The Kiwanis Club of Cicero recently had the honor of hosting members of the Hamilton Heights Middle School Kiwanis Builders Club.
Two Club members, Zoe Pickett and Natalie Head, along with the club’s two Leadership Program Advisors, Sami Nelson and Sophie Wright, presented on what the club stands for, what the members learn by participating, and all the activities the club is involved in throughout the year.
“As we continue to focus on creating a culture of kindness at Hamilton Heights Middle School and throughout our communities, we are excited to share some of the kindness acts that are being submitted as part of our ‘kindness chain’ in the school,” Nelson said. “Club members are asked to right down a random act of kindness or a nice thing to say and all those put together in a chain for all the students to see and read.”
In addition to creating the kindness chain, club members raise funds for Riley Children’s Hospital, the Diabetes Foundation, create “gifts of love” for the Hamilton Heights Elementary School students, helped five families during the school’s annual Christmas Giving Tree … and then there was the Taylor Swift Dance.
“Given all the publicity around Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, the members decided to hold a Taylor Swift-themed dance,” Nelson said. “The members collaborated with the middle school student government and there were about 150 students that attended the dance. Nothing but Taylor Swift songs and a lot of screaming and yelling!”
The Hamilton Heights Builders Club focuses on students in fifth through eighth grades. The goal of the club is to develop leadership skills, improve self-confidence, and learn life skills through service.
The club currently has around 50 members and Nelson said these kids have amazing ideas and truly want to make the world a better place. When one of the club members was asked why they joined Builders Club, their response was, “I joined Builders Club because I want to change the lives of the people around me.”
As students maneuver this in-between stage of their life, Builders Club empowers them to be themselves, work together, and implement plans through actions.
“The Kiwanis Club of Cicero is proud to sponsor these amazing middle school students so they can continue their leadership journey and make a difference in our communities,” Kiwanis Club of Cicero President Clevenger said. “These phenomenal students continue to make an impact in their school and communities. The selfless work they do is truly inspirational, and we can’t wait to see everything else they continue to do. These experiences will not only have an impact today but will instill in each of them a desire to make a lifelong commitment to service.”