pantries out of quality, durable materials and fill them with nonperishable food items, toiletries, menstrual hygiene products, stationery and toys for those in need. The club hopes the pantries will enable communities to support their most vulnerable members in a way that ensures accessibility, dignity and privacy. 

CKI Read: A Step Towards the Future
Circle K International of St. Peter’s College Ormoc, Philippines
St. Peter’s College Ormoc CKI is increasing literacy in its community by tutoring elementary school students. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help members expand their program and purchase school supplies, reading resources and snacks. Club members say they aim to boost kids’ reading comprehension, increase their vocabulary and foster “a genuine love for reading” through engaging reading material and activities.   

Toiletries and Cleaning Supplies Donation to a Primary School
Circle K International of University of Technology, Jamaica
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help CKI members at the University of Technology, Jamaica, purchase essential cleaning and sanitary supplies, including soap, hand sanitizer, napkins, tissues, mops and brooms, reusable gloves, garbage bags, bleach and more for a school in Montego Bay. A lack of resources in area schools has led to unsanitary conditions. Club members hope to curb the spread of illness by creating a cleaner environment for students. 

Maine Day Meal Packout
Circle K International of the University of Maine, U.S.
University of Maine CKI works with the University of Maine Honors College for the annual Maine Day Meal Packout. Hundreds of volunteers join CKI and Honors College members each year to pack at least 45,000 meals for food insecure communities. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help the program purchase even more meals for those who need them most.   

Art Classes for Children
Circle K International of the University of Texas at Dallas, U.S.
Members of University of Texas at Dallas CKI will host art classes for 50 kids at their local Boys and Girls Club over three months. A Tomorrow Fund grant will purchase supplies to make yarn flowers, bracelets, slime, origami, personalized wooden cutouts and decorated journals. Club members hope to mentor their students while they help them learn to cope with stress and express themselves through art.  

Georgia District Convention Service Project
Circle K International Georgia District, U.S.
CKI members attending the Georgia district convention will have the opportunity to help relieve the stress and improve the mental health of patients at Atlanta Children’s Hospital. A Tomorrow Fund grant will go toward the purchase of fun snacks and supplies to make stress balls, sensory items, “positive pencils” and more. Conference attendees will rotate through stations to make items that will be assembled into care packages for hospitalized kids. 

Ohio District Spring Officer Training Service Project with Bottoms Up Diaper Bank
Circle K International Ohio District, U.S.
As part of its spring officer training, the Ohio District of CKI plans to assemble 150 diaper kits for Bottoms Up Diaper Bank in Lancaster, Ohio. A Tomorrow Fund grant will go toward the purchase of wipes, diaper rash cream and multiple sizes of diapers for babies and toddlers; CKI officers will then assemble kits for distribution to families in need. Organizers hope officers will be inspired to continue to support Bottoms Up Diaper Bank and other local organizations with their clubs. 

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 on the CKI website. If your Kiwanis club does not yet sponsor a CKI club, learn about the advantages of chartering one today on the Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs page.