Grants support physical and emotional health

Grants support physical and emotional health

Oct 9, 2026 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service Leadership Programs, Service projects | 0 comments

11 Circle K International projects receive Tomorrow Fund grants.

By Erin Chandler

In college and university communities around the world, members of Circle K International are making a difference through service and leadership. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Tomorrow Fund to help these clubs and districts implement more creative solutions to problems and make the greatest possible positive impact.  

This July, the Children’s Fund awarded 11 Tomorrow Fund grants — all to help CKI members improve the physical and emotional health of children, families and other vulnerable people in communities across the United States and in the Philippines. 

Trunk or Treat for Differently Abled Children and Adults
Circle K International of Baldwin Wallace University, Ohio, U.S.
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help Baldwin Wallace University CKI purchase candy for its annual Trunk or Treat for Differently Abled Children and Adults. A safe and welcoming event, it takes place in a flat parking lot with candy stations at decorated vehicles grouped closely together — so it’s accessible to people of all abilities. Volunteers, including those from Berea Mid-Park High School Key Club, Community West Cuyahoga Aktion Club and the Kiwanis Club of Middleburg Heights, hand out treats to trick-or-treaters who have disabilities or special needs and their families — regardless of age or ability to say “trick-or-treat.” The event, which grows each year, also features food trucks, music, entertainment, crafts and resources for the disabled community. This year, the Trunk or Treat is ready to welcome 500 trick-or-treaters to dress up and have fun with families like theirs. 

NICU/PICU Project
Circle K International of Bowling Green State University, Ohio, U.S.
Bowling Green State University CKI will assemble 100-150 care bags for children and families in ProMedica Toledo Hospital’s Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help the club supplement donations and its own purchases to stock reusable grocery bags with diapers and wipes, stuffed animals, fidget toys, art supplies, board books and more. The club then will hold a packing event to assemble the bags. The club hopes the bags — which will go to hospitalized kids and their siblings — will take some weight off families in difficult circumstances and let them know they are not alone. 

Collecting and Creating Kits for FSW School Pantry
Circle K International of Florida SouthWestern State College, Florida, U.S.
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help Florida SouthWestern State College CKI support the campus food pantry, which provides food and basic personal care items to students in need. The club already holds drives and fundraisers to acquire pantry supplies, which club members assemble into kits for easier distribution. They hope that increasing access to food and essential items on campus will allow more students to focus on their education. 

Jail Crochet Class
Circle K International of Northern Illinois University, Illinois, U.S.
Northern Illinois University CKI will support the school’s new Fiber Arts Club in an important project: teaching inmates at the DeKalb County Jail how to crochet. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help cover the costs of supplies and transportation for the eight to 12 instructors of weekly crochet classes. A past iteration of the program proved popular at the jail, and similar classes at other facilities have helped to reduce recidivism, teach prosocial skills, improve mental well-being and give participants a way to express their creativity. The club hopes to offer even more art classes for inmates, in subjects such as sketching, painting and tattoo artistry. 

Brush, Wash and Play 3.0
Circle K International of Southern Luzon State University Lucban, Quezon, Philippines
SLSU Lucban CKI plans to strengthen children’s foundations for lifelong health by bringing back its Brush, Wash and Play outreach program. Club members will visit daycares in the community — and through interactive storytelling, demonstrations and play-based learning, they’ll help kids form healthy habits around basic hygiene practices like washing hands and brushing teeth. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help cover transportation expenses and provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo and towels for kids to take home. Club members hope the project will help children and families reduce the spread of disease. 

Comfort in Care: Chemo Relief Kits Project
Circle K International of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
University of Cincinnati CKI is starting a new tradition to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October by assembling and distributing “care kits” for people undergoing chemotherapy. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help stock the reusable tote-bag kits with tie blankets made by club members, fuzzy socks, journals, essential oils and lotion, petroleum jelly, hydration packs, snacks and candy. Each kit also will contain a handwritten note. Club members hope the kits will provide comfort and encouragement for cancer patients, not just upon receipt, but throughout treatment.  

Hygiene Baskets for Craig’s Doors
Circle K International of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
University of Massachusetts Amherst CKI will use its Tomorrow Fund grant to purchase hygiene supplies — including soap, bandages, shampoo, feminine hygiene products and more — that will be distributed in baskets at Craig’s Doors, a local emergency shelter. Each basket will contain enough supplies for about one month. The club plans to make this an ongoing project, adapting supply basket contents to each season. 

Miles for a Mission
Circle K International of Virginia Tech, Virginia, U.S.
Virginia Tech CKI plans to host a 5K fundraiser with a community-focused twist: the first-place finishing man and woman each choose a charity or nonprofit to receive a portion of the funds raised. The goal is to shine a spotlight on smaller organizations that benefit the community — and the club hopes the prospect of bringing funds and attention to their favorite organization will attract more participants. Club members will review the selected organizations to make sure they are legitimate. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help to offset the event’s operational costs, freeing more money for the winning causes. 

South Division Community Garden
Circle K International Capital District, U.S.
For people experiencing food insecurity in its Southern Division, the CKI Capital District will install a community garden that offers access to affordable, fresh produce. The garden’s environmental sustainability will even be enhanced by raised garden beds, native pollinator plants, an irrigation system and a composting system. CKI members will maintain the garden and lead educational workshops to teach community members about conservation and sustainable practices. A Tomorrow Fund grant will go toward construction supplies, educational materials for the workshops and communal gardening tools. 

