Four clubs received grants for projects that adapt services for kids and families.

By Erin Chandler

In March, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded 17 club grants to support outstanding Kiwanis club projects around the world. The following projects are just four examples of Kiwanians making services that are essential to kids’ development — such as in-depth education, health screenings, transportation and play — more accessible, regardless of a child’s ability or financial resources. 

Academia Kiwanis (Kiwanis Academy)
Kiwanis Club of Impacto 360, Panama
The Impacto 360 club has a plan to transform Panama City’s El Chorrillo corregimiento, where high levels of poverty have contributed to an increase in school dropout rates and juvenile crime. The plan’s first step is to convert a space into an extracurricular center where kids can learn and develop their skills in areas such as art, debate, karate and theater. The project already has the support of the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Culture; a Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will go toward renovating the Academy’s space for safety and purchasing necessary supplies for the classes. Club members hope the programs they offer will “grow with each child,” and that Kiwanis Academy graduates will return as volunteers, perpetuating its positive effects in kids’ lives and the community. 

Pediatric Cancer Screening Awareness Program
Kiwanis Club of Dhaulagiri, Nepal
The Kiwanis Club of Dhaulagiri has an ambitious plan to combat childhood cancers in the community — one that increases awareness, access to screenings, and emotional and financial support for kids with cancer and their families. The club plans to introduce its program in the small, rural Melung Village Development Committee in Nepal’s Dolakha District, which is remote from medical facilities specializing in pediatric oncology. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will go toward the management of educational workshops and awareness campaigns that will teach community members the symptoms of pediatric cancers; mobile screening clinics reaching thousands of children; training sessions for healthcare professionals on pediatric cancer diagnosis; support groups and counseling services for diagnosed kids and families; and fundraising events to aid in treatment. The club hopes their efforts will improve health outcomes for kids through early diagnoses and access to treatment. 

iCan Bike
Kiwanis Club of the Horse Heaven Hills, Washington, U.S.
Over the last seven years, the Kiwanis Club of Horse Heaven Hills has partnered with iCan Shine to host six iCan Bike programs, which help kids with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down Syndrome learn to ride conventional, two-wheel bicycles. Over the course of five days, participants attend 75-minute sessions where they, along with three to seven other riders, get individual instruction from a floor supervisor and bike technician. Two volunteer spotters also accompany each rider. The iCan Bike program has a high rate of success in teaching children to ride bikes, which in turn increases their self-esteem, confidence, physical fitness and social inclusion — and it provides an independent means of transportation. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grant will go toward fees associated with bringing iCan Bike to the club’s community. 

Tactile and Sensory Learning Center for the Visually Impaired
Kiwanis Club of Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Kiwanis Club of Damansara, Kuala Lumpur has a close partnership with the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) — its CEO is even a club member. The two organizations’ next big collaboration is on a tactile and sensory learning center where kids with visual impairments can learn, socialize and play. Club members will research, select and purchase tactile and auditory equipment and toys that will promote learning, exploration and development. The center will have games, musical instruments, braille books and even audiobooks recorded by Kiwanians. A club grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will go toward expanding the available space and wiring it for electricity; purchasing furniture, toys and games; and producing Braille and audio books. The club will periodically restock the center, allowing hundreds of children to benefit from its inclusive fun over time. 

More club grant projects
Other projects that received club grants in August include:   

• Inclusive, accessible playgrounds from the Kiwanis clubs of Chena-Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.; Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.; Saint Joseph-Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S.; Junction City, South, Kanas, U.S.; and Blue Spruce, Evergreen, Colorado, U.S. 

• A new basketball court at the Kiwanis Children’s Sunshine Camp from the Kiwanis Club of Butte, Montana, U.S. 

• A weekend food backpack program from the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas Sangre de Cristo Sunrise, New Mexico, U.S. 

• A back-to-school shopping spree from the Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria, California, U.S. 

• A career exploration program for eighth-grade students from the Kiwanis Club of Litchfield, Minnesota, U.S. 

• New books and bookcases for elementary schools from the Kiwanis Club of Kernersvile, North Carolina, U.S. 

• A book vending machine from the Kiwanis Club of Pooler-West Chatham, Georgia, U.S. 

• Funding to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program in Blount County from the Kiwanis Club of Maryville, Tennessee, U.S. 

• A program allowing Kiwanians and local police to hand out books to schoolchildren from the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. 

How you can help
The Kiwanis Children’s Fund makes grants that improve the lives of children around the world by identifying projects that create a continuum of impact in a child’s life — one that spans their entire childhood and sets them up for a bright future. Through The Possibility Project, the Children’s Fund ensures that its grantmaking has the greatest possible impact, supporting projects that target the Kiwanis causes — health and nutrition, education and literacy, and youth leadership development — whether through a Kiwanis club’s local service project or a club’s partner.  

Learn how your club can apply for a grant to help kids in your community. If you are interested in extending your and your club’s impact beyond your community, make a gift in support of The Possibilty Project.