Microgrants help kids get ahead 

Microgrants help kids get ahead 

Jan 24, 2025 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service projects | 0 comments

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

By Erin Chandler

In October, November and December 2024, Kiwanis clubs around the world received Kiwanis Children’s Fund microgrants. Available for clubs with 35 members or fewer, microgrants recently helped clubs complete projects that brought clothing and other essential items to people facing weather adversity, books to community libraries and classrooms, and more. These projects might be smaller in scale, but they will make a big impact. The following three projects highlight some of the ways Kiwanis clubs are using microgrants to help young people in need keep up with their peers in the Kiwanis cause areas of education and literacy, health and nutrition, and youth leadership development.  

Health and nutrition
Kids’ Fun Zone
The Kiwanis Club of the Coast Fork, Oregon, U.S., plans to promote the physical and emotional health of some of the most vulnerable kids in their community. A Children’s Fund microgrant will help purchase a swing set, sandbox, monkey bars and more play equipment for a local center that serves people recovering from homelessness. Club members will take part in installing and inspecting the equipment. The “Kids’ Fun Zone” will let the kids at the center play, exercise and socialize in a safe and stable environment.  

Education and literacy
Library and reading center
Many students at Escuelo Nuevo Belén in Panama feel the effects of their community’s high poverty rate in their educational attainment — some struggle with reading and writing, while others never complete their primary or secondary education. By transforming part of the school into a library and learning center, the Kiwanis Club of El Águila De Panamá hopes to change approximately 2,500 of these students’ futures. A Children’s Fund microgrant will help to remodel the space, with new tables, chairs, bookshelves and other furnishings. The club also plans to clean and paint, install new lighting and air conditioning, purchase books and train teachers and volunteers to jumpstart kids’ love of reading and learning.  

Youth leadership development
Suited Seniors
When the Kiwanis Club of Duluth-Norcross, Georgia, U.S., learned that students who lack financial resources and mentorship are less likely to pursue career opportunities requiring interviews, they did something about it. In partnership with local businesses, the club will donate professional clothing items for approximately 50 students across five local high schools. They will also organize workshops on interview techniques, résumé writing, personal branding, goal-setting and other tactics to build students’ confidence and readiness as they enter the next phase of their lives. 

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.  

Telling your club’s Kiwanis story 

Telling your club’s Kiwanis story 

Jan 17, 2025 | Club building, General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

There are many ways to show how your club serves kids — and we have resources to help. 

By Tony Knoderer

Facts and figures have their uses. But when it comes to showing what it’s like to be a Kiwanis member, you can’t beat the simple act of sharing the experience. Every time you do, you’re telling a story about what Kiwanis service means — to the kids who benefit from it and the members who provide it. 

In fact, storytelling is the most effective way to inspire and inform people. But what does it mean to tell your Kiwanis club’s story?  

It happens whenever you help people understand what Kiwanis is like — when you talk about your club with another person or in a presentation to a group or community leader, but also when you’re simply sharing photos of a service project on social media.   

It’s important — and that’s why Kiwanis International has resources to help. Check out “Tips and Tools to Tell the Kiwanis Story,” our downloadable booklet with best practices for everything from messaging and public relations to photography, social media and more. 

It’s just one of the resources we make available on our branding and marketing webpage.  

Remember: Whenever you communicate about your club and its service with people outside Kiwanis, you’re telling the Kiwanis story. And it’s the kind of story people want to be part of — because it’s about changing children’s lives, improving communities and giving members a sense of fellowship. 

Key Clubs serve communities, classmates 

Key Clubs serve communities, classmates 

Jan 14, 2025 | General interest, Service Leadership Programs, Service projects | 0 comments

The Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded 41 Youth Opportunities Fund grants to outstanding Key Club projects in November. 

By Erin Chandler

This year, Key Club International is celebrating 100 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 100 years and beyond.  

In November, the Children’s Fund awarded Youth Opportunities Fund grants for 41 outstanding Key Club projects that serve kids with medical needs, unhoused families and more — including their own classmates. Of the top 11 projects — as determined by the Key Club International Board committee and Children’s Fund representatives — nine are ongoing projects that have been awarded grants in the past. In alphabetical order by club name, the top 11 are:    

Colors for Children’s 5K/1-Mile Run
Key Club of Auburn High School, Alabama, U.S.
Participants in the Colors for Children’s 5K/1-Mile Run are pelted with colored powder at every mile, making for a vibrant, festive fun run — and all for a good cause. In its first two years, this Auburn High School Key Club event has raised approximately US$13,000 to support research and improved facilities at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Thanks to a Youth Opportunities Fund grant, the third annual race will be better than ever, with snacks, water stations, race day video and photo ops, and medals for the runners. 

