What is KIWIN'S?
We are a District of Key Club International. We are located in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. There are over 50 clubs with approximately 2,500 members and growing. We promote good citizenship through service. KIWIN'S perform service deeds with fellow members to improve their schools and communities. Local service gives KIWIN'S members the satisfaction of seeing the results of their efforts. In most cases, KIWIN'S clubs are based on a high school campus under the guidance of their Faculty Advisor(s). Some clubs may function off campus under the authority of their Kiwanis Advisor(s).
What is the Motto of KIWIN'S?
"We Build."
What is Key Club International?
Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. What makes Key Club so successful is the fact that it is a student-led organization that teaches leadership through serving others. Key Club International is sponsored by Kiwanis International. KEY is short for Kiwanis Educated Youth. As members of the Kiwanis International Family, Key Club members build themselves as they build their schools and communities.
Today, Key Club exists on almost 5,000 high school campuses, primarily in the United States. Growth efforts, however, have taken the Key Club experience internationally to Canada, the Caribbean nations, Central and South America, and most recently to Asia and Australia.
What are the Objectives of Key Club International?
To develop initiative and leadership
To provide experience in living and working together
To serve the school and community
To cooperate with the school principal
To prepare for useful citizenship
To accept and promote the following ideals:
> To give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than to the material values of life.
> To encourage the daily living of the Gollden Rule in all human relationships.
> To promote the adoption and application of higher standards in scholarship, sportsman ship, and social contacts.
> To develop, by precept and example, a moore intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.
> To provide a practical means to form endduring friendships, to render unselfish service, and to build better communities.
> To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which make possible the increase of righteous, justice, patriotism, and good will.
How is KIWIN'S Organized?
(Club Level) Each KIWIN'S Club is required to hold weekly meetings to keep members informed on projects community service. Students elect officers each year or semester. The Club Board of Directors, consisting of officers and chairpersons, determine the Club's various service deeds and delegates authority to committees and members.
(Division Level) Each of the twelve KIWIN'S Divisions is headed by a Lieutenant Governor who functions on the Divisional District level. The Lt. Governor is responsible for the welfare of the clubs in their division. They hold Divisional Council Meetings where members from all the clubs in the division meet and discuss Divisional and District business. Club officers are trained and divisional projects are also planned.
(District Level) The District Board consists of twelve Lt. Governors; the Executive Board of the District of Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, Convention Chair, New Club Building Chair , Publications Editor, Technology Chair, and Special Projects/K-Family Chair. Each division has its own Kiwanis Regional Advisor and the District has its District Administrator.
Above the District Level is the International Level, where the KIWIN'S District and other Districts are collectively called Key Club International.
What are the KIWIN'S Divisions?
Coral
Crystal
Diamond
Emerald
Garnet
Goldstone
Jade
Jet
Pearl
Ruby
Saphhire
Topaz
Turquoise
What is the KIWIN'S District Project?
(Project Behold) The KIWIN'S District Project is Project BEHOLD, Being Energized Helping Overcome Life's Disadvantages, which started in 1994-1995. By encompassing wide variety of service ideas, Project BEHOLD allows flexibility , enabling individual clubs to personalize their projects to fit the needs of their own community. Through Project BEHOLD, we help people who are socially, economically, physically, mentally, politically, or educationally disadvantaged.
Why is KIWIN'S Spelled With All CAPS & an Apostrophe?
While some claim KIWIN'S is grammatically incorrect, it is ALWAYS spelled in caps with an apostrophe. KIWIN'S is not an acronym. However, it is written in all caps with the apostrophe to show its unique and individual spirit. The apostrophe is an accent to help KIWIN'S standout, for it is unlike any other youth sponsored organization. When written in all caps, KIWIN'S certainly is conspicuous...this represents how KIWIN'S is prominent in the school and community. The word "Kiwin" is the diminutive of the word "Anokiwin," which translates to "people, men and women, working together in service." It is derived from the same Otchipew Indian language as Kiwanis.
What is the Key Club International Major Emphasis? High Five for Health!Check it out!
What is the KIWIN'S Minor Emphasis?
