Serving the Children of the World| September 5, 2026
Kiwanis International Presentation Wednesday’s meeting was highly informative. Thanks to our guest presenter, Kylie Kaspar Howenstein, from Kiwanis International, we learned a lot about the Possibility Project. Her Zoom presentation was packed with material. We heard statistics about the project and then focused on the parameters for writing a grant proposal. Afterwards, one member commented that there seemed to be a lot of restrictions on applying for a grant. Another member shared excitement about the potential for doing a project that could change a child’s life. One way or another, we’re in for some serious discussion about whether we wish to attempt the work needed to implement a Possibility Project grant! Check out page 3 of this newsletter to find out more about what Kylie shared with the club.
The Board will be exploring our various options and will need input from members… so please stay informed & share your opinion!
At-A-Glance
What we learned from the KI presentation at Wednesday’s meeting…
Kiwanis Possibility Project: (General and Club Information) •
The hope is to affect 10 million children with $25 million raised over 5 years.
(This is the last month of the 1st year of the process.) • So far, 12.2 million has been raised. (That’s almost half the goal in the first year!)
• $2.25 is needed to make an IMPACT on ONE child. • In the Pacific Northwest, 41 grants have already been awarded; almost 70,000 children have been impacted; with $157,000 given out! • Throughout Kiwanis International, 174 clubs have donated funds and are now designated as IMPACT CLUBS. (We are one of those special clubs!) • Our intended final donation of $9000 will impact 4,000 children! • As of September 1st, our club’s donation is over $2000.
Kiwanis Possibility Project: (Grant Proposal Information) • Characteristics of projects most likely to receive a grant: o o o o
Proposed project fulfills an unmet need The project will have a broad and significant impact The club has the capacity to complete the project The club can sustain the project in the future
• Things to consider before applying: o o o o
Will the project help “brand” us in the community? Can the project be duplicated by others? Will it attract more members and keep our members engaged? Will it establish a strong and enduring network of partners?
Kiwanis Possibility Project: (Three types of Grants) Club Grant: • Can receive up to $50,000 • Requires a community-needs assessment • Requires 25% funding from the club + 35% funding from partners • Examples are things like playgrounds and weekend meals for children who get free lunch when in school
Microgrant: • For smaller clubs (our size) • Can receive up to $1,000 • Doesn’t require matching funds • Application process much easier to complete • Funds are generally received within a month of application acceptance
Pediatric Medicine Grant: • Much more restricted • Examples are support for first-time mothers and infants, and “comfort beds”
Grant proposals should focus on one of these three areas: • • •
Health & Nutrition Education & Literacy Youth Leadership Development
Final deadline to register for the KDCCP Frank’s BBQ is… Wednesday, September 9th
Final deadline to reserve a spot for the Division Installation Dinner is… Friday, September 11th
KDCCP
Division
Frank’s BBQ
Installation
BUY TICKETS HERE
RESERVATIONS HERE
Our most recent Gnome recipient was Chris Anderson. Congratulations!
Next Wednesday’s Meeting • • • •
September 9th Dragonfly Asian Restaurant 6:15 p.m. Presentation – Experiences of the Sherwood High School Key Club International Convention attendees
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District Convention is NEXT WEEK Thank you to Bob and Judy Munger for representing our club at the upcoming District Convention in Ferndale, Washington. We look forward to hearing about your experiences after you get back home!
Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp Walk, Roll & Stroll George signed us up to assist on September 13th as course monitors. We have been asked to arrive at the Oaks Amusement Park Area 15 by around 9:30 a.m. It will be a fun morning with wonderful food and entertainment, and all for a GREAT cause. At Wednesday’s meeting George reported that our club team has raised over $800 so far. If you wish to still donate to our club’s fundraising efforts, you can do so by clicking
HERE
Holiday Craft Festival Below are some preliminary plans for a possible club fundraiser. It will be a K-Family event. Our Kiwanis club will spearhead it, but there will be significant assistance from both the Key Club and the Builders Club. The purpose is to raise funds needed by the club to balance our budget and operate our program, as well as conceivably give us something we might spend on a club Possibility Project.
Some Preliminary Plans for this event: 1. Saturday, December 12… 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sherwood High School. 2. Key Clubbers. & Builders Clubbers would be on site to help vendors set up and take-down and to help with a variety of other tasks throughout the day. 3. Sources of income: 1. Each vendor will pay $60 to be there 2. Each vendor will provide a raffle item. These items will be raffled off each hour. SLP members sell raffle tickets. 3. Holiday baskets will be created by Kiwanis, Key Clubbers and Builders Clubbers and will be on sale for $50 each. 4. A “Frosty’s Café” area will be created with snacks available for sale. 4. Christmas music will be played throughout the day… this is important because it creates a positive mood in the crowd 5. For advertising – We need to get the newspaper involved, put on Facebook, etc. (We’ll be using the Key Clubbers and the Builders Clubbers to help with this.) Primarily, we need to have local children performing there… we will talk to school band teachers, music programs, choirs, and dance studios in the area to ask them to perform. (They bring in their parents, and the parents stay to peruse the booths.) 6. We would like to give the Key Clubbers and Builders Clubbers a portion of the profit… we have yet to figure that out… but maybe a percentage, based on their participation? 7. Vendor happiness is important to the success of the day, and it has been suggested that we treat them well… provide water and snacks, for example. They are more likely to come back in the future if they are well respected by those organizing the event. 8. We may ask the SLPs to decorate the site. There is still much to decide beyond these preliminary thoughts.