How to Get Involved in Service with Other Branches of the Kiwanis Family
October 28, 2016
Hello, service leaders! As many of you Circle K’ers know, CKI would not be possible without Kiwanis as our sponsoring club. Under Kiwanis, there are several other clubs who promote the same ideals as us, and are from all ages. To help you to familiarize yourself with these other clubs, and give you an idea of how to get involved with the branches through service, we have laid out all of the information you need! If you wish to learn more about how to get involved with the branches of the Kiwanis Family outside of the tenant of service, please talk to a District Kiwanis Family and Foundation’s Committee Member or visit http://www.cnhcirclek.org/committee/kiwanis-family-and-foundation/ for more information!
Branches
Kiwanis International
Kiwanis clubs, located in 80 nations, help their communities in countless ways. Each community’s needs are different- so each Kiwanis club is different. By working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone. When you give a child the chance to learn, experience, grow, succeed and thrive, great things happen. They focus on “changing the world, one child and one community at a time.” For more information visit: www.kiwanis.org
Possible projects: pancake breakfasts, marathons, Kiwanis One-Day, Kiwanis-hosted events, etc.
Ways to communicate interest in helping: Attend Kiwanis meetings and ask if there are any projects they need help in, read newsletters, see advertisements around the city of possible Kiwanis involvement, etc.
Circle K International
That’s us! We are the largest collegiate organization in the world, and we continue to grow! Members from schools all over the world strive to make a difference in their world while furthering their education. It’s 13,000 members promote service, fellowship, and leadership through their clubs. For more information visit: www.circlek.org
Possible projects: DLSSP, divisional service events, interclubbing with schools in your division, interclubbing with schools in your district (with proper approval), etc.
Ways to communicate interest in helping: Talk to your LTG, to fellow VPS’s from other schools, contact your regional advisor to find out process to create a project outside your division, etc.
Key Club International
Key Club is the largest branch of the Kiwanis Family. It operates in high schools all around the world, with caring and passionate students who are all leaders in their own way. It is the oldest high school service organization, founded in 1925. For more information visit: www.keyclub.org
Possible projects: beach clean-ups, christmas drive packages, bookmark making, etc.
Ways to communicate interest in helping: Talk to the sponsoring Kiwanis of the Key Club’s division to find out the proper paperwork to fill out as well as assigning chaperones and creating a project that everyone can attend. Work with your club’s Kiwanis Family Chair(s) or other schools in your division if they have done projects with that club, etc.
Builder’s Club
Builders Club is the largest service organization for middle school and junior high school students in the world. Members work to develop servant-leader skills and while learning to work together as they serve their school and community. Community-based Builders Clubs, which are sponsored by Kiwanis, can also be established at churches, libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, lodges or similar facilities. For more information visit: www.buildersclub.org
Possible projects: Building gardens, etc.
Ways to communicate interest in helping: contact sponsoring Kiwanis of their division or sponsoring club, look for website, etc.
Kiwanis Kids (K-Kids)
K-Kids is the Elementary/Primary school branch of the Kiwanis Family. They are a student-led service organization that provides members with many opportunities to get involved and have an impact on their community. There are more than 35,000 K-Kid members around the world! For more information visit: www.kiwaniskids.org
Possible projects: bookmark making, small tabletop projects, birthday/get-well soon cards, packages for soldiers, building a garden, etc.
Ways to communicate interest in helping: contact sponsoring Kiwanis of their division or sponsoring club, look for website, etc.
Aktion Club
Aktion Club is the only service club for adults with disabilities in existence. They exist worldwide, with over 500 different clubs and over 12,000 members. They can be found at state supported living centers, schools, community centers, and more. They have their own service initiative, Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW). For more information visit: www.aktionclub.org
Possible projects: tutoring, etc.
Ways to communicate interest in helping: contact sponsoring Kiwanis of their division or sponsoring club, look for website, etc.
How to Get Started
Before getting started, it is very important to remember to be professional and respectful when contacting others, whether it be other Circle K’ers or other branches of the family tree. Because all branches of the Kiwanis Family Tree generally share the same ideals and passion for service, a great way of bonding with them is through, well, service.
Here is a guide on how to get involved through service with other branches of the K-Fam!
- Decide on your event!
- Remember that your service project should be age appropriate for the branch that you are trying to invite. For example, if you plan to build a greenhouse, K-Kids, being in elementary school, are too young to use the tools necessary to accomplish this project.
- Invite the club!
- Make sure to do this with enough time so that the members in their club will be able to go. Nobody likes last minute invitations 🙂
- Get permission if necessary. ***THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT*** If you are planning on working with ANY branch of the Kiwanis Family (K-Kids, Builders Club, Key Club, etc.) including other schools outside your home club you must fill out an Event Request Form or ERF to ensure the proper permission is granted and correct number of chaperones/advisors are available for the event. ERF’s take some time to fill out so please allow AT LEAST one month before the event to fill out all the required sections. ERF’s can be found on the CNH website in the Resource Database tab or at the link below http://resources.cnhcirclek.org/category/2-policies_forms_and_manuals/
- Follow up with the club as the event approaches.
- Set a date for the clubs (yours and theirs) to report how many members will be attending.
- Plan the event!
- You wouldn’t want to be completely unprepared on the date of the event, so make sure to plan! Make sure that you have enough materials for all of the members, and that you know what you are doing. Try not to wing it.
- Ensure all members attending are sent the waivers and medical forms to fill out and bring day-of. ***THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT*** For any event with Circle K members that involves labor or ANY EVENT with a Key Club, Builder’s Club, K-Kids or Kiwanis Family group, all members MUST bring a signed waiver and medical form to the event in order to participate. These forms can be found on the CNH Circle K website in the Resource Database tab or down below at http://resources.cnhcirclek.org/category/2-policies_forms_and_manuals/
- Maybe even contact the president of the other club to see if they would like to help you plan the event.
- Host the event!
- On the day of, be welcoming and grateful that the other club has came to your event.
- Stray away from clicks and meet new people!!!
- Continue to bond and have fun events together!
- Keep in touch to keep that bond, and possibly have more events together in the future.
It is very important that we get to know the other parts of our branches as we support each other through service. Being at the collegiate level, we can make a huge difference if we keep a connection with the younger clubs through mentorship. You can also make lots of new friends, and tons of great memories!