KEY CLUB
THE OLYMPIAN Lieutenant Governor James Florakis
Division 12
New York District Key Club May
Issue 1
Greetings from your Lieutenant Governor By Lt. Governor James Florakis Hey Division 12!
Contents A Message from the Governor
2
Articles from the Dis- 2-3 trict Board Division 12 Internet Groups
3
LTC Review
6
Club Spotlight!
7
Paperwork
8
Contact Info
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Congrats to those who have finished or are finishing their APs this week! This year, I took two AP classes myself and man, they’re tough! To those who aren’t taking APs, I bet you’re Photo taken by Lt. Governor Nicole Murray from Division 25 also loaded with homework and studying too since finals and the Regents are next month. But summer is just around the corner which means more time for relaxing, hanging out with friends and family, and doing more service! In case you didn’t get my email titled “First Official Message from Your Lieutenant Governor James Florakis”, I would like to say that I am honored to serve as your Lieutenant Governor for the 2010-2011 service year! Although I am fairly new to Key Club since I just founded my home club at New Rochelle High
School two years ago, I am willing and ready to re-unite Division 12 through division-wide meetings, projects, and events. With your support and spirit, I know we will have a fantastic year! Our newsletter “The Olympian” contains very important information concerning our division. In order to conserve paper, I will be sending these newsletters out to everyone by email through the Google Group (mentioned on pg. 3). I’m also emailing them to everyone so I can include hyperlinks to related sites. Please feel free to email me anything your club is doing for the newsletters. My email is jamesflorakis.ltg@nydkc.org. Both articles and pictures are equally awesome! Lastly, our first divisional meeting (mentioned below) is on May 21 at 6pm. Club officers and members are invited. Applications for divisional positions are due by the divisional meeting and can be found on the Files Page of the Google Group. See you then!
Important Dates! •
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May 17 - Club Presidents RSVP for Divisional May 21 - 1st Divisional Meeting at Saunders HS May 25 - Key Club Webinar (See Files Page for More Info)
Upcoming Divisional Events: First Divisional at Saunders HS Our first divisional meeting will be held on Friday, May 21st at Saunders High School at 6 pm. The meeting will consist of pizza (donated by Yonkers Kiwanis), a general divisional meeting, a President’s Council meeting, a Twister competition (thanks to Spring Valley Key Club for the idea!), and a movie night. I am still undecided on which movie to choose so please feel free to email me any suggestions. The meetings will probably last an hour while the Twister competition and movie will probably last until 9 pm. More information can be found on our Facebook event. All Key Clubbers from Division 12 and their respective Kiwanis Clubs are invited. Club Presidents, please let me know by email how many people from your Key Club and sponsoring Kiwanis Club can attend by next week, Monday, May 17.
Page 2
The Olympian
A Message from the Governor By Governor Nadyli Nuñez
Happy May! I am excited to work with you all as your District Governor in reaching higher altitudes of success. On my trip to Indianapolis earlier this month, I was granted the opportunity to meet District Governors from across the country, Canada and the Bahamas. It is a great reminder how this organization brings diverse high school students together. Even your division is full of distinct students with different cultures and personalities. Take the time to participate in a service project together. You will not only be serving the community but making new friends. Talk to your Lieutenant Governor about having projects with other clubs too. They are always eager to help enthusiastic members like you. This month is full of opportunities as it focuses on teacher appreciation, bicycle safety, kindness to animals, mental health and more. There is no excuse for not finding a service project to do together.
particularly passionate about and would like to see the district raise money for. Do this before May 15th, which is when our District Board Meeting will be held. If you do not know the contact information of your Lieutenant Governor, you are in luck! His/her information lies in the pages of this newsletter. Flip to the contact section and there you shall find what you seek. As the first division newsletter this year, I hope it serves as a source of information and enjoyable reading. If you would like to contact me about anything, even to simply to say ‘hello’, do not hesitate. My email is nadylinunez.gov@nydkc.org.
Remember to also contact your Lieutenant Governor to tell him/her about any charities you are
Report Forms By Secretary Grace Na Hello fellow Key Club members! My name is Grace Na and I am your 2010-2011 District Secretary. One of my duties as your District Secretary is to organize and put together the directory. The directory is composed of information that clubs send me about their 2010-2011 club board. This information should be filled out through the Election Report Form which is posted on New York District website (www.nydkc.org) under the “Paperwork” section. It is crucial that I get this form because without it the directory cannot be complete. Make sure you mail an election report form to me, your Lieutenant Governor, and Mr. Lowenberg. All the addresses (except of your Lieutenant Governor) are provided in the form. Thank you to the clubs that have already sent theirs in. Another vital form that your club should be filling out is the Monthly Report Form; this can also be found on the district website. Clubs can either submit it online, where you then get a receipt via email, or clubs can mail it to me. I will be keeping track of what clubs hand in their Monthly Report Forms. If you are ever in doubt as to if I received them, let me know. I’m excited to work with each club this 2010-2011 year, and I hope to get acquainted with each and every one of you.
