D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y
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The Empire Key New York District Key Club Governor Matt with trustee Clifford Young and Int’l Pres Devin Sun at the official visit of Kiwanis Int’l Pres Jane Erickson
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@nykeyclub
What is Key Club? Key Club International is the high school organization sponsored by Kiwanis International. Key Club assists Kiwanis in carrying out its mission to serve the children of the world. High school student members of Key Club perform acts of service in their communities, such as cleaning up parks, collecting clothing and organizing food drives. They also learn leadership skills by running meetings, planning projects and holding elected leadership positions at the club, District, and International levels.
LTC 2017:
ICON 2017:
March 31April 2, 2017 Desmond Hotel, Albany, NY
5th-9th
July
San Antonio, TX
ICON 2018: TBD Chicago, IL 1
New York District Key Club
@nykeyclub
NYDKC
Table of Contents Meet Your District/International Board
Page 3-5
A Word from the Editor
Page 6
Executive Newsletter
Page 7-17
Co-Sponsors and Vision Partner
Page 18
Preferred Charities, District Project, & Governor’s Project
Page 19-21
Kiwanis District Charities
Page 22
International Convention 2017
Page 23
Service Spotlights
Page 24-27
Leadership Training Conference
Page 28
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Meet Your District Board Executive Board District Governor Matt Garber mattgarber.gov@nydkc.org
District Secretary Tanya Hao tanyahao.sec@nydkc.org District Treasurer Cynthia Jiang cynthiajiang.treas@nydkc.org District Executive Assistant Alexis Warren alexiswarren.ea@nydkc.org District Executive Assistant Kacie Luo kacieluo.ea@nydkc.org District Webmaster Kevin Yin kevinyin.tech@nydkc.org District Bulletin Editor Sofia Paulino sofiapaulino.editor@nydkc.or g
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Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at any point with questions, comments, or concerns!
Meet Your International Board! International Trustee JoJo Saunders New York, KIWINS’S, Nebraska-Iowa
International President Devin Sun
International Trustee Jeongseok Suh New England-Bermuda, Illinois-Eastern Iowa, Minnesota-Dakotas
International Vice President Mary Grace Lewis
International Trustee Jessica Bae Ohio, Rocky Mountain, Missouri-Arkansas
International Trustee Drew Valenti Wisconsin-Upper Michigan, Carolinas, Eastern Canada
International Trustee Audrey Dilgarde Capital, Montana, Michigan
International Trustee Clifford Young Florida, Georgia, and Caribbean-Atlantic
International Trustee Tiffany Hang Indiana, Pennsylvania, UtahIdaho
International Trustee William Zhang West Virginia, CaliforniaNevada-Hawaii, and Jamaica
International Trustee Kino-Paul Hurlington Texas-Oklahoma, Bahamas, Southwest International Trustee Nicole Montana Kansas, LouisianaMississippi-West Tennessee, Pacific Northwest International Trustee Shinbee Park Alabama, KentuckyTennessee, New Jersey 4
Meet Your District Board! Lieutenant Governors 1- Cara Saccente
9- Raymond Liao
19- Julianna Behr
2- Messiah Reid
10- Emily Orengo
20- Joseph Ryan
3- Natalie D’Onofrio
11- Kalvin Chi
21- James Erdman
4N- Bella Harnick
12- Vacant
22- Vacant
4S- JP Iacona
13- Lovina John
23- Vacant
5- Max Perry
14- Silas Swanson
24- Noah Dorchester
6- Shermeen Khan
15- Amy Carolus
25- Doug Urban
7- Charles Freda
16- Chris Barra
26- Vacant
8- Gavin Li
17- Tyler Kearns
8A- Kristen Dougherty
18- Jordan Scott
International Trustees
Trustee to New York JoJo Saunders
Trustees from New York Clifford Young and Jeongseok (Daniel) Suh 5
A Word from Your Editor Greetings New York District! I hope you all had a great start to the new year! In about two months will be LTC. This will be here before you know it! I cannot wait to meet Key Clubbers from all over the state. I hope you guys are as excited as I am! Also, if anyone has any service spotlights they’d like to send in or have a special Key Clubber in mind they’d like to see in the next edition, please email me! As editor, I am responsible for grading Lieutenant Governor Newsletters, keeping a newsletter log, and creating what you are currently reading, the Empire Key (distributed every two months)! I would love it if club editors contacted me with any questions they might have about graphic standards or anything at all. If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Yours in Service, Sofia Paulino District Editor
