Grants help CKI serve schools and communities 

Grants help CKI serve schools and communities 

Mar 20, 2026 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service Leadership Programs, Service projects | 0 comments

Six Circle K International projects receive Tomorrow Fund grants. 

By Erin Chandler

In college and university communities around the world, members of Circle K International are already making a difference through service and leadership. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Tomorrow Fund to help these clubs and districts implement more creative solutions to problems and make the greatest possible positive impact.  

This February, the Children’s Fund awarded six Tomorrow Fund grants — all to improve the lives of people in CKI members’ schools and surrounding communities.  

Hygiene Kits for the Homeless
Circle K International of Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, U.S.
When Johns Hopkins University CKI teamed up with Hand4Hand Global to assemble and distribute 50 hygiene kits to people facing homelessness in their community last year, recipients were so enthusiastic that the club quickly ran out of supplies. This year, a Tomorrow Fund grant will help double the number of hygiene kits the club is able to make. Members also plan to add blankets, socks and hand warmers to the soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, menstrual products and other essential hygiene items the kits contain. The goal of the project is to improve the health and dignity of people experiencing homelessness and prevent them from being denied work or housing due to appearance or hygiene. 

Finals Week Care Package Tabling
Circle K International of the University of California San Diego, California, U.S.
When the University of California San Diego Student Foundation was hit by a decline in membership and funding, CKI members stepped up to make sure the foundation’s longstanding Finals Week Care Package project continues. Together, CKI and Student Foundation volunteers hand out practical care packages to students during the week of final exams. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help fill the packages with snacks, small hygiene products, hand sanitizer, face masks and a few comfort items, like stickers. This small form of support reduces stress and financial strain on students during busy times, and it grows in popularity each year. 

UE Circle K International Prom
Circle K International of the University of Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
For over 10 years, University of Evansville CKI has hosted a prom for special education students in nearby school districts. A Tomorrow Fund grant will go toward decorations, food, and craft supplies for attendees. The event is an opportunity for high school students with disabilities and their families to dance and have fun in a supportive and welcoming environment. 

CKI Artsaya Maglaro 2026
Circle K International of the University of the Philippines Los Baños
University of the Philippines Los Baños CKI is working to guide kids away from screens and toward outdoor activities, social connection and creativity. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help cover food and supplies for the club’s Artsaya Maglaro project, where 30 kids — 10 more than last year — will spend part of their summer vacations taking part in traditional games of the Philippines followed by creative art sessions. The club hopes to make the project bigger every year to promote physical, mental and emotional health and development while reviving a deeply rooted Filipino tradition of play. 

Resiliency Ropes
Circle K International Georgia District, U.S.
At this year’s Georgia District convention, CKI and Key Club members will spend one hour making approximately 300 kid-friendly “resiliency rope” bracelets for children in foster care in the Atlanta area. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help supply the paracord, clips and other supplies to make the durable bracelets. Kids in foster care can then use their resiliency ropes as calming, sensory grounding tools during times of stress. The resiliency ropes also can secure items or bags. CKI members hope that the bracelets will help give kids in foster care a sense of control and continuity in the midst of instability. 

Food Pantry Meal Kits
Circle K International Nebraska-Iowa District, U.S.
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help purchase supplies for meal kits that CKI, Kiwanis and Key Club members will assemble at the 2026 Nebraska-Iowa CKI District Convention. Each kit will contain nonperishable foods, shelf-stable ingredients and a recipe card for a balanced meal that can feed a family of four. Convention attendees also will assemble birthday boxes with cake ingredients, a cake pan, balloons, candles and a birthday card. The goal of the project is not just to address food insecurity, but to alleviate the mental burden of planning a healthy meal and the financial burden that can come with celebrating important milestones. The project is designed to be easily replicable in convention attendees’ home clubs and communities.  

How to get involved
Does your Circle K International group have a project idea that could benefit from a Tomorrow Fund grant? Learn more about the grant and how to apply. If your Kiwanis club does not yet sponsor a CKI club, learn about the advantages of chartering one.  

New scorecards help clubs keep track 

New scorecards help clubs keep track 

Feb 27, 2026 | Club building, General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

With these two resources, your club can update recruiting success and members’ interests.

