For the Division 9 Officer Training Conference, I was assigned to train the incoming Treasurers. Frankly, I think that the "Treasurer Job Description" provided by Key Club International is kind of...dumb. Over half of the description instructs Treasurers on filing taxes and banking information, which is ridiculous, since Key Clubbers are not allowed to touch any money earned, due to being underage. So I completely threw out what the "official" Key Club job description and focused on what I think is the most important part of the Treasurer's job: fundraising.
When organizing and implementing fundraisers, it is imperative to be creative. If your club organizes a unique and interesting fundraiser, it is more likely to make an impact on them. A really catchy display or a unique interactive event may convince them of the nobleness of your cause, and they may end up giving more than they would have otherwise
It is also important to remember that NO idea is stupid. People these days will spend their money on anything to support a charity, especially if it is for a charity run by kids, like Key Club. This is especially true for adults with small children. When a child wants something, it is almost impossible to tell him/her no. If your fundraiser is geared towards young children, you have the potential to make a lot of money. Some friends and I from another Key Club made over 400 dollars in a single weekend making balloon animals and doing face painting for kids at the mall. No idea is stupid
Most importantly, the fundraiser should be fun. If you and your club members are not having fun at your fundraiser, then neither is any one else. Not many people will donate money for a boring and unexciting fundraiser. By making it fun, not only are you and your members enjoying yourselves, you're providing a service to the community by sharing your enthusiasm and brightening their day.
For me, one of the best parts about Key Club is that you get to make great friends who all share a passion and love of service. One of my newest, and closest, Key Club friends is Stephanie Feinberg, the Lt. Governor for Division 9 of the Capital District, which is most of Western Maryland. She serves on the Capital District Board with me, and we've really hit it off, especially since she may be one of the few people I know who is more obsessed with Key Club than I am.
District Editor Pat Mitchell training incoming Editors
One of the Lt. Governor duties is to organize an Officer Training Conference ("OTC"). This is a meeting to train the newly elected Key Club officers within your division. Stephanie invited representatives from the District Board to act as "guest instructors" for the different officer positions. This allowed the incoming Key Club officers a chance to not only become more familiar with the Capital District Board, but it served as a valuable learning experience. I was assigned to train the incoming Treasurers, which I will describe in greater detail in another blog post.
The OTC was very well organized and presented. Stephanie has a unique talent for creating engaging and colorful representations that spruces up her meetings. One particularly memorable aspect of the OTC was the presentation of the Division 9 Project. For their Division 9 Project, they decided to choose a single foundation, in this case, created by one of the Key Clubbers in Division 9, Josie's Smiles for Pediatrics.
Josie, a fellow HOBY MD Alumnus, was driven to start her foundation when her 13 year old cousin, who spent much time in the hospital due to an inherent illness, had nothing to do during hospital stays. She collects books, toys, and other items for children to play with in the hospital. Josie has been raised over 23,000 dollars worth of items for Carrol County's Hospital Center, and has touched the lives of dozens of children. Well, if this doesn't light your fire, then your wood is wet. I was very inspired by Josie's personal testimony and astounding success, and I plan to organize some kind of donation drive for her foundation in the future.
Following this moving testimonial was an emotional presentation from a representative from the Children's Miracle Networks, one of Key Club's three partner organizations. Children's Miracle Network raises money for 170 children's hospitals across North America, including the John Hopkins Children's Center. Since its founding in 1983, the organization has raised over 4 billion dollars, which goes on to fund research, purchase equipment, and help pay for care for disadvantaged patients. The presentation was very uplifting and moving, and I definitely would like to become more involved with the Children's Miracle Network in the future.
Division 9 LTG presenting
I am so glad that I decided to participate in the Division 9 OTC. Meeting Key Clubbers from another division reminded me of why I love Key Club, and meeting a fellow HOBY Alumnus and Key Club District Board members from West Virginia was definitely the highlight of the day. I learned a lot about how to organize and present my own meetings, and I was inspired to serve by the moving presentations and testimonies. There is always something one can learn from others, and I definitely learned a lot today. Thank you Stephanie for allowing me to be a part of your superbly run meeting. I can not wait for the opportunity for our divisions to work together!
Division 14 Kiwanis cooperated with Division 14 Key Club to host an Activity Day for the residents of Sarah's House. Sarah's House is a Catholic charity sponsored by the U.S. Army, that provides shelter and professional casework for homeless families. Families live in "transitional housing" for 18-24 months, while the parents receive assistance in my programs, such as parenting classes, employment programs, and GED classes. Many of the children in these families attend Anne Arundel County public schools.