Contact me at: sofiapaulino.editor@nydkc.org
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Governor’s Update Hello New York District! Thank you for checking out the Empire Key. As the Service Year begins to draw to a close, it is time to reflect upon our progress this year. I hope that all of you are as excited as I am to celebrate all of that at Leadership Training Conference in just under two months. From service projects and fundraising events to meetings, picnics, and Kiwanis Family bonding, this year has contained a lot. Remember to report it all in Monthly Report Forms and Fundraising Report Forms! I would like to challenge you, the Key Clubbers of New York, to take these last two months before LTC to activate yourselves and work as hard as you can to meet any goals you’ve set throughout the year. That food pantry you’re passionate about, the research organization your heart tells you to fund, and that shy tenth grader your gut tells you would make an excellent Key Clubber are all waiting for you to reach out. Take action these last few months so you can turn over to the next Service Year with no regrets. As we get close to LTC registration deadlines, make sure that you are working with your advisors, schools, and Kiwanis clubs to organize yourselves for LTC. Don’t let that deadline creep up on you and allow yourself to miss the opportunity to attend! On my part this winter, I have been working as hard as I can to give you all the best Conference possible and to meet our ambitious District goals for the service year. Our Board is motivated and ready to go, but it is up to you, the clubs, to achieve the impossible this year for your homes, schools, and communities. Remember, though, that we on the District level are here to help.
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…Governor’s Update cont. As a quick reminder, remember to order Governor’s Project T-Shirts for your club on nydkc.org! All proceeds support Camp Abilities, and the shirts are an excellent way to spread the word about Key Club too. Feel free to reach out to me or your Lieutenant Governor for more details. I cannot possibly thank you enough for your service this year. It is an indescribable honor to know that I am a part of an organization driven by thousands of passionate high school students who together undeniably change the world. For this honor, and for the honor of being allowed to help lead it, I must say thank you. I cannot wait to see you at LTC.
Yours in Service, Matt Garber District Governor
Contact me at: mattgarber.gov@nydkc.org
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Executive Assistant’s Update Hi there New York District Key Clubbers! I hope everyone is having a beavertastic school and service year! To start, I want you to tell me how your pen pal communication is going so please respond to my communications whenever you have the chance! If you have a problem, we will solve it. If you have a new best friend, I would love to hear about it as well! In all, I can't wait to meet everyone at the Leadership Training Conference. It’s going to be an awesome weekend filled with learning, new experiences, and service! As always, please contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Yours in service and passion, Alexis Warren Executive Assistant
Contact me at: alexiswarren.ea@nydkc.org
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Executive Assistant’s Update Hello, Key Clubbers! With the Leadership Training Conference right around the corner, I have been working mainly on awards and LTC. For LTC, we have been putting out the workshops we will be hosting this year on our Facebook page. You can also find a list of workshops on our website. The deadline for LTC registration is fast approaching so make sure you sign up now. I can't wait to see everyone there. For awards, the due date for most awards is approaching (February 17th, 2017). Make sure to apply for Distinguished Key Clubber (DKC). It is noncompetitive meaning anybody who qualifies can win DKC. There are some other awards that aren't due until LTC so make sure to double check with the awards booklet. As always, contact me with any questions, concerns or comments.
