KEY CLUB
THE OLYMPIAN Lieutenant Governor James Florakis
Division 12
New York District Key Club December
Issue 6
Greetings from your Lieutenant Governor! By Lt. Governor James Florakis
Contents A Message from the Governor
2
Articles from the Exec District Board
2-3
Committee Articles
4-5
Kamp Kiwanis
6
Club Spotlight!
7
Paperwork
8
Contact Info
9
Important Dates! • LTG Candidates In by Dec 28th
• Jan Divisional RSVP by Jan 3rd
• Jan Divisional/LTG Elections at Ramapo High School on Jan 7th from 6 to 9 pm (Jan 14th Snow Date)
• Interfaith Kiwanis Family Breakfast & Care Package Drive on Jan 23rd at 10 am at Dunwoodie Country Club
It’s December! This year sure did go by fast! I can’t believe I’ll be graduating from high school and from Key Club in 2011! Besides December marking the end of 2010, it is also a very festive and joyful holiday season. Due to this, throughout the month of December many causes advocate and raise awareness about the less fortunate. So get out there and do your part by fundraising for a District Project or participating in a club activity. My club, the New Rochelle High School Key Club, recently went Christmas Caroling at the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club and our local soup kitchen. Many clubs throughout our division have also held toy drives for the holidays and at our last divisional we joined forces to collect about 45 toys for children at the Abraham House and for Toys for Tots. Great job to everyone who participated! As mentioned at the last divisional and stated via email, the Leadership Training Conference registration site is now open! Space is limited due to the size of the hotel so be sure to register your club ASAP!!! You won’t want to miss out! If you have any questions regarding the conference, please let me know. Regarding the Lieutenant Governor Elec-
tions, don’t forget to let me know by December 28th if you would like to run! I need to know by this time so I can send out a final list of candidates to everyone soon after. And remember! Elections as well as our next divisional will be on January 7th at Ramapo High School. Clubs that are in good standing, which means that they have paid dues, are allowed to vote. Speaking about dues, make sure your club has them in! A good majority of our clubs have paid dues but some are still being processed. Please speak to District Treasurer Safanah or me if you have any questions. That wraps up 2010. Hope everyone had a great year and is excited for the one to come! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and hope everyone has a great break!
Page 2
The Olympian
Greetings from your Governor! By Governor Nadyli Nuñez Can you believe it is Decem-
in running for higher office (Lt. Governor, District Executive
ber already? The weather is
Board or International position), contact your Lieutenant Gov-
getting colder but don’t for-
ernor as soon as possible. He/she will let you know what to do
get to continue serving!
to.
There are tons of indoor volunteer opportunities. Out-
Do not forget to subscribe to the New York District Mailing
door events can be done with
List. Go to www.nydkc.org and on the right column you can
extra layers of clothing.
subscribe. If you are having trouble, email Webmaster Emily (emilylew.tech@nydkc.org) or your Lieutenant Governor.
Though the Leadership Training Conference is a few months away, register early! The hotel, The Holiday Inn, is attractive in
I wish you all happy holidays and a happy New Year!
appearance but smaller in size to the venues previously used. By registering soon, you can make sure you have a spot for an amazing weekend. The Leadership Training Conference website is now available (www.conference.nydkc.org) with helpful resources along with the registration form.
Remain in constant contact with your Lieutenant Governor. There is plenty of important information about running for higher offices and awards coming your way. If you are interested
If You Haven’t Paid Your Dues... By Treasurer Safanah T Siddiqui The deadline for dues has passed! If your club did not submit dues before December 1st, your club is now delinquent. However, you can change your club status by simply paying dues for at least fifteen members by January 30th. If you do not take action, on February 1st, your club will be suspended, you will lose rights to attend the upcoming Leadership Training Conference, and your members will not be permitted to run for Lieutenant Governors. You definitely don’t want to lose these privileges, so get those dues in! If you’re having trouble with the dues submission process, don’t hesitate to contact me. All treasurers should be in the Google group (http://groups.google.com/group/nydkc-treasurers) which I have been using to send out updates. To view my spreadsheet with the paid dues report, go to http://bit.ly/nydues, or view Kiwanis International’s list at www.kiwanisone.org/slpreports. Keep in mind that the Kiwanis International office is busy at this time of the year and make take up to a few weeks to process your dues. So don’t procrastinate sending them in! Again, if you have any questions, reach me at safanahsiddiqui.treas@nydkc.org. Good luck!
