Kiwanis Dashboard Blog

The Kiwanis Store has your cure for tired tees and more

2013-06-10T09:00:00Z

Are your T-shirts tired, your banners starting to sag? Update your club’s look with the new Kiwanis logo, colors and typefaces just in time for your summer fundraiser. These key parts of our organization’s brand are all new and now’s the time to make the change.

Check out the Kiwanis Family Store for product ideas like the streamer flag adversail and the outdoor flag, both guaranteed to grab attention at your next event; all you need is a breeze.

Here's an inexpensive way to outfit club members at your next community event. With the personalized club T-shirt, we'll screen-print your club name on the back of a traditional navy T-shirt. Consider ordering these for big events such as Kiwanis One Day in April.

Get tips on how to personalize Kiwanis’ latest look and make your own billboards, brochures and banners with the new brand elements beginning on page 20 of the Kiwanis brand guide. There are new fonts and brighter colors plus tips on working with vendors to achieve a crisp, updated look for summer success.

Kiwanis One Day contest winner: Cal-Nev-Ha Division 13

2013-05-31T09:12:00Z

Fighting hunger at home and in Haiti—The sun had barely risen into the hazy morning sky on April 6, but Downey High School was already a hub of activity. Hundreds of Kiwanis-family members from the Cal-Nev-Ha Division 13 were gathering at the school in Southeast Los Angeles County—ready to participate in Kiwanis One Day.

“We’ll pack 50,000 meals today to ship to Haiti, to schoolchildren who are going hungry,” said Carol Wait, lieutenant governor for Division 13. “We’re going to put a Kiwanis sticker on each and every one of those 50,000 packages so the kids know where they came from. It’s a very exciting project.”

After a Zumba dance warm-up, 350 Kiwanis-family members were ready to begin the fight against hunger. Kiwanis, CKI, Key Club and KIWIN’S members packaged the meals. In fact, the clubs in Division 13 had raised US$12,500 to purchase the meals’ ingredients through Stop Hunger Now of Southern California.

“The meal has four main ingredients,” said Brandon Romano, program manager for Stop Hunger Now of Southern California. “There’s a vitamin and mineral packet, a dehydrated vegetable mixture, soy, which is the protein in the mix, and white rice.”

With music playing and everyone organized into assembly stations, the work went quickly.

“We have people filling bags of food, people running bags of food to the scales and people making sure they’re the appropriate weight,” said Sean Nguyen, CKI governor for the Cal-Nev-Ha District. “We have other people sealing the bags and then other people putting bags inside of boxes to ship out. It’s definitely a great experience being here with everyone.”

Meanwhile, Builder’s Club and K-Kids club members ran and walked around the high school’s track. Each lap brought in 25 U.S. cents, the cost of one pre-packaged meal, from local sponsors.

“I’m out here today to run around the track to help stop hunger because there’s plenty of people in Haiti that do not have food,” says Christian Vaillant, vice president of K-Kids at Gauldin Elementary School. “I love helping people—it’s something I naturally do because some people are less fortunate than us. But with Haiti, it’s a big impact on me because that’s where my dad’s from, my grandma’s from, and I really want to help there.” But these Kiwanis One Day participants didn’t forget the hungry in their own backyard. They also collected about 700 cans of food and other nonperishable items for the local food bank.

“It just means so much to us to have the support of clubs like Kiwanis,” says Beth Gendreau, director of the Downey Council PTA Food Bank. “I think it’s really important for the kids to get involved in giving the food because it’s giving back to their community. And they realize that just because they have food on their plate doesn’t mean that everybody in the community has food.”

After a morning of scooping, weighing and sealing, the 50,000 meals were ready to be loaded on a truck and shipped to a school in Haiti. Many kids were tired from running or walking around the track in the hot sun. And, at the same time, the local food bank had a Suburban full of food to restock its shelves.

Alex Gaytan, chairman of youth services for the Kiwanis Club of Downey, was reminded yet again why he looks forward each year to Kiwanis One Day—when the worldwide Kiwanis family creates and participates in local service projects designed to improve children’s lives.

