The Panda Club Volume II Issue I
New York District Key Club Division 11 April 2015
~“Caring—Our Way of life”~
Table of Contents I. Lieutenant Governor’s Message II. Leadership Training Conference (LTC)
III. Service Spotlights IV. Member Recognition V. International Conference (ICON)
VI. Puzzles and Games VII. Immediate Past Lieutenant Governor’s Message
VIII. Paperwork and Contact Information
Upcoming Events Japan Day : May 10th 2015 Aids Walk : May 17th 2015
Divisional Training Conference : Date TBA
Lieutenant Governor’s Message Hello Division 11 Pandas! As many of you know, my name is Emily Li and I am serving as your 2015-2016 Lieutenant Governor! I am so excited to meet and work with you all, and I know we’re going to have a fantastic service year. I would like to use this space to introduce myself thoroughly and to elaborate on my goals for this service year. I joined Key Club in the fall of my freshman year because I know I wanted to be involved in community service throughout high school. I am very glad that I joined because I can honestly attest to how unique Key Club is as a student-led, global service organization. The organization is set up so that Key Clubbers have opportunities to meet each other within their division, district, and even internationally. I think Key Club is unique in how it is able to bring together people from all different backgrounds and geographies. My favorite part of Key Club, aside from the amazing people I’ve gotten to meet, is the multitude of service projects that I have the opportunity to participate in. My passion for community service and Key Club motivated me to run for higher office, and I’ve served as the secretary and the president of my home club. This year, I am thrilled and honored to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of Division 11. I have three main goals for this service year. First, I want to hear from you! I want to increase membership input in as many ways as possible. Some of you might have noticed the suggestion boxes at the end of various forms I’ve sent out. I am also actively working on making myself as accessible and friendly as possible so everyone feels completely comfortable reaching out to me about anything! My second goal for this year is revitalizing our commitment to community service. I noticed that last year, there was a strong focus on fundraising, and less so on service. I want to refocus our efforts on volunteering and directly contributing to our communities by engaging in long-term service projects. I am currently in the process of setting up a long-term service project with Rescuing Leftover Cuisines, and I highly encourage each club to commit to an organization as well. There is a list of long-term service ideas in the Division 11 Resources Google Drive for anyone who is interested. Lastly, I want to build stronger connections within the division and the Kiwanis family at large. I have already received many suggestions articulating a desire to meet Key Clubbers throughout the division. I am going to facilitate this through icebreakers at divisionals, numerous divisional service projects and events, and the Division 11 Resources Google Drive. I am also encouraging every club to reach out to their respective Circle-K and Kiwanis clubs, and to attend those meetings and events. Finally, I want to stress how important it is for all of us to work together and help one another. I think the Google Drive folder will be a great way to do this, and I hope everyone contributes and benefits from it. That being said, I ecstatic for this service year and I know together, we will be able to achieve new heights. ~Emily Li 2015-2016 Lieutenant Governor
2015 Leadership Training Conference By: Mona Miao Bronx Science Key Club Editor/Webmaster In elementary and middle school, both my overnight senior trips were canceled and I’ve always been extremely disappointed. Yet, now I am kind of glad they were canceled because LTC was no doubt one of the best weekends of my life and having it be my first overnight trip with friends, especially Key Club, made it all the more special. For the past few years, all I have heard was how life-changing LTC was…but you never really understand what that means until you go and experience it for yourself. Until you sing throwback songs with your advisers and 25 other loud crazy teenagers on a 3 hour bus ride. Until you are running around the hotel room desperately trying to put on clothes as fast as you can because you’re late to a workshop. Until you sit in a room with hundreds of other strangers who, despite not knowing them, you share something special with. Until you stand and clap and cheer and cry because your club just won most service hours per member. There are so many incredible memories from the weekend that I can talk about - the speakers, the workshops, Playfair, the award ceremonies, the oratorical contest. Listening to Evan talk about the Thirst Project only strengthened my already existing love for the organization and my desire to contribute to alleviating the global water crisis. Attending Danny’s webmaster/editor workshop only made me more excited for the new service year and eager to get started on my first newsletter. Hearing that Key Clubbers raised tens of thousands of dollars and volunteered for tens of thousands of hours only reinforced the ideas I promoted in my speech - that Key Clubbers have the capabilities to change the world. I mean, we never stop. Even during the Miracle Minute, Kiwanians and Key Clubbers managed to raise $900 alone in 60 seconds. I have never laughed, cried, clapped and shouted (sometimes all at the same time) more than I did during this weekend, as I watched Key Clubbers go up again and again for awards, as I watched my emotional president and her board huddled together in their own world in the hallways and as I watched Governor Jacob deliver his farewell speech. I’ve met so many amazing people from all over New York during this weekend, but more importantly, LTC showed me just how amazing my Key Club family is. The bonds we formed at LTC and after are overwhelmingly immeasurable. I Honestly thought it wasn't possible to love Key Club more than I already did, but after LTC, I realized just how wrong I was. There are some life-changing experiences and incredible bonds formed with people that you just can't describe with words and LTC is one of them. We always laugh at how hard it is to rank family, school and Key Club in order of importance, but for me, the choice is easy - LTC has showed me that family will always come first because Key Club is my family. It’s only been a few weeks since LTC and already, we all are looking forward to our next.
