LOCAL NEWS STATION RECOGNIZES AKTION CLUB ADVISOR
What is Aktion Club?
Aktion Club is a community service group for adults, aged 18 and above, who live with a developmental or intellectual disability. The mission of an Aktion Club is to provide members with an opportunity to develop initiative and leadership skill; to serve their community; to be integrated into society and to demonstrate the dignity and value of citizens living with disabilities.
The first Aktion Club was formed in Putnam County Florida by George D. “Jake” Swartout in 1987. It became a sponsored organization of Kiwanis on October 1, 2000. Today there are 500 clubs with 12,000 members in 10 nations. These clubs perform well in excess of 150,000 community service hours annually.
Aktion Club is a sponsored organization of Kiwanis International. With headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, the purpose and mission of the organization reads “Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.” Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan and the first club was chartered on January 21, 1915. A club organizer named Allen Browne brought in the first member of that club. That members name was Joseph Prance. From that day, Kiwanis has grown to be one of the three largest community service organizations in the world. In 1927, the first Key Club, Kiwanis’ high school service club was formed in Sacramento, California.
What is the Service Initiative?
Beginning in 2016, the International service project for Aktion Club is to provide stuffed animals to children. The Shelbyville VC Aktion Club has partnered with the Shelbyville Kiwanis Club and initiated a new project called the “Comfort Cart” for the Emergency Department of Major Hospital in Shelbyville. The comfort cart will provide a series of emergency items such as lotion, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. The Aktion Club will provide stuffed animals and fleece blankets. These items will be given, as needed, to families that must come to the hospital in an emergency and
need these types of items.
Today, there are over 300,000 students on over 5,500 high school campuses, primarily in the United States and Canada. It has grown internationally in many Caribbean nations, Central and South America and recently to Asia and Australia.
In more recent years, Kiwanis has also formed thousands of Circle K Cubs, a college level service club, Builders Clubs, an organization for Junior High School students and K-Kids Clubs for children in elementary schools.
In total, there are over 700,000 members in the Kiwanis family of clubs, all helping to make a better community.
Abby Shuck
abilgailmshuck@gmail.com
Aktion Club is a proud member of the Kiwanis Family
Aktion Clubs are co sponsored by a local Kiwanis Club and a community service agency serving adults with disabilities, such as an adult day program, work program or other similar organization. Our Aktion Club is co sponsored by the Shelbyville Kiwanis Club and The Arc of Shelby County. Clubs are supported at the District level and by the Kiwanis International office in Indianapolis, which provides programs, literature and other club supplies. Annual Indiana District and International training conferences are provided to all clubs.
Motto: Where development has no disability.
Vision: To develop competent, capable, caring
leaders through the vehicle of service.
Mission: To provide adults living with disabilities
an opportunity to develop initiative, leadership
skills and to serve their communities.
Core Values:
Character Building: The ability to do the right thing, even
when it might be the unpopular choice.
Leadership: The ability to listen, communicate, serve
and guide others.
Inclusiveness: Accepting and welcoming differences in
other people.
Caring: The act of being concerned about or interested
in other people or situations.