May newsletter

New York District Key Club

Division 7 May Newsletter

Greetings Division 7! As the service year has recently started, a lot is underway. As the school year is coming to a close, I hope you all are well prepared for your upcoming exams. This summer in August we will be having a K-Family Picnic with Kiwanis and Circle K Members. There will also be other events for the summer, so make sure to be checking your emails and facebook for updates. We are off to a good start this year, and I look forward to your continued commitment. Yours in Service, Connor Mack Division7 LTG

Reminders: Ø Key Club doesn’t stop in the summer, you

can always do something with your club! Ø The Next Divisional is June 7th from 4-5:30 Ø Make sure to submit all of your paperwork Ø Don’t forget to join the Division Facebook

Group

Hurricane Sandy was an event that shattered communities across Long Island. Homes were destroyed, cars were lost but our spirits were not broken. During the storm Oceanside High School Key Club found ourselves serving our community despite the broken homes and lost items. Now, months later we are helping our community in the aftermath of the storm by putting up stars of hope throughout areas affected by Sandy. Many of the areas we put the stars up in had severe water damage and many people were displaced but we want to show everyone that we are not broken.

The art teacher from school number eight (a local elementary school) approached us about putting up these stars. The children at the elementary school have been working very hard on these stars that have special meaning to them. Some stars say simple things such as "hope" while others say "Sailors, Joy, Oceanside." This service project showed our club what community really is and while members of our club were affected by the storm they do not let it get to them. While drilling these stars into telephone poles throughout the neighborhood people complemented us and asked us what these stars mean. My personal answer was that it meant what the star said, "Inspire", "Believe", "Hope" it means all of that but it especially means community. Key club is about service and coming together with the school teacher from school number eight to help put stars of hope up throughout the community really showed me how the children viewed the storm. Stars of Hope has been going on in many areas throughout Long Island and I was especially glad I could be a part of it.

Service Spotlight Articles Stars For Hope

-By Kaitlin Geraghty

Service Spotlight Articles

Baldwin Key Club has held it's first ever Spring Fling for the life skills kids. I am glad to say that this dance was a great success. All who came had a blast, especially the key club members. This dance allowed us to bond with numerous life skills kids, through dance and music, which multiplied the amount of fun that was had. We arrived early to help set up for the dance, setting up tables, chairs, decorations as well as food and drink. This is one service project that we are looking forward to continue in the following year.

As a party favors each life skills kid left with a FITZ. A FITZ is an arts and crafts project that key clubbers made prior to the dance. These yarn stress balls were bagged and decorated by the key club members who worked hard to make them. We managed to make nearly one hundred before the deadline. Each party bag that contained a FITZ also included a short saying. "When you are upset or feeling stressed, squeeze a FITZ, they are the best." With everyone dancing and having a good time along with the wonderful display of party favors, I think it was safe to say that Baldwin Key Club did a job well done.

-By Wesley Pennycooke

On May 19th, 2013 our club participated in the AIDS walk in NYC. We collected pledges prior to the walk and sold T-shirts with the name of our team on it. The walk was 6 miles which takes about 2 hours to do, it rained on the day of the event—A LOT. I think that the rain only added to the experience, it became an obstacle that the members of our club happily overcame for the sake of working toward a worthy cause. There’s a sense of pride that comes along with doing something that you don’t necessarily want to do when it’s for a good cause.

-By Erin Lonergan

On May 19th, 2013 our club participated in the AIDS walk in NYC. We collected pledges prior to the walk and sold T-shirts with the name of our team on it. The walk was 6 miles which takes about 2 hours to do, it rained on the day of the event—A LOT. I think that the rain only added to the experience, it became an obstacle that the members of our club happily overcame for the sake of working toward a worthy cause. There’s a sense

of pride that comes along with doing something that you don’t necessarily want to do when it’s for a good cause.

About Me: I joined Key Club as a freshman, and ever since have been a huge enthusiast for the kind of work we do. I was division executive assistant last year, and this year I am proud to be serving you all as your Lieutenant Governor. My Goals for the Service Year: Ø Three or more perfect paperwork awards Ø Many Division events Ø Successful fundraising, with an emphasis on

The Eliminate Project Ø Enjoyable Divisionals Ø Increased activity of clubs less active on the

Division level

Division Officers Executive Assistant: Anish Jain is the new Division Executive Assistant. He has been a member of Key Club for two years and has many service hours. He is very dedicated and is looking forwards towards working with everyone this year. Division Secretary: Kaitlin Geraghty is the new Division Secretary. She is a super dedicated Key Clubber Who works just as hard for her home club as she does for the division level. She has a lot of experience with Key Club, and enjoys it very much. She cannot wait to work with you all this year.

Leadership Training Conference

International Convention

International Convention will be in Washington D.C this year. We have three division members attending. International Convention is like Leadership training Conference – Except bigger and with way more people, and way more events. At ICON, we vote on amendments, attend workshops, and visit the area’s attractions. It is an incredibly enjoyable experience. We will be going to lots of cool things in D.C. such as the Spy Museum and the national Archives – which we are receiving a guided tour of! While ICON is expensive to attend, most people do some sort of fundraising. And the trip is well worth it, leaving the attendant with an experience they will never forget.

The weekend of March 22nd to March 24th was surely one to remember!! I greatly enjoyed the annual Leadership Training Conference which happened to coincide with my birthday, which was the 23rd! The weekend was jam packed with fun activities and events. The core component, the workshops, which is the essential reason for the conference itself, was interesting to say the least. In addition to training and skills provided in the specialized position one would like to pursue or currently has, these provided skills to use throughout life such as “Public Speaking.” There were even recreational ones like “Improv Acting,” which was too funny too miss! The conference also provides a welcoming environment in to meet people from all walks of life and throughout New York. I mean, it’s kind of hard not to make new friends when there are new people you interact with every minute in events like “Play Fair” and the two dances. But between all the laughs at the workshops and the tears at the governor’s farewell, the purpose of Key Club was never lost, as it to this day remains a binding force among us. -By Anish Jain

Contact List District Governor: Paul Desantis [email protected] District Administrator: Mr. Goldstein [email protected] District Secretary: Helen Wong [email protected] District Treasurer: Alex Mok [email protected] District Executive Assistant: Nabiha Qudsi [email protected] District Webmaster: Jimmy Lin [email protected] Lieutenant Governor: Connor Mack [email protected] Kiwanis Committee Representative: Ms. Ovadia [email protected]