
Why sponsor a Kiwanis SLP club?
For Kiwanis clubs considering service and mentorship, check out these reasons to get started.
By Tony Knoderer
Now that the 2025-26 Kiwanis year is underway, you and your fellow club members may be discussing whether to sponsor one of our Service Leadership Programs (SLPs). There’s no shortage of great reasons to do so — whether for the first time or as a way of expanding your mentorship to new age groups and locations.
Need help convincing fellow members? According to multiple studies — and Kiwanians’ own experiences — students who volunteer:
- Tend to get higher grades.
- Improve their social and emotional health.
- Strengthen their ties to other youth and adults.
- Feel connected to the larger community — and motivated to contribute to it.
- Develop leadership abilities that lead to better employment opportunities.
- Have better awareness and understanding of public issues.
- Get more first-hand experience of diverse cultures and communities.
By sponsoring and working with Kiwanis SLPs, clubs and members help fulfill a Kiwanis cause: youth leadership development. As members of SLP clubs, students make an impact in the lives of others — and develop skills and self-discipline alongside like-minded peers.
Kiwanis SLPs include K-Kids for students ages 6-12, Builders Club for students ages 11-14, and Key Club for students ages 14-19. Our SLP members also include adults: Circle K International for university and college students, as well as Aktion Club for adults with disabilities.
From elementary school to young adulthood, service matters — and so do mentors. Advisors to SLP clubs are models for the benefits of service and fellowship throughout a person’s life. Learn more and find links to each SLP on the Kiwanis website.