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Quarter 2 2023-2024
FL District Newsletter
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A Message From the Desk of
Prairy Riehl
Kiwanis Florida District Governor 2023-2024
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With a quarter of the Kiwanis year over, I am so excited to announce that you are doing amazing in the Florida District! Not only are you growing (by over 300 members), but you are increasing your service to your communities, which is the reason why we exist in the first place. Thank you for seeing the value in making a plan to increase membership so you can do even more in your communities! I love the motto that Division 24 has chosen for the year - Let's do more in 24! Read more in the article below. What a great motivator!
In about a month, we will come together in the North and South to learn how to better serve our communities. With leadership round-tables and workshops such as Engaging your Community, there will be something for everyone - experienced and new Kiwanians alike. I am also really excited to have the opportunity to give out awards to members who have recruited others into Kiwanis. Clubs will also receive awards for increasing in membership and participating in the Governor's Project so far.
Join us for some fun, sharing, and service! More info in the images below or online HERE.
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The North Regional Conference will be held in conjunction with Children's Week. You can come over for just the day or stay as long as you can to join us for some social and service activities. We would appreciate the help at our Kiwanis Booth on Monday and Tuesday in the Capitol Building. Sign up HERE. Recommended hotels can be found on the North Regional Kiwanis Registration page. The cost of the North Regional Conference is $30, which includes lunch, snacks, and materials. | |  |
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We are so very excited to announce that we will be hosting a service project at the South Regional Conference, building Welcome Packs for kids in foster care. Please have your clubs sign up to bring items for the kits - HERE.
The cost of the South Regional Conference is $25, which includes lunch, snacks, and materials.
If you can, stick around after the Regional Conference for a fun Social Event! Details coming
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Progress Update on our Goals | |
We are finishing up round 1 of opening clubs, with clubs in the works in Auburndale, West Boca, St. Pete, and Havana. We're about to start working on round 2 with clubs in Marianna, Doral, Babcock Ranch, West Park, and Zephyrhills. If you have friends and family members in those areas, please reach out to connect us - Prairy.Riehl@gmail.com | |
Did you earn a
Ruby K pin?
| A Ruby K pin is an award given by Kiwanis International to members who have brought in at least 5 members into Kiwanis over the course of their lifetime. I am so very excited that we will be handing out these awards at our Regional Conferences in February and March. You should have received an email if you will be awarded the Ruby K pin. I hope to see you there! | |
The Lieutenant Governors and Strengthening Chairs are working hard to help clubs plan a boost to grow their membership. Using an Open House or implementing the Two for Two program has been very successful for the clubs who have tried these two membership strategies. Reach out to our membership team if you would like help! | |
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I'm so proud of you for reaching more kids through opening new Service Leadership Programs! Along with the 8 opened in October, we have 5 more opened in November and December! Congrats to the following clubs!!
Builders Club
Cayman Academy
John Hopkins Middle
Key Club
Cayman Academy
Oak Ridge High
Aktion Club
Friendship Place
Welcome to the K-family!
Find out more on starting a Service Leadership Program Here!
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You will often hear a Florida CKI student state "Come for the Service, Stay for the Fellowship"! Isn't that a great phrase to represent Kiwanis as well? Many of us have developed so many great relationships both within our clubs and beyond. Let's broaden those relationships through completing Interclubs with other Kiwanis Clubs and local Service Leadership Programs.
When you plan projects and activities with your Service Leadership Programs, you are exemplifying what it means to be a Kiwanian. Interacting with these amazing students and adults, we often leave inspired and motivated. When we Interclub with other Kiwanis Clubs, we often find ideas to bring back to our own club.
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I had the pleasure of attending a few projects supporting kids in Foster Care over the holidays! I am so proud of all of the work that you do throughout the District. I hear nothing but gratitude and praises when speaking to people who work in the numerous agencies who support these kids. You are making a positive impact in their lives! Thank you!
Do you want to do a project to support these kids but don't know where to start or who to reach out to? Check out the Governor's Project Padlet Here.
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Important Dates
Click on Title for Website/Zoom links
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Join Governor Prairy Riehl and Chair Timothy Wolfinger to learn why your club needs Bylaws and how to complete them.
Here's the link to join: https://bit.ly/Kiwanisbylaws
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Social Media District Chair, Jose Leoncio, will be presenting an informative and "not to be missed!" session on using the Power of Social Media to promote your club.
https://bit.ly/FLKiwanisWebinars
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New Member Orientation Webinar Monday, February 26th, 7-8:30pm (EST)
New to Kiwanis? Perhaps a little rusty on Kiwanis acronyms? Interested in learning "what makes Kiwanis tick"? Join us for a fun and informative learning session on Kiwanis structure, Club Operations and the Kiwanis Family beyond your own club.
