Our Programs & Projects

The Future Leaders Through Education Scholarship Fund was created to help hard-working students in underserved communities attend a four-year college. Students are selected from applicants from local high schools and the community at large. The Foundation pays for tuition and books to attain a bachelor’s degree from a State of Florida university or college. Since the inception of the program in 1988, the Foundation has awarded over $3 million to deserving students who realized their dream of earning a college degree.​

The Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation has partnered with the Miami-Dade County and Broward County Public School Systems to distribute school supplies to students in low-income areas. Over $250,000 in supplies are provided annually to more than 11,000 elementary school children including book bags, notebooks, pencils, folders, glue sticks, rulers, markers, composition books, filler paper, safety scissors, crayons, and other tools necessary for the start of the school year.

The Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation provides educational and recreational activities for underserved children in the community during the summer months. The FREE eight-week camp offers a safe haven for more than 250 children who receive complimentary uniforms, lunch, and snacks. Thanks to funds generated through Carnaval Miami, over 6,000 children, ages 7-13, have taken part in the Healthy Kids Summer Camp.

Members of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana volunteer as coaches and big brothers to the participants in the Youth Basketball League. Club members have trained and mentored thousands of children who have credited the Basketball League for their successful careers.  KLHF has proudly partnered with Miami Senior High School to provide this significant Little Havana community project since 1975.

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Basketball League 2024 Application (ages 8-15)

The Kiwanis Club of Little Havana is proud to continue its 20-year tradition of providing a Thanksgiving feast to more than 150 seniors at Smather’s Plaza.  Every year members come together for this holiday tradition to bring them cheer, a Thanksgiving meal, activities, live entertainment, and dancing; courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana, in collaboration with our community partners.

For more than four decades, the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana has provided assistance to financially underserved families throughout South Florida by undertaking community initiatives that provide shelter, hunger relief, and support to the community’s most vulnerable.

The Kiwanis Club of Little Havana has brought cheer to thousands of families during the holidays by working with numerous South Florida community organizations to distribute thousands of toys to families in need. Since 1975, the Kiwanis of Little Havana has distributed toys to more than 300,000 children, from infants to teenagers. What began as a small toy distribution has grown into an afternoon of holiday-themed festivities that children throughout Miami-Dade County look forward to each year.

Individual members of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana volunteer each year to  “adopt” disadvantaged families during the holiday season.  Members provide personal assistance to help fulfill the needs and wishes of each family and also visit to distribute presents and spread holiday cheer.