W.C. Bryant High School Key Club Division 8A
48-10 31st avenue, Queens, NY 11103
Editor’s Email: mahenoorbaig@yahoo.com
Issue 1
Key Club History: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
First key Club meets, at Sacramento High School in California (1925). Florida Association forms becoming the first Key Club district (1939). Key Club Achievement reaches international level. Delegates to the first Key Club convention formally vote to form the International Association of Key Clubs (1943). First issue of Keynoter magazine is published (1946). First Key Club week is observed (1950). The 1,000th Club is chartered (1952). 14th Annual Key Club International convention features U.S. senator John F. Kennedy (1957). First Key Club Outside of the U.S and Canada is chartered in the Bahamas (1967). Female Students are admitted into Key Club membership (1977). Kiwanis allows Female membership (1987). First Female is elected Key Club International President (1991). Key Club launches its first Website (1997). Key Club raised more than $1.2 million for UNICEF to fight iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) (1998). Membership tops the 200,000 mark (1999). Key Club members raise more than $1.3 million to fight HIV/AIDS in Swaziland (2008). Key Club exists in 30 countries, with membership of 249,619 in 5,016 clubs (2009).
Editor’s Note: Hey there, fellow Key Clubbers! This is our first newsletter for May of the Key Club’s 2011-2012 service years. Inside, you will find articles not only about past events, but articles on the history of Key Club, upcoming events, and much more. If you would ever like to submit an article about an event or pictures that you took and would like to see in the newsletter, please email them to me at: mahenoorbaig@yahoo.com. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the newsletter!
Mahenoor Baig
In This Issue: •
History of Key Club
•
Lieutenant Governor’s and Current President’s Greeting
•
Former President’s Goodbye
•
2011-2012 Officers’ Introductions
•
Memories
•
Leadership Training Conference
•
Pancreatic Walk
•
Quarters for Japan
•
Kiwanis Project: Easter Bunny
•
Ronald McDonald Charity Event
Greetings! Greetings Division 8-A! I know most of you are confused since a short while ago we were known as division 8. Due to an over crowdedness within the division (20 clubs), the division split and you are part of DIVISION 8-A! I am your Lieutenant Governor and look forward to seeing you guys this service year. I would like to congratulate Christina An, our immediate past Lieutenant Governor, for doing such an amazing job this past service year: for helping us out when we needed her. I would also like to congratulate you on an amazing service year! You all worked so hard and you are the reason the New York District reached its goal of $175,000. You have also helped raise hundreds of dollars for our international projects. Speaking of international I would like to take this time to tell you about the International Convention. This year’s international convention will take place in Phoenix, Arizona. This year’s district tour (on our way to Phoenix) will include a visit to the Hoover Dam, The Grand Canyon, a chocolate factory and an amazing water rafting experience! The tour is two days long, while the international convention is 4 days long. If you have any other questions about International Convention feel free to ask me. Like I said the new service year has begun so this means that you must pay your dues again: the key club service year is from April of this year until May of next year. See you at my divisional April 29th at 4pm in our Key Club room 339. Until next time, for more updates visit www.nydkcdivision8a.webs.com.
Yours in Service and Key Club Pride Lieutenant Governor Division 8-A Carla Pacheco
Hello, Key Clubbers!
