Need community service hours? You might want to consider joining KIWIN’s (a division of Kiwanis and Key Club), Foothill’s new club dedicated to service.

“KIWIN’s isn’t just another club. It requires a lot of commitment, and it teaches [club members] the importance of reaching out and getting leadership skills,” president Sharon Choi said, adding that her goal was about twenty hours of community service per student this year.

Members participate in various projects, both local and with the Turquoise Division, which includes both Camarillo High School and Simi Valley High School. The first community service activity the club will participate in is Project FACTS, or Foster And Care Through Students.

Project FACTS is not specific to the Foothill KIWIN’s club, so members from KIWIN’s clubs from other schools would also participate. The project’s aim is to donate to organizations helping foster children and provide guidance through mentoring.

Foothill will be participating in the project and other service activities, like raising donations for UNICEF, within the Turquoise Division.

“KIWIN’s is about community service and leadership, but it’s also about making new friends and getting to know people not only at Foothill but at other schools, too,” Choi said.

Choi noted the benefits of belonging to a division of a larger organization, not a localized club. At the end of the year, KIWIN’s clubs from California, Nevada, and Hawaii meet at a convention to celebrate their accomplishments.

“It seems like a good thing to be involved with,” freshman Celine Lecolley said, and expressing her own interest in joining, “It seems fun.”

Her opinion was shared by the 86 people who signed up for KIWIN’s during Club Rush, and Choi is hoping the club will have a big presence on campus despite its recent arrival.

“It was dropped in my lap like a present,” remarked Chris Prewitt, the club advisor, and said that he was incredibly excited about the projects KIWIN’s wants to take on this year.

If you are interested in joining, want to learn more, or need to fulfill Foothill’s community service requirement, KIWIN’s meets every other Tuesday after FIRE in Prewitt’s room I105.

“You should be at the meetings. It’s important so you know what’s going on and what opportunities are available,” Choi said.