By Tony Knoderer

Kiwanis International has created two new resources, each designed to help Kiwanis clubs keep track of crucial information: recruiting success and member satisfaction. These “scorecards” are the latest tools for clubs to use with regard to growth and retention. 

The club growth scorecard offers a simple and convenient way to keep track of your club’s success in converting guests to members. It also lets the club note which members invited guests and sponsored new members — so everyone can celebrate the individuals whose commitment made the roster grow. The two-sided piece also includes instructions for using the scorecard, measuring success and more. 

Similarly, the member engagement scorecard offers an easy-to-use chart for clubs to record:  

  • Local charities 
  • Organizations that members support  
  • Current service projects 
  • Ideas for projects to engage more members 

 There’s also a column for “unlimited funds” projects — to facilitate discussion of members’ dream initiatives. The opposite side of the page gives instructions for filling out the scorecard and using that information. 

Altogether, the member engagement scorecard is a way to help ensure that a Kiwanis club’s service projects reflect what its members are passionate about. 

Both of the new scorecards are available now. You’ll find the club growth scorecard here. And you can get the member engagement scorecard here. 

We encourage you to download, print and start using both! 

Hatching new ideas 

Hatching new ideas 

Feb 24, 2026 | General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

A Nebraska, U.S., Kiwanis club helps young students study embryology.

By Julie Saetre and Vicki Jedlicka 

For 50 years, third-grade students in Lincoln and Lancaster County, Nebraska, U.S., have watched baby chicks hatch in their classrooms and then cared for them — all thanks to a local Kiwanis club. 

In 1976, hatchery co-founder and school board member Ruth Hill wanted to give back to a new school named after her. She reached out to her hatchery’s manager, Richard Earl, with an idea. Earl, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Lincoln-Northeast, ordered a glass incubator with partially incubated eggs for the school. After the eggs hatched, he met with students to discuss the incubation process. 

The program was a hit, and Earl brought it to five more area schools the following year.  

Meanwhile, the Nebraska Extension, a University of Nebraska program that brings research and expertise to the public, launched a 4-H science project to educate Lancaster County students about embryology. Earl started working with the extension’s staff, who coordinated the program and visited schools while the hatchery provided fertilized eggs and refurbished incubators.  

In 1981, embryology studies entered the school system’s new third grade curriculum. The hatchery program has been part of the classroom experience ever since. A “4-H Egg Cam” was added in 2002, thanks to a Lincoln-Northeast Kiwanis Club donation of US$400 — so that even more students could watch and learn along with their families and friends. 

Keeping it going
Today, the third-grade embryology unit begins with a classroom presentation by Nebraska Extension staff about embryo development, the parts of an egg and the difference between fertilized eggs and eggs purchased in supermarkets. Each classroom receives 12 fertilized chicken eggs — six white and six brown— so they can examine genetic differences.

Students turn the eggs three times daily and provide water for humidity in the incubators. After seven days, Nebraska Extension staff shine a bright light through the eggs so students can determine whether the embryos are developing. The incubation period lasts about 21 days, while students carefully watch for signs of “pipping” — when the chicks begin to peck through their shells. Students care for the newly hatched chicks for two to three days, after which the extension’s staff give the chicks to local farmers to raise.

In addition to the science, says Nebraska Extension Assistant Madelaine Polk, students learn responsibility and teamwork.

“I cannot describe the excitement from students when we first visit the classroom and bring their fertilized eggs,” says Polk, who currently leads the program. “The students are always so eager to learn about the development process and hear about the different stages. One of the things I love is how closely they pay attention to all the care directions to follow while incubating and after the chicks hatch.”

The Lincoln-Northeast Kiwanis Club has been continually committed to the program. Until shortly before his death in 2016, Earl remained involved in the process on behalf of the club, driving to the hatchery to pick up the eggs. Club members Rick and Susan Waldren now volunteer for that duty.

“For 50 years, the embryology program has been a labor of love made possible by passionate educators, dedicated volunteers, generous partners and curious young minds,” says Tracy Anderson, educator at the Nebraska Extension. “Thank you to everyone who has helped bring this hands-on science experience to life.”