December
Page 3
Secretary’s Greetings By Secretary Grace Na Hello everyone! The time I spent so far as an officer on the district board as a Key Club member has been amazing. As District Secretary I calculate the district totals and hours to see how we are improving. A lot of secretaries have been handing in their past Monthly Report Form which helped move the district towards our goal of district and Governor Projects. Some of the executive board officers have made efforts in calling club officers to encourage them to submit past and current Monthly Report Forms. It is very important for clubs to continually submit their Monthly Report Forms so the district can acknowledge your achievements. There are no excuses for not submitting your Monthly Report Form because there are three different methods in submission: mail, email attachment, and online submission. If you need help submitting or filling out the MRF please email or call me. Online, in the resource section there is “How to Fill Out an MRF” paper that gives you a step by step direction that will help you fill out your Monthly Report Form. Also, if club secretaries are not part of the Google group, please join immediately. There will be information posted on distinguished secretary award, newsletters, and totals. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me at gracena.sec@nydkc.org!
December
Page 4
Advocacy By Lt. Governor Katie Cieplicki
Did you know that over fifty trucks transport trash from New York City to upstate every single day? Think of all the fossil fuel being burned and all the greenhouse gases and environmental toxins being produced! It would be much more practical and efficient to transport waste by a rail system. To speak out against this issue, the advocacy committee has decided to direct our next letter at political officials. We will demand a more eco-friendly way for transporting and disposing trash. This letter is coming soon and will be found in the next issue of the Empire Key. Check out issues we have advocated for in the past on our committee page at www.nydkc.org and please be on the lookout for other injustices in your own community to advocate for. If you need help getting started, contact anyone on the committee.
District Projects By Lt. Governor Rhea Singh
Can you feel that Holiday Spirit Key Clubbers? Well, here at the District Projects Committee we sure can, especially in our fundraising efforts. Throughout the month of December if you and your club can find time to fundraise, fundraise! The magic of the Holidays make people in our communities across New York much more willing to give. We are making great progress in our fundraising goals as the total is now $146,985 of $175,000 or 84%. In order for us to reach and surpass this goal, hundreds of dollars in fundraising must become a reality this month. Seize the opportunity presented to us with the coming of the Holidays and capitalize! Fundraising will make both you as a Key Clubber and the giver happy – to know that in some way, someone somewhere is being helped is always pleasing. So, Key Clubbers of the Mighty New York District pick a charity, even a local one and fundraise, fundraise, fundraise! We can all ultimately be successful, just think of your favorite Holiday movie (it always happens!) Together, as one, I know that by time the Leadership Training Conference rolls around in April we will have surpassed our goal. However, this requires each and every one of us Key Clubbers to FUNDRAISE!
December
Page 5
Distinguished Key Clubber Award By Lt. Governor Sharif Mahfouz
As December comes, we become immersed into the holiday season – a season of giving and family. But in Key Club, it is holiday season every day: we give all year round and experience the world with our Kiwanis Family. So get yourself ready for the Award Season! The Award Season starts around December and ends in mid-March. The Award Season is the New York District Key Club’s way of thanking all of you for the time and effort you put into your charitable work. We put effort to recognize all those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty of an average Key Clubber. The Distinguished Key Clubber Award is the first award available to you. We suggest all Key Clubbers to apply – all winners will receive a pin and certificate. The application is currently available on the district website (www.nydkc.org). Keep your eyes open for the Booklet of Merits ’10, scheduled to be released in mid-December!
New Club Building and Reactivation By Lt. Governor James Florakis
2010 is almost gone and so is the current Key Club year! We have surpassed the mid-way point of the service year, which starts and ends with the Leadership Training Conference in April. The New Club Building and Reactivation Committee still has a while to reach it's goal though! We have officially chartered/reactivated 8 new K-Family clubs throughout the district this year yet our goal is to start 27 clubs, or one new K-Family club per division. We are about 40% to our goal since some new clubs are currently having their paperwork processed by Kiwanis International. So, we need your help! If you would like to start a Key Club at a nearby school, please visit http://www.nydkc.org/new-club-building-andreactivation for more information and feel free to speak to any New Club Building and Reactivation Committee member, including myself. Also if you and/or your Key Club is interested in starting a K-Kids (the elementary school Kiwanis sponsored club) or a Builder's Club (the middle school Kiwanis sponsored club), please speak with your sponsoring Kiwanis Club so you can co-sponsor one. With your help, we can achieve our goal 100%! Happy Holidays and Happy Building!
