Kiwanian Karin Church speaking Feb. 1 to Kiwanis about Key Club challenges and activities. Courtesy/Kiwanis

KIWANIS News:

Key Club District Coordinator and local Kiwanian Karin Church spoke to the Los Alamos Kiwanis Club Feb. 1 about the activities and challenges of the Key Clubs in the district, which includes New Mexico, Arizona and El Paso, Texas.

Church began by reviewing the core values of the organization, which are Leadership, Character Building, Caring and Inclusiveness and described its structure encompassing local clubs up to the international level.

There are 127 clubs in the Southwest District with more than 3,100 members. The clubs are basically student run with mentors and supporters from Kiwanis and faculty advisors.

The coronavirus had a significant impact on Key Club. Membership dropped by half, there was a huge loss of institutional knowledge, significant advisor turnover and major disruption in connection to Kiwanis.

However, Key Club is fighting back. Membership is now rising and more activities are planned.

Church credits the young people she leads, saying they are “amazing at coming up with ideas” and praising them for their enthusiasm, involvement and drive.

About Kiwanis

Kiwanis is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organization also accepts women as members. Membership in Kiwanis and its family of clubs is more than 600,000 members. Each year, Kiwanis clubs raise more than US $100 million and report more than 18.5 million volunteer hours to strengthen communities and serve children.

Local Meetings

The Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos meets noon to 1 p.m. each Tuesday in Kelly Hall at Trinity-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church, 3900 Trinity Dr. The meetings are open to the public.