The Kiwanis Clubs of Division 14 have annually hosted an activity day for the residents of Sarah's House for some time now (According to my knowledge). While Kiwanis provided the food for the residents that came, the Key Clubs were in charge of playing with the kids.
This counts as my first Divisional Project for my term as Lt. Governor, and the first project in some time for Division 14. (Though I did little more than beg people to come and help). Naturally, I did everything last minute, and was very nervous about the project. What if there aren't enough Key Clubbers to play with the children? What if all the Key Clubbers from different schools don't like each other? What if it is...awkward?
Like always, I over-worried and everything went great. 16 Key Clubbers from 7 different Key Clubs (though one is not fully formed yet) volunteered over 30 hours of service playing with the children of Sarah's House. When I arrived there, I rallied some of the Key Clubbers to make this "awesome" obstacle course for the kids to play on. Boy were they going to be happy to see it! Of course, they never played on the obstacle course, and just threw water balloons at my the whole time.
In all seriousness, it was an outstanding day. We played kickball, cornhole, bean bag toss, and threw a LOT of water balloons. Most of them at me. I could tell that the kids were happy to be there, and their families were so appreciative as well. All of the children left with prizes for playing the games and I could tell that we had made their day.
As an added bonus, I think that the Key Clubbers really enjoyed the project and meeting people from different Key Clubs, especially those who had never attended a divisional event before. What I saw today is why I love Key Club, and why I love doing what I do. I saw people who had never met each other before today, working together, playing with children, and serving their community. From what I have heard, the feedback for the project has been extremely positive. I have already started talking about planning a Division 14 Christmas Party for the Sarah's House residents. No matter what happens down the road, today, Key Club came together and made a difference in the lives of children. That's what it's all about.
Until next time, keep serving.
If you or your club is interested in organizing a project at Sarah's House, here is the link to the website: http://www.catholiccharities-md.org/sarahs-house/
They love to have groups come in and organize kids' nights for the children. Contact me for information or questions!
For the past two days, I have done something I thought that I would never do: make balloon animals for little kids. I was helping 3 other students at a North County High School Key Club Fundraiser, making balloon animals for kids while others painted their faces in a multitude of designs. I was expecting this to be a modest fundraiser and make between 40-50 dollars for the 4 hours that we were at the mall. We ended up making 140 dollars on both days, simply from painting simple designs and creating straightforward balloon animals.
NCHS Key Club Pres. modeling face paint
What shocked me the most was the goodwill of people at the mall these past few days. We did not charge for the balloons or face painting; it was on a donation only basis. While there were some instances of some people taking the balloons and not paying for them, the majority of people gave very freely, many giving far more than a twisted balloon and five minutes of painting was worth. Plus, the little kid's faces when we give them the balloons is priceless. :D
This is a great example of an easy fundraiser that all Key Clubs can do. Painting supplies and balloons are fairly cheap, and you will be reimbursed very quickly. Making balloon animals is very easy, and it will take only an hour of preparation to learn a variety of balloon shapes (Dogs, swords, and hats are easy to learn, and very popular with children). Chances are someone in your club has done face painting before, and you can enlist their help in the fundraiser. Designs can be as simple as you want; kids are just excited to get their faces painted.
Elephants: My specialty.
Getting a good location at an appropriate time is key. Malls are filled with families on weekend afternoons, and most teenagers will be available for help then. Ask stores at your local mall if they will let you set up in front of their store. They more than likely won't object, and will be happy about the increased traffic provided by your fundraiser. Make sure you post a sign in the store as well, advertising your various designs and creations.
Advertising in the store.
The most crucial part is to make sure that you do not set a fixed price for the face painting or the balloons. Making it a "donations-only" fundraiser allows people to freely give, which often results in more income than a fixing prices would. Since you are serving the community by giving joy to local children, this also counts as a service project, giving your members even a fun way to earn more hours.
This is a can't-miss opportunity to make money for your club, gain some service hours, and learn some new skills that you didn't you had (Making balloon animals are way more fun than I expected). These guidelines can help make any fundraising project successful, whether it be for your club or a charity. Hopefully, this will inspire you to get out in your community and provide them with a service, all the while raising funds for your club.
I held my first Division 14 Council Meeting on Saturday June 4, 2011. For those of you unfamiliar with a Division Council Meeting, or "DCM", it is when Key Club members from an entire division come together for a single meeting. They come together to network, plan division projects, and learn about District information. These meetings are very important because they give the clubs important information about District and Division events, but more importantly, they bring the people of the Division closer together.