Yours in service, Kacie Luo Executive Assistant Contact me at: kacieluo.ea@nydkc.org
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Secretary’s Update Hello New York District Key Club! This is Secretary Tanya! Despite our reaching the end of our service year, I still have a lot to say to you about the importance of service. At the start of this service year we set a service goal of performing 100,000 hours as a district, and although we are nearer to accomplishing this than we have ever been, we only have less than two months left before we head to LTC. This means we need to do as much as possible in order to reach our goal! For all club secretaries, the fact that we’re really close to LTC also means that you should make sure you’re not missing any paperwork: your club won’t qualify for the Perfect Paperwork Award otherwise! The Perfect Paperwork Award is noncompetitive: it’s given to all clubs that have submitted their ERF and MRFs for the 2016-2017 service year. Therefore, it would be really unfortunate if your club misses out on receiving it just because you missed one or two MRFs. Now, onto a bit of what I’ve been doing lately. I’ve finished compiling the District Directory, which is a mandatory inventory of contact information for all clubs in the New York District. This is to assist your LTGs in making communication between the divisional and club levels, and is why both your LTG and I stressed the importance of submitting your school’s ERF as soon as possible. The District Directory has been made available to your LTGs, but will not be made public to anyone outside of the district board since I am held to holding all contact information private otherwise. Another piece of news: I’ll be conducting the No-Sew Blankets, Balancing Life, School, and Key Club, and the Secretary’s Workshops at LTC! Please stop by and join me during the workshop sessions to make some blankets that’ll go to a great cause, learn some helpful tips on how to get the most out of life, and how to be the best Club Secretary possible (if you have been elected to be a Club Secretary for the next service year already or are aspiring to become a Club Secretary). The Secretary’s Workshop is mandatory for incoming Club Secretaries, and it’ll really give those of you who attend a jumpstart on your new position. I’ll be speaking about what the Secretary does, explain the confusing mystery of ERFs and MRFs, and give details on the awards available to Club Secretaries.
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Secretary’s Update cont. There’s a lot of new things planned for LTC, but just keep in mind that we do only have less than two months left to prepare. So don’t neglect those form submissions, keep finding new service opportunities for your club, and, to those of you current secretaries, please leave behind enough material for your successor to work on! LTC is going to be a real blast this year, and I’m just as excited as you are to attend! See you there!
Yours in Service, Tanya Hao, District Secretary
Contact me at: tanyahao.sec@nydkc.org
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Treasurer’s Update Hello New York District Key Club! I hope everyone has been well! As many of you may know, LTC is approaching very soon, which means another year of Key Club is about to end. I have been so blessed to be able to work with all of you this year. Thank you so much for your amazing work and dedication! We have only a few weeks left before LTC, so please do not delay the FRFs and send them in as soon as possible! We want to be able to achieve our fundraising goal of $125,000 and we are currently at $96,000. I will be sending each club treasurer the FRFs you have submitted this year. Please check to make sure that you filled out a FRF for every fundraiser. If you did not receive an email, please email me and let me know. This most likely means that your club has not submitted any FRFs this year. Remember, if you get your FRFs in before LTC, it may qualify you for one of our district charities’ fundraising awards. I am so proud of each and every one of you for all your hard work in running these fundraisers! In terms of dues, we want to be able to have every single club pay their dues by the end of March. Therefore, if you have not submitted your dues yet, please do so ASAP! The clubs who still have not paid their dues have been suspended by now. If they still do not pay their dues by October, and still want to be an official Key Club, they will have to pay the $100 reactivation fee. I do not want any of our clubs to have to go through this so please, get your dues in. If there are new members who have joined your club since you last paid the dues, just add these new members into the Membership Update Center. You will then be able to print out a new invoice that should be handed in with the new balance. For those of you who have recently sent out your checks, please keep in mind that it takes a while for Kiwanis International to receive your payment and update it. Therefore, allow 2-3 weeks time for your club’s dues status to be changed to paid.
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…Treasurer’s Update cont. With the service year coming to an end very soon, I hope that everyone can give it their all in the remaining four months! Don’t forget that it is not too late to make a difference! Every club started strong so let’s end strong as well! I look forward to seeing many of you at LTC this year. Be sure to come up and say hi! If you have any questions now, or even after this service year, feel free to contact me.
