Key Club projects bring proms, plants and paint

Key Club projects bring proms, plants and paint

Jul 29, 2025 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service Leadership Programs, Service projects | 0 comments

The Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded 31 Youth Opportunities Fund grants to Key Clubs in April. 

By Erin Chandler 

This year, Key Club International is celebrating 100 years of making a difference in schools and communities around the world. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Youth Opportunities Fund so Key Club leaders can continue taking action for the next 100 years and beyond.   

In April, the Children’s Fund awarded Youth Opportunities Fund grants for 31 Key Club projects that combat food insecurity, create memorable experiences for kids with disabilities, bolster mental health and more. Here are the top 10 projects (in alphabetical order by club name) as determined by the Key Club International Board committee and Children’s Fund representatives:  

Painting Palooza
Beckman High School Key Club, California, U.S.
Last year, with help from a Youth Opportunities Fund grant, Beckman High School Key Club’s adaptive, step-by-step art event was so successful that it’s coming back by popular demand — and with another YOF grant! The two-hour Painting Palooza is tailored to kids with autism and other special needs, with trained volunteers to assist, calm and guide young artists through creating their own paintings to take home. This year, the club hopes to make Painting Palooza bigger and better than ever, including additional side activities for the kids and an area where parents can socialize.  

Courtyard Renovation and Revitalization
Haslett High School Key Club, Michigan, U.S.
Haslett High School’s overgrown courtyard will get a new lease on life as an outdoor classroom thanks to the Key Club and a Youth Opportunities Fund grant. Working with Haslett High School’s Sustainability Club and National Honors Society, as well as Haslett Middle School’s Builders Club and Conservation Club, Key Club members will level the area, fill in a pond, cultivate a native plant and pollinator garden, and install seating so students and teachers can use the courtyard to hold classes, study and socialize. Grant funds will help purchase grass seed, mulch, picnic table kits and plants. 

Teens Toward Zero Deaths
Lincoln Senior High School Key Club, Minnesota, U.S.
The Lincoln Senior High School Key Club works with the local chapter of Toward Zero Deaths to get teens involved in promoting traffic safety and eliminating mental health stigmas. The club hosts an annual conference where hundreds of teens actively participate in discussions with law enforcement, drug task forces, first responders, healthcare workers, engineers, funeral directors and mental health professionals to help shape policies and strategies to reduce fatalities in the community. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will support this growing conference, expanded programming for fifth- and eighth-grade students, and stickers and signs to help spread safety awareness. 

Cotton Candy for Mental Health Awareness
Los Alamos High School Key Club, New Mexico, U.S.
The Los Alamos High School Key Club — with help from the Los Alamos Middle School Builders Club — is known in the community for spinning and selling cotton candy at Friday night concerts in the summer. Members have already raised thousands of dollars in recent years for a fentanyl harm reduction event, distribution of overdose-reversing medication and wildfire relief. This year, a Youth Opportunities Fund grant will go toward the purchase of new candy machines, floss sugar and other supplies so the club can sell their sugary wares at more events. Next they will raise money for mental health and stress awareness programs for middle and high school students. 

Tiny Seeds, Big Impact
Metro Early College High School Key Club, Ohio, U.S.
Members of the Metro Early College High School Key Club will work to address food insecurity in their own community with their “Tiny Seeds, Big Impact” project. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will go toward the purchase of enough seeds and pots to grow approximately 144 tomato plants. Club members will be responsible for potting, watering and transplanting the growing plants, as well as providing written instructions for continued care. At the end of the school year, local food pantry Neighborhood Services, Inc. will distribute the plants to people facing food insecurity, giving hundreds access to fresh tomatoes.  

Rise Against Hunger Event
Monsignor Kelly High School Key Club, Texas, U.S.
A Youth Opportunities Fund grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help cover the fees for a Rise Against Hunger event in the Monsignor Kelly High School gym, hosted by the school’s Key Club. In February, volunteers from the school and community will gather to package 10,000 meals of rice, soy, vegetables and vitamins for those experiencing food insecurity around the world. Over several hours, the volunteers will race to see who can package the most meals while facilitators from Rise Against Hunger educate them about the effects of global hunger and malnutrition. 

