Cypress Woods Key Club October Newsletter

October 2015

The official newsletter of the Cypress Woods High School Key Club.

KEY FACTS

A Season of Service:This Fall’s Volunteering Ventures

IN THIS ISSUE

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The Power of a Minute A representative’s experience of a Miracle Minute for the Eliminate Project.

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A Little Taste of DCON Our Historian’s 2nd favorite time of the year: Fall Training Conference.

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Helping the Hungry Our Junior Secretary describes her experience at the Houston Food Bank.

Volume 4, Issue 7 November 5, 2015

CONTRIBUTIONS Articles Cara Lucker Gina Zhang Abhinav Ashar Gabrielle Welch Eba Obiomon

Officer Letters Leia George Jordan Miller Photos Cara Lucker Ashley Kawakubo Eba Obiomon

IN THIS ISSUE...

3 Contact Information 4 President’s Letter 5 Editor’s Letter 6 November at a Glance 7 The Power of a Minute 8 Getting a Taste of DCON 9 Helping the Hunrgy 10 No Trick, Just a Treat 11 The Great Equalizer

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CONTACT INFORMATION Cy Woods Key Club Officers PRESIDENT

HISTORIAN

REPRESENTATIVE COORDINATOR

Leia George leiageorge10@gmail. com 832-515-6928

Gina Zhang gina_zhang2008@ hotmail.com 832-773-3228

Kishan Solanki kishan.sol99@gmail. com 281-904-8652

TREASURER VICE PRESIDENT Abhinav Ashar abhinav.ashar@ hotmail.com 713474-3494

BUILDER’S CLUB REPRESENTATIVE Ashley Butterfield ashleybutterfield97@gmail. com

SECRETARY

JUNIOR SECRETARY

Sharon Zhou happysharonzh@ yahoo.com 281-346-9218

Jocelyn Yao rainbowky19971 210@gmail.com

EDITOR

Jordan Miller jmiller290@gmail. com 281-733-7616

Ashley Kawakubo akawakubo98@ hotmail.com 281-733-0959N

WEBMASTER

Joshua Goodwin 713-252-9943 joshua.goodwin98@ gmail.com

Division 3N Lieutenant Governor Ian Sims Ian Sims is Division 3N’s new Lieutenant Governor. He has succeeded the past LTG, Amy Jiang, who is now one of the eleven International Trustees for Key Club International. During our last PCM in June, members from Division 3N voted on a Division Mascot, which is now a Lion, and also Division colors, which are red and yellow. Ian can be reached at 3n.iansims@ gmail.com and on the phone at 281-979-6275.

Texas-Oklahoma District Staff Governor Secretary Treasurer Editor Convention Liason Technology Producer

Rachel Iselin Lily Nguyen Emily Zhao Matthew Riley Megan Reynosa

Governor@tokeyclub.com Secretary@tokeyclub.com Treasurer@tokeyclub.com Editor@tokeyclub.com cl@tokeyclub.com

Brendon Nguyen

btnguyen.kc@gmail.com

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A letter from your

A letter from your

Club President Club Editor D

ear fellow Key Clubbers,

It has certainly been an exciting time for Cypress Woods Key Cub! We just finished up our membership and have over 200 members. This is great so we can plan large service events. We also recently wrapped up our peanut butter and jelly war. This was a fundraiser that we participated in with Cy Fair’s Key Cub where one Key Club collects peanut butter and the other club collects jelly, the club who collects the most wins. Over the last two weeks of October we collected 449 jars of peanut butter! This was all because of a certain Cy Woods Key Club Secretary, Sharon Zhou, for organizing and leading the committee. Thanks to all who donated jars of peanut butter and made Cy Woods number one.

We also participated in UNICEF boxes, the cute little orange boxes that were filled up with money to change the world. Ian Sims, our Lieutenant Governor for 3N, came and spoke at our meeting, showed us a powerful video and let us know how each cent was important. It was a real treat that Ian came.

The last day to turn in your UNICEF boxes will be November 9 to Jocelyn Yao our Treasurer. Please remember to turn in your boxes whether you filled them or not, but we would rather have filled boxes!