Yours in Service, Cynthia Jiang District Treasurer
Contact me at: cynthiajiang.treas@nydkc.org
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A Word from Your Int’l Trustee Hello, New York District Key Clubbers! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! Even though the new calendar year is upon us, there is still much do be done within our service year! There are plenty of things we have been able to accomplish, so let’s get right to it! We have successfully launched our Thirsty 30 campaign in partnership with The Thirst Project, our new service partner! It’s an amazing way to help raise money to fight the Global Water Crisis! Water is the foundation for humans to survive and thrive, and even though it seems basic for most of us, there are still children who need to walk miles upon miles to reach water, which limits the time they can receive an education. The impacts of having clean and accessible water are monumental, and this is why this project is so important! So even if you weren’t able to do it in January, you can still do it during any month! The International Board has also finished grading all of the YOF applicants in January and has sent out the list of clubs who will be given grants to help fund a service project they had an idea for. We’d like to thank all who applied, and we hope that the people who received the grants will have a successful time creating their service project! If you have an idea for a service project but need help finding the funding for it, the Youth Opportunities Fund might be able to help you next year, so look out for the next application! As all of the Districts are gearing up for their District Conventions (in your guy's case, Leadership Training Conference!), the International Board is starting to gear up for our International Convention in San Antonio, Texas! It will be from July 5-9th, and is an amazing way to meet new Key Clubbers from all over KCI! If you want more information, the International Board will be putting out a new video soon on ICON!
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…Int’l Trustee Cont. Our terms might be coming to an end, but the impact we continually have has not and will not falter. Great job with all of the projects and events you all attend and plan, you all continue to inspire me! If you have any questions I’m always a message away! See you at LTC!
In love and service, JoJo Saunders International Trustee
Contact me at:
jojosaunders.kci@gmail.com
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Co-Sponsors and Vision Partner Rustic Pathways At Rustic Pathways, we work at the intersection of travel, education, and philanthropy. Through our programs, we facilitate life-changing educational experiences for students and use travel and philanthropy as a means to achieve sustainable development in the places we visit. We believe that by maintaining clear focus on each of these goals we are not only able to provide the most transformative experience for our students, but are also able to make a positive impact on the communities in which we work.
Hershey The Hershey Company focuses on engaging Key Club members with Hershey’s Track and Field Games. Now in its 36th year, HTFG serves children ages 9-14 by helping them get active and develop healthy lifestyles. More than 10 million kids in the Unites States and Canada have participated in HTFG.
Nickelodeon Vision Partner Nickelodeon inspires kids to take action and make a difference in the world. Through the Big Help and Worldwide Day of Play initiatives, kids and adults work together to plan events and activities in the following areas: health & wellness, education, service and the environment.
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Preferred Charities Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion— most of it $1 at a time—for 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada, which, in turn, use the money where it’s needed the most. These donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Our mission: We increase funds and awareness for local children’s hospitals. Our vision: Together we save kids’ lives. Right now there’s a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital working to save the lives of kids in your community. In fact, 62 children enter a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital for treatment every minute — that's one child every second. Some are battling cancer. Some are suffering from a traumatic injury. Others require constant care because they were born too early, or with a genetic disease. Regardless of why the kids are there, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals always have their doors open.
March of Dimes President Franklin Roosevelt's personal struggle with polio led him to create the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis at a time when polio was on the rise. Better known as the March of Dimes, the foundation established a polio patient aid program and funded research for vaccines developed by Jonas Salk, MD and Albert Sabin, MD. These vaccines effectively ended epidemic polio in the United States. Its original mission accomplished, the foundation turned its focus to preventing birth defects and infant mortality. The March of Dimes has led the way to discover the genetic causes of birth defects, to promote newborn screening, and to educate medical professionals and the public about best practices for healthy pregnancy. We have supported research for surfactant therapy to treat respiratory distress and helped initiate the system of regional neonatal intensive care for premature and sick babies. Our recent Folic Acid Campaign achieved a dramatic reduction in the incidence of neural tube defects, birth defects of the brain and spine.
