Background

Kiwanis de Amigos is one of nearly 16,000 Kiwanis clubs located in 70 countries and geographic areas.  Kiwanis was coined from American Indian language in the Detroit, Michigan area in 1914, and means “we trade” or “we share our talents.”  The current motto is: “Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.”

Our Club

In Spanish, our club means the Kiwanis Club of Friends.  We were established 28 years ago, and we are one of eight clubs in the Tucson metropolitan area.  The club is made up of approximately 25 members.  Kiwanis de Amigos is the most active service-oriented club in the Tucson area.  We organize one or more “hands on" service projects each month.  Our club is rich with young talent and many members have a wonderful sense of humor, which adds to our esprit de corps as we work together to serve the community.
 
Our club’s vision is to be the outstanding volunteer service organization in Tucson.  Our mission is to serve the children in the greater Tucson area.  This does not mean we are committed solely to children, since some of our service projects benefit families, children, and individuals with special needs.  However, de Amigos subscribes to the overall Kiwanis International philosophy and in so doing established the largest track and field event in Southern Arizona and possibly the state.  It’s called the Kiwanis de Amigos Relays, and is generally held the 1st or 2nd Saturday in April.  We invite middle schools to participate, and generally there are over 24+ schools at the event each year.  Our other large event, also an invitational for middle schools, is the Kiwanis de Amigos Rattlesnake Run of 1.6 miles and is held around the 1st Saturday after Labor Day. Both the Relays and Rattlesnake Run are free to all participating schools and we welcome students of all abilities.

Examples of some of the other major community needs we support include:

  • U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers Drive—Our club unloads, sorts, and packages donated food that is then sent to the local food bank.
  • C.A.R.E. Fair—This event provides services to approximately 2,500 financially challenged families as they prepare children for school each year.  We volunteer at Sunnyside High School in facilitating parents’ access to these services.
  • Holiday Shopping Spree—One elementary school is selected each year, and we assist designated students in selecting presents for their family members through a shopping spree at a major retail store, followed by a wrapping and cookie party.
  • Community Food Bank—We periodically help package food boxes given to families, with over 42 pallets completed during our most recent event at the facility.
  • Boys and Girls Clubs—We support selective events and activities.
  • Others…

As noted above, we are a friendly fun-loving service club.  While we have programs at most of our weekly breakfast meetings, we conduct a lot of our business at these sessions.  This ensures ample opportunity for involvement and feedback from our members.