Old Mill High School Key Club Induction Ceremony

     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