Special Needs Prom
Pell City High School Key Club, Alabama, U.S.
Once again, the Pell City High School Key Club is holding a prom for students with disabilities who might not be able to attend a traditional prom. And once again, a Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help make it bigger and better than ever — expanding to include students from other area schools; increasing accessibility with noise-canceling headphones and sensory-friendly spaces; and providing more decorations, refreshments and photo opportunities. Volunteers from Key Club and Circle K International also will be trained to offer support as “peer buddies” for attendees, ensuring a fun evening where everyone belongs. 

Senior Prom for Seniors
Saint Joseph High School Key Club, Michigan, U.S.
No, that project name isn’t redundant — every spring, the Saint Joseph High School Key Club gives residents at a local retirement home the chance to relive their high school proms. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help the club bring in a band, dance floor, refreshments, door prizes, pictures and a chocolate fountain. Then it’s time for intergenerational bonding as senior citizens and Key Club volunteers don their finest, dance the night away and, of course, crown a prom king and queen. The project has been so successful that Key Club members have gone on to be regular volunteers at the retirement home and launched a project to record residents’ life stories. 

Bundles of Joy
St. Joseph’s Convent Key Club, Saint Lucia
More babies will have a healthy start in life thanks to the Key Club of St. Joseph’s Convent. A Youth Opportunities Fund grant will help the club purchase essential newborn care supplies — diapers, wipes, blankets, onesies, bottles, formula and more — that will go into care packages for new parents at the hospital. In a time when Saint Lucia’s hospitals are facing financial constraints, club members hope their care packages will ensure babies get the care they need, support new parents and reduce stress on healthcare workers. 

Empowerment Through Care — Strathmore Children’s Home Initiative
York Castle High School Key Club, Saint Ann, Jamaica
The members of York Castle High School Key Club are reaching out to help vulnerable children in their community with support from a Youth Opportunities Fund grant. The club pledges to revitalize Strathmore Children’s Home with new security gates, paint, tiles and a community garden. Members also will provide essential supplies such as food and hygiene products. Altogether, this initiative will make Strathmore Children’s Home a safer and more welcoming place for residents and staff for years to come. 

How to get involved
Does your Key Club have a project idea that could benefit from a Youth Opportunities Fund grant? Learn more about the grant and how to apply. If your club does not yet sponsor a Key Club, discover the advantages of chartering one.   

5 steps to a Kiwanis Voices club

5 steps to a Kiwanis Voices club

Jul 29, 2025 | Club building, General interest, Leadership | 0 comments

Here’s a guide to organizing a club through our new pilot program.

By Tony Knoderer

Formally announced during the 2025 Kiwanis International Convention, the Kiwanis Voices pilot program is an exciting opportunity to create Kiwanis clubs specifically for people ages 18-26. To help you and/or your club organize a Kiwanis Voices club, we’re providing the following five-step guide:   

  1. Find out if your Kiwanis club or one nearby will sponsor a Kiwanis Voices club. During discussion with the Kiwanis club, make sure its leaders know that the club must remit a US$100 sponsorship fee, understand the obligations of sponsorship for a new Kiwanis club and appoint one member as the club coach.   
  2. Find at least 15 new members between the ages of 18-26. Each person must complete a membership application and submit the required annual dues. (Note: A sustainable Kiwanis Voices club has members of each age represented and exceeds the minimum number of members to open a club. There is no maximum number of members.)  
  3. Host an organizational meeting. This is the official start of the Kiwanis Voices club. The sponsoring club will assist with the election of charter officers and completion of bylaws, and it will allow the new members to discuss and determine their mission, their first service project and the timing of the next meeting. 
  4. Complete and submit the official charter paperwork. Send the new club information sheet, official roster, completed member applications and US$40 for each member to Rene Booker, club processing representative, Kiwanis International, 3636 Woodview Trace, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46268. You may also email newclubs@kiwanis.org. (Note: Sponsoring clubs may choose to open Kiwanis Voices with the Club Opening Tool.) 
  5. The sponsoring club should assist in acquiring an Employee Identification Number (EIN). Information on applying for an EIN is available here. For Kiwanis Voices clubs in the U.S., sponsoring clubs should also submit Form 8976 (see more information here) or any other government documentation and requirements.  