No matter how long you've been in Kiwanis, you will no doubt find at least one golden nugget of new information at this New Member Orientation webinar.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89067767256?pwd=SkJYR3ZheUFRSDBFdDMrRUNiVllaUT09
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Every summer the Florida District trains its incoming club officers at specially prepared Club Leadership Education sessions. We cover everything from basic duties to Leadership tricks to Membership strategies for presidents, secretaries and treasurers.
This year, Debbie McNulty, the Club and Leadership Education coordinator under Governor Prairy and Incoming Governor Jeremy Riehl needs your help in filling these VERY IMPORTANT trainer positions for EACH Division in Florida.
All trainers receive instruction themselves on the content to be presented and on presentation best practices. All you need is a willingness to teach and lots of Kiwanis enthusiasm.
Please contact your division Lt. Gov. or contact Debbie McNulty directly at debmcnultykiwanis@gmail.com.
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FUTURE FLORIDA DISTRICT CONVENTIONS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!
August 15-18, 2024 Hilton Buena Vista Palace (Orlando)
August 7-10, 2025 PGA National Resort
(Palm Beach Gardens)
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FUTURE KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!
Denver, Colorado, USA July 3-6, 2024
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA June 25-28, 2025
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News From Your District Chairs | |
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Greetings Florida Kiwanians!
I am excited to invite all of you to experience our Florida Key Club District Education and Leadership Conference (DCON) on April 18-21st in Daytona Beach, FL. This is an amazing 4-day event where over 1200 Key Club members and advisors come from all over the district.
If you have not been to a Key Club DCON, I highly recommend you come! We will have workshop sessions for our faculty and Kiwanis advisors.
You can register for the full conference at http://floridakeyclub.org/dcon. We are also offering a Kiwanis One Day pass for Saturday, April 20th which includes access to all the sessions throughout the day, Lunch, and a ticket to our Governor's Banquet. The cost is $75. You can sign up for that option here: https://forms.gle/dYRi3HnGVRXDriFa6.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our DCON team at dcon@floridakeyclub.org. Hope to see you in April at Daytona!
Thank you for your service,
Heather Locke (she/her)
District Administrator
Florida District of Key Club International, Inc
Heather@floridakeyclub.org
(850)591-9480
www.FloridaKeyClub.org
#BETHE KEY
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What do they call Whoville people? They are the Whos.
Many of the different characters, known as Whos, live within the speck that contains Whoville. The Whos are whimsical, human/leporid/kangaroo-like hybrid creatures who live in shaped houses, known for their warm hearts and welcoming spirits. Thank you, Dr Seuss.
Kiwanis Clubs are known for warm hearts and welcoming spirits. Sounds like a lot of clubs I visited. But is something missing in our club? Not the What but WHO. As you look around at your club meeting, who is missing?
Kiwanis is always looking for opportunities. Well, there is one right in front of us. It is who is missing from our club. Ask the question, is the look of our membership reflective of the children we serve?
If a guest came to your club, what or who would they see? Is your club just a circle of comfort for people we know or is our membership more diverse?
What qualities make a club successful? A successful club encourages and supports all members, offers encouragement with positive and specific feedback, celebrates the success of all members, and takes pride in the collective efforts of all. Notice the word ALL!
What is the golden rule of inclusion? It is to support others as you would wish to be supported. In the simplest terms, diversity and inclusion can be explained by diversity being the mix and inclusion is getting the mix to work well together. This also focuses on the needs of every person and making sure that the right conditions are set for them to reach their full potential.
Diversity is a notion which, when applied to most circumstances, can create a positive conclusion. The trick to producing a positive outcome is often how the different aspects are brought together. Consider a classic dinner combination peas and carrots, the two colors look appealing, and the two flavors come together as one making a superb side dish. Now consider oil and water, these two substances are not often considered a good combination. Although, this is not always the case, olive oil and water. So, two members or more just may be different, but their goal is to help children.
We need our members to feel inclusive. Inclusion matters, an inclusive culture should not hinder individuals from being themselves. No one should have to hide a part of his/her identity. Think of our service leadership programs. Inclusion matters to them, so let us lead by example. We need new members with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. They offer fresh ideas and perspectives that will help our clubs grow and serve even more children.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
So, can your club be a WHOVILLE, where you welcome warm hearts and welcoming spirits? It’s not the WHAT that is holding us back. It is the WHO.
