Key Club International names Key of Honor recipients

Key Club International names Key of Honor recipients

Jul 23, 2026 | General interest, News, Service Leadership Programs | 0 comments

Lisa Jackson and Sarah Staples-Farmer receive the program’s highest honor. 

Por Destiny Cherry

Two Key Club International volunteers — Lisa Jackson of Streator, Illinois, U.S., and Sarah Staples-Farmer of Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. — were recently recognized with The Key of Honor. The organization’s highest award of service, the Key of Honor acknowledges a volunteer’s lifelong positive impact upon youth in general and Key Club specifically.  

The Key Club International Board presented Jackson (at left in photo above) and Staples-Farmer (at right) with their awards during the 2026 Key Club International Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., in July. 

Lisa Jackson
Lisa Jackson has dedicated 15 years of her life to special education in the public school system. Before that, her passion for education and helping youth shone through her work with Sylvan Learning Center, which offers personalized instruction in core subjects, study skills, test-taking and preparation for college exams. 

Jackson became a Key Club faculty advisor at Woodland High School in Streator, Illinois, U.S, five years ago and immediately made an impact. In addition to her daily advisor duties, she has been a major advocate of her Key Club members attending the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District Convention and Leadership Conference. She attends as a chaperone but uses the experience to teach her students about accountability, consideration and responsibility. 

Jackson also serves as an advisor for Woodland’s student council program. She has been named Teacher of the Year and featured in the local news for her caring, compassionate nature toward her students.  

“She has made our school more than just a required learning environment, but a place we want to be a part of,” Aubrey La Valle, one of Jackson’s Key Club members, wrote in the Key of Honor nomination. “She has made our Key Club more than just service for recognition, but a place to share our love for service modeled by our selfless leader.” 

Sarah Staples-Farmer
Sarah Staples-Farmer is an English teacher at Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. She began her journey as the founding faculty advisor for Lincoln East’s Key Club. With 12 years of experience, she has become a role model, mentor and supporter for Key Club members both past and present. 

As an advisor, she leads her Key Club students to run for higher office positions, encourages them to get active and involved in their communities and teaches them to better understand their mental health and wellbeing. She also has accepted roles on the School Improvement, Cultural Proficiency, and Gifted/High Ability Learner committees and has become a writing coach. 

Staples-Farmer got her Ph.D. in youth culture, school, society and reform. She has given presentations for Lincoln Public Schools on understanding, supporting and better teaching troubled youth.  

In Staples-Farmer’s nominating letter of summation, Key Club members Hailey Tran and Sophia Wang wrote, “What most distinguishes Dr. Staples-Farmer is the manner in which she leads … [She] sets high expectations while making it clear that the club’s success belongs to the students themselves. As a result, students emerge not just as volunteers, but as thoughtful, service-minded leaders prepared to serve beyond high school.” 

New club kickstarts student success

New club kickstarts student success

Jul 21, 2026 | Club building, General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service projects | 0 comments

A Children’s Fund grant helps the new Kiwanis Voices Club of Mírame launch a signature project. 

Por Erin Chandler

The Kiwanis Voices Club of Mírame, Panama, is one of the latest clubs to apply for and receive a Kickstarter grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. As a result, the new club — part of the Kiwanis Voices program, which creates Kiwanis clubs for adults ages 18-26 — will help local students stay in school.  

Thanks to the Kickstarter program, a club that charters with 30 or more active members is invited to apply for a grant to help fund the club’s signature project — the service, event or fundraiser that the club will become known for in the community. For the Kiwanis Voices Club of Mírame, that project is Backpacks with Dreams (Mochilas con sueños), which will address the issue of school absences and damaged school supplies due to seasonal weather. 

Currently, when students walk to school during Panama’s rainy season, their supplies get wet and deteriorate. This has a negative effect on academic performance while also increasing school absenteeism and the financial burden on families who must replace supplies.  

Thanks in part to the Kickstarter grant, the Mírame club will partner with local organizations and the Ministry of Education to deliver waterproof backpacks and school supply kits to primary and pre-secondary students at the Ciri Grande Educational Center. Club members will be involved in every step of the project, including planning, purchasing and sorting supplies, and distributing the backpacks. They hope the project will help 100 kids in its first year. 

Club President Isai Meléndez shared some thoughts about the experience of launching the project as a new Kiwanis club. 

What led your club to choose Backpacks with Dreams as your signature project?
We believe education is one of the most powerful tools for changing lives. As a newly chartered Kiwanis club, we wanted our first signature project to reflect our commitment to serving children while creating a meaningful and lasting impact. After learning about the challenges faced by students in rural communities who lack access to basic school supplies, we knew we could make a difference by providing the resources they need to begin the school year with hope, confidence and dignity. 

