Aktion Clubs take center stage

Aktion Clubs take center stage

In Minnesota, U.S., Kiwanis family members with disabilities share their talents and an inclusive message. 

By Erin Chandler 

In the summer of 2024, residents of Mankato, Minnesota, U.S., attended a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. Partially scripted and partially improvised, “The Welcoming Table: Relevance and Stories that Matter” featured performers telling their own stories in their own ways.  

One woman dressed as a cheerleader to tell the audience about being excluded from activities like cheerleading when she was growing up because of her disability. A man with a visual disability explained how he discovered a love for woodworking despite people telling him, “You can’t do that because you’re blind.” 

Some of the actors sang, some performed original poems, some served as narrators. One held up signs with messages like, “Our stories matter.” And as they shared their stories, each actor placed a tile to make up the surface of a table that, when complete, represented inclusion.  

Every performer was a member of the Mankato Aktion Club Theatre. 

“People want to be accepted for who they are and invited to the table,” director Wilbur Neuschwander-Frink explains.  

“Check out what we can do”
Neuschwander-Frink was introduced to inclusive theatre through decades of work with the self-advocacy movement for people with disabilities. When the Kiwanis Club of Mankato approached her in 2006 about forming an Aktion Club, she proposed making it a group for people who wanted to do theatre but never got the opportunity. Since then, Neuschwander-Frink has started three other Aktion Clubs — including the Fairmont Aktion Club Theatre, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Fairmont Early Risers. 

“In the beginning,” Neuschwander-Frink recalls, “I had people who said to me, ‘Wilbur, I don’t see how you could even do a play.’ I had someone ask me, ‘Aren’t you embarrassed that people are going to fall all over each other or not know what they’re doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, you know what, why don’t you just come and check out what we do, and then we can have a conversation.’” 

Neuschwander-Frink writes the plays based on brainstorming sessions with club members about what they want to share with the world. Past topics have included bullying, community life and other issues surrounding disability. There are no auditions — actors craft their own roles — and memorization is not required. Some actors have volunteers shadowing them during performances to help with lines and movement around the stage.   

“Really our main goal is to make sure that people are included in the way that they want to be included, and so we work hard as a team,” Neuschwander-Frink says. “It has definitely created a community of care. We have to come together as a whole group of people to make it happen. And they always rise to the challenge.” 

“You can be a star!”
In the beginning, some of the actors suffered from stage fright, lingering in the lobby. Neuschwander-Frink wasn’t sure they were going to come in and act with the rest of the group. But Aktion Club Theatre rehearsals are built around improvisation games and centering practices that help develop skills and build confidence. Over time, the actors blossomed.  

In the Fairmont Aktion Club Theatre’s first performance in 2023, “there were people who were so shy, they didn’t want to say any words,” Neuschwander-Frink says. “But when they got onstage for our big production, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like a whole new person!’”  

She recalls one actor who was reluctant to speak in front of an audience, “but when he came out onstage, it was like pure joy, because he finally, in his life, was going to play a Ghostbuster. That was his dream in life.” 

Neuschwander-Frink says the Aktion Club Theatre is “a great way for people to express their voice, to learn about their voice, to learn about the things that they have inside of them, those gifts and talents.” 

The actors themselves agree. 

Nate C., a member of the Aktion Club of Mankato, says he loves “that I get [to] learn new plays and have acting parts, and [it’s] lots of fun. Oh, also I enjoy meeting new people at practice.” 

Amy Jo P. appreciates that “you can be yourself with your friends. You can share your gifts and talents with people.” 

Mary Sue H. agrees: “You can be a star! I love it when my friends come and watch me act.” 

“Our service to the world”
Their enthusiasm and commitment are catching on. Neuschwander-Frink estimates that the Fairmont Aktion Club gained 10-12 new members after its last play. 

The larger community has caught on as well — including those who took up Neuschwander-Frink on her offer back in 2008 to see what the Aktion Club members were doing. Now they have the answer: acting, singing, dancing, cheerleading, woodworking, ghostbusting and so much more. 

They also see the advantage of finding what’s possible rather than presuming to know what isn’t.  

“I think it’s really taught our community, the people who have seen our shows, about what people can do. Instead of always focusing on the things that people cannot do, what can people do together?” Neuschwander-Frink says. “So we really think of that as our service to the world.” 

Collaborating with Kiwanis on Aktion Club Theatre, she adds, has been “wonderful.” Kiwanians have been engaged throughout the process, attending and advertising shows as well as providing a yearly donation.  

“In Fairmont, we actually have a Kiwanian who comes to every single rehearsal,” she says. “They don’t ever miss. And it’s not like they have to come to every one of our rehearsals — but she chooses to do that.” 

Get involved
For Kiwanis clubs interested in sponsoring or supporting an Aktion Club Theatre group, Neuschwander-Frink recommends a first step: Look for a rehearsal and performance space that is fully accessible to people of all abilities. The second step is to find community partners — particularly disability advocacy organizations — to collaborate with.  

