Summer Keystonian 2014

The Keystonian Pennsylvania Key Club’s Official District Publication

Into A Splash

Summer Full

of Service

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Hey PA Key Clubbers!

For those of you that didn't attend District Convention in March, my name is Elissa Hill, and I am your 2014-2015 PA

Key Club District Governor. First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for electing me to serve you this year in this capacity.

Without you, I would never be in this position, and I can't thank you enough for this opportunity.

Next, at our District Convention, it was unveiled that our Youth Serving Youth (YSY) Project for this year is The Elimi-

nate Project, which you'll read more about later in this issue. I am proud to announce that so far, the Pennsylvania Dis-

trict Kiwanis Family clubs have raised a total of $637,521.76, saving 354178 families from Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus.

While this is a proud accomplishment, it is only a fraction of our $1,900,000.00 goal, which we can only reach with your

club's help! This summer, host a 5k race or a chicken barbecue to benefit the Eliminate Project. Have a car wash, and

have some fun saving lives! The opportunities are limitless, and I know that we can accomplish amazing things by

supporting Eliminate. Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF is one of the year's largest fundraisers, so look out for a video on the

PA Key Club YouTube Channel coming soon for more information!

Finally, this summer, while you're all at the beach, or hiking

up a mountain, don't forget about service. Wherever you

are, there will always be an opportunity to serve, and with-

out school taking up a lot of your time, summer presents the

best service opportunities of all. Key Club doesn't end when

school lets out, and neither should your will to lead and

serve others!

If you have any suggestions for our District or questions for

me, please never hesitate to contact me! You can reach me

primarily at [email protected], or even on a social

media site like Facebook or Twitter. Enjoy your summer va-

cation, and talk to y'all soon!

Yours in Friendship and Service,

Elissa Hill

Hello majestic Pennsylvania Key Club members!

My time with the Pennsylvania Key Club District Board

for the 2013-2014 was absolutely amazing. Being able

to work with such a distinguished group of individuals

was a true honor. As was, sharing unforgettable

memories with every single one of them at their Octo-

ber 2013 Board Meeting as well as their District

Convention 2014. I thank Immediate Past Governor

Stephen Wheadon for such a well served year and

look forward to Governor Elissa Hill’s accomplish-

ments. I hope great acts of service will be performed by the 2014-2015 District Board. Without a doubt, this time on

the Pennsylvania District Board will be a one-of-a-kind experience, as long as you dedicate yourself to it. You see, in Key

Club, we not only provide service, but we also expand our skills as leaders and stewards of our communities. I not only

challenge the District Board to go above and beyond in their work, communication, and service, I challenge club offic-

ers and club members to take the concept of servant leadership by the horns. Only you have the power to move masses

of people to help one another and create a better local and global community. Only you can inspire someone to change

the world. Only you are recognized as being a Key Clubber, one of the most notable organizations any high school stu-

dent can be a part of. So be proud of who you are and care for those around you.

I wish the best for the majestic Pennsylvania District of Key Club International. This past year as your International

Trustee has been nothing but amazing and I thank every single member, officer, and staff member for making last

year truly unforgettable. Thank you, for joining forces to aid families and research teams and treat deadly diseases with

the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Thank you, for supporting fundraising goals to eliminate neonatal and mater-

nal tetanus with the Kiwanis-endorsed Eliminate Project. Thank you, for all you do for Key Club and never forget that,

because of you, a difference was made in this world. Serve on, Pennsylvania.

Yours in friendship and service,

Alberto Berrizbeitia, your Key Club International Trustee

Every year, the Pennsylvania District of Key Club In-ternational chooses a YSY, or Youth Serving Youth Project. This year, the eliMiNaTe Project has been selected as PA’s YSY. The eliMiNaTe Project is fo-cused on Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus that strikes mothers and babies in various third world coun-tries.

Many of you have probably never heard of MNT, or Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus before, due to the fact

that it’s not common in the United States. Whenever a mother has the disease, she auto-matically passes the disease to her child. The child experiences horribly painful convulsions, until the baby eventually dies from the disease. Although this disease is a tragedy, there is an easy cure! For just $1.80, a mother can receive 3 treatments of vaccine and be immune to the disease. The immunity is also passed to her future children. Kiwanis and UNICEF have teamed up to help eliminate the disease, and the PA District is glad to help support the eliM-iNaTe Project through our YSY. Now that you know what MNT and the eliMiNaTe Project are, see what you and your club can do to help!

http://sites.kiwanis.org/Kiwanis/en/theELIMINATEproject/home.aspx

For more information, please visit:

Still not quite sure how to raise money? Here are some ideas!