Photo by Jordan Miller

At the beginning of October we did something that we had never done before and participated in the Homecoming Float. It was a smaller float compared to the others but it fit all of us perfectly. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough room to bring all members on board- but we will next year! We chose the roaring 20’s as our theme and Emily Morris a representative of Key Club did an amazing job decorating it. We all showed up in our snazziest 20’s outfits and stole the show! Even though volleyball won this year, we will beat them next year.

Lastly I want to say thank you to those members who turned in their membership paperwork and money on time. I just want to let you know how excited I am that you are now part of the Key Club family. There are so many opportunities and activities that come along with being one of us. We are doing great things. See you at the next meeting!

Yours in Service,

Leia’s Laughs A Joke of the Month from our Key Club President.

What do you call serious rocks?

Grave stones.

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D

ear fellow Key Clubbers, This year has been very successful so far article and photo

wise for the newsletter. We were featured as Newsletter of the Month for our August Issue, so if anyone would like to check that out it is on tokeyclub.com.

Everyone did a great job getting their articles in on time this newsletter, and this month’s Article of the Month goes to Eba Obiomon. Eba will not have to write an article next month. If you would like to participate in next month’s Article of the Month contest, please see my post on the Cy Woods Key Club Facebook page for details and specifics on what to write.

This upcoming newsletter, we will be trying out a new contest: Photo of the Month. This contest will allow members and officers to compete for the best five photos sent in to the gmail account by the deadline for articles and photos. Specific guidelines and details can be found below.

Reps and Officers, I know how hard you work on your articles and I am very proud to say that this month had our greatest turnout of articles by far. The quality and quantity of the articles sent in overwhelmed me, so please keep it up! Also, if any general members would like to write an article for this newsletter please email me at jmiller290@gmail.com, I would love to Photo by Jordan Miller hear from you and see what you have to write!

Yours in Service,

PHOTO

GUIDELINES IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PHOTO OF THE MONTH, PICTURES MUST: - BE GOOD QUALITY (NOT BLURRY IN ANY WAY) - HAVE A CAPTION AS WELL AS WHO IS PICTURED -RELATE TO KEY CLUB

CONTEST

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November Event Schedule

A Sophomore Rep Describes The Miracle Minute Held at Fall Training Conference.

at a Glance

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH: Shifts are available from 2:30PM to 9:30PM at the Crimson Cadette Fall Banquet in the school cafeteria. All volunteers should report to the dance room.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH: Running For Greater Things Fun Run at Fairfield Baptist Church. Shifts are available from 7:30AM to 11:30AM. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH: Chicken Chuckin’ competition at Christ United Church, with shifts from 8AM to 5PM. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH: A Chili Cook-Off will be held at Christ the Redeemer Church, with shifts available from 5:30 PM to 10PM.

NOVEMBER REMINDERS Prospective Reps- Be sure to sign up for a time for your Rep Interview on the signupgenius, it is mandatory.

Reps and Officers- Remember, articles are due on the 24th at 10PM to the gmail (cywoodskeyclub@gmail. com).

Members- Remember, hours are due by finals week (Dec. 14) so be sure you get all 25 hours to continue your membership in Key Club this year.

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The Power of a Minute Cara Lucker

R e c e n t l y, o u r Houstonarea clubs all got together for our Fall Training

Sophomore Representative

Conference, and had a blast exchanging and learning new ideas for ser vice and leadership.

During that day we had many games and ser vice projects but one in particular made a massive impact on me. It was the Miracle Minute. A Miracle Minute is where ever yone in the room r ushes to donate pocket change within the time limit of one minute, and at the end of it you donate your proceeds and for our miracle minute we donated to the Eliminate Project.

When they first told us about the activity I originally didn’t think we would be able to raise that much money. I thought that we wouldn’t actually make that much of a difference, but boy was I proved wrong. As the timer started people leapt out of chairs, vaulted over tables, and jumped over others to get to the closest Lieutenant Governor holding a donation cup, it was chaos at its finest.

When the minute started ever yone in the room r ushed about tr ying to locate our spare change and to manage to get it in the cup before the Miracle Minute was up. It was within

that chaos I realized that though we may be small in numbers, we were making a difference with just the power of a minute, some crazy Key Clubbers, and sheer deter mination. After the craziness was subdued, our Lieutenant Governors shared with us just the amazing impact we had, and I was so happy to know that in just 60 seconds we had impacted so many lives.