Another Perspective… By: James Chin Stuyvesant Key Club Member LTC stands for Leadership Training Conference. From the title, it seems as though it is simply an event created to talk and teach students about leadership. But it’s so much more than that. LTC is an event created by the New York District of Key Club International in order to give future cabinet members the knowledge they need to effectively lead their respective Key Clubs. Through the use of various workshops, LTC does effectively teach these future leaders. But LTC isn’t just about leadership. It’s also about teamwork, friendship, and community. Workshops weren’t the only things that happened at LTC. Social events were also a big part of it. Other than leadership, Key Club is also defined by its family-like community and the amazing friendships that come from it. During PlayFair, a huge dance party event that occurred on the first night of LTC, members were given the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, and have a lot of fun. I personally had a lot of fun! I was asked to go up to the stage during PlayFair to talk about the people who inspired me. As an aspiring engineer, I shared, with the entire New York Key Club community my mentors who had helped me root myself in my passion for engineering. I also listened to others share who inspired them and I realized how truly special Key Club was-- everyone was so incredibly caring. So even though LTC was created with the purpose of teaching the future leaders of Key Club how to take on those roles, it is also based on the ideals of Key Club International; helping and caring for others, communicating and socializing with others, and having fun.
Another Perspective…
Pictures from LTC!
By: Anand Karmaker (HSMSE Key Club Webmaster)
The Leadership Training Conference in Albany was an eye-opening experience. In the past, I had not went to many events, nor met Key Clubbers from divisonals besides my own. LTC opened my eyes, making me realize that Key Club is a huge community and organization encompassing and changing the entire world with interesting people from all over the world! When we arrived at the hotel in Albany, we first settled in and got familiar with where we would stay. We were able to meet the District Board Members, and they recommended to us many projects, such as the Thirst Project. The Thirst Project is a project to bring clean water all throughout Southern Africa; their goal is to also outreach to all third world countries. After, we had dinner, changed into casual clothing, and attended “Carnival”. “Carnival” was an event where we meet new people. Doing such, I met a person who has the same birthday as me and met many others whom I found interesting. Half an hour later, we each went to different workshops. I went to a workshop about how to make meetings more interesting and useful for members. After the workshop, we stayed up until midnight playing C ards of Humanity and Ninja with people I hadn’t known prior. We were sent to our rooms at 12 and went to sleep for the next day. The next day involved your choice of four workshops; I chose How to a Better Webmaster, How to Make Meetings Interesting, Improvisation, and Better Communication. After the final workshop we had another presentation, the elections for district board members. We later had dinner and a party. For our third and final day, schools were given awards for their work in Key Club. District 11 won the most awards and people were recognized for all their hard work. There was a touching final goodbye speech and we were dismissed to pack up to go home. LTC was one of the best experiences I have had, as I was able to meet new people, learn great tools to apply to my local Key Club, and learn about the Key Club global community!
By: Abraham Sanchez (HSMSE Key Club Member) The Leadership Training Conference, also known as LTC, took place on March 27-29 at Desmond Hotel Albany, New York and was a Key Club event wherein Key Clubbers from various districts across New York State came together to vote on the next New York service year’s board. LTC was not all business, however, in fact, we were also encouraged to interact and meet new people, and create lasting friendships. To help with this goal and break the general awkward atmosphere of the attendees, we were invited to attend an activity known as “PlayFair”. It was an interesting experience and encouraged all attendees to get to know one another and branch off from one’s own club. The next two days were filled with various workshops to either improve ourselves in the club or to help us improve our individual club. We also attended “Caucus Session” where we heard the speeches of aspiring District Board Members for the positions of District Governor and District Secretary. Then, we voted amongst our districts. Throughout the second day, we attended various meetings including a excellent and resonating presentation by a Thirst Project representative, we learned of the plight of a billion people on the Earth whom do not have access to a fresh clean water source. In continuation, the sitting District Governor commenced the awards ceremony recognizing the amazement achievements across the various New York City districts, while also displaying the talent of three Key Clubbers. The second day ended with a ball where Key Clubbers continued expanding their friendships in Key Club while also having fun. The final day of LTC began on a bittersweet note because of the stepping down of the previous District Board and induction of the new Board. We finished LTC off with a workshop in which we sent letters to veterans and Saint Jude's Hospital. LTC drew to a close with a farewell brunch, enriching the lives of all the Key Clubbers who participated.
