General interest | Kiwanis International

Grants help CKI serve schools and communities

Mar 20, 2026 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service Leadership Programs, Service projects | 0 comments

Six 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 already 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 February, the Children’s Fund awarded six Tomorrow Fund grants — all to improve the lives of people in CKI members’ schools and surrounding communities.

Hygiene Kits for the Homeless
Circle K International of Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, U.S.
When Johns Hopkins University CKI teamed up with Hand4Hand Global to assemble and distribute 50 hygiene kits to people facing homelessness in their community last year, recipients were so enthusiastic that the club quickly ran out of supplies. This year, a Tomorrow Fund grant will help double the number of hygiene kits the club is able to make. Members also plan to add blankets, socks and hand warmers to the soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, menstrual products and other essential hygiene items the kits contain. The goal of the project is to improve the health and dignity of people experiencing homelessness and prevent them from being denied work or housing due to appearance or hygiene.

Finals Week Care Package Tabling
Circle K International of the University of California San Diego, California, U.S.
When the University of California San Diego Student Foundation was hit by a decline in membership and funding, CKI members stepped up to make sure the foundation’s longstanding Finals Week Care Package project continues. Together, CKI and Student Foundation volunteers hand out practical care packages to students during the week of final exams. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help fill the packages with snacks, small hygiene products, hand sanitizer, face masks and a few comfort items, like stickers. This small form of support reduces stress and financial strain on students during busy times, and it grows in popularity each year.

UE Circle K International Prom
Circle K International of the University of Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
For over 10 years, University of Evansville CKI has hosted a prom for special education students in nearby school districts. A Tomorrow Fund grant will go toward decorations, food, and craft supplies for attendees. The event is an opportunity for high school students with disabilities and their families to dance and have fun in a supportive and welcoming environment.

CKI Artsaya Maglaro 2026
Circle K International of the University of the Philippines Los Baños
University of the Philippines Los Baños CKI is working to guide kids away from screens and toward outdoor activities, social connection and creativity. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help cover food and supplies for the club’s Artsaya Maglaro project, where 30 kids — 10 more than last year — will spend part of their summer vacations taking part in traditional games of the Philippines followed by creative art sessions. The club hopes to make the project bigger every year to promote physical, mental and emotional health and development while reviving a deeply rooted Filipino tradition of play.

Resiliency Ropes
Circle K International Georgia District, U.S.
At this year’s Georgia District convention, CKI and Key Club members will spend one hour making approximately 300 kid-friendly “resiliency rope” bracelets for children in foster care in the Atlanta area. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help supply the paracord, clips and other supplies to make the durable bracelets. Kids in foster care can then use their resiliency ropes as calming, sensory grounding tools during times of stress. The resiliency ropes also can secure items or bags. CKI members hope that the bracelets will help give kids in foster care a sense of control and continuity in the midst of instability.

Food Pantry Meal Kits
Circle K International Nebraska-Iowa District, U.S.
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help purchase supplies for meal kits that CKI, Kiwanis and Key Club members will assemble at the 2026 Nebraska-Iowa CKI District Convention. Each kit will contain nonperishable foods, shelf-stable ingredients and a recipe card for a balanced meal that can feed a family of four. Convention attendees also will assemble birthday boxes with cake ingredients, a cake pan, balloons, candles and a birthday card. The goal of the project is not just to address food insecurity, but to alleviate the mental burden of planning a healthy meal and the financial burden that can come with celebrating important milestones. The project is designed to be easily replicable in convention attendees’ home clubs and communities.

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.  

New Kiwanis club makes beautiful music

Mar 5, 2026 | Club building, General interest | 0 comments

The Kiwanis Music Academy is a single-purpose club focused on making Switzerland’s next pop star.

By Erin Chandler

The overture came from the late Kiwanian and photographer André Melchior: a bequest to invest in supporting popular young musicians in Switzerland. But the Kiwanis Club of Zurich couldn’t host such a program — it would compete with the annual Kiwanis Music Prize, the club’s signature project for 50 years, supporting up-and-coming classical musicians.