Have a male beauty pageant

Contact your local Ford

dealer to have a Ford Test

Drive

Another good way to help the cause? Try to educate your community about what the eliMiNaTe Project is and how it’s helping people worldwide. Every little

thing counts!

Hold Penny Wars at

your school

2014 District Convention

Recap and Summary

This year’s District Convention took place at the Hilton in Harrisburg and had a

Hollywood theme. The convention was a great success. There were great work-

shops were Key Clubbers could learn all about Key Club and how to improve their

club. There was a service fair where they could gather service project ideas.

There were group sessions where all of the Key Clubbers at Convention could

come together. The PA Service project was announced and this year Kiwanis In-

ternational's primary focus will be on the Eliminate Project, which has been designed to eliminate

Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus. Kiwanis has partnered with UNICEF and this is the last year for the

K-family to reach our goal of eliminating Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus. Pennsylvania Key Club, as a

district, will be focusing on the project, so be prepared for lots of further information regarding the

effort.

Also at Convention, was the recognition session where all of the Key Clubbers in the Pennsylvania

District were recognized. Many awards were given such as the Distinguished Officer awards and

awards for projects such as scrapbooks. The LTGs all wore red dresses and ties to present the

awards.

At the meet and greet, we played Minute-To-Win-It and danced the night away. We raised $67 dol-

lars in a mad minute for the Eliminate Project and everyone had a blast getting to know each other.

The new Executive Board was elected and Elissa Hill

was voted the new Governor. Elissa served on the

District Board last year as a Lieutenant Governor.

Ali Humbrecht was elected Communications Coordi-

nator and Rushabh Kamdar was elected District Sec-

retary/Treasurer. The previous district board was

retired and the new board took its place. The week-

end was filled with fun and service, and everyone

should start thinking about attending next year's

convention in Hershey!

Our new 2014-2015 District Board

Early Childhood Education

We all read to learn, but children in third grade and under learn to read. Reading is a building

block in a child’s life. A child must hear 30 million words by the age of six to have a proper foun-

dation for their education. Unfortunately, many children do not hear 30 million words, but we can

help by reading to children! This is a simple way to change the world. School is out and instead

of spending our days playing on the computer or laying by the pool, we can help a child. Check

with your local YMCA, library, or other summer programs

to see if you can read to a class or a group of children be-

tween the ages 0-5. If not, you can try to create a new way

to read to and change the lives of kids. Make a difference

this summer and be the building block to a child’s future.

Summer Service Ideas!

Are you looking for a unique way for your club to get involved in the community? There are countless paths your club can take to serve others this summer, as well as a multitude of fundraising opportunities in which your club can take advantage of! Check out some of these ideas!

Pancake Breakfast:

Contact a local fire company or rent space at your school for preparing and serving breakfast to

members of the community.

Barbecue/Cookout:

Similarly to hosting a pancake breakfast, you can plan a barbecue or cookout at a local park and organize

games/activities for kids.

Car Wash: Nothing raises a substantial amount of mon-ey like the classic car wash! Contact a busi-ness or other organization to ask for available space to hose and wash all kinds of cars!

Bake Sale/Concession Stand: With permission, set up a bake sale or con-cession stand at multiple sporting events in accordance with a summer athletic league to benefit the chosen charitable cause.

Summer Service Ideas!

5K Walk/Run: Though it takes more planning, hosting a walk/run to benefit your charitable or-ganization is an excellent way for the com-munity to come together and fundraise for a greater cause.

Carnival Night: Though school is out for the summer and you may never want to return before the fall, organizing a carnival/game night at the school or someplace local will attract many people! Plan fun activities like a cake walk, backyard bowling, and a ring toss. Don’t forget face painting and balloons!

Park Cleanup: Organize a day to pick up trash at a local park. You may even want to involve your local Kiwanis Club and/or another branch of the K-Family!

Tutoring:

Offer tutoring and

reading to help kids at a

local public library.

Nursing Homes:

Volunteer to sing to, play games with, read to, or paint the nails of residents of a local old folks/nursing home.

Homeless Shelters:

Get involved at a local homeless shelter by hosting birthday parties with fun activities and snacks for less fortunate children who are staying there.