Congratulations to a wonderful 2010-2011 Key Club service year, filled with much joy, memorable moments and countless hours of selfless acts of kindness. Key Club has provided us with an outlet to help people and make a difference. As we welcome a new service year, I aspire for Bryant Key Club to make a greater impact in our community. First of all, I would like to thank the members, who are the infrastructure of this club: without you guys, Key Club would not be as successful as it has become. I would like to express gratitude to our beloved Key Club advisor, Mrs. Lisa Diaz-Rodriguez, who goes to great distances to plan events for us. I am also highly appreciative of our retired board, for all the dedication, meticulous event planning, and for taking our club to a high caliber. Bryant Key Club’s enthusiasm, charisma, individual skills, and humor, is indeed one of kind. I would like to share a quote by Sherry Anderson: “Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” This is a true statement, which you should never forget. Every key clubber is unique in their own way and is significant to our key club. Hopefully, this year with our newly installed board, Key Club will reach greater heights and continued to serve its community through genuine acts of kindness. Let’s go out and show our Key Club spirit! Yours in service, Samer Khawaja Bryant Key Club President
Goodbyes‌ Hey Key Clubbers! It has been a remarkable service year as President. I want to congratulate all the members who participated devotedly at each event, making every event memorable. I want to thank all my officers who went above and beyond their expectations and excelled as officers. I also want to thank Mrs. Diaz-Rodriguez for being an outstanding advisor, she made everything happen. I also want to congratulate all the newly elected officers and Carla Pacheco for taking William Cullen Bryant Key Club to the District level. Lastly, I want to wish all the existing and future Key Clubbers to achieve even greater heights and take our Key Club to an even higher and esteemed position. I know our Key Club will continue to give our community it’s hard work and make our club bigger as the years go by. It has been a privilege serving William Cullen Bryant Key Club for the 2010-2011 service years. GOOD LUCK!
Hina Khawaja Immediate Past President 2010-2011 William Cullen Bryant Key Club
Samer Khawaja – President
Hi, my name is Samer Khawaja. I am your newly elected President. My birthday is on September 28, 1994. I am currently sixteen and a junior. I have held secretary and treasurer positions in the last three years I have been in Key Club. My favorite color is blue. I like to listen to the latest music musicians such as Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. I like playing volleyball and basketball. I like reading occasionally. I usually watch movies or play games. Joining Key Club has allowed me to make a difference in my community and it this big world. It offers us unlimited opportunities to serve by broadening our horizons stepping closer to becoming wonderful and altruistic leaders of tomorrow. Being part of this year's board, I hope that we can make key club a passion and a great experience for all.
Francisco Meneses – Vice President
Hi, my name is Francisco Meneses. I was born on October 4, 1993. I’m the vice president of W.C. Bryant High School’s Key Club. I like to have fun and play sports. Some of the sports I like to play are soccer, football and volleyball. My favorite color is Green. Most people love my smile and my personality. I love to hang out with my friends. My best friends are Gaby, Sally, Raghda, and the new
good friends I met this year are Samer, Mahenoor, Hosna, Doaa, Khadija, Omar, and Koko. I love Key Club. It is a big part of my life now.
Hosna Sarwary - Secretary
My name is Hosna Sarwary and I am currently a junior. I am also your Key Club’s secretary! I am the person who counts and keeps track of your hours every time you come to an event or meeting, so if you see me religiously taking your name down for attendance at every event, please don’t be annoyed. I love animals, singing (music in general), and drawing. I also adore the color pink. If you feel the need to
buy me something for my birthday, it’s on February 3 (I’ll be expecting gifts.) Other than that, you can talk to me if you ever need to, and don’t worry, I’m a friendly person!
Omar Shaddad – Co-Secretary
Hello, my fellow peers. My name is Omar Shaddad. I am a proud member and officer of Key Club, maintaining a co- secretary position as an element of the key club party. At this moment, I am 16 years old. During the three years I have encountered in Bryant high school, I have experienced so much. It has not been just about schoolwork and life in general, but mainly about responsibility and leadership. I have tried to be a major part of my school by joining many clubs and teams, such as wrestling, bowling, and more. Even though Bryant has a poor atmosphere at times, the students offer a lot of friendship and respect, alongside with the teachers that offer many opportunities and help for the future.
Khadija Khan – Treasurer
My name is Khadija Khan and I am the newly elected treasurer for the 2011-2012 service years. I look forward to meeting the expectations that are required of me and wish to hold higher levels of office in Key Club in the years to come. Outside of school, I like to spend time with my family and friends, especially my little niece and nephew. I enjoy playing different sports and love to go to amusement parks.