Hunter Key Club’s Faculty Feud By: Sophia Zhang Hunter Key Club Bulletin Editor On April 24th, 2015, Hunter Key Club hosted the annual Faculty Feud at Hunter College High School, raising over $300 for the Eliminate Project. Many people from across the grades went to this school-wide event; some people from other schools such as Bronx Science and Stuyvesant even came to this event. The hosts, Lieutenant Governor Emily Li and Mahi, both did an incredible job of hosting the game. Jackie Weng, the president of Hunter Key Club, was the scorekeeper. While the success of the event depended heavily on the audience, it also depended on the great faculty at Hunter. Many teachers generated comedic responses to the questions, as a return, cracked the audience up. Ultimately, this event was an excellent fundraising event! Videos were posted on the Hunter Key Club Facebook Page. Please check them out!
Bronx Science: Walk for Kid’s Growth By: Winni Yang Bronx Science Key Club Member Walk for Kid's Growth is 3 mile walk to increase awareness of childhood growth disorders. Funds raised from the walk provide research, education, support and patient advocacy. Fifteen minutes before eleven o’clock near the Fountain of the Planets in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, there stood Bronx Science Key Club--ready with their volunteer-face on. They started right away by blowing up balloons to decorate the tents and the stage. Once the clock struck eleven, the Club was already overwhelmed by so many directions. They cheered as loud as they could as the host announced the start of the Walk for Kids Growth event. As the host finished speaking, every member suddenly had hula necklaces around their necks! They quickly separated into three groups and stations. One courageous group lead every participant in the walk around the park while holding up a banner. Another group made and gave out popcorn to the participants. The last group began setting up a station for distributing pizza, granola bars, and water. The walkers reappeared at the finish line about an hour later and started to crowd around the stations. Eight slices of pizza in each of the fifty boxes were gone within an hour. That meant there were about four-hundred participants in the walk! However, the volunteers were able to keep everything as organized as possible. When the event ended, the members stuffed themselves with the leftover pizza and popcorn. This concluded another successful day of volunteering for the Key Clubbers.
HSMSE: Vision Walk By: Fatumata Jalloh (HSMSE Key Club Member) On April 18th, Vision Walk took place. Many volunteers, including Key Club members, helped set up tents and stations for people to stop by, before and after the walk. They were stationed at 72nd West Central Park from 7:45 to 12:30 pm. We were able to raise awareness for people with seeing disabilities and encouraged the walkers. HSMSE’s Key Club spent the morning at the Fun Booth. We assisted people by showing them how to play the games, such as frisbee, where the players threw the grisbee into Shaggy’s mouth. They also played tictactoe, where they threw three balls into a tic-tac toe set and tried to get three in a row. Another game people played was where a volunteer would throw a rubber plane-shaped ball to a walker who wore a pair of blinding glasses. The energy during the walk was inspirational. There were many people there tosupport the fund and we were able to raise a lot of money. It being a beautiful day made the event full of excitement and fun, not only for the walkers, but for the volunteers as well.