Zurich club members Thomas O. Koller and Robert E. Gubler had the answer: The Kiwanis Music Academy — a new, single-purpose club dedicated to preparing young artists for the music industry. Koller is the new club’s founding president, and Gubler its founding vice president.

“The goal is not for the young people to become better musicians,” Gubler says. “They need to possess that skill. The idea is to prepare the artists for the music market and help them succeed in the Swiss — and eventually international — music scene.”

For a handful of aspiring artists at a time, he adds, the club will cover “all aspects from the rehearsal room to the arena.” That includes professional coaching, concept development, songwriting camps, music business workshops, media training, release campaigns, staging and rehearsals.

Something money can’t buy
A training program for the aspiring artists has been developed by two of the Kiwanis Music Academy’s charter members: Reto Lazzarotto, a professional music promoter and network manager, and Johanna Jellici, who heads the Pop and Jazz Department at the Zurich University of the Arts.

Other members of the club will sponsor the talent, covering the costs of studio rentals, equipment and more. They also will play a hands-on role as stagehands, setting up and dismantling performance stages.

What motivates the club’s members, Koller says, is threefold: “Firstly, to support young people in their professional development. Secondly, a personal interest in popular music, and thirdly, to be part of a project that is unique — at least in Switzerland.”

“Club members also benefit from something money can’t buy,” Gubler says. “They have personal connections to up-and-coming artists and can get a behind-the-scenes look at a production or participate in talent selection.”

Gaining an audience
With its focus on popular music, the club works to appeal to a younger demographic. The club’s hybrid meeting format also helps — most meetings take place online, with an in-person meeting every six to eight weeks.

“We need to ensure they can balance their Kiwanis involvement with their professional and family lives,” Koller explains. Plus, the hybrid structure “unlocks a membership potential that extends far beyond the local catchment area of our club.”

The Kiwanis Music Academy has already partnered with Kiwanis clubs from across the country — not just the Kiwanis Club of Zurich, but also the Kiwanis clubs of Les Moraines Ouest Lausanne from French-speaking Switzerland, Mendrisiotto from Italian-speaking Switzerland and St. Gallen-Notker from German-speaking Switzerland.

For the sponsored artists, the Kiwanis Music Academy journey will culminate in a major concert event that will draw major outside sponsors and media attention. The concert will launch the artists into the next phase of their careers — and raise the profile of Kiwanis International, not just in Switzerland, but potentially around the world. The club hopes the first concert will take place later this year.

Next stop, stardom
“There’s a wonderful atmosphere in our club,” Koller says. “We feel like we’re driving something good and innovative forward. In short, there’s a pioneering spirit.”

And when it comes to the future, the club is shooting for the stars: “We will have achieved our goal when we produce a successful young artist who brings great joy to many people with their music.”

So don’t be surprised if one day you’re attending a sold-out stadium concert by an artist who got their start through Kiwanis International.

New scorecards help clubs keep track

Feb 27, 2026 | Club building, General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

With these two resources, your club can update recruiting success and members’ interests.

By Tony Knoderer

Kiwanis International has created two new resources, each designed to help Kiwanis clubs keep track of crucial information: recruiting success and member satisfaction. These “scorecards” are the latest tools for clubs to use with regard to growth and retention.

The club growth scorecard offers a simple and convenient way to keep track of your club’s success in converting guests to members. It also lets the club note which members invited guests and sponsored new members — so everyone can celebrate the individuals whose commitment made the roster grow. The two-sided piece also includes instructions for using the scorecard, measuring success and more.

Similarly, the member engagement scorecard offers an easy-to-use chart for clubs to record:

Local charities
Organizations that members support
Current service projects
Ideas for projects to engage more members

There’s also a column for “unlimited funds” projects — to facilitate discussion of members’ dream initiatives. The opposite side of the page gives instructions for filling out the scorecard and using that information.

Altogether, the member engagement scorecard is a way to help ensure that a Kiwanis club’s service projects reflect what its members are passionate about.

Both of the new scorecards are available now. You’ll find the club growth scorecard here. And you can get the member engagement scorecard here.

We encourage you to download, print and start using both!

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