Next steps
Upon receipt and processing of the Kiwanis Voices paperwork, the sponsoring club coach and Kiwanis Voices officers will receive an email with the next steps. The new Kiwanis Voices club will also receive support with 30-, 60- and 90-day tasks to complete prior to its official charter celebration.  

Remember: Kiwanis Voices clubs may continue to add charter members up to the charter celebration — approximately 90 days after the organizational meeting. Member applications received in that time frame should be sent to Rene Booker (kiwanisvoices@kiwanis.org). After the charter ceremony, the Kiwanis Voices secretary will be able to add new members through Kiwanis Engage, the member management portal for all Kiwanis members and affiliates.  

As the Kiwanis Voices program continues, look for more information and resources — such as upcoming social media assets to market the club in schools and throughout the community. 

Kiwanis family clubs become harvest heroes

Kiwanis family clubs become harvest heroes

Jul 28, 2025 | General interest, Service Leadership Programs, Service projects | 0 comments

In Minnesota, U.S., members of Key Club and Builders Club joined Kiwanians to feed hungry kids.

By Zak Mohamed, Fridley High School Key Club 

On a crisp Friday morning, the Fridley Community Center in Minnesota, U.S., buzzed with energy, laughter and a rhythmic gong of celebration. Why, you ask? Because 80 volunteers from all corners of the Fridley community gathered for one powerful mission: to fight hunger, one oatmeal packet at a time. 

This is Harvest Pack, a high-energy, heart-filled event where our service shines bright. The outcome was nothing short of incredible. Together, students, community members and service leaders packed a staggering 32,488 oatmeal meals, all of which are now helping to feed local elementary school students over weekends. 

Community in action
The event was a shining example of what happens when generations come together for a cause. Sixty enthusiastic Key Club members took the lead in running stations, pouring oats, sealing bags, boxing meals and keeping the energy high. 

But they weren’t alone. Ten members from the Builders Club rolled up to help and worked with focus and pride. From the adult side of the Kiwanis family, 10 Kiwanians joined in — seven from the Kiwanis Club of Columbia Heights-Fridley and three from the Kiwanis Club of Northeast Minneapolis. Each volunteer brought something special to the table, whether it was experience, speed, encouragement or just a knack for scooping oats without spilling. 

These weren’t just any oatmeal packets. Every meal will be placed into the backpacks of elementary students across communities, ensuring that they won’t go hungry when they head home for the weekend. It’s a simple idea with a powerful impact: One meal can make a difference in a child’s weekend. 

Knowing this, each volunteer moved with purpose. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a little fun along the way.  

Our gong show
One of the most memorable parts of the event was the gong. Each time a box was filled and sealed shut, a volunteer would strike a shining gong, its loud clang echoing throughout the room, triggering cheers and applause from all corners. The gong became a symbol of teamwork and progress — a fun way to celebrate every step toward our meal goal. 

While the packing stations worked tirelessly to fill thousands of bags, another team kept the operation running smoothly. Volunteers helped refill ingredients, supplied stations with everything from oats to cinnamon, and loaded heavy boxes onto trucks. These harvest heroes were the heartbeat of the event, making sure no station ever slowed down. 

In fact, events like Harvest Pack do more than feed kids. They inspire a culture of compassion and community action. During the day, our team packed enough meals to make a real dent in local food insecurity. Everyone who volunteered left knowing they took part in something meaningful 

As the last box was sealed, there was a shared sense of pride — along with a little oatmeal dust on our clothes. After all, we didn’t just pack food. We packed hope.