Serving Children - Downtown Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis

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Meets each Friday Noon
at the Murat Shrine
520 N. New Jersey St.

Indiana's Largest
Kiwanis Club Since 1916

Home > Serving Children
serving children is our mission

Helping and celebrating our community’s most
precious asset – our children

The current leadership of Indianapolis, well represented in Downtown Kiwanis, is highly dedicated to serving our city’s children, especially those in need. Our club has committed its people and resources to a wide array of programs and action teams. The success of their efforts is nothing short of amazing.

Our Programs that are
making a difference

Consider these particularly noteworthy programs that provide true, measurable impact on the lives of our Indianapolis children:

Abe Lincoln Scholarship Awards
Fostering Families
Kiwanis Improvement Program at Southport – KIPS
The K-Family
Partners in Education
Partners with Riley
Young Children: Priority One

Abe Lincoln Scholarship Awards
More than $37,000 in college scholarships is awarded every February to area high school students who have heroically overcome serious physical, mental and emotional challenges. These young strivers represent victory in both academics and character building, made all the more impressive given the tremendous obstacles they have overcome. At the well-attended award ceremony there is rarely a dry eye in the house. Over the years, 501 students from the Indianapolis metro area have been supported with a grand total of approximately $580,000 in scholarships.

Fostering Families
Heroes can also be found in the parents who take into their homes and hearts the many children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. This committee helps to provide support to these families that have taken in children from infancy to age 18. These special families are recognized once a year with a club luncheon where they share their stories of love in action. The Fostering Families Committee has three main goals: 1) to reach children in crisis so they know their community cares for them, 2) to support and encourage parents who are called to serve through foster parenting, and 3) to be a partner for emancipating youth so they integrate into our community and become contributing citizens.

Kiwanis Improvement Program at Southport – KIPS
For 16 years, the Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis has sponsored the KIPS (Kiwanis Improvement Program at Southport High School) program. KIPS is designed to motivate and reward each student who has an improved grade point average and excellent attendance for the school year.

This year, nearly 500 students’ records were reviewed for the KIPS program. Over 450 students had shown improvement in their grade point average. From those who met the criteria of improved grades and attendance, four students in grades 9-11 were selected and ten seniors were interviewed for and awarded scholarships.

The K-Family
Throughout the world, Kiwanis clubs are active in playing a special role in the development of future generations of leaders. “K Kids” clubs at the elementary school level, “Builder’s Clubs” in junior high and middle schools, “Key Clubs” in high schools, and “Circle K Clubs” at the collegiate level are all Kiwanis affiliates that teach community service and leadership skills to young people. In addition, “Aktion Clubs” are for adults with mental and physical disabilities who enthusiastically perform community service to help others.

Currently the Downtown club sponsors a K-Kids Club at Charity Dye School #27; Key Clubs at Perry Meridian High School and Starfish Initiative; Circle K Clubs at Butler University, IUPUI, and the University of Indianapolis; and one Aktion Club, which meets at Goodwill, for adults with disabilities.

Partners in Education
This committee of Downtown Kiwanians works directly with the principal, faculty and students at Harshman Middle School #101 to provide incentives for better attendance and academic performance at the school. This is hands-on work with Indianapolis Public School youngsters. It also includes planning a recognition party for approximately 150 students who have shown improvement in grades, attendance, and attitude.

Partners with Riley
The Riley Hospital for Children, a nationally renowned pediatric medical center in Indianapolis, is where kids go with dire medical emergencies. It’s also where Kiwanians over the years have provided numerous resources that help these children in serious need. Several years ago our Partners with Riley Committee developed patient activity carts to be wheeled around Riley Hospital by Kiwanis volunteers, bringing fun and engaging activities to the bed-ridden children.

Young Children: Priority One
This group selects, plans, implements and supports projects that pursue activities relevant to the major emphasis for the year as determined by Kiwanis International and the Indiana District. In recent years, the major emphasis has been on young children, particularly those with issues in pediatric trauma, safety, childcare, early development, infant health, nutrition and parenting skills.

For many years our club has provided subscriptions to “Our Big Backyard” magazines to at-risk preschoolers in the Indianapolis Public Schools. We also have provided funds for the pre-school and kindergarten teachers to purchase educational materials for their classes at Charity Dye School #27.