12 Days of Giving: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis

Name: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis

Website: www.dodkiwanis.org

What they’re all about:

Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis is part of Kiwanis International, a nonprofit organization that caters to the needs of children all across the globe. With the motto “Serving the children of the world,” Kiwanis totals 600,000 members worldwide who annually raise around $107 million. Kiwanis was founded in 1915 and members of Kiwanis are of any age and take part in numerous Kiwanis projects and programs.

Programs of Kiwainis include: Terrific Kids, Bring Up Grades and Key Leader. Each of the three programs aims to help students progress toward a successful education and career.

The Kiwanis International global campaign is known as the Eliminate Project. The Eliminate Project works to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus, which is a medical condition where infants suffer from prolonged contractions in their skeletal muscle fibers. Kiwanis’ pledge is to raise US$110 million to help fund the elimination of MNT, a disease that kills one baby every nine minutes. Kiwanis has partnered with UNICEF for the Eliminate Project and has already eliminated MNT in 20 countries.

Since 1924, the organization has never changed its following list of six permanent objectives:  

1. To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life.
2. To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships.
3. To promote the adoption and the application of higher social, business, and professional standards.
4. To develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship.
5. To provide, through Kiwanis clubs, a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service, and to build better communities.
6. To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which make possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism, and goodwill.

How to Help: To join Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis, you can apply on their website or you can donate to the Kiwanis International Foundation.

Adult members of Kiwanis can choose among three different clubs: Kiwanis, Aktion Club and Circle K International. Youth members can join the Key Club, which is an organization for teens that teaches leadership, Builders Club, or Kiwanis Kids for elementary students.