Four clubs on four continents will help kids learn and grow in new ways. 

Por Erin Chandler

In August, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded 22 club grants to support outstanding Kiwanis club projects on four continents. The following four projects — one from each region — show how Kiwanians can transform kids’ education. By making reading a fun event, organizing a trip that expands horizons, introducing kids to art and creativity, and providing a space for specialized learning, these projects turn students into lifelong learners. 

Dr. Seuss Reading Day
The Kiwanis Club of Carrollton, Georgia, U.S.
Each year in March, around 50 volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of Carrollton and the community visit local schools to throw a birthday party for Dr. Seuss, author of classic children’s books such as “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham.” The volunteers choose a Dr. Seuss book to read to or alongside the students, then talk with them about the importance of reading, both in school and at home with family members. With help from a Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grant, every student will then take home a copy of the book. This festive spin on story time gets kids excited about reading. 

Belgium Week for Children and Young People with Disabilities
Kiwanis Club of Innsbruck, Austria
Each year, local Kiwanis clubs take children from two special-needs schools in the Lienz district of Austria on a trip to Belgium. There is a lack of enrichment opportunities for children with disabilities in the area, and families and schools struggle to fund them on their own. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant helped fund this year’s trip for 18 students, who spent a week cycling, swimming, hiking, doing gymnastics and pottery, completing a high ropes course and participating in group games. The trip gives students an opportunity to develop their athletic and creative skills, but it also builds their confidence and communication skills — which help them cope with challenges, feel a sense of belonging and form friendships through shared activities.  

Art That Transforms
Kiwanis Club of Katías, Colombia
The Kiwanis Club of Katías has a history of visiting remote schools to deliver programs on nutrition, recreation, leadership and values. Now they are working with Andes Pinta, an organization that has developed art initiatives in urban areas, to bring art education to 10 rural schools without easy access to artistic and cultural programs. Art That Transforms, which has the support of the Department of Education and local teachers, will bring Kiwanis volunteers to teach a variety of painting and drawing techniques in three-month cycles and follow-up sessions over the course of two years. The club hopes that hundreds of students will develop new artistic skills — and with them, their self-expression and creativity. The program will culminate in an art exhibition in an urban center of the Andes, where communities, families and the students themselves will see their creations displayed. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund grant will help pay for art and educational supplies, transportation and costs associated with mounting the exhibition. 

Sensory Room Phase 2: Advanced Multisensory Integration
Kiwanis Club of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Kiwanis Club of Kuala Lumpur is stepping up to help expand services offered by the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation National Centre. Over 40% of the children who receive educational and physical therapy services at the Centre also face sensory processing challenges. The Centre’s new sensory room was built to address these needs — but it still needed specialized therapeutic tools recommended by a team of caregivers and experts who work closely with the children at the Centre. A Kiwanis Children’s Fund club grant will help purchase items that help children with visual tracking, tactile defensiveness and emotional self-regulation. With a hammock swing, sensory liquid-gel number tiles, a padded sequin wall panel, crash pad, infinity mirror, infinity tunnel and projector, 100 students will be better prepared for future school integration. 

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

• Library renovations from the Kiwanis Clubs of Domodossola, Italy, and North Manchester, Indiana, U.S. 

• A socio-emotional education program from the Kiwanis Club of Bucaramanga, Colombia 

• A story time and book giveaway from the Kiwanis Club of La Palma, California, U.S. 

• A school supply drive from the Kiwanis Club of Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. 

• A community garden from the Kiwanis Club of Rogers City, Michigan, U.S. 

• The “Feed. Fuel. Teach.” nutrition initiative from the Kiwanis Club of Topsail Island Area, North Carolina, U.S. 

• A middle school track and field event from the Kiwanis Club de Amigos, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. 

• Meal packing events from the Kiwanis clubs of the Azaela City, Palatka, Florida, U.S., and Presque Isle, Maine, U.S. 

• A winter clothing giveaway for local students from the Kiwanis Club of Joplin, Missouri, U.S. 

• A food delivery and health education program from the Kiwanis Club of Acacías-Meta, Colombia 

• Personal care and hygiene kits for students from the Kiwanis Club of Dexter-Sunrise, Maine, U.S. 

• New or revitalized parks and playgrounds from the Kiwanis Club of Lakeshore, Sault St. Marie, Ontario, Canada; and in the U.S. from the Kiwanis Clubs of Pawleys Island, South Carolina; Redmond, Oregon; Garden City, Michigan; and Henderson Center, Eureka, California.  

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. With gifts to The Kiwanis 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, support The Kiwanis Possibility Project.