Kiwanis Club of Chelsea — New England and Bermuda District
TRACK & FIELD DAY

After a year of pandemic lockdowns, members of the Kiwanis Club of Chelsea, Massachusetts, say it was great to see kids being kids — running, being silly, having fun and smiling. Each year, the club hosts Track & Field Day in the community. Any student from kindergarten through grade 12 can compete in any of nine challenges. Participants also have fun with Hula-Hoops and water balloons. Every member of the 24-person Chelsea Kiwanis Club gets involved in the project, which also raises money for four scholarships or apprenticeships.

Kiwanis Club of North Port — Florida District
CHILDREN'S COMMUNITY CLOTHING CLOSET

Families from 11 schools can turn to the Children's Community Clothing Closet in North Port, Florida, for help. Created for area families who might not be able to afford school uniforms or dress clothing, the closet is managed by the Kiwanis Club of North Port. In 2021, club members increased their outreach and met more families at community events. They even provided clothing to families in Louisiana and Tennessee when those states dealt with natural disasters.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Swedesboro — New Jersey District
RUN/SIT/WALK

A New Jersey District Kiwanis club chartered in 2015 is already making a big difference in the community. The Kiwanis Club of Greater Swedesboro, New Jersey, quickly figured out a way to make an impact for kids in the community and grow its ranks. Soon after being chartered, the club got to work on creating its signature project: the 08085 Run/Walk/Sit, named after the ZIP code for the community the club serves. Participants choose whether to run or walk on a paved, dirt or wetland path. It's quickly becoming a popular event. The club has raised more than US$21,000 in five years and added 25 members to the roster.

The Kiwanis Club of Olympia, Washington, raises, harvests and donates between 25,000 and 35,000 pounds of produce every year. What started as one garden on a small plot in 1990 is now three gardens, where one of them measures about two acres. The produce — such as carrots, peas and potatoes — is sent to the local food bank where the need for fresh fruits and vegetables is insatiable. The club is working to build a greenhouse on one of the farms to provide fresh produce year-round.

The Kiwanis Indiana Balloon Fest — created by the Kiwanis Club of South Central Indiana — has quickly become one of the most popular annual fall festivals in the Bloomington and Monroe County community. Every September, thousands of people come out to see the hot-air balloons’ myriad colors, shapes and sizes. All proceeds from the festival support six Little Free Libraries in underserved neighborhoods and other youth programming by the club's nonprofit partners. 

When COVID-19 caused most of its community to shut down, the Kiwanis Club of Appleton-Fox Cities, Wisconsin, found a way to meet the need. The club created the Kiwanis 'n Cops ‘n Kids Reading Together project. The club organized times for police officers to read to kids with appropriate social distancing, such as outside at Little Free Libraries. The club also distributed books, focusing on stories that involve Hmong and Latino characters so that all the kids could see themselves represented in the stories. The project was such a success that the club plans to continue to schedule more readings in the months and years ahead.