Meal Packing for a Purpose
Circle K International New England District, U.S.
A Tomorrow Fund grant will go toward supplies for a meal-packing event at the CKI New England District Convention. Attendees from across the district will work together to pack thousands of nutritious, shelf-stable meals to be distributed to food pantries, shelters, schools, backpack programs and community organizations throughout the district. The event, held in partnership with End Hunger New England, will help to address food insecurity — the goal of the district governor’s project — and inspire CKI members to host similar initiatives with their own clubs and communities. 

Smiling with Service: Cratering Cavities
Circle K International Texas-Oklahoma District, U.S.
In support of this year’s governor’s project, Smiling with Service, CKI members at the Texas-Oklahoma District Fall Retreat aim to create 500 dental care packages for children. Lack of access to dental care is a pervasive problem throughout the district. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help to supply toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, two-minute toothbrushing timers and coloring books for the kits, which will be distributed throughout the district. Each of the 500 children who receive a kit also will find a message from the person who packed it.  

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.   

A club’s reading program draws corporate members 

A club’s reading program draws corporate members 

Sep 17, 2026 | Club building, General interest, Literacy, Service projects | 0 comments

See how a Kiwanis club in Louisiana, U.S., recruits area companies and organizations.

By Julie Saetre 

In 2007, Mel Dussel had been a member of his Kiwanis club for just a few months when his club’s president asked him to stop by a local elementary school. The Kiwanis Club of Dawn Busters, Metairie, Louisiana, U.S., had recently started a program called Rewards for Reading, through which children win prizes and incentives for building their reading skills. On that December day, the club was awarding one program participant with a new bike — something it did twice a year. 

As the club’s representative at the event, Dussel was so moved that he offered the club’s second bike for the year as an extra reward, promising to replace it himself for the next scheduled giveaway.

He soon found himself in charge of the Rewards for Reading program, and he wanted to expand its scope. He applied himself to increasing the club’s corporate memberships, which would also increase in-kind and cash donations.

This is where Dussel’s sales and networking skills came in. A friend of a friend suggested he reach out to a contact at a local laser-tag venue. That business became the first corporate member that Dussel added to the club roster. For the reading program, that meant a donation of laser-tag tickets for participating children — plus discounts on additional tickets and food at the venue.

Members and results follow
As word spread about Rewards for Reading, businesses started reaching out. For example, a local AAA baseball team donated a four-person admission coupon to every program participant twice a year, held a special game dedicated to the children, provided bus transportation to and from the event,and invited the kids to run the bases after the game.

After nearby New Orleans hosted a Super Bowl, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation — also a corporate member — donated enough leftover jackets, hats, t-shirts and other merchandise to fill an 18-wheel semitruck. The foundation followed up with merchandise donations after other major sporting events in the city.

Corporate memberships have had a ripple effect throughout club programs and initiatives. For instance, the club formerly used US$10,000 annually to feed community members in need; now that project is fully funded. In fact, the club uses that $10,000 for scholarships that it awards to graduatinghigh school seniors from each of its five sponsored Key Clubs. 

What success looks like
Over the last 19 years, the club has brought in more than 200 new members — including nearly 50 corporate memberships. Children in the Rewards for Reading program have received over US$20 million in prizes, with more than 1,500 of them taking home new bikes. 

The club’s current membership roster reads like a Who’s Who list: The lieutenant governor of Louisiana. The agriculture commissioner. The mayor of Kenner, Louisiana. The superintendent of schools. Members of the city council. The American Culinary Foundation of New Orleans. Seven banks. Three federal credit unions. 

They’re all members of Dawn Busters because of the reading program, Dussel says — but not just as donors.

“All of these corporate people are not only members and sponsors and donors,” he adds. “They participate.” 

How your club can do it
Finding corporate members and sponsors isn’t limited to large clubs, Dussel says. A club’s projects and programs are what matter most.

“People say, ‘Oh, well, you have a big club,’” he adds. “We weren’t always a big club. I don’t care if you’ve got a town of 50 people.

“I’ve been selling all my life. But if you don’t have the product to sell, you’re not going to sell it. … Without the reading program, we wouldn’t have two-thirds of [the corporate memberships].” 

For clubs hoping to jumpstart their own corporate membership efforts, Dussel has tips to help: 

  • Identify potential prospects. How can you and a new member organization mutually benefit? “Kiwanis clubs [are like] a business,” Dussel says. “Who do you want to be in your business with you? Who can you help?”  
  • Be prepared. At all times, Dussel carries red cards imprinted with “Dawn Busters Metairie Rewards for Reading” and his email address, and he hands them to people who are curious. “If there are more than two people in the room, I’m looking [for prospects],” he says. He asks them to email him so he can explain in more depth what the club does and what the reading program involves.  
  • Ask prospects to speak at meetings. Dussel estimates that one out of every four guest speakers becomes a club or corporate member. 
  • Get contacts from the corporate member’s designated representative. “When you get these members, you’re not just getting them,” Dussel says. “You’re getting their whole circle.” 

Beyond specific needs and interests, he adds, corporate members are like other members: They need to enjoy the club experience. Dussel suggests building time into the club calendar for celebration and social events. Recently the club brought in three new members after a night of bowling at a local arcade. 

Microgrants touch lives with art and learning

Microgrants touch lives with art and learning

Sep 11, 2026 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service Leadership Programs, Service projects | 0 comments

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.