Doaa Ahmed – CoTreasurer
Hey! My name is Doaa Ahmed. I'm 16, a current junior at William C. Bryant High School, and the Co-Treasurer of the school's Key Club. I enjoy very much going out with and talking to my friends and family during my spare time. Chemistry is my favorite subject in school. I love playing volleyball and making people laugh. My favorite color is green. One day, when I grow up, I want to be able to help the world.
Mahenoor Baig - Editor
Hello! My name is Mahenoor Baig and I am the current editor of W.C. Bryant’s Key Club. I’m presently sixteen years old, but that will change on June 5th (I love books, guys! Cough, hint, cough). I am immensely excited to spend my last year in high school being an officer in Key Club and look forward to making this Key Club service year as fun as possible. Besides Key Club and volunteer work, I like literature, which is why I’m also in the Writing Club. I’m also a walking, talking, and breathing Harry Potter encyclopedia. I inhale the pages of each book. Other favorite pastimes of mine are hanging out with my friends and cuddling in bed with a good book.
Koko Zaw - Webmaster
Hey, fellow Key Clubbers. My name is Koko Zaw and I am the current webmaster of Key Club. I love Key Club because it is not only fun just having fun but also it has been giving me a lot of life experiences, such as organizing and management.
Memories of Service Years 2010-2011
The 2010-2011 Key Club year was one of my most memorable years as an officer. My fellow retired officers Fahad, Walaa, Brian, Tashrique, Carla, Sid, and our amazing immediate past president Hina, have lead an outstanding number of key clubbers to numerous events which truly impacts our world. Being part of Key Club altered my perception of life. It has taught me to take the role of a leader, inspire others to volunteer and pay it forward. As an officer I have garnered new leadership qualities and hope to empower future key clubbers. Every event Bryant Key Club attended, I can truly say we had a great time, serving our community. As teenagers we opt for unconventional ideas and do not conform to society as sophisticated adults rapidly do so. However, being part of Key Club changes everything. It teaches one how the other half lives, it promotes caring for others, and creates wonderful leaders for the future. Knowing that Key Club cares for every individual of its community is greater than generosity. We will take the positive aspects of last year to our new service year, to strengthen our key club, to reach for greater success. I hope that we continue to enjoy the events and give back to our communities and our world. This year with the newly elected officers I hope for greatness for our key club while we continue to pay it forward. SAMER KHAWAJA
The 2010- 2011 Key Club year has been one filled with excitement and fun times. I’ve met many wonderful people that I would have never seen or even bothered talking to had I not been in the club. I’ve also went to many different events that have helped me grow as a person and Key Clubber. This past year was my first active year as a Key Club member, and I am sure that it will be a year I will never forget. There were many events our club attended that I still remember. One event that I had a great time in was the Asthma Walk. It occurred sometime during May 2010. It was a warm, sunny, yet breezy day. Our club was split into pairs and we were stationed in different areas in the same vicinity of the city. Our job was to direct people – the walkers – towards the right direction for the Asthma walk. We were given an arrow that we had to use to show them the direction. Of course, my friends and I accidently pointed the arrow the wrong way and had the walkers stare at us weirdly. We spent most of the time talking, having fun, and struggling to keep the arrow in the right direction. After our Key Club finished our jobs, we went to the park and played volleyball. It was girls against boys and I’m pretty sure neither side won. This past year in Key Club, there have been many events, such as the Asthma Walk, that we enjoyed ourselves in. We were able to help the community and have a great time doing it. This past year has been very successful and I’m sure Key Club will continue to grow in the coming year. HOSNA SARWARY