Contact the Florida District Membership Expansion Committee. Let us be your guide to Whoville.
Gary J. Frechette
Past Kiwanis Florida District Governor
Team Member, Membership Expansion Committee
Florida District of Kiwanis International
(561) 718-0025
flkiwanismec@gmail.com
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What is Givebacks?
Did you know US nonprofits that added an online/digital component to their existing fundraisers in 2020 grew their net revenue by 36.4%? Givebacks, provides world-class digital communications and fundraising software for tens of thousands of schools and nonprofit organizations across the US. Givebacks offers its complete software suite to Florida Kiwanis District Clubs with no annual subscription. Like it or not, the US is moving towards a paperless, cashless economy. With over half of our clubs utilizing no technology in their current fundraisers, this must-attend webinar will help you leverage current and future trends in in-person, virtual, and hybrid fundraising. This FREE program can also be used for website services and club communication to replace Portalbuzz.
Please take the Fundraising Survey so we can better support your fundraising efforts!
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Greetings Kiwanians!
Thank you to all the clubs who have shared their spectacular work these past few months on Social Media! Keep them coming, your club can be the next one featured on the Florida Kiwanis page. As we start the new year, here are 3 tips for your club to spruce up your Kiwanis Club's social media pages:
1. Vibrant Photos. Compelling photos and videos tell your story best. Vibrant images show what Kiwanis club members do and who they serve. Avoid posting blurry photos. Share those amazing images of Kiwanis in action!
2. Members. Highlight the exciting work your members are doing! Recognize them. Make them feel special.
3. Consistency. Develop a consistent habit of posting on your pages. Use the Meta Business Suite to schedule your posts days in advance!
If you want more social media tips, join me for the Social Media webinar on February 5th. Contact me if you have any questions!
Yours in Service,
Jose Leoncio
Social Media Chair
Florida Kiwanis
jose@floridakeyclub.org
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Risk Management Tips
Did you know that every year, Kiwanis clubs are required to complete the annual Youth Protection Training?
The safety of our members and students is vital to the success of a Kiwanis Club. That is why every year, we ask that Kiwanis Clubs hold the annual “Youth Protection Training”. The Youth Protection Training is important since Kiwanis works with over 300,000 youths each year. Our member students are counting on us to look out for their wellbeing and Kiwanis International needs us to ensure we are protecting our youths as well as our members.
The training covers a wide variety of topics that will help to your club be prepared should an emergency or adverse event happen at meetings, projects, or conferences. The training will cover such topics as Chaperoning, Background Checks, Duties to SLP Sponsors, Social Media/Communication, Transportation, Medication, and Overnight Stays.
Kiwanis clubs can host in-person or virtual training for all members of the club by using the “Youth Protection Policy training for Kiwanis clubs” — or by viewing the “Youth Protection Policy training for Kiwanis clubs” video recording on the Kiwanis site.
After training is completed for the Kiwanis year, the club secretary should update the Secretary Dashboard by checking the box “Our club has received youth protection guideline training.”
Let’s start 2024 out strong! I challenge you to get your Youth Protection Training done by the end of February.
Together, we can keep Kiwanis safe for everyone!
In Friendship and Service,
Timothy Wolfinger
Florida Risk Manager
Bob and Donna Parton
Florida Youth Protection Training
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YOUNG CHILDREN: PRIORITY ONE | |
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Happy 2024! How was your first quarter of our Kiwanis year? Was your Club successful in expanding your reach in your community to include a local expert on YC:PO? Our communities are fortunate to have plenty of expertise just for the asking! Did you invite a new community leader to one of your Club meetings? Did you encourage your members to expand their involvement with childcare communities? Did you find a way to provide additional books to young children? What are your plans for the young children in your community for 2024?
Consider an activity with young children where the children focus on “their” letter. This is the first letter of their name. Once they realize it is “their” letter, they will own it and it becomes a very special letter! Magnetic letters are a great way to introduce this concept to young children. Showing a child the first letter of his/her name and assisting him/her recognize that letter in other words in a classroom assists with easy recognition for the child.
Age-appropriate magnetic letters are inexpensive. Make sure you consider the age of the child for this project to ensure the magnetic letters are not going to cause a choking hazard for the child.
In honor of Dr. Wil Blechman, the reason why Kiwanis has YC:PO, remember:
“When it comes to children, it’s not whether we pay, it’s when.”, was among Dr. Wil’s key messages. “How dare we pay for failure when we have the ability to invest in Success.”
Thank you for following the lead of this great man and taking the necessary steps to create a Community of Caring for young children in your neighborhood!

