A New Club is Organizing in Nora and You’re Invited: Nora Kiwanis Satellite Club

What’s that? A new kind of Kiwanis Club is organizing in Nora, and it might not be what you’d expect.

Kiwanis Club of Meridian Hills
– Nora Community Satellite Club

The Nora Kiwanis Satellite Club is a new opportunity to get social, for hands-on service, and to make a difference right here in Nora.

Although it’s new, the club is being established on a very strong foundation. It’s a satellite club of the Kiwanis Club of Meridian Hills – with its focus on service to the Nora community. Members will lead signature community projects of the former North Central Kiwanis Club, like the annual Nora community Easter Egg Hunt and Northview Middle School Builders Club. Opportunities abound, including hands-on service in partnership with The Nora Alliance.

How a Kiwanis satellite works

  • Everyone is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Meridian Hills.
  • The doors of both groups are open to each other. Satellite members also will be invited to all
    meetings, socials, and service opportunities of the Kiwanis Club of Meridian Hills. The
    members of Meridian Hills Kiwanis are also invited to the Nora events.

    • Meridian Hills meets each Wednesday at noon (11:30 for lunch) at Bravo at 86th and
      Township Line Road. This group also hosts monthly socials.

Monthly Participation Goals

(no requirements)

  • Monthly Social – One monthly social at a local establishment
    • Evening social
    • Sign-up and/or plan service projects for the next month
  • Service – Three to four hours of community service to Nora per month (no requirement; this is a suggestion)
  • Special Events – Possibly a second social opportunity each month or for special events.

What we will do – Service to the Nora Community

  • Northview Builder’s Club (Kiwanis for middle school students) – If you want to make a difference in your life and community, check out Builders Club.
    • Support faculty advisor; attend as many meetings as possible (1-2 members)
    • Help with various service projects the club decides to do for the community.
  • Easter Egg Hunt (a Nora signature community service project), Saturday, March 31
  • Offer hands-on service for The Nora Alliance
    • The Nora Kiwanis Satellite Club is partnering with The Nora Alliance, an alliance of neighbors and businesses “to support and encourage a spirit of community cooperation in Nora Center to promote strong amenities, connected people, and a vibrant built environment.”
    • Service projects may include establishment of micro-parks and trailheads, community cleanups, public art installations, pedestrian safety, placemaking popup events and more
    • Hands-on service project in Nora for Kiwanis One Day (Saturday, October 28, 2017).
    • Nora Alliance is currently in the final stages of a grant award from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. We can assist with the “hands-on” service.
  • Support the Meridian Hills Kiwanis Terrific Kids program
    • Terrific Kids is a student-recognition program that promotes character development,
      self-esteem and perseverance. “Terrific” is an acronym for Thoughtful, Enthusiastic,
      Respectful, Responsible, Inclusive, Friendly, Inquisitive and Capable.

      • Crooked Creek Elementary (WashingtonTownship)
      • Greenbriar Elementary (Washington Township)
      • Meredith Nicholson School 96 (IPS)
      • PROPOSED: Nora Elementary
  • Support the Meridian Hills Kiwanis Christmas shopping for adopted families (shop with children at Nora Target)
  • Pop-up projects – What would you want to see done in the Nora area?

Leadership needs

There are no officers. Main contact: Chris Martz; 317-828-0174; email

  • Northview Builders Club (2 advisors)
  • Nora Alliance (2 meeting attendees); next meeting is October 9
  • Meridian Hills Kiwanis (2 liaisons)
  • Easter Egg Hunt (2 co-chairs)

Funding

Funding is gifted to Nora Kiwanis Satellite Club from the former North Central Kiwanis Club. This allows our group plenty of time to plan for future fundraisers.

  • Easter Egg Hunt ($1,500 gifted from the North Central Kiwanis Club; will cover two years)
  • Builders Club ($1600 gifted from the North Central Kiwanis Club; will cover four years of annual club fee of $150 and four years of project expenses of $250).
  • Additional funding from the Meridian Hills Kiwanis Foundation.

Proposed social and project planning meetings

  • Tuesday, September 12, 6:30 p.m. at Sahm’s on the Monon
  • Tuesday, October 10
  • Tuesday, November 14
  • Tuesday, December 12

What’s next?

  • Continue inviting people to next meeting (September 12)
  • Ready to go as a full group in October
  • Dates to remember or plan events around
    • October 28 – Kiwanis One Day
    • November 3 – Advisor Appreciation Day (Marionne Fort, Builders Club)

Dues

  • Annual membership dues are $145 (This amount includes $52.00 for Kiwanis International dues; $8.00 for Kiwanis Magazine subscription; $17.00 for liability insurance; $35.00 for Indiana District dues; and $33.00 for Kiwanis Club of Meridian Hills dues).
  • Members will become official in October. You may pay your dues any time before then. Checks should be made payable to Kiwanis Club of Meridian Hills.
  • Spouses/Partners/Significant others: Because the satellite club is focused on service, we want people. We do honor that Kiwanis is a membership (dues paying) organization. We will allow one member of a couple to be the official member and the other can tag along for all events. Of course, we also welcome both members to be dues-paying members if you wish!

About Kiwanis

Kiwanis helps kids around the world. Local clubs look out for our communities and the international organization takes on large-scale challenges, such as fighting disease and poverty. We are generous with our time. We are creative with our ideas. We are passionate about making a difference. And we have fun along the way.

For more than a century, Kiwanis has created opportunities for children to be curious, safe and healthy regardless of the community in which they live. When you give a child the chance to learn, experience, dream, grow, succeed and thrive, great things can happen.

Service footprint

Service is at the heart of every Kiwanis club, no matter where in the world it’s located. Members stage nearly 150,000 service projects and raise nearly US$100 million every year for communities, families and projects. By working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone.

A family of servant leaders

Kiwanis clubs focus on changing the world by serving children, one child and one community at a time. To do this, many clubs also sponsor a Kiwanis family club—K-Kids for primary school children; Builders Clubs for adolescents; Key Clubs for teens; Circle K clubs for university students and Aktion Clubs for adults living with disabilities—to reach more people and have a greater service impact on their communities.
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