Pancreatic Walk Pancreatic cancer is a nasty neoplasm of the pancreas. As of 2010, it is estimated that more than 43,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with this condition, and 36,800 have died from the disease. Pancreatic cancer is sometimes called a "silent killer" because early pancreatic cancer often does not cause symptoms. On April 3rd, 2010 a pancreatic walk was held in Riverside Park. There were many volunteers and walkers who contributed at this event. Many of the walkers had family members who had pancreatic cancer and had passed away. This was an amazing event and so many people had given in time. During the walk, I was given the job of a marshal. It was a lot of fun. My partner and I were given the longest point of the walk. I really enjoyed the location because we gave the people encouragement to continue. It was also a lot of fun to communicate with them. Everyone was very enthusiastic despite the cold weather that day. The walk was a lot of fun, we got to talk to the walkers, ask them how they were and if they’re tired or not. I really enjoyed it when families were contributing to the walk and everyone had matching shirts representing a family member who had pancreatic cancer. MAHMUDATUJ BINTEE
Quarters for Japan
Japan recently underwent a huge earthquake and tsunami, which resulted in destruction everywhere for the country. William Cullen Bryant High School helped raise money for Japan a couple of weeks ago. Making paper quarters to give to the Key Clubbers, we raised a lot of money to help aid Japan. For every person that donated, wrote there name on a paper quarter to put up on a wall. The donations could be as much as the person wanted to donate. We urged to people to donate something. Even a penny had done because it had been better than nothing. This event was fun, rewarding, and opened many people’s lives. Many Key Clubbers learned what was going on globally, learned how to raise money, and let in a little compassion in everyone’s hearts. FRANCISCO MENESES
Kiwanis Project: Easter Bunny On April 14, 2011, the officers of Key Club went to our Woodside Kiwanis location to help out with some Easter celebration. Our president, Samer, had informed us that we would be working with children in bringing Easter alive for them somehow, but we weren’t certain until we reached there. We were told that one of us had to change into an Easter bunny suit, and the remaining volunteers would hand out candy, books, and attract kids to the bunny. Our vice president, Francisco, was the one chosen to be the bunny. He says, “While the suit was extremely hot, the event was quite fun.” Doaa and I were stationed outside and were to attract people to the bunny. Kids of all ages came inside to take pictures with the bunny and take a book and Easter egg home. A mother stated, “This is very nice for the kids because it makes them look forward to Easter in a very simple kind of way. I liked this idea because, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to explain Easter to my children without having it seem boring.” MAHENOOR BAIG
Ronald McDonald
Charity House The Ronald
McDonald Charity House is an organization that allows kids with cancer to stay in their hotels for free. The organization takes in the child and its family, and tries to make the child’s last days as comfortable as possible. It was Bryant’s Key Club good fortune to be able to work with such an amazing organization and be able to help children that were suffering from life-threatening diseases. Fifteen members of our club arrived at the charity house an hour later than what was scheduled due to a train mishap. However, as soon we got there, we were given our work to do and began immediately once a tour of the building had been given. During the tour, I saw a few families sitting and having lunch with their children. It touched my heart to see that this place could still make a child smile even though the child knew that their time was running out. The man in charge, Mel, was very blunt with us and did not beat around the bush when he explained the children’s diseases. Once the tour was over, we were led to the game room and our assignment was given. We had to clean the room from head to toe because any type of dirt or dust is lethal to the children. All of the members put on their gloves and began to work. A small group of us each attacked every corner we could find. We cleaned the photo frames, drum sets, ping pong table, and much more. In the end, when we were all done, we all dabbed in the music room and played a game of foosball, ending the event with a lot of laughs. As we were leaving the building, we all realized that, even though we may not acknowledge or know of it, we were all truly blessed and should appreciate life and time.
MAHENOOR BAIG
Bowl-a-Thon Bryant Key Club held its first every Bowl-A-Thon to raise awareness and funds for Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center. The event took place on April 18, 2011, during Spring Break at Astoria Lanes. We had a blast, from the strikes and nicknames to air hockey games and lunch. We greatly enjoyed this event. When we tried to get strikes, friendly competition began brewing. For the price of fifteen we were able to have fun while still dedicating and supporting a cause that is important. At the end of the day, it is about the children we are able to impact and making a difference in their life is far more than words. We had seventeen people attend and one hundred seventy hours were accredited. We managed to raise fifty one dollars. However, this amount might be small for others but for us it is another step towards accumulating a great amount of money we have raised for Kiwanis Pediatric Center since last year. Furthermore, it is the thought and generosity that is taken into consideration. The dedication, commitment to serve our community to make it a better place while impacting the lives of others, is the purpose of Key Club. It not the amount of zeroes on a check or hours accumulated but rather the thought that we made a difference, makes all the difference. This event was a success and I hope we are able to make this a Bryant Key Club tradition. Samer Khawaja
Leadership Training Conference – LTC! The Leadership Training Conference this year was an amazing experience with my fellow, beloved Key Club officers. Not only did we all have fun and enjoyed going to workshops and learning more about our new positions, but we all bonded and became one family. We all went from normal friends to a team. From late night talks to playing cards in the hotel hallway, it was delightful to get to know the people you will soon be working with everyday. I am definitely going back to the LTC next year. Actually, I can't wait to find out what it has in store for us! -
Doaa Ahmed
The Leadership Training Conference took place in Albany, from April 8 to April 10. It was a great experience for the officers who attended, including myself. We were able to attend many workshops that taught us about our officer positions, how to promote Key Club, and learn about different charities. We even had a workshop where we created a coloring book for children in hospitals and made paper cranes to raise money for Japan. Not only were we able to learn more, but we made friends in other Key Clubs and were able to grow a stronger bond between our own club. This event was absolutely splendid and I am sure that I will be attending it next year as well. -
Hosna Sarwary
This year was the first year I experienced the great amount of fun you can have at the LTC. I left my house thinking I would have such a boring weekend but I Proved myself wrong. I also learned a lot of important information that I needed to know in order for me to fulfill the requirements and responsibilities as a Treasurer. I felt confident and ready to accomplish many things for the new service year. Along with the workshops there was a lot of new people to meet and friends to make at the social events. I look forward to attending next year's LTC to have some more fun and get my Key Club spirit going. -
Khadija Khan
The Leadership Training Conference was held on April 8 to April 10 in Albany, New York. I had anticipated for this event since last year. At the leadership training conference, besides garnering new
information about our specific positions we acknowledged a deeper understanding of key club. At this event, the newly installed board was able to mingle with other school officers and gain new perspectives about key club. We had many memorable experiences that will definitely last a lifetime. -
Samer Khawaja
Just the past month, I went to Albany with my fellow officers. Even though that trip was only for 2 days and 2 nights, it was the most memorable and the most awesome trip I have ever have in my life because from there. I have learned about how to lead the group, how to make it more organized, and more united. In addition, I have learned how to give a good speech and how to write a successful college letter. I love the sessions when they talked about how the privacy information are need to be secured and how should they be protected. -
Koko Zaw
Upcoming Events May 7th 2011 – Special Olympics •
Queens, Victory Forest Park, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
May 14, 2011 – Greek Division Walk •
8 a.m. in front of the school
May 15th, 2011 – AIDS Walk •
We will be walking, 8 a.m. in front of the school
May 20th, 2011 •
Divisional Meeting, room 339, William C. Bryant High School
Contact Information President Samer Khawaja
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Email: hosna.sarwary@yahoo.com
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Number: (917) 519 – 4030
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Email: samerk28@gmail.com
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Number: (646) 823 – 0892
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Email: egyprinceomar@yahoo.com
Vice President Francisco Meneses
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Number: (347) 639 – 6193
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Email: francisc0o0@aim.com
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Number: (347) 431 – 8159
Secretary Hosna Sarwary
Co-Secretary Omar Shaddad
Treasurer Khadija Khan •
Email: didarocks@hotmail.com
Co-Treasurer Doaa Ahmed •
Email: doaaahmed95@hotmail.com
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Number: (347) 840 – 3785
Editor Mahenoor Baig •
Email: mahenoorbaig@yahoo.com
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Number: (718) 902 – 6350
Webmaster Koko Zaw •
Email: kokozaw193@gmail.com
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Number: (917) 346 - 2198