What excites you most about your club’s first signature project?
What excites us most is turning a shared dream into a reality that directly benefits children and their families. Backpacks with Dreams represents the beginning of our club’s legacy and proves that even as a new Kiwanis club, we can make a meaningful difference in our community. Our favorite part is the distribution day, when we see the excitement, joy and hope on the students’ faces as they receive a backpack prepared especially for them. It reminds us that even a small act of kindness can open the door to great opportunities. 

What challenges, rewards or surprises have you experienced as a new Kiwanis club?
One of our greatest challenges has been introducing our club to the community, strengthening our organization and securing the resources needed to carry out meaningful service projects. We have also learned that coordinating volunteers, building partnerships and planning every detail requires commitment and teamwork. At the same time, the rewards have been incredible. We have seen individuals, businesses and organizations come together to support our mission, proving that when people believe in a meaningful purpose, they are eager to help. One of our biggest surprises has been discovering how much can be accomplished when passionate people work together to serve others. 

What advice would you give to other new Kiwanis clubs, especially those considering applying for a Kickstarter grant?
Our advice is to dream big and never let being a new club hold you back. Focus on identifying a real need in your community, develop a clear and well-planned project, involve every club member and document your progress along the way. Most importantly, tell your story with authenticity and clearly communicate the impact your project will have. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund Kickstarter Grant is an incredible opportunity to turn ideas into meaningful service. With teamwork, dedication and a genuine passion for helping children, even a new club can create a lasting impact in its community.

Find more information

  • Learn more about Kickstarter grants. Remember, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will invite all eligible clubs to apply — but you still need to fill out the application!  
  • Email [email protected] with any questions about this or any Children’s Fund grants. You can also call 1-800-KIWANIS (U.S. and Canada) or +1-317-217-6225 (worldwide). 
  • Learn about Kiwanis Voices, our pilot program for creating Kiwanis clubs that consist exclusively of members who are ages 18-26 years old. 
Plan a project to help newborns 

Plan a project to help newborns 

Jul 20, 2026 | General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

These Kiwanis club initiatives offer ideas and inspiration. 

Por Julie Saetre

For many Kiwanis clubs, service to children starts at the very beginning of life. After all, the first months and years set the tone for all that follows. And helping new parents is one way of helping newborns. If your club is looking for ways to support babies and their families, here are a few ways that other clubs have done it: 

  • Provide safe sleep or host a diaper drive. Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization working to reduce preventable injuries to infants, children and youth up to 19, reports that nearly 3,500 infants die each year in the United States alone from sleep-related incidents. Florida Kiwanis members purchase and donate portable cribs, fitted crib sheets and wearable blankets to provide families with safe sleeping options for their babies. And because diapers and other supplies can pose a significant financial burden to families of young children, Florida Kiwanians hold diaper drives for Healthy Families Florida, a nationally accredited home visiting program for expectant parents and parents of newborns experiencing stressful life situations. 
  • Donate at a maternity ward. On Christmas Day each year, members of Kiwanis International Division 23 East in Jamaica visit moms and new babies in the maternity ward of a local hospital. It’s all part of the division’s Baby Love project, which has been praised by Jamaica’s minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton. In 2025, the Kiwanians delivered 61 gift baskets to Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston — one for each mom in the ward.  
  • Collect baby wipes. In February 2026, the Kiwanis Clubs of Bend and Redmond engaged in the Battle of the Buns — a friendly competition to collect baby wipes for families in need. All collected wipes were donated to Central Oregon Baby Resources, which distributes essential items to families throughout a three-county area.“The biggest concern is always going to be for [their] children and making sure they have what they need,” Central Oregon Baby Resources founder and director Kiersten Moen-Wertheimer told Central Oregon Daily News during the drive. “Once we get that taken care of, then they can focus on what they really need to focus on, whether it’s getting a job [or] going to school.” 
  • Host a community baby shower. For the past 11 years, the Kiwanis Club of Newburgh in New York, U.S., has held its Warm Beginnings baby shower. The club asks for donations of diapers, wipes, baby blankets and clothing — as well as items such as toys, books, bathing items, breast pumps and baby monitors. All donated items are given to a local hospital’s maternity and neonatal intensive care units. By relieving some of the financial stress of having a newborn, the Newburgh club allows families to focus on what’s really important: bonding with their babies. 

Looking for more ideas? Explore one of these:  

  • Teje mantas o patucos para los recién nacidos de un hospital de la zona.
  • Interview parenting experts and distribute parenting-tip worksheets to organizations helping inexperienced moms and dads. 
  • Provide new slow cookers, healthful recipes and pantry staples to families in need. 
  • Dona libros de cartón para bebés nuevos o poco usados a grupos de apoyo a nuevas mamás.

And don’t forget about The Possibility Project. Many projects and initiatives like the ones above happen because people give to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. See what’s possible when you and your club join our fundraising campaign to help Kiwanis reach 10 million kids around the world.