UNICEF For 15 years, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a guiding force on many issues affecting the lives of children, young people and their families. Over this time, tremendous progress was made in reducing preventable child deaths, getting more children into schools (including both girls and boys), reducing extreme poverty and in ensuring more people have access to safe water and nutritious food. However, progress has been uneven and many of the most pressing issues for the world - including addressing inequalities, promoting inclusive economic growth, protecting children from violence and combating climate change -- were not adequately covered in the MDGs. 18
District Project Icing Smiles Icing Smiles is a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child. We understand that the simple things, like a birthday cake, are luxuries to a family battling illness. Our goal is to create a custom cake for the ill child, or their sibling, that provides a temporary escape from worry and creates a positive memory during a difficult time.
Memories have magical powers. Long after the cake is gone, the memories linger – memories of the kindness of a stranger, of the art of the design, of the sweet smells of a special treat, of the smiles and laughs, of a normal childhood experience so often stolen from these children. These memories are why we say, “It is so much more than a cake.” Website: https://www.icingsmiles.org
Governor’s Project Voices for the Blind Voices for the Blind is all about empowering blind and visually impaired children. It is meant to promote education, leadership, and confidence, with the goal of allowing more and more blind children to take an active and integrated role in society. Camp Abilities are summer camps for blind children that focus on adapted sports, interaction, and confidence building. Started in Brockport, NY, the number of individually run camps has expanded to four camps in New York and 26 camps in six different nations in total. 19
Eliminate Project UNICEF and its partners have combated maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) across the globe through education, outreach, and mass immunization drives. In addition to delivering tetanus vaccines to even the remotest areas by any means necessary — including on horseback and even on foot — UNICEF has trained traditional midwives and birth attendants in safe birthing practices and distributed safe birthing kits. To help stem the tide of MNT, UNICEF has also supported prenatal care and a wide range of other maternal and newborn health services. Since 1999, UNICEF and its partners have immunized nearly 100 million women with two or more doses of the vaccine and eliminated the disease in 39 countries. Countries that have recently validated the elimination of MNT include Sierra Leone, Gabon, Laos and Madagascar. MNT still remains a deadly threat in 20 countries.
Thirst Project
We are the Key Club International Service Partner. Our mission is simple: Build a socially-conscious generation of young people who END the global water crisis. We do this by educating students about it and activating them to rock the clean water cause & build real water projects all over the world. Why Water? Health and Sanitation: Waterborne diseases kill more children every single year than AIDS, Malaria, and all world violence combined. Small children typically do not have strong enough immune systems to fight diseases like cholera, dysentery, or schistosomiasis. By providing a community with safe drinking water, disease rates can drop by up to 88% virtually overnight! Child mortality rates can drop up to 90%- overnight! Clean water also plays an incredibly critical role in effectively treating and managing HIV/AIDS in rural communities. Swaziland, for example, has the single-highest-density population of HIV/AIDS in the world. For a person with HIV/AIDS, even if you have access to medical treatment or antiretroviral medication, but are still forced to drink dirty water from contaminated sources, the diseases in the water you drink will actually kill you faster than AIDS itself. 20
Kiwanis District Charities Kamp Kiwanis Kamp Kiwanis is aimed at providing fun, physical exercise and adventure. It strives to afford opportunities to participate in a creative outdoor group experience in a democratic setting and develop characteristics of leadership and fair play. The program at Kamp Kiwanis is designed to mainstream all children, including up to 20 each session with special needs. It is non-competitive with emphasis on group and team building. No activity is forced, but all are encouraged. 102 acres of woodlands with a pond for fishing and boating and an inground swimming pool. The coed camp accepts children ages 8 through 14; younger and older ages are considered with special approval. The camp has a capacity of 130 campers with 20 special needs campers per week. The staff/camper ratio is one to eight. Lower ratios are provided when needed. The camp is basically handicapped accessible.
Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center The New York District of Kiwanis’s Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center program provides lifesaving training, equipment, and education to prevent pediatric trauma. Every year, more children die from unintentional injuries than all childhood diseases combined. Trauma claims the lives of 25,000 children each year. Another 120,000 youngsters are permanently disabled. It doesn't have to be that way. With proper, prompt care, about 25 percent of the deaths and disabilities could be prevented or reduced. Saving children's lives requires equipment and training as is provided by Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Centers. KPTC works with, and trains, prehospital care providers such as paramedics and emergency medical technicians for pediatric emergency care. Additionally, KPTC offers safety programs to prevent accidents before they happen. It has centers on Long Island, in Albany, and in Buffalo.
Kiwanis Pediatric Lyme Disease The Lyme disease problem was brought to Kiwanis' attention during 2000-01 when New York District Gov. John Gridley vowed to do something to help children afflicted with this terrible disease. The Lyme Disease Project was quickly set up to help pay for medical treatment for children with this disease. Unfortunately, many insurance companies don’t pay for the treatment, which is extremely expensive. Our support is funded through donations from Kiwanis Clubs and individuals and channeled into the Pediatric Lyme Disease Fund. Just this winter, KPLD provided a grant of over $20,000 to one young New Yorker afflicted by the disease. Lyme disease is caused by bacteria usually transmitted by the deer tick. It is a scary possibility to consider for New York State residents who enjoy spending time outside during the summer months. Lyme disease may affect the brain in many ways. The most common is a disturbance in thinking. Other symptoms that occur frequently include headache, mood swings, irritability, depression and marked fatigue.
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International Convention 2017 July 5th-9th in San Antonio, Texas Why go to Key Club International Convention? Because it’s the biggest event of the Key Club year! Imagine celebrating the amazing things Key Club does with more than 1,600 Key Clubbers from all across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
You’ll also be able to:
Bond with your people. Travel to and from International Convention with your district. Share innovative service project and fundraising ideas. Listen to amazing speakers. Learn about servant leadership. Train for your 2017-18 leadership position. Elect next year’s Key Club International Board. Hear about our success so far with The Eliminate Project—and how you can help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. Discover new charities and organizations you and your club can team up with. Have fun and make memories and friendships that last a lifetime. See the sites in San Antonio and save money while doing it.
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Service Spotlights "On Saturday January 14th, Clara Lee and I braved the cold, windy weather and commuted to Morningside Park. Nearly 500 volunteers had amassed in a crowd around the beautiful Morningside Park honor Doctor Martin Luther King, who was a proponent of public park conservation. Our project: beautify the park and save the planet. After a fulfilling and warm breakfast, though it didn’t ameliorate the coldness in our toes and fingers, we headed into the park with our appointed groups. Fitted with work gloves and hats, we walked along the path and convened in a circle for a icebreaker. After that we picked up our gardening tools and began raking leaves to clear the ground for the addition of mulch, which would keep the plants toasty warm. Using a variety of tools, Clara and I labored away and cleared away the dead leaves. We created more and more leaf piles and fellow volunteers covered the ground with fresh mulch. After preparing the plants for a long, chilly winter, Clara and I headed for lunch. They provided with a refreshing meal of grilled chicken and apples. What a great way to end a fun adventure!" Whitney Yu Hunter College High Key Clubber “The community service project this month was to wash the lost and found items and donated them to families in need. Photo #2: President Victoria snapping a photo of the laundry going into the washing machine. Vice president Sara is posing next to the second pile of clothing and Mr. Raabe showing the students where to place the laundry into the washing machine. Photo #1: Emma is watching Lena pour & measure how much laundry detergent for the next load. The Salvation Army of Sullivan County were able to pick up three bag loads. They were grateful and will be handing this out to Sullivan County families in need. Thanks Key Clubber of Monticello High School did another great project to report on for the month of January 2017.” Jane Sorensen Kiwanis 1st VP & Key Club Advisor