Going into the Fall Training Conference I expected to have a nor mal day of ser vice, but leaving I realized I had gained

so much knowledge and a new perspective on ideas that seem impossible at first. I now know that no task is out of grasp if you have deter mination and a great group of friends to help you. No matter the challenges, you can do it. This is why in the power of a minute we had so much success with the donations. Even though the time was short, we had the deter mination to complete such an impossible task and make it possible.

Division 3N LTG Ian Sims about to be pied in the face as a result of raising over $200 for the Miracle Minute. Photo by Cara Lucker.

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Getting a Taste of DCON Our Vice President Explains Her Love of Fall Training Conference.

Besides DCON, the best time of the Key Club year that I look forward to is Fall Gina Zhang Training Conference.

Historian Though the name makes it sound strictly like a lecturebased event, it is in fact the complete opposite. I always come back from Fall Training Conference feeling more energized and motivated than before to have the best year in Key Club.

Starting off with forums discussing leadership positions, membership retention, the District project, and the Governors project, I came back with a lot of new ideas for my high school’s Key Club to be even greater connected with the goals of Key Club International. After attending a forum discussing how to increase membership, I learned that most

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students are likely to stay in Key Club if it is fun and beneficial to them.

Of course Key Club is an enjoyable organization, but some members might not see it the way we do. How do we change that? Make sure that members feel like they matter. Often times, they are so caught up with the hour requirement that volunteering soon borders on becoming a chore.

Instead of listing events with a short description of what they are to do at that event, Key Club officers can make events sound more appealing by explaining how it will positively help that community and giving more details of what the event is about. It’s even better to have more events that have real impact on changing lives, such as volunteering at animal shelters or helping out at a local food bank or pantry. This way, Key Clubbers can see the real need for help in the world and the impact they are making. Surely they will find happiness in knowing they made a difference in their community.

Later on in the day at Fall Training Conference, the Lieutenant Governors held a Miracle Minute, in which we tried to reach $200 dollars by having the LTGs run around the cafeteria with jars for money.

Amazingly, we ended up surpassing our goal, donating even more money to the ELIMINATE project. This inspired me to have a similar quick and exciting fundraiser at my school.

During general meetings, we can have officers running around with empty baskets to collect money. And what do the members get in return? Perhaps the traditional pie in the face to any officer they want sweet revenge on.

The Fall Training Conference gave me inspiration to improve the Key Club at my high school and provided me with lots of ideas for generating more heat towards service. It was a great way for people who have not been to DCON before to get a taste of what it will soon be like.

Helping the Hungry Our Junior Secretary’s Experience at the Houston Food Bank.

Have you ever volunteered at the Houston Food Bank?

If so, you understand Ashley Kawakubo h o w Junior Secretary efficiently this facility works to provide so many Houstonians around us with food. This month I had the opportunity to be a part of this amazing facility and help my own community. The Houston Food Bank is powered by volunteers around Houston who kindly donate their time to help the less fortunate around their city.

When I first got to the food bank I was surprised by how large the facility is and how effective they are in getting volunteers to work in a team. They are very organized and know what they are doing to work in the best way possible in order to expedite the process of getting food to those who need it.

Volunteers learn their jobs easily and quickly with the help of food bank employees. My job at the Houston Food Bank varied from organizing donations to removing unusable donations from the conveyer belt. The conveyer belt made organizing easier and faster, and the process helped me build better relationships with those helping the system move along.

I had a lot of fun while volunteering at the Houston Food Bank because I volunteered with friends from not only my Key Club but from Key Clubs all around Division 3N.

They made the event fun by playing music while we volunteered, which made the time fly by. We got to know a lot of the members from the other clubs and make new friends. It was a great experience to work with so many helpful people.

At the end of our shift, we made 6,500 meals for the hungry. When I visit the Food Bank next time, I will be sure to bring more people in order to produce more meals for the hungry across Houston.

After my shift was over, I felt inspired to do more for my community and thankful for all that I have. The food bank opened my eyes to how many people in Houston go hungry and need our help. I encourage many people to

The inside of the Houston Food Bank, where an event with clubs from all around Division 3N attended. Photo by Ashley Kawakubo.

take some time out of their day and volunteer at the food bank.

One shift at the food bank can make a huge impact to countless families across Houston. The feeling you get after volunteering at the bank is indescribable. You feel a sense of happiness that you can’t get anywhere else. I enjoy all that we do in Key Club and the work that we did at the Food Bank.

