What We Do & How We Serve

eKiwanis members serve the community, year round, through a wide variety of service projects. We partner with local organizations to meet local community and global needs. Our focus is on serving children and other vulnerable populations. Read more below on how we serve!

Our Projects

Our Kiwanis Club’s Service Committee plans approximately 2-3 volunteer events each month with most occurring on weekends or weekday evenings. All club members are invited to attend service projects!

We are proud to offer a variety of service projects to meet different skills, interests, abilities, and geographic locations!

Previous and ongoing service projects include:

• Cooking and serving a meal at Ronald McDonald House (Maywood) or Lincoln Park Community Services (Chicago)
• Packing meals and food at Feed My Starving Children (Schaumburg) or the Greater Chicago Food Depository (Chicago)
• Collecting toiletries and making sandwiches for individuals experiencing homelessness through The Night Ministry (Chicago)
• Performing upkeep and building bat caves at YMCA Camp Independence (Ingleside)
• Performing a trash pickup at Cook County Forest Preserve and distributed (in your own neighborhood) during COVID-19
• Assisting our community partner, Clearbrook, by staffing special events (gala, auctions, etc.) and participating in their 5K walk/run
• Building custom-designed cars for kids with disabilities through the Go Baby Go program
• Handing out donations and working with guests in the Breakfast with Baby program
• Making cards for veterans and senior citizens
• Creating sleeping mats for homeless individuals
• Christmas caroling at local nursing homes
• Adopt-a-child during the holiday season
• And many more! Our projects vary each year and each season. Members are encouraged to bring new ideas and partnerships to the club!

Service Leadership Programs

Our Kiwanis Club sponsors two Service Leadership Programs. Service Leadership Programs are part of the greater Kiwanis Family.

We sponsor the Clearbrook Aktion Club (a service organization for adults with disabilities) and the Jones College Prep High School Key Club. Key Club is the largest international service organization for high school students. Through these programs, we increase our impact on the community as even more individuals have been inspired to lead lives of service and significance through programs for all ages.

eKiwanis members also serve as appointed (volunteer) advisors to Key Club and Circle K at both the district and international levels!

Car Seat Safety Check Day

Since 2018, eKiwanis has partnered with the Carol Stream Police Department to offer the Car Seat Safety Check Day! This event welcomes families to get their child’s car seat checked or installed by certified safety technicians.

Kiwanis sponsors the program by purchasing a variety of car seats to be donated to families in need, such as if a seat were broken or unsafe for the child’s size. eKiwanis also provides refreshments, goodie bags, and staffs the event each year.

The Car Seat Safety Check Day is eKiwanis’s signature project held annually in September. For more information on the program, check out this newsletter (see pages 7-9)!

Illinois-Eastern Iowa District and Kiwanis International Programs

Through donations of time, talent, and treasure, eKiwanis supports greater Illinois-Eastern Iowa District of Kiwanis and Kiwanis International programs including:

• Kiwanis Neuroscience Research Foundation
• Kiwanis Eliminate Project

Fundraising & Community Support

Members and friends of the club are encouraged to support eKiwanis through any of the following fundraisers:

• Fannie May (November each year)
• Giving Tuesday (November/December)
• AmazonSmile (year-round)
• Scrips gift card program
• In-person events (when safe) including Beer Tasting events, poker runs, wine tasting, restaurant revenue share nights, Bulls games, comedy club nights, and more!
• Donations through check, cash, Facebook, and PayPal are accepted year-round (and are tax-deductible!). Please contact us to make a donation via cash/check.

These donations are returned to the community through the previously described projects and charitable donations (including the likes of the Salvation Army, disaster relief causes, scholarship funds, etc.).

eKiwanis also conducts several small fundraisers to support the club’s operations. These include our annual admin raffle and happy dollar program.

Ready to Serve with Us?

Contact us or apply for Kiwanis club membership here!