Summer 2012 Issue

spreads awareness) - Setting up change

buckets at supermarkets and such.

The Best Day Foundation By Becky D’Albero One great volunteer opportunity for the summer is to get involved with the Best Day Foundation. Best Day Foundation helps children with disabilities and special needs by boosting their confidence and self-esteem. They help children with Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, blindness, cancer, Spinal Cord injuries and many more. The Best Day Foundation aims to help these children by encouraging them to participate in a variety of fun and safe activities such as water sports and snow sports. These sports include surfing, kayaking, body boarding, canoeing, snow tubing, and more. The Best Day Foundation was originally founded in Santa Cruz, CA in March of 2008 by Max Montgomery and Brooks Lambert. Since then, it has spread

Volume 1 Issue 3

Official Newsletter of the MAST Key Club/New Jersey District/Division 8

Summer 2012 Issue

Summer of Service By Alyssa van Doorn Summer is the perfect time to volunteer! Here is a list of service opportunities:

• The Monmouth County Parks Service (or your county’s Park Service), go to www.monmouthcountyparks.com for a variety of volunteer opportunities

• A food bank such as Lunch Break in Red Bank, New Jersey

• A local hospital • Your town's library • The ASPCA and SPCA, or

local pet store • Symbolically adopt an

endangered animal through the WWF

• Local fairs (such as the Monmouth County Fair)

• Clean Ocean Action • Aid a child’s education and

care through UNICEF • Raise money for ELIMINATE

in creative ways such as… - Holding a car wash - Setting up an Ice

Cream Stand - Selling T-shirts or

bracelets (which also

In this issue! Summer of Service..............1 Best Day Foundation.......1-2 Sunnyside Recreation........2 K-Family Origins...................3 Key Clubber of the Summer................................3 Events Calendars................4 Message From District Governor Nicole…..............5

MORE INFO! Check out http://new.njkeyclub.org/, the New Jersey District Key Club website.

THE SANDY KEYS

K E Y C L U B

3636 WOODVIEW TRACE INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46268 USA 1-800-KIWANIS FAX 1-317-879-0204

Above: ELIMINATE Progress around the world.

2

throughout cities in California and cities throughout New Jersey. For New Jersey specifically, here is a list of when and where the Best Day Beach Events are occurring: -Saturday, July 21st, at Harvey Cedars Beach on Long Beach Island -Sunday, July 22nd, at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch -Saturday, August 4th, at Brick III in Brick Township -Sunday, August 5th, at Brick III in Brick Township -Saturday, August 18th, at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch -Sunday, August 19th, at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch The Best Day Foundation is always looking for volunteers to help them out at their Best Day Events in addition to donations. You can donate online and apply for a volunteer position online easily at the Best Day Foundation website. You don’t have to be a surfer or do any sport to volunteer at these events. Many volunteers are needed to work behind the scenes at the events to ensure that the day runs along smoothly. For more information, please visit www.bestdayfoundation.org. Sunnyside Recreation By Danielle Ciaurro For those who don’t know, Sunnyside Recreation in Lincroft has therapeutic horseback riding programs for children and adults with different diseases ranging from down syndrome to cerebral palsy to autism. Every year they have five eight-week sessions where these people can go horseback riding with an instructor’s help and the guidance

of two volunteers. As a volunteer, you have two main jobs. One of them is being a sidewalker, holding onto the rider and the horse to keep him or her balanced, and the other is being a leader, guiding the horse along a trail or path. Along with these jobs, volunteers also have to groom and put the riding equipment on the horse for that lesson. You don’t need to have experience with horses to volunteer at Sunnyside. If you do, that’s fantastic, but it’s not required. If you don’t have the experience, don’t get intimidated because the other volunteer with you for the session will be more experienced and willing to help you. Unfortunately, Sunnyside has all the volunteers they need for this summer’s session but if you are interested, you can contact Pat Bernstein via phone or email. Please visit http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2546.

Summer 2012 Issue

leadership

inclusiveness

caring character building

Above: Group Therapeutic Horseback Riding at Sunnyside Recreation.

Above: A volunteer and child surfing at Seven President’s Beach, Long Branch, New Jersey.

We would like to extend

our condolences to the

Filippo family for their

loss.