Volunteering at the bank was a great experience and I would love to go back again. I am very happy to know how much we helped the community and will definitely aim higher next time I volunteer there.

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No Trick, Just a Treat

The Impact of our Club’s Favorite Fall Project: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Cypress Wo o d s Key Club has turned Halloween, the holiday of scaring, into the Gabrielle Welch holiday of Junior Representative giving through their participation in Trick or Treat for UNICEF. Key Club uses the spooky month of October as fuel to get members involved in bettering the worldwide community.

Every October, Cypress Woods Key Club is filled with little orange boxes collecting money for a worthy cause. Members sign up to receive a box which they are expected to fill with money that will go toward the betterment of our world. This year, the benefits are going to the Eliminate projectwhich is a project working toward eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus. Women all over the world are in need of life-saving healthcare, and as a result of this, tetanus is a common danger to women and their babies right after birth.

The disease is painful and many newborns suffer around the world because of the horrible effects of neonatal tetanus. Cypress Woods Key Club got involved to work toward saving these newborns. The Key Club decided to join Kiwanis and UNICEF’s fundraiser to raise money so that the transportation, storage, and equipment needed to provide lifesaving immunization is available. The money will also pay for sending qualified doctors to places in need all around the world.

Members take their orange boxes

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and fundraise however they please.

Some go door to door asking for spare change much like one would ask for candy when they were younger. If a sibling is going trick or treating some send the box with them to collect money, or tag along to collect change. If one is passing out candy Halloween night, they could collect money when people come to their porch or house. Members also place boxes in teacher’s classrooms, if the teacher is in support, to collect money from students throughout the school day.

Whichever way members choose to fill their boxes is acceptable as long as they contribute to the cause

of stopping a devastating disease around the world. Members are asking the people all around the community to donate to a worthy cause that needs support.

Educating the people whom you meet on the details of the Eliminate project is a great way to spread awareness on the severity of devastating neonatal and maternal tetanus. This disease needs more publicity and help in order to be eliminated.

During the season of Halloween, Cypress Woods Key Club, through Trick or Treat for UNICEF, erases destructive maternal and neonatal tetanus from the world one coin at a time.

THE GREAT EQUALIZER A Senior Representative Describes How We’re All Equal in Service.

Throughout the course of mankind, there has always been an underdog, someone less fortunate than others, less Eba Obiomon Senior Representative advantaged.

From early on, we as humans have been taught to envision ourselves as the underdog, and thus have always rooted for him/her. Of course we can’t all be the underdog, oftentimes circumstance and opportunities prevent us from being needy, or as unfortunate as those who are.

But we can still do our part to serve those who aren’t as fortunate as we are.

Through service we remain connected with our humanity, by daring to look beyond disparity of wealth or background, and uniting with others towards a common goal – servitude. The desire

to serve one’s community is the adhesive that links all people of different races, genders, and religions. Service has no color; any person, regardless of race can do their part. This is especially exhibited in Key Club. This club is not exclusive to the United States for instance. Instead, it is internationally inclusive, with its reach spanning to different countries around the world. There is no such thing as the physically ideal Key Clubber. Service to one’s community, it seems, has no race. It has no gender, no specific religion. One is not turned away from bettering their community based on their appearance or background. This phenomenon is one of the many reasons Key Club is, and will remain, a global force of good. There is no superiority complex; everyone is on the same level, and every person, no matter how small, can contribute. This equality of opportunity encourages people to join Key Club. It paints the club as non-

threatening, and allows for the betterment of society. Key Club establishes itself as a global force of good in its philosophy that any bit of service helps. Key Club servitude spans from within one’s local community to the international community. That’s why everyone can play a role, big or small.

Whether you are volunteering for a local concession stand or collecting money to eliminate neonatal tetanus, you are still serving your community. There is no stringent rulebook on what constitutes as service, and thus every bit helps. For this reason, Key Club is seen as this Great Equalizer, this welcoming, inclusive club. You don’t have to be rich to give to your community. Monetary donations are welcome, but not required. Key Club only requires that you donate your time and effort, and with good intentions try to affect positive change in this world.

Cypress Woods Key Clubbers at a General Meeting. Photo by Eba Obiomon.

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KEY FACTS

CYPRESS WOODS HIGH SCHOOL OCTOBER 2015