December
Page 6
The Kamp Kiwanis Experience By Lt. Governor Emily Gicewicz
As a Lt. Governor I was curious about what Kamp Kiwanis was. After my division and I were raising money for the place, I always knew it was a camp for impoverished children as well as people with disabilities. I never knew what is like for the children that went. So I called up the camp director Mrs. Lopez and planned to go out during closing weekend. Seven other Key Clubbers along with me and the Kiwanis chaperones packed into two cars and drove two and a half hours to Kamp Kiwanis, which is located in Taberg, NY. When we arrived, we got a chance to unpack in the cabins we were staying in and got a chance to see some of the camp. Just from my first impression of the camp, I could already see that it was a pretty great camp especially for a child or adult that never has had a camp experience. My division and I were put to work making sure the cabins were all set for winter and painting cabin. We learned a very important lesson from painting: don’t back in to walls with wet paint on them and when painting keep a window or door open so the paint can dry faster. However, we learned a more important lesson from the whole weekend: a few hours of work can go along way when helping a child have the week of their life at Kamp Kiwanis.
December
Page 7
Club Spotlight! Rye Neck High School Key Club: Polar Plunge By Rye Neck President Christine Cook
Earlier this month, the Rye Neck Key Club participated in the Polar Plunge at Rye Beach, where they jumped into the Long Island Sound on a cold Saturday morning. Just like the motto for the Polar Plunge says, they were Freezin’ for a Reason! All the money raised went to the Special Olympics, an international organization and competition held every two years for people who have intellectual disabilities. The club alone raised 500 dollars, so although it was cold, it was well worth it!
Page 8
The Olympian
Paperwork Status Secretaries, remember that each MRF is due the 7th of every month and after submitting your MRF digitally, please forward the receipt you receive to me!
ERF and MRF Chart
ERF
April
May
June
July
Aug
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sept
Oct
Alexander Hamilton
Ardsley
Lincoln
New Club!
Mount Vernon
X
New Rochelle
X
X
X
X
North Rockland
Ramapo
X
Rye Neck
X
X
Saunders Spring Valley
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ursuline
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Woodlands
X
X
X
X
X
X
Yonkers Yorktown Heights
X
X
Nov
December
Page 9
Contact Information New York District Executive Board •
Governor Nadyli Nuñez nadylinunez.gov@nydkc.org
• •
New York District Division 12 nydkc12board@gmail.com - Please use for RSVPs •
Secretary Grace Na gracena.sec@nydkc.org
(914) 523-2837
Treasurer Safanah Siddiqui
329 Stuart Drive
safanahsiddiqui.treas@nydkc.org
•
Lieutenant Governor James Florakis jamesflorakis.ltg@nydkc.org
Editor Jensen Cheong jensencheong.editor@nydkc.org
New Rochelle, NY 10804
•
Division Secretary Caylin Acosta curly93@optonline.net
•
Webmaster Emily Lew (845) 709-7809
emilylew.tech@nydkc.org
•
Executive Assistant Jillian Harmon
•
jillianharmon.ea@nydkc.org
Division Executive Assistant Samantha Suarez nycubana93@aim.com (914) 882-5428
•
Kiwanis Committee Member Mr. Ed Sexton ed.sexton@asmnet.com (914) 523-6126
New York District Committee Chairs •
Governor’s Project - Lt. Governor Nicole Murray
•
sharifmahfouz.ltg@nydkc.org
nicolemurray.ltg@nydkc.org
•
District Projects - Lt. Governor Rhea Singh
•
International Projects and Programs - Lt. Governor
•
•
•
yasminsoliman.ltg@nydkc.org
James Florakis
•
Advocacy - Lt. Governor Katie Cieplicki katiecieplicki.ltg@nydkc.org
Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center - Lt. Governor Yasmin Soliman
New Club Building and Reactivation - Lt. Governor
jamesflorakis.ltg@nydkc.org
Public Relations - Editor Jensen Cheong jensencheong.editor@nydkc.org
Susanna Novick susannanovick.ltg@nydkc.org
Kiwanis-Family Relations - Lt. Governor Dylan Gross dylangross.ltg@nydkc.org
rheasingh.ltg@nydkc.org
•
Distinguished Key Clubber - Lt. Governor Sharif Mahfouz
•
Laws and Regulations - Executive Assistant Jillian Harmon jillianharmon.ea@nydkc.org
For contact information of the entire New York District Board, please visit: www.nydkc.org/board/contacts
Fun Fact! Key Club is represented in 30 nations!
Reminders! •
Register for the Leadership Training Conference ASAP at www.conference.nydkc.org
•
Visit the New York District Key Club website at www.nydkc.org
•
Submit articles and pictures of exciting projects from your club to: District Editor Jensen Cheong (jensencheong.editor@nydkc.org) District Webmaster Emily Lew (emilylew.tech@nydkc.org)
•
Pass on this newsletter to all your friends
•
Attend divisional meetings
•
Continue serving your home, school, and community!