“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
—– Denis Waitley, motivational speaker
It is with great honor that I serve as your 2016-2018 Kiwanis Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation President. As a Kiwanis member for twenty-nine years, I have always believed in our mission: “Building a Better Future for Our Children.” Our mission statement is not just words to me, but a way of life. I believe this statement represents the heart and spirit of all members in the Cal-Nev-Ha District.
Kids need Kiwanis. Today, more than any other time, our communities, our world. and our children need Kiwanis. As Kiwanians, each of you transform the lives of kids within our communities. Your generosity has made the following possible:
- You granted more than $93,000 to our partner hospitals, enabling them to provide critical community outreach to promote childhood injury prevention – the leading cause of death for children 14 and under in the United States – and to purchase specialized pediatric medical equipment to treat our children when the unthinkable happens;
- You provided more than $200,000 in scholarships and leadership training to our Service Leadership Partners, making the dream of college possible, and providing our future leaders with the tools and skill set necessary to thrive in today’s world; and
- You have made it possible for clubs to receive Foundation grants that enabled them to develop signature projects that serve, protect, and transform children’s lives.
“I continue to believe that if children are given the necessary tools to succeed, they will succeed beyond their wildest dreams!”
—– David Vitter, U.S. senator
The Kiwanis Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation Board consists of a group of dedicated individuals who are passionate about improving the lives of the children in this district. These individuals not only donate their time, and talents, but their own personal resources to ensure the Foundation lives up to its mission of “Building a Better Future for Our Children.”
At the 2014 District Convention the Foundation launched our Accelerating Our Commitment to Children Initiative – a five-year initiative to raise $3 million.
Simply put, the goal of our Accelerate Initiative is to raise funds which will allow us to provide a substantial increase to our programs. For instance, we’d like to add additional partner hospitals in underserved communities such as Las Vegas, Orange County, and Los Angeles or Ventura Counties. We recognize that as our Service Leadership Programs (SLP) grow, we must be prepared to meet this demand with additional funding in order to provide leadership opportunities to our student leaders. We want to increase the number and amount of scholarships we provide each year to our SLP members. And, we want to increase the number of grants we award to our Kiwanis and SLP clubs.
I encourage clubs, club foundations and individuals to support our Accelerate Initiative with a five-year pledge, or an outright gift of any amount. Your gift prevents trauma. Your generosity develops student leaders and inspires students to pursue a higher degree. Your commitment supports our clubs.
I’m pleased to report that you donations to our Accelerate Initiative have enabled us to increase the amount of grants we provide to clubs this year. We even doubled the grant funding for Pediatric Trauma Program grants! If your club is developing a new service project this year, please consider applying for a grant of up to $2,000 from the Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation.
I am excited to be serving as your 2016-2018 Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation President. Thank you for allowing me to serve you, the members of this District.
“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.”
—– Fred Rogers
Margo L. Dutton
President, Kiwanis Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation