CNH KIWIN'S Gems/April 2015 by CNH KIWIN'S District Bulletin Editor

GEMS

APRIL 2015

VOL. 1 ISS. 1

DCON

2015 EDITION

CONTENTS COVER PHOTO/ALVIN LI

WELCOME MESSAGES ` International Trustee, District Governor, Division

01-03

2015-2016 DISTRICT BOARD Executive Board, LtGs

05-11

ELMINATE PROJECT Introduction, ELIMINATE Week

PEDIATRIC TRAUMA PROGRAM Introduction

LIVE 2 LEARN Introduction

DCON ISSUE ARF, Intro Message, First Timers, Going to International, Ending Remark

15-22

ICON 23-24

editor’s message Hi KIWIN’S! My name is Andrea Hu, your 2015-2016 District Bulletin Editor! I’m excited for this first issue and I hope that you enjoy it. I tried really hard to include every division in this issue! I’ll do a shoutout in every monthly issue so for this issue-shoutout to Katie Hin for being on-point and turning her ARF on the first day of May even though I didn’t ask for it. Thank you for reading my message! Please read the other messages becuase I’m sure there are important information and news you can learn from it! Enjoy!

WELCOME MESSAGES Tashrima Hossain Key Club International Trustee Georgia, KIWIN’S & Pacific Northwest Hello, California-Nevada-Hawaii KIWIN’S District Key Clubbers! I know you all are likely still feeling the effects of postDCON syndrome, but nonetheless, I’d like to welcome you all to a new year of service. For those of you who didn’t meet me at convention, my name is Tashrima Hossain, and I will be serving as your International Trustee until my retirement at the International Convention this June. As you delve into your term, I’d love to receive an introductory email from you—just a simple hello, so we can get to know each other before we are reunited in Indianapolis this summer. As a little background, as a Trustee to the California-Nevada-Hawaii KIWIN’S District (as well as Pacific Northwest and Georgia, your sister districts), I am here as a resource for you. My job is to hear your opinions and voice your ideas before the International Board. Simply put, I am a liaison between your district and Key Club International. As a result, communication is essential; please don’t hesitate to ask me a question, offer a suggestion, or schedule a call to discuss something going on at the international level. Additionally, on a regular basis, I send email updates out to all of my districts to provide a snapshot of what is occurring at the international level. I also set up videoconferences with my governors, the other executive officers, and the lieutenant governors. As always, I am a resource, voice, and friend for you all. Let me know what I can do for you, and I will be there to address your needs. In addition, I hope to see you all at the 2015 International Convention from June 24 to 28 in Indianapolis, Indiana!

With the 100th centennial of Kiwanis International, we will be having a joint convention with all of Kiwanis Family, and there will be lots of interesting events—from a HelloGoodbye concert, to a pancake breakfast, to a baseball game. Contact District Administrator Kenneth Umbarger or District Governor Jade Wong to learn more. Congratulations, once again, KIWIN’S Key Clubbers! I am already impressed by your passion, work ethic, and motivation to improve the district, and I can’t wait to see all that you do during the upcoming year of service. Yours in service, Tashrima Hossain International Trustee Georgia, KIWIN’S, & Pacific Northwest 7135052252 keyclub.org

Jade Wong District Governor

Hey KIWIN’S! My name is Jade Wong and I am so honored to serve as the District Governor for the 2015-2016 term. First and foremost, I would like to welcome you to the start of a great year. This year will be filled with memories, service, leadership, happiness, ohana, and maybe a little (okay a lot) of tears at the end. Just to say a little about myself, I’m from Goldstone Divison and currently a junior at Glen A. Wilson High School. In my free time, I enjoy binge watching Netflix, eating, and of course sleeping (when I can get some in). After three years in KIWIN’S, I can say that this organization has become a life passion of mine and I’m so grateful to be a part of such an incredible ohana. KIWIN’S has truly changed my life as it has given me so many amazing opportunities to develop my leadership, serve the community, and help change lives. I congratulate each and every one of you who has joined for committing yourself to bettering your home, school, and community. If you are still on the edge, I promise that you won’t regret the decision. During this term, our District will be continuing support for Project ELIMINATE. Project ELIMINATE aims to raise funds and awareness to rid the world of maternal and neonatal tetanus, which is a deadly disease that affects mothers and their babies. We are so close to reaching our goal and I know that if we all work together we can help do it. This is something the District Board truly is passionate about. Next, I want to grow our ohana to 2,600 members strong and I want our District to serve over 75,000 hours, more hours than ever before. Convention is in Los Angeles next year and hopefully with more than 600 members in attendance, it will be better and bigger than ever. My ultimate goal however is make sure not only the District, but also you and your clubs succeed and have an amazing year. Lastly, I just want to reiterate that I am here as a resource for all the clubs, officers, and members. I want to be there to help you plan your next service project, cheer for you when you succeed, and help you up when you struggle. Please feel free to call, text, email, or Facebook message me anytime. Never hesitate because I am ultimately here to support and serve all of you. Let’s have a great year together! Yours in Service, Jade Wong Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S District Governor 2015-2016

MONTHLY DIVISON FEATURE Olivia Tang President Glen A. Wilson Goldstone Division

Hello KIWINERS! My name is Olivia Tang and I am the Glen A. Wilson immediate past Recording Secretary and the 2015-2016 Club President. After a year of hard work and endless dedication, our club’s immediate past presidents Lili Anne Labaco and Josephine Tjandra along with Wilson’s club board managed to revive and rebuild our home club. Our presidents encouraged all members to achieve their goals and inspired a love for service and this organization within everyone. They implemented many new things in order to improve our home club, one of which was a committee system. Wilson KIWIN’S has improved immensely over the course of one term and this is all thanks to the leadership of our past presidents, their board, and the general members. We were able to become a stronger club as a whole through the dedication of our members and their effort to show up to as many service projects as they could. We had various committees responsible for different things that helped our officers achieve their goals. For example, the Service Projects Committee planned various service projects including an awakeathon and interclub events with different branches of the K-Family. Our committees included Service Projects, Fundraising, Technology, and Spirit and through these committees we were able to get our members more involved and allow them to have a say in how our club is run. I look forward to a new term and hope to continue Lili and Josephine’s legacy by continuing to grow Wilson KIWIN’S.

WANT TO GET YOUR DIVISION FEATURED? STEP 1. ASK ANYONE IN YOUR DIVISION TO WRITE A HALF PAGE ON THEIR SCHOOL AND OR DIVISION

STEP 2. SEND TO THE DISTRICT BULLETIN EDITOR (KIWINS.DBULED@GMAIL.COM) BETWEEN THE 1ST AND THE 10TH OF EVERY MONTH

STEP 3. WAIT FOR THE DISTRICT NEWSLETTER TO COME OUT IN THE MONTH TO SEE IF YOU GOT FEATURED!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE DIVISIONS!

05 executive DISTRICT GOVERNOR DISTRICT SECRETARY

DISTRICT TREASURER

DISTRICT BULLETIN EDITOR

2015-2016 DI

06 LTGs CRYSTAL

EMERALD DIAMOND

GOLDSTONE

JET JADE

TURQUOISE

RUBY SAPPHIRE

ISTRICT BOARD

DISTRICT SECRETARY-TIFFANY NGUYEN

DISTRICT GOVERNOR-JADE WONG

07 Hey KIWIN’S! My name is Jade Wong and I am so honored to serve as the District Governor for the 2015-2016 term. First and foremost, I would like to welcome you to the start of a great year. This year will be filled with memories, service, leadership, happiness, ohana, and maybe a little (okay a lot) of tears at the end. Just to say a little about myself, I’m from Goldstone Divison and currently a junior at Glen A. Wilson High School. In my free time, I enjoy binge watching Netflix, eating, and of course sleeping (when I can get some in). After three years in KIWIN’S, I can say that this organization has become a life passion of mine and I’m so grateful to be a part of such an incredible ohana. KIWIN’S has truly changed my life as it has given me so many amazing opportunities to develop my leadership, serve the community, and help change lives. I congratulate each and every one of you who has joined for committing yourself to bettering your home, school, and community. If you are still on the edge, I promise that you won’t regret the decision. Yours in Service, Jade Wong Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S District Governor 2015-2016

Hi KIWIN’S! My name is Tiffany Nguyen, but you can call me anytime (¬u¬) I am your 2015-2016 District Secretary and I will be a senior at La Quinta High School, Jet Division! You can literally hit me up about anything from MRFs to math homework and it’ll be cool with me xD I have been told I have occasional OCD or that I subconsciously correct people’s grammar, but no habit can be as strange as saying “bless you” to strangers who sneeze while walking outside of your classroom ◉_◉ Some things I do outside of KIWIN’S include tennis, piano, Girl Scouts, or other clubs like NHS or CSF! Once every ten million years when I have free time, one of my guilty pleasures is watching hours of Friends or anime at a time!! I have no shame when I say I have watched entire seasons in one sitting. My taste in music ranges from depressing ballads to EXO, so whenever people ask what kind of music I like I never know what to say?? As for KIWIN’S, there is a special place in mi corazón for this family. I have been so inspired and so impacted by the individuals I was blessed with the opportunity to meet through this club, and I honestly can’t wait to see what we can accomplish!! <3___<3 Yours in Service, Tiffany Nguyen Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S District Secretary 2015-2016

DISTRICT BULLETIN EDITOR-ANDREA HU DISTRICT TREASURER-KATHY BUI

08 Hi friends!! It’s your District Treasure, uh I mean Treasurer* here and I could not be more excited for this upcoming term! A little bit about me first, I am currently a junior attending Edison High School from Jet Division and it will be my third year in KIWIN’S next year. A few things I hold dear to my heart include: biking to the HB Pier, eating Chipotle (with the extra guac), shopping with friends, and living vicariously through other people’s Snapchat stories. But enough about me, this year is all about the members and I am so grateful to be allowed the privilege of serving such a great District of people and I plan to make the most of it. I have a lot of new and fun things lined up for both club treasurers and general members regarding improving fundraising, increasing membership growth and retention, and spreading the infectious KIWIN’S love. One thing I am adamant about improving within clubs is incorporating innovation and creativity whether it be through fundraisers, service projects, or anything else for the members. I’m really going to push clubs to break out of their comfort zone and try to experiment with new ideas and events to improve themselves and raise membership. I’m sure you can all agree with me when I say KIWIN’S has changed my life, and I would love nothing more than to widen our Ohana so that other students can share the same experience. I hope you have all recovered from your post-DCON syndrome by now because it is time to get to work! Club Treasurers get ready to make some mad cash flow. Yours in Service, Kathy Bui Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S District Treasurer 2015-2016

Hi KIWIN’S! If you had read my editor’s message in the beginning, then you’re great, but if you haven’t, it’s okay because you’ll learn more about me in this mini introduction. I’m very intersting; I swear. Okay to start off, I’m a junior at Glen A. Wilson High School from the Goldstone Division. I have been in KIWIN’S since my freshmen year and it wasn’t an easy ride but I love this organization too much so here I am today. DISCLAIMER: Please do not hate me for what I am about to say. Don’t get me wrong-Chipotle is my life but not the guac. I dislike guac so whomever out there hates guac too, bless you. I play the flute, but I don’t practice as much anymore; however, I do play when I’m extremely stressed because it somehow relieves my stress. Tumblr and Korean Dramas gets me talking and memes are my area of expertise so if you want to start a conversation with me, just bring up the latest thing on Tumblr or Korean Drama and we will become best friends. The things is, I want to know everyone of you guys better. Wouldn’t it be great to thank everyone in KIWIN’S because every one of you guys matter and help KIWIN’S grow every year. Don’t let others tell you otherwise. To all the editors: let’s have social this term because I am genuinely interested in getting to know everyone better. Onto my term goals-as your District Bulletin Editor, I’m making newsletters every month to ensure that members are connected with the district and having monthly meetings with the club editors to have communication and connection. I’m an advocate of featuring club officiers and members thus my newsletters would have multiple features. Be on the lookout for that! Holla at me if you have any questions relating to my position, design, or anything related to KIWIN’S. Get ready for the 2015-2016 term! Yours in Service, Andrea Hu Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S District Bulletin Editor 2015-2016

EMERALD LTG-DANILENE PRODON DIAMOND LTG-ANTHONY OREJANA

CRYSTAL LTG-SENA JI

09 Hi KIWIN’S! My name is Sena Ji, the Crystal Division Lieutenant Governor for the 2015-2016 term. I am currently a Junior at Fairfax Senior High School and KIWIN’S played a prominent role in my high school life. I’ve learned about the meaning of “Ohana” through KIWIN’S and important values such as responsibility, leadership, and most importantly, serving my community. Ever since freshman year, I met a lot of amazing and giving people through this organization that helped me grow as a person and share the same passion as me. Without my friends and family, I wouldn’t have become the person I am today. I absolutely love KIWIN’S because even though we are separated by distance, I believe that the people who touch our lives deeply in a short amount of time are the ones who are the hardest to forget. I look forward to serving you as your Crystal Ltg! With Polar Bear Cuddles, Sena Ji Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Crystal Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016 Hello KIWIN’S! My name is Anthony Orejana and I am Diamond division’s Lieutenant Governor for the 2015-16’ term. I am truly excited to work with all of you and continue to see not only our KIWIN’S ohana grow but, as well as your passion to serve. I have been part of KIWIN’S since my freshman year, but never really took an active role in the club until my sophomore year. And from then on the rest is history! I hope you’re all as excited as I am because, this year isn’t going to be great with all of your hard work and dedication to such an amazing organization. Aside from KIWIN’S I am part of my high school’s swim team, and that also has taught me many valuable life lessons that will be applied throughout my lifetime. Therefore, I highly encourage all of you to find an “outlet” in which you too can learn valuable life lessons as well as escape the stressful world we live in today. KIWIN’S has become a huge part of my life these past couple of years. And watching us work together as an organization has helped me see what it means to be a passionate “KIWINNER” It’s really amazing to see how much we as a family can change the world through our many projects such as the Eliminate project. I can’t believe I will be starting my last year of high school soon, which is exactly why I am motivated to give every ounce of effort I have left stored in my little body. I can go on and on explaining to you all about my life story, but there isn’t the time in the world for me to be able to do that. Therefore, I am going to leave you all with a quote a fellow swimmer once said to me, “Sometimes you just gotta want it.” And friends I can tell you now that if we all live with the same drive and motivation, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish together. Good luck to everyone on their AP studying, and “lettuce” close this school year out better than ever. Thank you! Anthony Orejana Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Diamond Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016 Hey KIWIN’S! I am Danilene Prodon and I am the incoming 2015-2016 Emerald Lieutenant Governor. I hope to reinvigorate Emerald, and I look forward to an amazing year of service and memories. If you want to know a little bit about me, I love to meet new people and try new things! I attend Otay Ranch High School and I am a part of class of 2016. Other than KIWIN’S I am involved in after school sports. I have lettered varsity in cross-country and track and field. Also, I’ve joined many other clubs at school such as Speech and Debate. I’ve been an alto singer in my church choir, and a soprano in my school’s regular choir and show choir. I really love pasta, dogs and mystery and crime shows. I love meeting new people and I hope to meet and learn more about all of you sometime! I have many goals for my coming term as Emerald’s 2015-’16 Lieutenant Governor. Emerald consists of 5 different schools located in San Diego: Otay Ranch HS, Olympian HS, Chula Vista HS, Rancho Bernardo HS, and Our Lady of Peace. I plan to work with my division to add more members to the KIWIN’S ohana and create new, exciting events for our community. I hope to encourage and help my members develop as leaders. I look forward to the new year and I am excited to make more memories with my division and everyone in KIWIN’S! Yours in Service, Danilene Prodon Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Emerald Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016

JET LTG-RICHIE CHU

JADE LTG-NICOLETTE CRUZ

GOLDSTONE LTG-SOPHIA UEMURA

10 Hi my name is Sophia Uemura the Goldstone Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016. One question i often ask myself is, Does KIWINS’s deserve me or do I deserve KIWIN’s? This past few years has allowed me to conclude that I have deserved KIWIN’s to mature because this organization has given leadership and social skills that I would not have found on my own. But now KIWIN’s deserves me to step up as LTG. to give back what it has given me and to continue serving with a smile. :) Yours in Service Sophia Uemura Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Goldstone Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016

Hello Everyone! My name is Nicolette Cruz and I serve as the Jade Division Lieutenant Governor for the 2015-2016 term. For those who aren’t to sure where Jade Division is, we’re located up NorCal in the Bay Area! I’m currently a sophomore at Hercules High School where I also served as the Immediate Past KIWIN’S club president. As the 14-15 term gradually went by, I was able to really strengthen my confidence and passion for KIWIN’S. This led me to the decision of running for a position I would not have pictured myself in when I first joined two years ago. Alongside my family, friends, and academics, KIWIN’S has obtained a special place in my heart. The organization itself and the people in our OHANA have truly become the epitome of my thappiness. With that being said, if you’re ever bored, needing someone to talk to about anything (caution: I’m a big lover for Pretty Little Liars, dogs, and boba), just give me a message, text, tweet, or anything! I promise you, this Jaguar doesn’t bite!(: Burning with Jade Love, Nicolette Cruz, The Mama Jaguar of 15-16 Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Jade Lieutenant Governor I got Chu Flu yes I do! I got Chu Flu how bout you? Hi! My name is Richie Chu, the Jet Lieutenant Governor. I’ll start off by telling you where my whole KIWIN’S journey began. I was only a sophomore as my school KIWIN’S elections approached, I ran for club secretary to be able to put it on my college applications. Unsurprisingly, I was elected! (No one else ran). To my amazement, I fell in love with the organization because it provided me not only with a second family that immediately accepted me, but the opportunity to be a leader, which drove me to take on the position as club president and now Jet’s very own Lt.G! My home club never had much of a standing at the school, and I’m proud to say that as one of my biggest accomplishments throughout my high school career I was able to develop the club into one of the most active and known club at Edison. From there, I fell in love with being a leader, taking on the role as Lieutenant Governor to give back to what KIWIN’S has done for me by reaching even higher heights for the division and by working on the district level. Anyways, some non-KIWIN’S facts about me! As a competitive person, I satisfy desire to win by serving up plenty of bagels throughout my whole tennis career. On my downtime, I like to explore and listen to new music jamming out to genres such as EDM or indie. I’m proud to be a dork! Yes I admit that I play games such as League of Legends, and enjoy watching shows such as various K-Dramas. Cats are love, cats are life, but I don’t even own one. My friends think I might become a crazy cat man, but I only want at least 10 cats when I grow up. I’m Richie Chu and I am so excited for the 2015-2016 term because I know it is going to be a successful year being able to give back even more to the community alongside the KIWIN’S Ohana while getting to meet to grow bonds with all of you! Yes you! So, I have a question for you: Do you have the Chu-Flu? Yours in Service, Richie Chu Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Jet Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016

TURQUOISE LTG-ELISE UMETSU SAPPHIRE LTG-REBA MATTHEWS

RUBY LTG-GRIZEL MEZA

11 Hello, my name is Grisel Meza & I am Ruby’s Division LTG. I’m 16 years old & go to Ridgeview High School. I am a sophmore & one of my hobbies I love doing is photography. I actually have been the past photographer for the club since it has started. I decided that I am going to keep that position because i hope to make a career out of it one day. I really hope to make it to a great college or university & become a Photo teacher. My passion i have for photography is huge but not as big as for serving my community. Honestly, I’m actually barely knowing about this club since around late October. It’s crazy to know how many people & how many schools are involved with this organization, it’s pretty amazing. As a Kiwin this is my first year in this club, & it has blown me away. Not only is it my first year in the club but our first year back to Ridgeview as well. My high school had this club several years ago, & it was huge thing back then but since this club came late in the year no one knows about it. And that right there is one of my main goals. I want to get as many members as I can in my school as well as the other school in my division East High School. Our lack of membership has really affected me once I went to DCON. It made me realize how big of a job I have here. The spirt, the enthusiasm at DCON was incredible. It also taught me what I have to do to bring my division as big & as spirited as everyone else. One thing I do know is that DCON will change all of the members. I’ve never been so involved with this club or anything school related until I went to DCON. The truth is I cannot explain how DCON changed me, as a member & as a person myself. My love for this club/ organization has grew way more than it has back in October. Knowing that more than 500 people love serving the community just as much as I do is astonishing. I’m so excited for all I can do for this club, even if I’m just learning about this new position I have, I know that it is my responsibility to prove to my IP LTG that she did the right choice in picking me as her LTG elect. I know this is just the beginning to this new chapter in my life but words cannot explain how extremely grateful I am to serve as Ruby’s 2015-2016 LTG. And I know for a fact that I will give our division one heck of a year!

Hello!! My name is Reba Anil Mathew. I am currently a Junior (only three more weeks until school ends!) and I am so excited to end my senior year next year as the Lieutenant Governor of Sapphire Division for the 2015-16 term!! (that was a mouthful) I am from East Union High School, Manteca, which is in the Sapphire Division, and this is my second year in KIWIN’S! One thing everyone should know about me is my love for chocolates and anything that’s related to chocolates!!!! I also truly love spending my time with anything related to KIWIN’S, even if it’s preparing for a general meeting!! KIWIN’S has turned into my life, and I will work as hard as I can to end my last year of being a part of KIWIN’S very successfully! If you’re ever in a situation where you don’t know where I am, just stop and listen...you will hear the most rarest type of laugh ever, follow that laugh and you’ll find me… There isn’t much that I can tell you about myself, but if you ever asked any of the people that have met me already to describe Reba and to give a little summary about Reba, they will provide you a whole ten page essay in a font size of .01!! Thank you!! Reba Mathew Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Ruby Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016 Greetings! My name is Elise Umetsu, I am currently a junior at Adolfo Camarillo High School serving as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Turquoise Division. In my free time I like to read, swim, or nap with my cats while dreaming about KIWIN’S. I have been involved in KIWIN’S since my freshman year, starting as freshman class representative, then moving up to publicist my sophomore year, club president my junior year, and finally rising to the position of lieutenant governor as I enter my senior year. Needless to say, I am incredibly passionate about this organization and what it continues to do for others as well as myself. This year, I plan to take Turquoise to new heights by chartering the new school that is being built nearby in Camarillo, creating monthly division-wide service or fundraiser events in concurrence with my divisional council meetings, and attending club board meetings at least once a month for each of the four (soon to be five!) clubs in Turquoise in order to ensure their continuous growth and help prepare them for district events such as Fall Rally and District Convention. I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the current and future success of KIWIN’S and to work with the incredible group of people on district board this year! #turquoisetakeover In caring and service, Elise Umetsu Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S Turquoise Lieutenant Governor 2015-2016

The Eliminate Project raises money to provide vaccines for mothers and their babies in order to eliminate maternal neonatal tetanus. The disease is usually caused by tetanus spores found in soil entering cuts during childbirth. Maternal neonatal tetanus (MNT) effects are excruciating â&#x20AC;&#x201D; tiny newborns suffer repeated, painful convulsions and extreme sensitivity to light and touch. MNT also kill mothers too.However, it only costs $1.80 to provide vaccines in order to save both the mother and her child. More information www.eliminateproject.org

ELIMINATE WEEK MAY 4-8

PEDIATRIC TRAUMA PROGRAM What does KIWIN’S do to help?

Every year, CNH KIWIN’S hosts an event called “Fall Rally” up North and South of California. The purpose of Fall Rally is to have the members gain awareness of this program and raise money in order to donate to the local hospitals. Clubs also raise money throughout the year to help with this program.

What is Pediatric Trauma Program?

Pediatric Trauma Program (PTP) raises funds to donate to local hospitals in order to save children injured by trauma. Its main goal is to develop local projects in order to reduce the amount of children getting killed by trauma. Unintenional injury is the number one killer of children under 14.

If you want to learn more about PTP, please check out: www.cnhfoundation.org

what is live2learn? Realizing the need and interest in supporting the Major Emphasis Program through hands on service, a new service initiative will be created on a tw year basis. All of the hands on service provided to children by Key Club International members can be directed to a single area of need to make a substantial impact. This service initiative directs and focuses the attention of KIWIN’S members to serve children in a specific hands-on approach.

what does KIWIN’S do?

KIWIN’S members currently will focus their time and talents on Live2Learn, specifically focused on 5-9 year old youth, with the main goals of promoting education and building literary skills. This program not only creates endless possibilities to strengthen the common goal of service, but also allows each KIWIN’S member to develop into a well-rounded individual community leader and lifelong advocate for children’s education.

FEATURED ARF

JADE DIVISION|OAKLAND IP CLUB HISTORIAN//KATIE HIN event/DCON 2015 date/april 17-19, 2015 DCON 2015 was a life changing event. The annual district convention for KIWINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S took place at Woodland Hills, CA. Attendees included all 8 divisions from NorCal and SoCal. Our home division, Jade, had 3 schools who were at DCON this year. Oakland, Hercules, and Richmond were the three schools among Jade division.

From April 17-19, all 3 schools had the chance to bond and strengthened our division as one. We did spirit battles and cheered one another on when one of our home school won an award! We even won a spirit stick! This showed how strong and determined Jade division was! All three schools had such a blast at DCON. We will forever cherish it and hold in our hearts.

DISTRICT CONVENTION 2015 Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: As the term of 2014-2015 comes to a close, we see how much we have achieved, how much we have grown, and how much we have learned. District Convention 2015 encompassed abundant love and passion for KIWINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S, new goals, and tears-a lot of tears. Thank you IP DCON Chair, Dennis Takeshita, for making DCON 2015 so special and memorable. Those who had experienced DCON for the first time experienced the best DCON and I hope this first impression will allow you to continue giving it all for this wonderful organization.

FIRST TIMERS KALVIN CHANG GOLDSTONE GLEN A. WILSON We all know that DCON is just a place to “turn up,” right? No. In fact, reducing DCON to such terms does a great dis-SERVICE to the true meaning of the convention. From the talent show to the spirit battles, DCON, or should I say, Dennis-CON, never failed to interest me. Though DCON lasted only about forty-three hours, it solidified my love– NOT passion, since passion is now cliche– for KIWIN’S. The moment I exited the elevator, the atmosphere grew loud and spirited. This, of course, was nothing other than the quintessential KIWIN’S spirit battle. Our division- the Goldstone Gators- gathered around our spirit chairs, looking up to them to lead us. Other divisions attacked us with “We got spirit, yes we do! We got spirit, how ‘bout you!” We retaliated with our signature chant. The battle raged on and on, as we all slowly began to lose our voices. Then the doors opened, and we rushed into the DCON room like a herd of bulls. As we sat down, DCON officially began! Keynote speaker Bernadette Lim recounted her KIWIN’S journey and reminded us to all cherish the memories we would make this weekend. She then noted that nowhere else would we find such a group of kind, spirited, and friendly individuals as those in KIWIN’S. Then I realized the truthfulness of her statement. The friendships I had formed in other extracurriculars and clubs could not even be compared to the ones I made through KIWIN’S. This undoubtedly strengthened my desire to continue in this organization. After the opening session and caucus ended, we

all headed towards our hotel rooms. There my roommates and I wolfed down our pizza and knocked out a few minutes later. The next morning, the talent show act I was in hurriedly ran through our whole act, as we nervously waited to be called for the screening. After the screening ended, we were scared that our act would not make it, since the judges seemed a bit disappointed in the dance routine. We feared that it would be deemed too “ratchet,” so as to speak. Of course, we could not wait anxiously all day long, so we ran to the workshops. At the Inquire to Inspire workshop, I bombarded International President Maria Palazzolo, International Trustee Tashrima Hossain, IP DSEC Sylvia Kwon, and IP DGOV Jennifer Ngo with questions about running for District and International Board. When Sylvia answered my secretary questions, “Senpai noticed me!!” rushed through my

Though DCON lasted only about forty-three hours, it solidified my love mind, since I look up to her. It was also great to talk with the IP DGOV, and International Trustee, and International President. Their willingness to talk to me– a mere Secretary-elect– only made me further notice how friendly KIWINNER’S and Key Clubbers are. Moreover, all of their stories of how they climbed up the ladder inspired me to reach for the stars in the future. Following the workshops was the awards ceremony. Throughout this ceremony I saw our club’s (Glen A. Wilson) hard work throughout the year being recognized. It was then that I understood how much growth our club had gone through under our IP Presidents Lili and Josephine. When I talked to one of my robotics friends who was a senior, he stated that when he was a freshman, KIWIN’S was a social club of the popular few. But now, he admits that KIWIN’S positively changed, after Lili and Josephine’s term. While I was still thinking about this, my friend yanked my clothes. He

18 reminded me that it was time to begin practicing for the talent show and that we had made it past the screening. Anxiety and excitement filled my mind, as we both ran outside, preparing to rehearse. Suddenly, the time for our talent act came, so we entered the stage area. I closed my eyes and concentrated. As my talented friend Jean danced her “Pretty Hurts” solo, I accompanied her on violin. Immediately after “Pretty Hurts” finished, my friends performed their hip-hop routine. Each person danced their heart out, with his or her own talents, like Ethan, who did the splits and twerked pretty well. The adrenaline died out after we finished. As we saw the other acts, we felt as if everyone else more talented than our act. After all, only two of the people on our act are on the dance team, and as someone pointed out, we were just freshmen. Nonetheless, the night progressed. The next day, we all gathered at one table, worriedly waiting for results on our talent show act. IP District Awards Chair Leann announced award after award, until she reached the talent show one. The Jet Division presidents’ act won second place. As we comforted each other, saying that we had done our best, Leann created suspense. Out of nowhere, she announced that our act had won first place. We were shocked. How the heck did a bunch of little freshmen triumph? We jumped up and down, as we realized that we were going to go to ICON. But our ecstasy came to a sudden halt, as DCON concluded. The seniors whom we all looked up retired from their term in tears. Unfortunately, as we are all subject to the laws of nature, time stops for no one. I know that I will never be ready to retire from KIWIN’S as a senior. When DGOV Jade officially adjourned DCON, we all faced the cold reality: DCON had ended. IP District Treasurer Allen was accurate in his prediction that everyone was going to “bawl hard.” Our IP President Lili was also right in stating that DCON would be a life-changing experience. While that may sound hyperbolic, it is true. No other life experience will compare to my first DCON. Ever. Forever proud to be a Goldstone Gator and a Glen A. Wilson HS Wildcat, Kalvin Chang P.S. only 346 days left!!

MICHELLE HWANG JET EDISON I’m not going to lie. At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to DCON. But then again, I used to be a KIWIN’S heretic, probably because I was a shy girl that never opened herself up to new experiences. But this all changed this year, and the growth of my love for KIWIN’S culminated into the intoxicating and exhilarating weekend we call DCON. This year’s Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S DCON was at Woodland Hills, California, themed “You’ve got mail! KIWIN’S delivering world-class service.” Unlike many other KIWINNER’S who are juniors like me, DCON 2015 was my first DCON. When I wrote in my AP Chemistry calendar, “DCON!!” and drew a huge smiley face on the days April 17, 18, and 19, I really had no idea what I was expecting. I knew was I was expecting something big. But boy oh boy, I was not expecting the amalgamation of spirit, celebration, ohana, and fun that was DCON 2015. The very first thing about DCON that hooked me in was spirit. After arriving Friday afternoon, I went to the lobby to get ready to enter the opening ceremonies. Of course, like KIWINNER’S, we couldn’t simply, you know, wait for the doors to open. No, we cheered our hearts out, forgetting we needed our voices for the next two days. I became part of the cheering mob that was Jet Division, chanting “Yah! Yah! Yah! Manatees now, yah! Yah! Yah!” while the Diamond Dinos shook the ground with their stomping, Goldstone chanted, “Gooooldstone, Goooldstone,” and Jade yelled, “Jade! Jade! Jade-Jade-Jade Jade! Jade!” This DCON spirit didn’t end the first day though; all the way until the end, we were ready to scream. Among my favorite memories are chanting, “Shrimp fried rice! Shrimp fried rice!” when the spirit captains were too tired, or chanting, “Safety first! Safety first!” when we got too enthusiastic. We didn’t care what we looked like. As long as we were with our division anddistrict, acting as loudly as we could be, and surrounded by other loud, happy people, we were happy. Next, DCON is our time at the end of the year to reflect back on our term, and celebrate the things we did. This, of course, can be seen best in awards. Traditionally, awards recognize individual excellence. However, when winning awards at DCON, we weren’t celebrating as individuals. We won as a family, as (KI) winners. Never was there a lack of chanting “G-double O-D J-O-B, good job! Good job!” or “We are proud of you, yes, we are proud of you!” and the great thing is, we all meant it. However, we were also able to celebrate the end of the year in our own little ways, from finally reuniting with a friend from Fall Rally, to requesting room service bring up a bottle opener (for apple cider)

19 We won as a family, as (KI)winners. at 2 a.m. for a friend after her elections, to hugging your LTG to thank them for their term. And that leads to my final topic… Ohana. DCON 2015 made me feel like I was a part of something so great, something so loving, like I had never been before. DCON was a place where I could talk to anyone and not be scared, because I knew we all had something in common: our love for KIWIN’S. But the greatest feeling of ohana was at closing ceremonies. When Jennifer Ngo, our IP District Governor, along with others, cried while giving their farewell speeches, we cried along with them, because we were family. We felt the pain, happiness, sadness, and passion of each and every person there. This emotional connectedness, something shared with only an intimate friend, we all shared as Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN’S, because we are in this together. In all, KIWIN’S DCON 2015 was, honestly, a life-changing experience for a first-timer. Of course, there are many other things about DCON that I enjoyed: the talent show, the workshops, the dance, the KIKS, and even elections. I can’t cover them all, but I will assure you, they were worth it. DCON is a unique opportunity, and my only regret is that I have but one DCON left. With this, we have to make the most of this coming year, and make next year’s DCON special. I hope to see you all there.

GOING TO INTERNATIONAL LILI ANNE LABACO GOLDSTONE GLEN A. WILSON 1ST ORATORICAL SPEECH Finding inspiration to write my oratorical speech, surprisingly, wasn’t hard. As cheesy as it sounds, I used the love I had for my home club and for this entire organization to fuel my thoughts for my speech, and everything I wrote came naturally. I distinctly remember the night before DCON I was pretty close to dropping out of the contest because I felt like my speech wasn’t good enough and it was useless to even try, but of course, my home club encouraged me and pushed me all the way, up to the last second when I had to enter the oratorical room. I thought that winning the oratorical speech was something that I myself accomplished but in all actuality my home club won it. Without their constant help and support I wouldn’t have been able to stand up there and read my speech or even try to compete for international. Their undying love and care is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and I really meant it when I said that KIWIN’S would become a home to those who desperately needed it. Winning the oratorical contest alongside my members was one of the best feelings of my entire life, not because I got to go up and recite it,

but because my members and advisors were proud of me. The oratorical contest is an amazing opportunity for someone to spread their thoughts and words throughout the District, and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to show KIWIN’S how much love I will always have for it. Now, it’s time to show the rest of Key Club International. See you guys at ICON 2015 in Indianapolis!

JEAN HSU GOLDSTONE GLEN A. WILSON 1ST TALENT SHOW

Hi! My name is Jean and I was part of a group in the talent show at DCON. You probably remember me as the girl who danced to Beyoncé or went crazy during Anaconda. Whatever way you see it, yes, I am that girl. I am currently a freshman at Glen A. Wilson HS and part of the Goldstone division. Okay honestly, we had no intention of winning. My group consisted of Derrick, Zach, Ethan, Diana, Kalvin, and me. We were just a group of scrawny freshmen who were so excited to be going to our first DCON. I remember teaching them the dance for the first time and being so overwhelmed. Keep in mind that none of

them have any dancing experience.(Ethan is just naturally flexible). I remember on the bus to DCON, Diana and I were talking to our president Lili, about having doubts about actually trying out. She told us that the dances there were amazing and most of them were part of their dance team. I looked at our group, and thought what did we have to beat them? I clearly remember Diana asking me, “Should we even do it? We’re just going to embarrass ourselves.” Although, after thinking about it on the bus, we decided to do it just for fun because we had nothing to lose and it would be funny to look back at in 4 years. When we arrived at the hotel, we literally practiced every chance we got. We decided that if we were going to do it, we better not make a fool out of ourselves. Conveniently, some of the hotel walls had mirrors and we practiced for a little more than 2 hours. I changed formations and choreography till we were all so tired. After every run through, Zach and Derrick would lie on the hotel floor panting and complaining, but we all knew that it would be worth it. We were super anxious if we were even going to be allowed to perform during the talent show. When Mr. Wallach told us we made it, all of us were so incredibly

22 Although, after thinking about it on the bus, we decided to do it just for fun because we had nothing to lose...

happy. I remember we happy danced during a workshop. We continued to practice but we were already satisfied just by being able to perform. When we went onstage that night, it was so amazing. All six of us were so overwhelmed by the audience support. We went more full out then we ever did in our entire lives. The screaming and cheering pushed me through my solo and the Nicki Minaj group dance. During that six minute set, we were all so tired but the audience kept us going. That performance was probably the most thrilling and satisfying performance I’ve had in my entire life. After, we were all so happy and we knew we did our best. Win or lose, all 6 of us knew it wasn’t a mistake when we tried out for the talent show. During awards the next day, after they announced 3rd place, I looked to Diana and said, “It’s okay, we had so much fun and that’s all that matters.” Although, when they announced out name for 1st place, we had no idea what to do. There was a split second when all of us just looked at each other and mentally said, “What in the world?” We were all so honored and surprised, but we had the best club and division supporting and cheering for us. No one would have expected for a group of freshmen with little dancing experience to take home 1st place. It was the best moment I had all year. I know that when all of us are seniors, we’re going to look back and remember that moment as one of the greatest moments of our high school experience.

editor’s ending remarks Jean’s words really hit home, “...because we had nothing to lose...”. District Convention 2015 was full of surprises and amazing events because when we KIWINNERS believe in something, we put our everything into it and that passion turns into change. Congratulations to Lili and Jean for making it to International! I hope you guys enjoyed this issue as much as I did making it.

ICON JUNE IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CON

N 2015 24-28 NTACT DISTRICT GOVERNOR

SENA JI 2015-2016 Crystal LtG kiwins.crystalltg@gmail.com (213) 235-5797

RICHIE CHU 2015-2016 Jet LtG kiwins.jetltg@gmail.com (760) 622-3666

TIFFANY NGUYEN 2015-2016 District Secretary kiwins.dsec@gmail.com (714) 340-6036

ANTHONY OREJANA 2015-2016 Diamond LtG kiwins.diamondltg@gmail.com (224) 766-0730

GRISEL MEZA 2015-2016 Ruby LtG kiwins.rubyltg@gmail.com (661) 437-1260

KATHY BUI 2015-2016 District Treasurer kiwins.dtreasurer@gmail.com (714) 725-248

DANILENE PRODON REBA MATTHEWS 2015-2016 Emerald LtG 2015-2016 Sapphire LtG kiwins.emeraldltg@gmail.com kiwins.sapphireltg@gmail.com (619) 395-2429 (209) 244-0911

JADE WONG 2015-2016 District Governor kiwins.dgov@gmail.com (626) 688-9844

ANDREA HU SOPHIA UEMURA ELISE UMETSU 2015-2016 District Bulletin Editor 2015-2016 Goldstone LtG 2015-2016 Turquoise LtG kiwins.dbuled@gmail.com kiwins.goldstoneltg@gmail.com kiwins.turquoiseltg@gmail.com (626) 400-3983 (626) 623-8609 (805) 910-9951 NICOLETTE CRUZ 2015-2016 Jade LtG kiwins.jadeltg@gmail.com (925) 550-9260