Please remember to email your club activities with young children. Also let me know of a speaker that you had at one of your club meetings that focused on young children. We learn from each other, so thank you for sharing and teaching!
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Greetings, everyone!
With the holiday season behind us, we can concentrate on an exciting 2024!
So far, in 2023, three new K-KIDS clubs have been chartered. I know there are many more on the horizon because I have been speaking with several people interested in opening new clubs.
There is a lot of work to be done, and if you are interested in being a part of my committee, please let me know. Maybe I am a bit biased, but I think that K-KIDS is the most fun part of the SLP family!
It's that time of year -- Celebration of the Hands!
We want a big showing at Children’s Week this year (next February). Prairy Riehl, our Florida Kiwanis District Governor, has a goal -- to have as many of our K-Kids Clubs as possible participate in making “hands” to be hung in Tallahassee for Children’s Week -- February 25 through March 1.
Celebration of the Hands is a stunning visual of children's hand artwork proudly displayed in the Capitol Rotunda. These beautiful works of art serve as a daily reminder to legislators and visitors that the future of our children rests #InOurHands.
It's time to break out the construction paper, markers, paints, glitter, and more to be part of our 2024 display. Use your imagination-there is no limit to your creativity!
Artwork must be postmarked no later than February 12, 2024. Click here for your toolkit with instructions.
Secretaries, if you have not already done so, please made sure that your information with KI is updated with your clubs – that includes all the proper contact details for your faculty and Kiwanis advisors. Remember, if their youth protection requirements have not been met, their names will be removed from the roster.
Remember, I am always here to help you in your K-KIDS journey.
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FLORIDA DISTRICT CLUB UPDATES | |
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Kiwanis Club of Flagler Palm Coast:
Sister Kiwanis Clubs Honor High School Athletes to inspire better elementary and middle school student behavior.
Flagler Palm Coast Kiwanis and Flagler County Kiwanis joined forces and finances to help Matanzas High School (Go Pirates!) create a new program, Athlete of the Week. Each week a boys team and a girls team athlete are chosen on the basis of their character, athletic and academic performance and contributions to the community. These two outstanding students each receive a custom embroidered Adidas gym bag, a set of “Blues Brothers” embossed sunglasses, and an inspirational sports book (courtesy of the Flagler Fellowship of Christian Athletes) at a loud and raucous presentation that takes place at noon in the cafeteria. All eyes tend to gravitate to the gym bags and sunglasses with “Kiwanis Athlete of the Week” splashed across them.
These students also earn the opportunity (more like being volunteered!) to participate in the school’s PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Solutions) MentorSHIP program. The local Kiwanis clubs coordinate meetings with elementary and middle school kids that have been referred to PBIS for on-campus behavior issues, and these student-athletes present to the kids their personal stories of how they achieved their status and what it takes to win. It’s no secret that most young kids will listen to a high school star athlete much closer than even their parents when it comes to tips on improving behavior.
The intersection of PBIS campus programs and the MentorSHIP program was imagined and created as part of the development of the Athlete of the Week award by Warren Mudd and John Saucier of Flagler Palm Coast Kiwanis, Jordan Butler, Athletic Director of Matanzas High School, Noel Bethea, Behavioral Interventionist at Matanzas HS, several other PBIS administrators on elementary and middle school campuses in the Flagler County School District. Flagler County Kiwanis jumped in through their sponsorship of the Matanzas HS Key Club, providing support to the MentorSHIP program with mentors and to the Athlete of the Week award with partial funding for the award merchandise. This community effort is new, so keep your eyes tuned in here to see updates on how it is working. You can contact President Warren Mudd at warrenmudd@gmail.com to get more details.
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Division 24 "Let's Do More"
I am very proud of every club in our Division! All 9 did some type of Holiday project to benefit the kids in their communities.
I was able to attend the Kiwanis Club of Hollywood Special Needs Holiday Dinner and Dance, with over 90 people in attendance, at least 15 of them being new Aktion Club members!
I also attended a most impressive Holiday Bike giveaway by the Davie West Hollywood! It was an amazing production!
The East Pines Miramar Holiday Party had amazing food and I just had to partake and buy the Rum cake and Sorrel.
I did an Installation of New members for the Miramar Pembroke Pines club..not the traditional Kiwanis way but I will learn the correct way for the next one!
I also attended the Hallandale STEM night..what a great event for the kids to engage in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics!
We now have a Division 24 Aktion Club of South Florida!
Their first project was a Thanksgiving Food Drive.
I look forward to an awesome 2024!
LG Deb
Division 24
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