“It’s a time where we get the whole Kiwanis family together,” Gaytan said. “It’s unbelievable how everyone else is doing this around the world. It’s just such a special moment for all of us to come together and do one act of kindness on one day.”

Cal-Nev-Ha Division 13 is this year’s winner of the Kiwanis One Day contest. Check out the video and photo slideshow about their project.

Vote for your favorite club in the LSI playground contest

2013-05-24T09:13:00Z

Kiwanis clubs from around the world have entered the Kiwanis International Make a Difference Through Play Contest to win US$25,000 in playground equipment from Landscape Structures.

To help a club win, visit the Kiwanis International Facebook page and vote for your favorite. Voting ends on June 15. On June 20 the winning entry will be selected from the 10 entries receiving the most votes. Support your club, division or district! A playground build would be a great way to celebrate Kiwanis One Day 2014.

May is Membership Month. Invite a friend to your club meeting.

2013-05-15T02:34:00Z

Year-round attention on membership can ensure that your club remains an effective service resource in your community, but the month of May is a time to pay special attention to recruitment. In the Kiwanis world, May is one of two Membership Months in 2013 (the other was in March). Kiwanis International and districts have resources and assistance to help your club in May or any time of the year. Here are a few tips to help your club begin planning its membership activities:

Create a membership team, using the 1-2-3 method:

Get the right people on the committee, set goals and put the plan into action.
Keep goals visible to members and celebrate successes.
Recognize and reward members who contribute to your success.

Find materials at www.KiwanisOne.org/membership.

Get back to basics. Conduct member and community analyses to ensure your club’s membership experience is filled with fun, fellowship and meaningful service.

Try these ideas:

Create a buddy system by pairing faithful, active members with inactive members.
Organize a homecoming meeting to celebrate club history and recent achievements.
Schedule a service project with your club’s Service Leadership Program members.
Send “We miss you” messages to every member who misses two meetings in a row. You’ll find missing member postcards in the Kiwanis Store.

Recognize members’ and club accomplishments at every meeting. Share your club’s membership success stories by emailing details to shareyourstory@kiwanis.org.

Vancouver convention: May 15 deadline

2013-05-01T07:56:00Z

Online convention and ticketed events registration closes on May 15. You may still register and purchase tickets for events on site in Vancouver, starting June 26.

Make sure your club is represented in Vancouver, don’t miss out on the fellowship, register now!

Last chance to register for convention online

2013-04-24T09:08:00Z

Register online by May 15. It's your last chance to save on your registration fee—and to register online. After May 15, registration will be on site in Vancouver.

While in Vancouver, take advantage of the many club improvement workshops. And don’t forget to visit the Kiwanis Family Store right across from the convention registration desk. It will be a convenient opportunity to stock up on Kiwanis-branded items and the only place that special Vancouver merchandise is available to commemorate the event.

Reminder: Don’t forget to check that your passport is still valid.

What if your Mother's Day gift could save a child's life?

2013-04-15T09:17:00Z

Mother’s Day comes around just once a year. For a limited time during this season (March 1 through June 15), we are offering a special giving opportunity, a way to recognize your mom, the mother of your children or any inspirational woman in your family, club or community by making a gift that matches the generous love of her heart.

A gift made to The Eliminate Project through the Mother’s Day/International Women’s Day Fellowship honors a special woman, as well as the universal love mothers everywhere share with their children, by helping to eliminate the threat of maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT).

When you give a Mother’s Day Zeller Fellowship, you’ll help save or protect more than 690 live from MNT. You’ll also receive a beautiful, 2013 limited-edition Mother’s Day brooch, a Zeller Fellowship medallion and a personalized certificate.

Make your mother’s day gift a force for change.

Kiwanis One Day: Show us your project

2013-04-01T09:06:00Z

Kiwanis One Day provides clubs with a chance to draw attention to their impact on the community. After your club’s project, share your success with others, including Kiwanis International for possible feature in the magazine and other publications. And don’t forget to post a recap on social media! Follow the Share Your Story checklist.