For whatever reason, Division 14 has not had a DCM in some time. A large number of people in Division 14 Key Clubs don't even know of the existence of a "Division" or a "District", so organizing a meeting for all these people to come together possessed some unique challenges. Contrary to what many people seem to think, I am very insecure about my public speaking skills, and I don't particularly enjoy standing in front of people. And, even though I LOVE PowerPoints, most people find them pretty boring. So understandably, I was very nervous going into this DCM. I have never organized a huge meeting like this before, and it could have ended up being a disaster. Fortunately, the meeting was a huge success, and I think I just helped ignite a fire in Division 14. A fire for service. I talked about a variety of topics. Since many people in my Division are unfamiliar with the District Structure, I reviewed the purpose and structure of the Capital District, as well as my responsibilities as Lt. Governor. We went over important District Information, particularly the Governor's Project and the ELIMINATE Project. Equally important, I gave out dates for the Fall Rally and District Convention, which WILL have higher attendance from Division 14 this year.
Two very important things happened at the DCM, both of which I am very happy and proud of the clubs for embracing them. The first is my love of cheers and energizers. Cheering is a large part of HOBY, and it's one of my favorite parts. It really helps people come out of their shell, and gets people to bond and become closer together. And more importantly, I got to teach people cheers, which I LOVE doing.
Did anybody know Key Club has official cheers? They did this cheer at the International Convention last year. What better cheer to teach to Key Clubbers than an official Key Club cheer. Needless to say, it was awesome. In spite of my fears and last-minute planning, everyone loved cheering, and it is going to be a Division 14 Trademark. New cheers at each DCM? Oh yeah.
One another thing happened at the DCM, something far more important than cheers. We selected our Division Project. A Division Project is a division-wide project, similar to a District Project. All the clubs in the Division work on the project, on a individual club basis, and in large division-wide projects. It allows for larger community impact, and helps build friendships between the Key Clubbers in the Division. For the 2011-2012 year, we have decided to make our Division 14 Project "Ending Child Poverty". I wanted to make the Division Project poverty-related, since this is a very prevalant issue for my division. By focusing on child poverty, we put a face on the issue, which will help to raise awareness for this issue, as we aid those in our area who live beneath their needs.
The response for the Division 14 Project has been overwhelmingly positive. Many people have told me about how excited they are to begin working on this project, and I believe it has kick-started our division. I am so excited for Key Club this year, and I can't wait to see all the great things all the Division 14 Clubs will be doing for the community this year.
In summary, the DCM was outstanding! As far as I can tell, everyone really enjoyed themselves, and came away with excitement for the year. I've always said that the Division 14 Clubs are doing great things, and with some guidance, we can be working together to make incredible change in our collective communities. People went to the DCM to learn about Capital District, but they left ready to take on the world.
I am so excited for this year, and beyond pleased to be the Division 14 Lt. Governor. It's about to be a great year for Key Club. Hey Division 14, HOW DO YOU FEEL??
On Saturday May 14, 2011, I participated in a Habitat for Humanity Project in Annapolis, MD with three other NCHS Key Club members, and several Severna Park Key Club members. I have long had a desire to volunteer with Habitat and help make a difference in the lives of a needy and deserving family. Just like most things I find in my life, my initial expectations were vastly different than the actual outcome. Even though I was entirely unprepared for the work I was going to do that day, and I do mean work, I had a lot of fun, and am richer for the experience. Three North County Key Club members and I arrived at the site bright and early that Saturday morning, excited and ready to volunteer. We were broken up into groups and were assigned tasks for the day. This is when I learned that when Habitat for Humanity says they build houses, they build houses. I was not expecting to do actual construction work that day, but I did. They put me right to work, and it was not easy either.
Me using a jackhammer to
break up the concrete.
Another Key Club member and I were directed to a basement of a house where concrete rocks needed to be cleared. After hauling the rocks up the street to a dumpster, we then had to clear all the gravel and concrete out of this trench so that we could begin to dig deeper into the trench, which began to quickly fill with water. So for the record, Habitat for Humanity while fun, puts people to work.
I would highly recommend Habitat for Humanity to anyone who really wants to get their hands dirty and volunteer. Make no mistake, it was hard work. But it was really fun, and we truly did make a difference. One of the things that made the biggest impact on me while at the project was the amount of poverty where I live. The project was in Annapolis, within walking distance of the Capitol, and yet there were so many people that lived in less than sustainable conditions. People often watch those T.V. shows, such as Feed the Children, that ask you to donate to people in need, and they often think "This happens in other countries, it could never happen where I live." I know I am guilty of this as well. Well people, it doesn't just happen in other countries, in places far from home. It's here right in our own backyard. What are we going to do about it? Are we gonna get up, take a stand, and do something about it? Or are we just going to change the channel?
