5 community connections for any club 

5 community connections for any club 

Jul 15, 2025 | Club building, Fundraising, General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

Whether your club is large, small or in between, these ideas can revitalize service and community engagement.

By Destiny Cherry

Finding service projects can seem daunting for a new Kiwanis club — or when members of an established club run out of ideas. One way to revitalize your club’s service is to connect with organizations in the community. These five community connections can help a club of any size find projects to strengthen local engagement and uplift children and families: 

  1. Connect with a local food bank, pantry or soup kitchen. These organizations give your Kiwanis club two major opportunities: donating time and donating resources. Depending on the availability of club members, a service project can involve donating your time: sorting and storing donations, preparing and serving food to those in need or helping to ration and distribute food. It can also involve donating resources: organizing a can drive within your club and the community and donating proceeds. However your club decides to get involved, this is typically an easy, accessible way to make a large, lasting impact. 
  2. Build connections with a local recreational facility. A nearby recreational facility or community center — such as a YMCA location — might offer a variety of opportunities to get involved. This could include members of your club coaching or serving as an assistant with young sports teams, assisting in childcare centers, lifeguarding at a pool or helping to set up, tear down or supervise the facility’s sponsored events. Each service project is both an opportunity to empower kids through movement and a fun way for members of your club to get involved. 
  3. Partner with schools in your community. Connecting with a local school can result in a lasting partnership and a lasting impact. Some ways to get involved include reading books to younger children, holding a book drive, chaperoning school-sponsored events, tutoring kids in afterschool programs and mentoring.  
  4. Support a local children’s hospital. Get your club and the community involved with a toy drive, write kind notes to patients during the holidays or do activities with the patients and their siblings. Your club could also host a “dance marathon” for adults — challenging them to stay standing or “dance” for an extended period, during which people are encouraged to participate or donate money. This initiative encourages people to “stand” for children who can’t.  
  5. “Build up” the community at construction sites. With the right research, your club can assist with building homes, community and wellness centers, school extensions or playgrounds — all spaces that nurture the growth, learning and safety of children. Site managers can help ensure that all activities are safe and age-appropriate, with the necessary safety equipment provided on-site. Club members would only need to bring closed-toe shoes, comfortable clothing (preferably something they don’t mind getting dirty) and a desire to do some work. Possible tasks include hammering nails, moving smaller debris prebuild, drilling or screwing in nails, painting or minor site cleanup. Tasks can be tailored to each member’s comfort level, and site managers can offer guidance and answer questions along the way.

Connecting through fundraising
Fundraising projects and events can make connecting with your community much easier. Once a connection is made, your new partners can make finding service projects a lot easier. If you’re not sure where to start and want to see what has worked for other clubs, visit the fundraising page on our website. And check out our blog post with other tips for your fundraiser. 

 Don’t forget Kiwanis International’s new partner, Givergy, which provides a platform for fundraising events and projects, with no upfront costs. Learn more!  

Grants support therapeutic care for kids

Grants support therapeutic care for kids

Jul 14, 2025 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service projects | 0 comments

Kiwanis Children’s Fund grants for pediatric medicine will help two clubs aid hospital renovations.

By Erin Chandler 

This year, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded pediatric medicine support grants to two Kiwanis clubs that are helping local hospitals better serve their communities’ children. The support these grants provide allows Kiwanis clubs and medical centers to unite in making sure all kids get the best possible care for their physical, mental and emotional health. 

Harrison Kiwanis Pediatric Therapy Sensory Gym
Kiwanis Club of Harrison, Arkansas, U.S.
The Kiwanis Club of Harrison will use its pediatric medicine support grant to create a pediatric therapy sensory gym that will allow thousands of kids across five counties to develop physical and emotional resilience in a safe environment. North Arkansas Regional Medical Center’s current pediatric therapy service area is a former employee gym with only flimsy, makeshift barriers to divide the room and large exterior-facing windows that compromise privacy. It is also too small to accommodate the growing need for its vital therapeutic services. The club will equip a new sensory gym with swings, climbing structures, balance beams, trampolines, tactile stations, sensory play areas and padded flooring. The whole gym will be accessible to kids of all abilities. The equipment is designed to help children who have sensory processing disorders, autism, ADHD and developmental disorders hone their coordination and motor skills, regulate stress, foster independence and communicate with others — and, of course, have fun. 

