Shares and Kiwanis Aktion CLubs

Jodi Hill of Shares, Inc. spoke to Greenfield Kiwanis about the programs Shares offers to their developmentally disabled clients in their three county service area.  Shares serves 150 clients in Hancock County, 120 in Shelby County and 50 in Rush County.  The goal of the pre-vocational skill training is to allow the clients to function in the community while earning a wage.  In addition to the vocational services, Shares provides life skills in cooking, laundry, housekeeping, reading and mathematics. 

Don Collins, the District Administrator of Kiwanis Aktion Clubs spoke following Ms. Hill.  Aktion Clubs provide service leadership for adults living with disabilities.  An Aktion Club is sponsored by a Kiwanis club but can also be sponsored by a group of clubs or a division. There are Aktion Clubs in Shelbyville and Noblesville.  In all there are 24 Aktion Clubs in Indiana.

Aktion club members attend meetings to learn about community issues, plan service and fundraising projects, and enjoy fellowship with others. Club members perform community service such as park beautification, food drives, and nursing home visitations. Members make visits to zoos, museums, and sporting events to share time with one another.

Mr. Collins summed up the evening by saying that in his work with Aktion Club members he has discovered that the member’s abilities exceed their disabilities.  

Kiwanis Aktion Clubs

 Don Collins, District Chairman of Aktion Club in Shelbyville, Indiana, spoke to local Kiwanians. He told that an Aktion Club is a community-service group for adults living with disabilities. The mission is to provide adults an opportunity to develop the ability to serve their community and to demonstrate the value of citizens living with disabilities.


An Aktion Club is sponsored by a Kiwanis club but can also be sponsored by a group of clubs or a division. There are Aktion Clubs in Shelbyville and Noblesville.

Aktion club members attend meetings to learn about community issues, plan service and fundraising projects, and enjoy fellowship with others. Club members perform community service such as park beautification, food drives, and nursing home visitations. Members make visits to zoos, museums, and sporting events to share time with one another.

Membership is open to any adult living with a disability who wants to become a leader in community service to others. Each club elects officers and organizes member into committees. Club meetings are similar to Kiwanis meetings and are held once a week and last about one hour.

Aktion Club is an official Kiwanis sponsored program, and a member of the Kiwanis family which includes: K-Kids (elementary school), Builders Club (junior high), Key Club (high school), Circle K International (college), Kiwanis Junior (young adults), Kiwanis (adults).