The Mankato and Fairmont Aktion Club Theatres work with a nonprofit Neuschwander-Frink started called Open Arts Minnesota, which, she says, would be happy to provide resources to anyone interested.  

Is your Kiwanis club interested in starting or sponsoring an Aktion Club? Learn more at aktionclub.org

Back from the brink

Back from the brink

A member shares one club’s steps from near-closure to growth. 

By Seth Blau, Kiwanis Club of Island Park, Long Island, New York, U.S.

In September 2022, Karen Davis, president of the Kiwanis Club of Island Park, Long Island, was ready to close the club. After years of struggles, worsened by the pandemic, the club was down to five members — and two of those had moved to Florida, one split time between New York and Florida, and another traveled extensively for work.  

And then there was Karen. In reality, she was the club’s lone active member. 

At that time, I was concluding my second year as lieutenant governor of the Long Island Southwest Division in the New York District. When I called Karen to discuss the club’s future, she said that closing seemed like the only logical option. She worked in Island Park but lived in Oceanside, which had a thriving Kiwanis club. It simply didn’t make sense to keep a club alive in name only, without regular meetings or meaningful service projects.  

I understood: What was the point of leading a service organization that barely existed? But I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. 

The road back
I asked Karen to give it one last shot — six more months. I proposed a deal: If she agreed to stay on as president, I would join the Island Park Kiwanis club and help rebuild it. She agreed. 

Momentum started to build. I quickly recruited a past president from a neighboring Kiwanis club who happened to live in Island Park and was willing to help. The next task for our little group was to reintroduce Kiwanis to the community.  

The first steps were simple but crucial: We established a meeting schedule, mapped out a few manageable service projects and crafted a plan to promote our mission. Ultimately, we needed a “product” to sell if we had any hope of recruiting new members.    

Shortly afterward, I ran into a newly elected congressman at a neighboring Kiwanis club’s pancake breakfast. He had been born and raised in Island Park, and he had heard about our efforts to keep the club going. Before I said anything beyond “Would you be interested in … ,” he had committed to joining. With that, the club had instant credibility. 

Next, I turned to my own connections. As a school board trustee in Oceanside, I asked my superintendent to arrange a meeting with the Island Park school superintendent. Our pitch was simple but compelling: Kiwanis could make a real impact in local schools and the broader community. 

The response exceeded our expectations. The superintendent not only embraced the idea but attended our next meeting — bringing along his assistant superintendent, a school principal, three school board members, the president of the teachers’ union and multiple PTA presidents. By the end of that meeting, most of them had joined the club. 

Karen recruited several of her colleagues, using her own network as a teacher in the Island Park School District. Former members returned after hearing about the club’s resurgence. Within months, a club that had been on the brink of closure had grown from one active member to 26. 

A thriving force for good
To solidify its revival, the club planned a pancake breakfast in April, held at the local elementary school cafeteria. It was a massive success. The community showed up in force and nearly every club member participated — as did the Builders Club that our Kiwanis club sponsors.  

The event raised crucial funds — allowing us to support local causes, Kiwanis programs and neighboring clubs — and it inspired even more community members to join. 

Since then, the Island Park club has remained strong at 25 members, including local elected officials, a few corporate members and a strong core of area residents. A club on the verge of dissolution is now a thriving force for good — proof that with dedication, teamwork and a bit of faith, even struggling organizations can find new life. 

Your resources
Kiwanis International has resources for your club’s membership needs. Check out this blog post regarding Achieving Club Excellence tools for building a culture that keeps members engaged. And get five tips for regaining members. You can even find advice for hosting a pancake breakfast. 

In addition to the Island Park club, Seth Blau is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside, New York, U.S., and 2024-25 secretary for the Long Island Southwest Division in the New York District. He is also the 2024-25 editor of the district’s newsletter. 

Find your club’s purpose 

Find your club’s purpose 

These 2 ACE tools can help create a guiding vision for what you do. 

By Tony Knoderer

Why does your Kiwanis club exist? The obvious answer: to serve kids and change their lives. After all, that’s the reason people join Kiwanis in the first place. But it’s true for all clubs — whether they’re thriving, struggling or anywhere between.  

If your club seems to be drifting a bit, it might be time for everyone to ask a more focused question: What is the club’s purpose 

The answer can give members a guide for much of what the club does. Whether your club is deciding its next service project, what to tell people you’re recruiting or how to approach potential partners, a clear purpose makes your place in the community clear to everyone. 

Two of our Achieving Club Excellence (ACE) tools can help define that purpose: 

  • Community survey. Ultimately, your purpose isn’t just a matter of what your members want to do. It’s also a matter of meeting the community where its needs are. So find out! Use this tool to gather the information and data you’ll need to address the community’s concerns and preferences. 
  • Club vision. This step-by-step tool helps your club create a vision that guides and inspires. And that helps make everyone more enthusiastic about the service they do and more effective in persuading other people to join.  

Don’t forget: These resources can be found on the ACE tools webpage, which includes other common concerns clubs face — and pairs them with the tools that help address those issues.