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Service Spotlights "On December 18th, Hunter Key Clubbers were joined by Key Clubbers from the High School of Science, Math, and Engineering (HSMSE) in raising money for the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty by volunteering as callers for their Phon-a-Thon. People young and old gathered in Met Council’s conference room, excited to make calls for charity. The Met Council provides food and social services to the 500,000 poor living in NYC Jewish households. Their work includes creating programs that pave the path for self sufficiency, such as America’s Largest Kosher Food Pantry System, Emergency Social Services, Family Violence Services, and Affordable Housing. Every donation made that day was quadrupled, as they were matched by donations from generous benefactors. The Phon-A-Thon was all or nothing-- if the quadrupled donations did not total one million dollars within 24 hours, each donation would be returned. By the end of the Phon-A-Thon, we improved our communication skills and made a lasting bond with members from intercity Key Clubs. Hours later, we were thrilled to see that Met Council reached their goal of one million dollars, glad to have been part of the effort." Emily Guo Hunter College High Key Clubber
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Service Spotlights “On Friday, January 27th, I went to volunteer at Room to Grow’s location in midtown Manhattan. Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization that takes donations of baby necessities (like clothes and toys) from the community, organizes them, and redistributes them to soon-to-be mothers or babies that were born into poverty. When I went to volunteer, my job was to open these donations and sort them. I went to volunteer as a group with other from my home club, so we all met up and traveled to the location together. Once we were there, a nice man explained to us what it is that they do, and directed us towards a large pile of baby items to sort. He explained that they didn’t have a washing facility, so all items that were dirty or stained were to be recycled, stating that there was a strict policy on what was acceptable to redistribute and what was to be recycled. We then went to work on sorting the items, which were mostly clothes, bibs, and toys for kids to play with. It was the first time I had ever even touched so much baby clothing, and made me realize exactly how much it took to raise a baby, and how many necessities were actually necessary for a mother to be able to provide comfortably for her baby (it’s a lot!) This experience was fun! I got to bond with newer members of the club as well as learn about what Room to Grow does as an organization, which is a subject that I usually don’t think about when it comes to helping those in need. I would definitely go again!”
Anna Li Hunter College High Key Clubber
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Service Spotlights “On Saturday, January 28th, I went to volunteer at the Lunar New Year Firecracker Festival in Chinatown! It was a divisional event, so many people from different clubs from all over New York City came to participate. Over 200 people ended up coming to volunteer, one of the most amounts of people I’ve seen that were all volunteering! Due to a surplus of people, most volunteers ended up assisting during set up. Set up began in the morning, after the supply truck arrived, and everyone formed a line to said truck and were handed various things to do and to set up. Tents, banners, and different booths meant to help people experience aspects of Chinese culture. After set up, we waited around for the actual festival to start, as the amount of people meant that everything was set up quickly. This was our opportunity to start talking to each other--I talked to a handful of people, and we all bonded over the cold weather at the time. Once the festival started, mass crowds of people flooded every nook and cranny in Chinatown. The sea of people was harder to navigate through than the 6 train during rush hour; it took 10 minutes alone to advance 7 feet. Soon enough, the time to watch the firecrackers--a display in the middle of the park, where fires are lit to set off a series of colorful explosions--soon came and everyone crowded around even more to watch the iconic display. Loud festival music started playing and performances started to happen, a dragon dance even taking place. I helped to hold one of those twistable tubes of confetti, twisting it and releasing a colorful blend of papers into the air once it was time. Overall, it was a fun experience. I got to see so many people wanting to volunteer in one place and even more people gathering to celebrate the new year together. I was able to spend time with my friends volunteering and meet other volunteers. Anna Li Hunter College High Key Clubber 26
Leadership Training Conference Looking for an unforgettable experience? What: 69th Leadership Training Conference
When: March 31 - April 2, 2017
Where: The Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY
Why: Make tons of new friends, learn new leadership skills, and go back to your home club with a renewed sense of giving and compassion!
Unmask The Service
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Key Club Pledge I pledge, on my honor, to uphold the Objects of Key Club International; to build my home, school and community; to serve my nation and God; and combat all forces which tend to undermine these institutions.
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