RIP JoAnn Filippo.

3

K-Family Origins By Becky D’Albero For those who don’t know, Key Club International is part of the K-Family, a group of international and national organizations for different ages of people all dedicated to making a difference. Kiwanis International, part of the K-Family, was originally created in Detroit, Michigan in 1915. When Kiwanis was first introduced, the group mainly focused on business networking. Within a year, the unit became an international organization, creating a club in Ontario, Canada. Within three years it altered the focus. Instead of business, the group decided to contribute in making this world a better place. By 1962, the club was approved worldwide and by 1987, Kiwanis accepted women into the group. Kiwanis International is currently a global organization and is comprised of not only adults, but also kids who want to change the world too. Kiwanis can be found throughout more than eighty countries and geographic areas. It is now made up of more than 600,000 members worldwide. Kiwanis members everywhere help support young leaders in serving within communities and giving memorable experiences. Within the K-Family, there are multiple groups such as K-Kids, Builders Club, Key Club International, Circle-K International, and Aktion Club. Key Club is the largest high school service organization in the world. Its aim is to test leadership skills, develop friendships, and perform community service. For more information contact your local Kiwanis or the Kiwanis International headquarters

in Indianapolis, Indiana, or go to their website, http://sites.kiwanis.org/kiwanis/en/home.aspx.

Quick Recap By Danielle Ciaurro and Becky D’Albero

Before school got out, our Key Club participated in two main events: Division 8’s beach party, and Relay for Life of Middletown.

The beach party, on June 1, was a divisional event held by Division 8’s LTG Tracy. The party was rained out and had to be moved from North Beach to Building 77 on the MAST Campus. However, it was still a success and all of the proceeds went to ELIMINATE.

After school ended, a group of twenty MASTies joined together in the fight against cancer. Each person helped raise money to donate to the American Cancer Society ahead of time and stayed overnight to help raise even more money. Altogether, the grand total raised was $43,000.

Summer 2012 Issue

At this time…

MAST Key Club

a Kiwanis-family member

keyclub.org 4

Below are two Key Club events calendars for this month and last. The calendars include information for any member out there who is interested in what has been going on this past month or whomever is interested in future events.

Summer 2012 Issue

Feel free to contact us with event dates that we can include in the Calender!

MAST Key Club Officers Ashley Hann President Jackie Lowenstein Vice President Dan McCormack Treasurer Katie Henry Secretary Danielle Ciaurro Co-Editor Becky D’Albero Co-Editor Leor Golan Co-Editor Alison Pham Co-Editor Alyssa van Doorn Co-Editor and Co-Webmaster Joe Nardone Co-Webmaster Tracy Vollbrecht LTG Division 8 Señorita Mancini Advisor Mr. Ellithorpe Advisor

MAST Key Club

a Kiwanis-family member

keyclub.org 5

Summer 2012 Issue

A Message from the District Governor

Above: Nicole Ventrone, New Jersey District Key Club Governor

Hello Everyone! As I write this article, I am hastily packing for Key Club International Convention - a gathering of thousands of Key Clubbers from around the world! For those of you lucky enough to attend District Convention, ICON combines the same fun of meeting new people and making great memories with the tension associated with board elections. The major difference - ICON is DCON times 100! There are more people, more workshops, and more fun. For most districts, ICON begins with a district tour that allows the Key Club members to explore their home for the next week. This year's convention is in Orlando, Florida, so naturally, our district tour is in Disneyland. As we take pictures with our favorite childhood characters and feel the wind in our hair as we enjoy the amusement park rides, we will make long-lasting memories. On top of that, we are strengthening our relationships with other members of our district. From general members to International Board member candidates, everyone is invited to have some ICON fun. Honestly, it will be a trip to remember! ICON, though fun, also has a serious aspect to the convention. The election of the International Board plays a large role in the success of the Key Club International service year. From International Trustees to the International President, these positions are directly focused on the amendments and laws Key Club International abides by during the service year. Thankfully, ICON candidates are very eager to answer questions and take criticism of their campaigns, thus allowing voters to be quite candid with their opinions. With this open communication, Key Club International can only continue to grow and improve. See you when I return! Yours in Caring and Service, Nicole Ventrone District Governor