Kiwanis Children’s Fund grants for pediatric medicine will help four clubs help more kids.

By Erin Chandler

This year, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded pediatric medicine support grants to four Kiwanis clubs for projects that will help medical centers expand their services for children. These grants are especially important where access to medical services is limited by families’ financial or geographic constraints. The support they provide allows Kiwanis clubs and medical centers to unite in making sure all kids get the best possible care — whether through a specialized wheelchair, equipment that makes therapy fun, better milk storage or simply a pack of diapers to take home. 

Wheels of Hope: Empowering Kids of Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center
Kiwanis Club of Sayville, New York, U.S.
The Kiwanis Club of Sayville and the entire Suffolk East Division of Kiwanis’ New York District are working together to provide specialized wheelchairs to Stony Brook University Hospital Pediatric Trauma Center. Trauma recovery has been shown to be faster — and hospital stays shorter — when patients can move around early in the process, socialize and experience changes of scenery. With help from a pediatric medicine support grant from the Children’s Fund, the division will purchase 12 Convaid Cruiser wheelchairs, which will be sized specifically for pediatric patients. Most importantly, the chairs will be built with the necessary safety measures, including harnesses, to move children with ventilators and other equipment to the playroom, to visit with family members and more. Hospital workers and Kiwanians hope these wheelchairs will help hundreds of children in their recovery from illness or injury.  

University of North Carolina Health Southeastern Pediatric Supply Drive
Kiwanis Club of Robeson-Lumberton Young Professionals, North Carolina, U.S.
A pediatric medicine support grant will help the Kiwanis Club of Robeson-Lumberton Young Professionals donate pediatric supplies to the University of North Carolina (UNC) Health Southeastern Regional Medical Center. UNC Southeastern is the only hospital in Robeson County, where over a quarter of the population struggles with poverty. Club members will work with hospital staff to determine the greatest supply needs for families on the pediatric floor, such as formula, clothing and, most of all, diapers. They will then purchase and drop off the supplies personally. The club hopes the pediatric supply drive will become an annual event, so that thousands of families get the supplies they need to give their children a healthy start in life. 

Children’s & Women’s Hospital Milk Room Expansion
Kiwanis Club of Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
In March 2024, staff from USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital approached the Kiwanis Club of Mobile for help in providing a bigger and better milk room — the area where breast milk and formula are prepared and stored — for its growing number of patients. The hospital is highly regarded for its pediatric care and delivers more babies annually than any other hospital on the upper Gulf Coast — and its Pediatric Emergency Department recently doubled in size. A pediatric medicine support grant will help the Kiwanis Club of Mobile and other clubs in its division purchase refrigerators, a freezer, a stainless-steel workstation and a milk warmer for the expanded milk room. The new equipment will allow for more storage and better organization while reducing the risk of infection, contamination and mislabeling. The additional refrigerators and improved milk warmer will also prevent the nutritional value of the milk from degrading. When the milk room opens next year, it will be ready to provide the best care for patients in the hospital’s Newborn, Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care units. 

Unity Medical Center Pediatric Sensory Gym
Kiwanis Club of Grafton, North Dakota, U.S.
Unity Medical Center is one of the few places where families in the rural area of Grafton can access occupational and speech therapy for children. Since August 2023, the number of kids in the Center’s therapy programs has more than doubled, and the Kiwanis Club of Grafton is stepping up — helping enlarge the pediatric gym and add a sensory gym to meet the growing demand. A pediatric medicine support grant will help to purchase gym equipment, including wall padding, a balance beam, tunnels, activity mirrors, monkey bars and more. Kids in the program will use the new equipment to develop skills such as motor planning, coordination, body awareness and sensory integration. Kiwanis club members will assist in delivering and setting up the equipment. They will also help with annual screenings to identify area children who would benefit from the therapy program’s services. The club hopes that the new and improved gym will be ready for patients in September 2024. 

How do I apply for a pediatric medicine support grant?
The Pediatric Medicine Support Grant Program offers onetime grants for clubs to fund projects that specifically support local children’s medical centers. Grant money can be used to purchase products or supplies for patients’ hospital stays or to support a capital improvement project. 

You can learn more and apply for a Pediatric Medicine Support Grant on the Kiwanis website. For more information about the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, visit kiwanis.org/childrensfund.