“Key to Sweet Dreams” Bedtime Kits
Key Club of Boyd County, Kentucky, U.S.
The Boyd County High School Key Club knows that kids need a good night’s sleep to learn and grow. That’s why members founded and coordinate a project to provide 125-250 “bedtime kits” consisting of sheets, a comforter or blanket, a mattress cover, a pillow, a stuffed animal, a book, a night-light, an alarm clock and a mattress to children in need each year. They also pack a bag of hygiene products for the whole family, while Ashland Build-A-Bed provides a twin-size bedframe. The club works with four Key Clubs, four Kiwanis clubs, a Builders Club and an Aktion Club in the district to collect supplies for the bedtime kits, which have gone to kids in their own community as well as survivors of natural disasters in Kentucky and Tennessee. 

A Night to Remember: After Prom Party
Key Club of Chillicothe High School, Missouri, U.S.
The Chillicothe High School Key Club hosts a free, fun, safe and substance-free prom after-party to make sure fellow students get home safely on prom night. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will allow the club to hold this year’s party at Extreme Racing, where partygoers will enjoy go-kart racing, arcade games and paintball as an alternative to more risky behavior. 

Winter Blitz 2024
Key Club of Clackamas High School, Oregon, U.S.
In 2024, the Clackamas High School Key Club teamed up with the Key Club of Adrienne C. Nelson High School to raise a combined US$14,000 in a Winter Blitz fundraising drive. The total raised will be supplemented by a Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant to purchase food, clothing, household items, hygiene products, children’s toys and holiday gifts for over 600 families in need. The club has been serving its community through this project for 26 years, and they hope to be able to meet even more families’ needs in the future. 

The Hope Festival 2025
Key Club of Eastlake High School, Washington, U.S.
A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help the Eastlake High School Key Club move its 2025 Hope Festival to a larger venue to accommodate the ever-expanding services it offers the club’s community. The Hope Festival provides free groceries, clothing, hygiene products, toys, haircuts, massages, vaccinations, health screenings and more to low-income and unhoused families. Members also offer fun activities for kids, and they partner with local organizations to connect people to essential services, including mental health and educational support, domestic violence assistance and help finding employment. The event allows young volunteers to develop their leadership and love of service while spreading hope throughout their community. 

Reading for Reason
Forest Hills Northern High School, Michigan, U.S.
The Forest Hills Northern High School Key Club consulted with librarians at the Cascade Library to set up a Reading for Reason program. Club members will read to children ages 4-11 at the library to help jumpstart their love of literacy — and every book will impart a meaningful message. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will allow the club to deepen the kids’ learning through creative, interactive activities and crafts. Then, at the end of the session, each child will be able to bring a book home with them. 

Essentials for Education
Key Club of Hagerty High School, Florida, U.S.
The Hagerty High School Key Club is planning two drives to collect and distribute school supplies such as notebooks, pencils and backpacks for students, as well as classroom supplies like dry-erase markers, tissues and paper for teachers. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will supplement the supplies the club gives to those in need. In the process, club members hope to raise awareness about educational inequality in their community’s schools. 

Eagles for Eagles
Key Club of Kennet High School, New Hampshire, U.S.
In 2022, a Kennet High School family support liaison reached out to the Key Club with a request to lend a helping hand to their own classmates. In their “Eagles for Eagles” project, the club raises funds for groceries, hygiene items and gas cards for approximately 30 Kennet High School students while maintaining their privacy. By alleviating the financial burden of these essential items, club members hope to increase their classmates’ attendance at school and work, academic engagement and self-esteem — and to allow the school’s support programs to focus on more long-term assistance. 

Life Skills Prom
Key Club of Kewanee High School, Illinois, U.S.
This year, a Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help 80 students with disabilities at Kewanee High School and five other area schools enjoy a circus-themed prom with dancing, catered food and new decorations. The Key Club hosts the prom in its school gym during the school day to make sure students in the Life Skills program, who may not be able to attend an off-site prom in the evening, don’t miss out on this special event. The students’ families also attend and take pictures. Everyone involved looks forward to the Life Skills Prom all year! 

Dance Marathon
Key Club of Lake Minneola High School, Florida, U.S.
The Lake Minneola High School Key Club has discovered a way to raise funds for kids in need and bring fun to the community at the same time — the Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon program. The club will hold fundraisers such as candygram sales throughout the year, culminating in a four-hour dance marathon. Proceeds from ticket sales, concessions and sponsorships will help to fund research and education, purchase medical equipment and enhance patients’ stays at Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.  

Project Wellness Pak
Key Club of Utica Academy for International Studies, Michigan, U.S.
The Utica Academy for International Studies will help fight rising homelessness in their community through Project Wellness Pak. Key Club members will package blankets and personal hygiene projects such as shampoo and conditioner, body wash, combs, hairbrushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste for people experiencing homelessness. They hope these Wellness Paks will increase health and quality of life for those sleeping outdoors, especially in adverse weather conditions. 

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.