Dear North County High School Key Club,
It's hard for me to believe what has happened in my life with you is real. It's so surreal, it kind of feels like a dream sometimes. I can still remember the very moment that you were born, that very first meeting way back in October of 2010. Now, here I am, stepping down as your President, and I can't help but feel mixed emotions.
I am going to be honest: there were times when I wasn't sure you were going to survive. I mean seriously, who would have thought that North County High School students would ever be interested in volunteering? Sometimes, it seemed pointless to even try, but was I ever proven wrong.
The past year has been incredible for me. I have learned so much about myself by raising you and helping you to grow and expand into an official chartered Key Club. No doubt I made mistakes along the way, which is why I am thankful for my amazing officer team. I could not have asked for a more qualified, more altruistic, more perfect officer team than the one that helped to raise you this year. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, they helped raise you from literally nothing into something the entire school can be proud of. Without them, you would have died young, and would never have survived to see your first Convention, your first Chartering Ceremony, or your first Recognition Ceremony. You owe them your life.
Part of me is very distraught at the reality of not being your President. It took me a long time to decide to step down as your President. I agonized over the decision for weeks, and I consulted practically everyone I knew for advice. In retrospect, I am glad I have made this decision.
I realized that you had to be bigger than me. If I served as President for another year, you might become synonymous with me, and that is the last thing I want to happen. You are not about me, you are about high school students serving their communities and making a difference. In order to ensure your survival, I needed to give people the chance to step up and take charge. You were never made to benefit me; I created you for the students, so that you could provide the, with a warm, friendly environment where they could volunteer and make a difference. The time had come for me to move and pass you on to the next generation of leaders, and I have the utmost confidence that they will do a great job.
My term as your President has officially ended. It has been the best year of my life, and I consider it a great honor and privilege to have been fortunate enough to serve as your first ever President. I know that the new officer team will be very efficient in leading you, and will help ensure that you live a long life after I am gone. Thanks so much for inspiring me to be the best leader that I could be, and to go out of my comfort zone to make sure that the club was running smoothly. You have given me more than I have ever given you, and I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of your life, even if it was brief. I know that you will have an outstanding next year, and live a long life, and will continue to teach students the value of volunteering and making a difference. Thank you so much for the best year of my life, I have loved every minute of it.
Your Loving Past President,
Christopher Frye
This past Wednesday, May 11 2011, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend Old Mill High School Key Club's Induction Ceremony. I was both very excited and quite nervous, ironically for the same reason: I had never visited another club before. What if the other officers didn't like me? Would they be willing to work with me? What if they didn't have an active Key Club and didn't care about service? As far as I am concerned, those concerns were over-blown and unnecessary. Old Mill Key Club is awesome.
The inducted members on stage.
It was an important night for Old Mill Key Club. 37 members who had volunteered at least 50 hours were being recognized, as well as officially inducting their members for the year. They were also recognizing and awarding their officers for their hard work and service, and saying goodbye to their Key Club Advisor, who is leaving Old Mill to teach at South River after years of teaching there and 6 years as their Key Club advisor. It was great to see so many people so giving back to their communities. I was so happy and so impressed with Old Mill Key Club, I can't wait to work on projects with them in the future.
Old Mill Key Club Executive Board 2011-2012
What impressed me the most about Old Mill Key Club was the extent of their service. They volunteer A LOT. Between organizing some of the largest participation in Relay for Life in the district, spending Thanksgiving day serving a free meal to needy families, tutoring at the Ruth Parker Eason School, or raising 3000 pounds of food for Harvest for the Hungry, Old Mill Key Club puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to service. Of the 103 members in Old Mill Key Club, 37 have volunteered at least 50 hours in the past year. I haven't even done that many hours with my Key Club! That's almost 2,000 hours of service among 1/3 of their club. Amazing. That's all I can say.
The plaque that Old Mill Key Club advisor received
for his dedication to Key Club.
Overall, I would say that my first visit to a Key Club went great. I am very impressed with the Old Mill officers; they seem very passionate about Key Club and I can tell they have a love of service. Their hard work and dedication to service is reflected in their community impact. I am so honored to have such a great Key Club in Division 14. Congratulations Old Mill Key Club for such a great year of service, and I can't wait to see what you accomplish this year! "There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up" Complete List of Old Mill Volunteer Projects:
Relay for Life: sold bracelets and baked goods to raise awareness and recruit members
Sarah's House: held an Easter Egg hunt, organized a Christmas party
Ruth Parker Eason School: tutored students
Thanksgiving Dinner: served dinner to needy families in Baltimore
Operation Welcome Home: welcomed home U.S. soldiers at BWI Airport
Maryland Food Bank
Harvest for the Hungry: raised 3,000 dollars and 3,000 pounds of food