Broomfield Pediatric Mental Health Project
Kiwanis Club of Anthem Ranch, Colorado, U.S.
The Kiwanis Club of Anthem Ranch may be based in a community built for those 55 and older, but club members’ focus is on improving mental healthcare for children and teens. The club consulted with staff at Children’s Hospital Colorado North Campus in Broomfield to determine how they could help efforts already underway to move past a dated model of mental healthcare — one that can increase patients’ fear and stress — to a more humane, individualized and effective one. A pediatric medicine support grant will help to create a positive, therapeutic environment in the renovated mental health unit, with murals, rocking bouncy chairs, weighted blankets, stuffed animals and sensory toys, and “psych safe” handles, windows, ceilings and other fixtures designed to prevent self-harm. In the past 10 years, 80% of Colorado’s mental health facilities have closed, but the redesigned Children’s Hospital will accommodate hundreds more children. And they’ll be helped by volunteers from the Anthem Ranch Kiwanis Club, who are dedicated to serving this worthy cause in any way they can. 

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.  

 

Club collects socks for those experiencing homelessness 

Club collects socks for those experiencing homelessness 

Jul 14, 2025 | General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

In New Jersey, U.S., The Happy Feet Project has warmed the toes (and hearts) of more than 80,000 people.

By Laurie J. Bode, member, Kiwanis Club of Long Beach Island, Surf City 

In the same year that Kiwanis International is celebrating its 110th anniversary and Key Club International is celebrating its 100th, our Kiwanis Club of Long Beach Island, Surf City, New Jersey, U.S., celebrates its 50th. So there’s no better time to highlight an impactful project started by one of our members. 

In 2016, Faith Dixon read an article about the impact that a new, warm pair of socks can have on someone’s life. In fact, it is the most sought-after item among those experiencing homelessness in the U.S. A recent statistic shows that one in 30 children experiences homelessness — 51% of whom are under age 5. A pair of new socks prevents many common ailments, reduces bacteria and medical problems, warms cold feet, brings dignity and comfort, and shows that people care. 

With Faith’s dedication and encouragement, the Happy Feet Project was initiated. The results have been astounding. During the first year, we collected and distributed 3,650 pairs of new socks — and the project only grew from there. In 2019, with the help of our middle and high schools (the students initiated an intraschool competition), the number of sock pairs collected and distributed soared to over 16,000. In 2024, over 11,000 pairs of socks were collected and distributed. 

Partners, volunteers and others
Faith has worked hard to enlist businesses and private members of our communities to help collect socks — and to become partners in “a community that cares.” As a result: 

  • We average about 20 collection sites with drop-off bins each year. In 2024 we set a record with over 40. 
  • We deliver between 300 and 500 pairs of socks to 15 distribution centers each year. 
  • The total pairs of socks we have collected and distributed in the project’s first nine years exceeds 80,500. 

Although Faith was the force and inspiration behind the Happy Feet Project, we couldn’t have achieved these results without the service of several other club members. Our local school children also have been a crucial part of the program. It gives them great satisfaction to know that Kiwanis cares about children and members of their communities, and that they have become a big part in making a difference in someone’s life. This is life-changing for them — potentially even inspiring them to become future Kiwanians as they learn the importance of service in their communities. 

As Faith says, “When you are surrounded by people who share a commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.”  

Has your club implemented a program to help those experiencing homelessness? Let us know what you’re doing at shareyourstory@kiwanis.org.