Member Recognition Sophia was a major driving force in our club last service year, working ceaselessly as our scrapbook/publicity/awards cohead. Her win as Outstanding Sophomore Member of NYDKC is a testament to her dedication, and she has only become more involved this service year as our editor (and returning co-head). She has already helped to make our first fundraiser, Faculty Feud, a tremendous success, and I have no doubt that she will continue to be one of the most hard working members of Hunter Key Club. Jackie L. Weng 2015-2016 Hunter Key Club President
"There’s no one who deserves the award better than Sophia Zhang. I’ve worked her personally and have seen her put her dedication and hard work into everything she does. I can’t wait to she what she will contribute to Key Club this year.” Angela Li 2015-2015 Division 11Historian
Sophia Zhang : Outstanding Sophomore
"She is such a hardworking member who puts all her energy into everything." Tanya Hao 2015-2016 District Webmaster
Jonson Jin : Outstanding Junior
"Jonson is my Vice President so he is very important to me and to the club. To me, he is my right-hand man and whenever I need him, he is there for me. He always puts his 100% effort into Key Club and looks positively towards the future of the club. He has done an excellent job and I truly believe that he deserves the Member of the Month because of his commitment to Key Club, not only on the club level but the divisional level as well. He is present at every meeting and most events and I am super proud of him!!!" Timmy Zhu 2015-2016 Bronx Science Key Club President
“Jonson strives to serve his home, school, and community in any way possible and has been a true inspiration to those around him.” Kalvin Chi 2015-2016 Division 11 Executive Secretary
"Jonson has grown to be an amazing leader within his club and division. His hard work and dedication towards service demonstrates what a great Key Clubber he is." Aaron Cheung 2014-2015 Lieutenant Governor
International Convention Key Club International Convention What: The biggest event of the Key Club year! Go to ICON to meet Key Clubbers from around the world. When: June 24th - June 28th, 2015 Where: downtown Indianapolis How: The NY District of Key Club International will be attending the conference as a group. The total cost for the convention is $1,150.00 and includes airfare, hotel, several convention meals, and an ICON t-shirt. The registration form and deposit of $500.00 must be submitted by May 1st, 2015. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding ICON! I hear it's a lifechanging experience, and I hope to see many of you there. One thing that I have not really emphasized about signing up for ICON is that you must let me know via email if you wish to attend. If you have already signed up for ICON, please send me an email ASAP letting me know that you have. Email me even if you have mentioned it to me through other forms of communication.
Games and Puzzles Q: What season is it when you are on a trampoline? A: Spring-Time!
Q: When do monkeys fall from the sky? A: During Ape-ril Showers!
Q: Can February March? A: No, but April May!
Q: What flowers grow on faces? A: Tulips (Two-lips!)
IP Lieutenant Governor’s Message Hello Division 11, It was my greatest honor to serve as your Lt. Governor for the previous service year. As my time in Key Club comes to an end, I look forward to the new opportunities that are presented to me. I will be attending Wesleyan University in the fall, and hopefully, I can start a Circle K chapter. During this transition period, I have reflected on everything that Key Club has taught me. Here are some of the lessons I would like to share: 1. “What happens when Kiwanis and Key Club work together is indescribable, perhaps magical and potential limitless.” Each person you meet in other parts of the Kiwanis Family, whether in Circle K or Kiwanis, are deeply involved in the hard work and community service that our organizations are known for. Never be afraid to leave your comfort zone and ask other K-Family members for help. 2. “For every minute you waste pondering a new idea, you can be executing something different and innovative.” Do you have a great idea to improve your community? Do you want to try something new to raise awareness for a cause? Are you afraid of the consequences of trying your new idea? The most important part about being a leader is making mistakes. Every leader makes mistakes. The best leaders learn from them and adapt to their situations. 3. “Find something you love, commit to it, and never stop.” Whether its community service, a science project or something different, don’t stop because someone tries to stop you. Life is full of adversaries, but, each adversity can be turned into an opportunity. It’s very difficult to find something that you will enjoy. If you do, you have succeeded in life. My last four years have been amazing because of Key Club. In fact, I am jealous of everyone who can continue their experiences within this amazing division. Key Club has given me life, a life filled with friendships, happiness and wonderful experiences. For that, I cannot be more grateful to all of the members within our division. Yours in Care and Service, Aaron Cheung New York District of Key Club 2011-2015 Bronx HS of Science Member
2014-2015 Distinguished Lt. Governor 2013-2014 Executive Assistant
Divisional Board
Paperwork Status
Contact Info
Election Report Form
Emily Li Lieutenant Governor emilyli.ltg@nydkc.org
Bronx High School of Science – Submitted
Kalvin Chi Executive Assistant kalvin155@gmail.com
Nest+M High School – Submitted
Kenji Yeoh Secretary yeohk@bxscience.edu
HSMSE – Submitted
Angela Li Historian li.angelali.angela@gmail.com
Hunter College High School – Not submitted
Aashika Jikaria PR Committee Chair aashika.jikaria99@gmail.com
High School of American Studies – Not submitted
Sharon Lin Webmaster Sharon.lin.14@gmail.com
Stuyvesant High School – Submitted
Fiorello LaGuardia High School – Submitted
DeWitt Clinton High School – Not Submitted
Frank McCourt High School – Not submitted