Hurry—register for convention by April 1 and save!

2013-03-24T13:14:00Z

If you want to save on your convention registration, an important deadline is approaching. Sign up by April 1—because the registration fee goes up US$50 on April 2. The Pacific Northwest District volunteer rate goes up $100. Register now.

Skip a meal, help a child

2013-03-01T20:50:00Z

Each April, the Skip-A-Meal program offers Kiwanis clubs a fun way to give to the Kiwanis International Foundation. Kiwanians go without one meal—or bring their own—during a club meeting or event. Then they give the amount they didn’t spend to our foundation.

At the Kiwanis International Foundation website, the Skip-A-Meal page includes links to program information, tips for creating enthusiasm, and a secure online giving form. You’ll also find a link to our downloadable, printable “placemat”—a fun way to share information and promote the event with club members.

Go to www.kiwanis.org/foundation/skipameal. Find out how to skip a meal … and serve up a gift that extends each club member’s Kiwanis impact.

Enter the Kiwanis One Day contest by March 1

2013-02-15T10:46:00Z

Go to www.kiwanis.org/foundation/skipameal. Find out how to skip a meal … and serve up a gift that extends each club member’s Kiwanis impact.

Alternative Valentines: Show your love

2013-02-01T13:23:00Z

In many countries, February is a time when youngsters create construction paper Valentines with gallons of glue and glitter, lace, ribbon—and love. Then on February 14th, they lovingly present these works of art to their sweethearts—their mothers. There’s a special bond between a child and a mother, a bond we work to protect from harm through The Eliminate Project.

Celebrate this Valentine’s Day in a special way, honoring those you love with a gift to The Eliminate Project.

“For less than the cost of a greeting card and far less than the cost of a box of chocolate, we can show our love for human life. Just $1.80 will protect a woman and her future babies from the painful and deadly effects of tetanus,” said Kiwanis First Lady Rosemary DeJulio.

Let's not miss this opportunity to express our love for life, and the millions of mothers and babies Kiwanis can save or protect through The Eliminate Project. Make a gift to The Eliminate Project today.

Vision and values: Living the Kiwanis Objects

2013-01-16T19:02:00Z

The six Kiwanis Objects have remained unchanged for decades. They are as relevant and resonant now as they were in 1924 when they were approved by Kiwanis club delegates at the Convention in Denver, Colorado. Follow Kiwanis International President Tom DeJulio’s lead in honoring each permanent Object via the President’s message in Kiwanis magazine.

Object 1: December, 2012

Objects 2 and 3: January/February, 2013

Watch for discussion of Object 4 in the March, 2013, issue of Kiwanis magazine. Renew your commitment to all six Objects at www.KiwanisOne.org/objects. Stay tuned throughout 2013 for special emphasis on the Kiwanis Objects.

Kiwanis-family clubs break membership records

2012-12-06T09:17:00Z

At Kiwanis, we have a lot to celebrate. Once again, all Kiwanis-family clubs for young people and adults with disabilities set membership records during the 2011–2012 administrative year. That includes Circle K for university students, Key Club for teens, Builders Club for tweens, K-Kids for elementary-school students and Aktion Club for adults with disabilities.

Key Club increased its membership by 5,000 students, climbing to more than 267,000 members. Adding in Builders Club and K-Kids, nearly 350,000 Kiwanis International members are school-age youth.

Find out more about Kiwanis programs for youth and adults with disabilities, or learn how you can be a part of the movement by chartering a club.

Bullies hurt. You can help.

2012-11-01T15:56:00Z

Through Kiwanis and its service leadership programs for youth—K-Kids for elementary school, Builders Club for middle school and Key Club for high school—we can make our schools safe zones for all students. Youth who are members of these programs learn compassion, teamwork and responsibility through service learning, and are less likely to bully other students or be bullied themselves.

Want to help end bullying? Read Kiwanis’ position on bullying and hazing. Then print out our anti-bullying posters and get permission to hang them up at a local school or community center. Check out our resources to learn more about how you can get involved in the anti-bullying movement.

Join the fight. End bullying.