(Pediatric Trauma Prevention) Established in 1992, Pediatric Trauma Prevention, our Minor Emphasis, is a main focus of KIWIN'S in conjunction with Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis. Pediatric Trauma affects children from infancy to age nineteen. It is a result of motor vehicle accidents, physical abuse, drowning accidents, falls, and animal bites, making it the leading cause of death of children in the United States. Every year it results in sixteen million emergency visits and twenty thousand deaths. To prevent these accidents and injuries from happening, KIWIN'S has focused on fighting Pediatric Trauma through raising funds and by increasing general awareness through education
What is the KIWIN'S District Cheer?
Tick tock, who rocks the clock,
Tick tock, who rocks the clock,
1 o' clock, 4 o' clock - We build
4 o' clock, 8 o' clock - We serve
8 o' clock, 12 o' clock - We rock
We rock
KIWIN'S rock
'Round the clock!
K-I-win, K-I-win with KIWIN'S!
K-I-win, K-I-win with KIWIN'S!
K-I-win, K-I-win with KIWIN'S!
Go KIWIN'S go!
Between 1973 and 1974, daughters of a past Kiwanis District Governor Sid Smith wanted to join a service organization. Key Club was the only one existing at that time, but they weren't able to join because it was an all-male club. Smith wanted his girls to have the same opportunities as men so he started a club called Keyettes. The name was changed to "Keywanattes" in the mid-70s because a women's organization on the east coast already had the rights to the name. It was through the efforts of the Cal-Nev-Ha district Kiwanis Sponsored Youth Advisors and high school principals that a program be made available to the young women of the community that provides the opportunities that young men had in Key Club. Today the two youth groups are co-educational.
In the beginning, Keywanettes was the fastest growing high school organization in the nation. There used to be four districts. However, the Texas district merged with the Key Club of Texas. There is only one club left in the Carolinas; being the area's sole club, there is no district. There is no Virginia club anymore, and all these events have left one district left - California-Nevada-Hawaii. It has been the strongest and largest with over 50 clubs (and growing) and 2,500 members.
Keywanettes became KIWIN'S when the House of Delegates convened at the 1995 Cal-Nev-Ha District Convention. KIWIN'S comes from the Otchipew language and translates to "people, men and women, working together in service." The Cal-Nev-Ha District changed their name to dispel gender specific connotations and promote growth.
Each year, KIWIN'S hold a District Convention to promote unity within KIWIN'S and meet others who are like them: service minded teenagers. Elections for District Officers also takes place at Convention and the new Lieutenant Governors are installed while the previous District Board is retired.
The Merge as a District of Key Club International: Keyettes, Keywanettes, KIWIN'S, and now the Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN'S District of Key Club International. Yes, as of April 22, 2001, our organization took yet another step in its proud history. At this year's convention in Woodland Hills, CA, it was decided by the House of Delegates that the Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN'S District would now be brought under the Key Club International umbrella. While this surprising change has left many bewildered and discouraged, it's now time that we set the record straight. Bottom line: same great organization, plus all the perks of Key Club International. I shall explain.
Although this new title seems to make us equivalent to Key Club, in actuality, we are still, and always will be KIWIN'S clubs. We maintain essentially the same bylaws, charter, and literature, yet have just adopted many of the standards, projects, and opportunities of International. For example, as a Key Club International district, we are entitled to representation by a Trustee, who's purpose is to inform our district of what projects and opportunities are available to us at the international level. In addition, we are entitled and fully capable of running a candidate for International Trustee, President, and/or Vice President. Our views will be represented throughout the Kiwanis International Family on a greater scale, and our opinions will be heard. Also, we are now able to participate in International projects such as raising monies for Vitamin A Deficiency, UNICEF, and other such charitable organizations. And, we are entitled to embark upon partnerships with other organizations such as the Youth Opportunities Fund, which provides funding for us to do more costly projects, and AYUSA, a foreign exchange program that works hand in hand with the Kiwanis Family. The perks don't stop there. With this new shift, we are all also eligible to apply for awards and scholarships offered at the International level that have never been available to us prior. Above all, this change allows our organization to be covered by International insurance, which was the main conflict for why we could no longer exist as a separate entity. Now, KIWIN'S can continue to perform community service with a smile, and rest assured that our financial status is no longer in question.
Sure, our bylaws and awards manuals are undergoing a bit of revision, and the cost of dues might raise by a few dollars. But, we are still the same organization in heart and in practice. We all possess the initiative, drive, and overall passion to serve. And we know that no matter what our title, we will continue to provide our communities with more service hours per person than any other group in the world. Let us all take a good look at where we now stand, and then, let us continue the tradition of excellence for years to come. After all, what's in a name?