About Us

Kiwanis K-Kids is one of the largest service-leadership programs for elementary students, with more than 22,000 members in 1,100 clubs worldwide. As part of the Kiwanis International family, our members join a global network of over 445,000 members working together to make a difference from elementary school through adulthood.

Our Founding Story

The Kiwanis K-Kids tradition in Los Altos once thrived at Loyola Elementary School, where a Kiwanis parent led the club successfully for nearly ten years before it closed during the pandemic. Since then, no K-Kids chapter has been re-established in the area. Traditionally, clubs are tied to individual schools, but when Vinci connected with longtime Kiwanian Martha, they envisioned something different: a community-wide club open to all children who live in or attend school in Los Altos.

Vinci, a parent deeply involved in youth volunteerism, had guided her sons, Tyson and Caden, through more than 100 hours of community service during the 2024–2025 school year, earning the President’s Volunteer Service Award at the Gold Level. Many of these projects were self-initiated and required researching local organizations willing to involve younger participants. While older students often had access to structured service clubs at the middle and high school level, opportunities for elementary-age children were far more limited.

Even at a young age, Tyson and Caden believed kids could make a difference. They shared the idea of creating a service club for children, and with the encouragement of a parent advisor and the strong support of Kiwanis, that dream became reality. Today, the K-Kids Club of Los Altos is a place where children across the community can come together to serve, learn leadership, and discover the joy of helping others.