Good Morning Fellow Kiwanians!
Does your Club have a Signature Project
(Re curing, Brand
enhancing, High impact, Membership focused) which connects your
Club to your community? When community members see “Fishing Derby” do they say “Kiwanis”?
This
month I will focus on SIGNATURE project ideas. Here we go!
Lexington Pre-School (Scottsburg Kiwanis
Club, Indiana)
The
community of Lexington, IN determined the need for a pre-school for it's
children to improve their performance when they enter elementary school. The
small community of Lexington (parents, business leaders, church groups,
volunteers) came together to create a new pre-school (staff, equipment,
facility, teachers, supplies, etc). Various community groups in Scott County
came together to provide what was needed as the committee identified its
requirements. We purchased supplies to assist in the opening of the pre-school.
Mad Hatter Children's Tea Party (Kiwanis Club of Solvay-Geddes-Camillus,
New York)
To
provide an afternoon of silliness and fun for girls and boys between the ages
of 3 and 8 (of course any age was welcome). It also fulfilled a reading experience
for these children as we had a storyteller, the Queen of Hearts, narrate a
young child's version of Alice in Wonderland as the story was acted out by our
Mad Hatter characters sitting at a long Mad Hatter's table in the middle of
"Wonderland". The characters in the skit were the Mad Hatter, Alice,
March Hare, White Rabbit, Doormouse, Cheshire Cat, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle
Dum.
While
tickets were sold to attend the event, this is not a fundraiser.
Park Independence (Kiwanis Club of Lafayette, LA)
Park
Independence was a multi- year project to raise funds, plan, design &
construct the first playground in Lafayette specifically designed so that all
children can play together regardless of ability.
The
entire park is designed to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities
Act. A child on a wheelchair can ride all the way up to the park from the
parking lot, enter the park and ramp up for a ride on the playground equipment
itself.
“We
even have a swing designed to accommodate a wheelchair, so that even the simple
joy of swinging on a swing can be had by a wheelchair-bound child,” club member
Kevin Domingue says. “We also have special entrances and exits to the park so
itʼs easy for parents and guardians to keep watch over their children who might
tend to stray from the park. Our intent is to eliminate barriers and create a
place where all children can play together—regardless of abilities.”
Children's Books Distribution (Kiwanis Club of Huntington, NY)
One
member collects gently used children's books, largely left from 2 church fairs,
sorts them by age and condition, and distributes them to organizations that
serve children. This year, the books were donated to the Dolan Family Health
Center, which serves largely uninsured and under-insured Huntington residents.
The books are used as an important part of the Dolan's Reach Out and Read
Program, which is a nationally recognized program, in which the pediatrician's
office takes an active role in the promotion of early literacy. The program
consists of having books available in the waiting room for the children to look
at, volunteers reading to children in the waiting room, training pediatric
clinicians in the importance of literacy, and giving each child a
developmentally and culturally appropriate book to take home at each well
visit.
Joy of Reading (Kiwanis Club of Denbigh, VA)
Club
members read weekly to children 3-5 years of age at Newport News School
System's Early Childhood Center. Club distributes free books twice a year to over
600 children.
Worlds Greatest Baby Shower (The Kiwanis club of the University City,
Florida)
The
event is held at a local middle school, breakfast and lunch are provided. We
invite 30 exhibitors to participate and arrange for 10-12 presenters to do
educational offerings such as breast feeding, safety in the home, shaken baby,
kids in the kitchen, etc. The expectation is the participants will attend 4
presentations and at the end of the presentation each participant will be given
a ticket. After lunch everyone will go to the auditorium for drawings for door
prizes. The prizes are baby items such as quilts and gift cards to Wal-Mart.
Each participant is given a goody bag as they leave.
Baby Crib recycling project (Kiwanis Club of Carmel Golden K, Indiana)
Many
cribs are being shipped to Malawi in southeastern Africa to be used for over a
1,000 orphans there. Others are being recycled into articles such as benches
for sale as a fundraiser by our club's woodworking shop.
ABC Summer Reading Program (Kiwanis Club of Monroe Downtown, Michigan)
Our
program is meant to keep student's brains active in the summer so that they
will not be at a disadvantage when they start school. We do this through fun
books and activities that are not too taxing. We focus on developing a theme
that allows us to give the kids fun, but in-depth information. We also want to
use a theme that will introduce students to concepts that they will later have
to learn in school. We strongly feel that students develop more creative skills
and grasp information better when they are introduced to information repeatedly
and when that introduction is fun.
SHOES FOR KIDS, Port Charlotte Sunrise Kiwanis Club, Port Charlotte, Florida
Every
year more than 5600 pairs of sneakers are distributed to children in need from
preschool age through high school in in 23 schools in Charlotte County. Money
is raised through sponsorship in the annual Golf Tournament, Tennis Tournament,
other fundraisers and support from local businesses and personal donations. An
annual collection drive of new sneakers is held during the month of July
throughout Charlotte County. Club members place collection boxes in local
businesses, and in retirement communities. Shoes are distributed throughout the
year to those in need.
More Young Children service project ideas
Adopt a family
Many
families receive assistance during the holidays, but what about the rest of the
year? By February, these families are running out of the household items they
received at Christmas. Ask your local food pantries, churches or homeless
shelters who and how you can help now.
Collect sports equipment for kids
Many
families donʼt have the resources they need to buy the equipment their kids
need to stay safe while theyʼre being active. Collect new or gently used balls,
gloves, bats, tricycles, helmets and more and donate them to your
local preschool or to an organization.
Rehab a playground
Team
up with Kiwanis-family members to pull weeds, spread new mulch, paint old
equipment, fix broken swings or whatever else needs to be done. Need to start
from scratch? team up with KaBOOM.
Make Blankets
The Key
Club at Chesaning Union High School (Michigan) recently made 100 no-sew
fleece blankets for residents of a domestic violence shelter. Use their idea as
inspiration and create your own blankets to donate to an organization (PROJECT
LINUS) in your community.
Become a Storybook lady or man
Volunteer
at your local library or community center and read childrenʼs classics. Liven
up story time even more when you dress the part. Choose a tiara, hat, clown
nose or animal ears.
Run an activities booth
Does
your community have an expo, fair or parade coming up? Make your booth the most
popular of all with games, crafts and face painting for children age 3 and up.
Give the gift of mobility
The
Kiwanis Club of Waitukubuli (Dominica) purchased a wheelchair for a child with
cerebral palsy. What could you and your club do to help a child in your
community?.
Team up with a Service Partner
Work
with one of the Kiwanis-familyʼs partners on a ready-made service project.
Choose from Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, March of
Dimes,Childrenʼs Miracle Network, Scholastic Books and others.
Pancake breakfast for a cause
Scholastic Reading Oasis installation
Kiwanis
naming rights; Kiwanis logo stamped in each book; media event for grand opening Number
of children served by reading oasis; monies raised to build reading oasis;
number of service hours donated by volunteers.
Bike safety clinic
Collaborate
with local police or fire department for elevated public relations; Kiwanis
banner at event; volunteers in Kiwanis logo shirts; media event.
I know many clubs are doing Young Children Projects.Does your Club have
a Young Children Signature Project? I would welcome news of all your
Young Children Projects. I would like to share your successes through my
Newsletters with all the clubs in our District. So please email information
about your projects. It’s important to share ideas so other Clubs may
help young children in their communities too!
It
has been a pleasure serving you this year as Young Children District Chair.
Thank you for your tireless dedication to Kiwanis and to serving the children
of your communities and the world. We DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE; one child and one
community at a time.
Ava
Adams, District Chair
Young
Children
New
England and Bermuda District