May
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Keeping Track of Fundraisers By Treasurer Safanah T Siddiqui We have entered a new year of Key Club—a new year of great experiences through service and fundraising. The numbers presented at the Leadership Training Conference were phenomenal. According to our totals, the New York district raised thousands of dollars for international projects, district projects, and more. However, I am sure we actually raised more money that was not recorded because of the lack of paperwork and proof. As we enter this new year, it is the job of club officers to make sure paperwork is submitted. Club treasurers, in particular, need to fill out Fundraising Report Forms. These forms may be accessed on the district website (nydkc.org > Resources/Paperwork > Club Resources > Report Forms). Fundraising Report Forms are simple to fill out and have no specified due date. Whenever your club holds a fundraiser, fill out the form, click submit, then send me a proof through mail or e-mail. The proof could be a receipt, a photocopy of the check, or a letter of thanks from the organization that includes the amount of money donated. Upon completing the paperwork, feel free to share your fundraising project with us by sending us a description and pictures to service@nydkc.org. If you have any questions about this procedure or about treasurers’ duties in general, don’t hesitate to contact me at safanahsiddiqui.treas@nydkc.org. Best of luck!
International Convention
Important Division 12 Internet Groups
By Lieutenant Governor Sharif Mahfouz
By Lieutenant Governor James Florakis
If you attended the 62nd Annual Leadership Training Conference a few weeks ago, you know what an amazing experience it is to enjoy a weekend with other Key Clubbers. Key Club isn’t just limited to a District level though. There is a much larger Key Club encompassing us all – Key Club International.
In order to communicate quickly and efficiently with all the clubs in our division, I have created two groups (one on Facebook and one on Google Groups) and both are titled “New York District Key Club Division 12”. These groups are extremely important since I will be updating them regularly with important information. The Facebook group is optional but be sure to join the Google Group since it will serve as our division website, calendar, and email list. I will be sending emails and updates through the Google Group. Please note that you do not need a Google or Gmail account to be included in the Google Group. All other email addresses are accepted as well. Below are the links to the Facebook and Google Groups:
Key Club International holds its own convention – International Convention. It is even more amazing than the Leadership Training Conference, and you get to meet many people from all around the states and even a few other countries. This year, our International Convention is from July 3rd through July 11th. We will be taking a bus down to Memphis, Tennessee. On the way down, we are going to stop by some cool places, including St. Jude’s Hospital, National Memphis, Graceland – home to Elvis, and Cedar Point – which is the best amusement park in the entire nation. Whether you are an international officer, district officer, club officer, or even a member, ICON is and will be one of the most exciting experiences of your life. Please contact your current Lieutenant Governor for more information. Don’t miss out on a great life changing experience.
Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/nydkc12?hl=en Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php? gid=112466615454935&v=wall Club Officers should also join the officer specific Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/ nydkc12officers
May
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Twisted By Spring Valley Key Clubber Andrew Barza Attracting new or current members has always been a problem of ours at Spring Valley. Every year, at around February, our member attendance significantly drops. We’ve tried appealing to the glutton in all of us with free food sometimes, but it just gets too costly and it only works for that one day. So after a little epiphany from our Secretary Komal Desai, we decided to hold a Twister Tournament. The little game of Twister has recently become a staple for our Key Club, being played both at the LTC and at our annual Stay-Awake-Athon. Having a Twister Tournament was a great idea since it attracted some old members and maybe even enticed new ones in by showing how much fun Key Club can be. Our tournament had kept true to the rules of Twister: 4-5 people a game, put the corresponding body part on the color that’s called, and you fall and you’re out. Last person standing by the end of each round would win a slice of cake to eat. The twist in our tournament was for those not so lucky to win some cake. The first person to fall in each game had to clean out my cooler that was borrowed for Stay-Awake-Athon. Although it sounds simple, it was quite a daunting task. The said cooler contained melted ice cream that was allowed to mold and ferment over the span of five days. It was as gut-wrenching and gag inducing as one would imagine. As the meeting dwindled on we had our share of winners and losers of the day. Members gladly left the night of hilarity, grateful they didn’t have to suffer the stench of the cooler. For the others who had lost, we left hoping their ability to hold their breath was better than their ability to bend. The night was a refreshing respite from the usual meeting, leaving a fond memory of Key Club in the minds of everyone involved. It just goes to show how a simple idea can lead to a game night of extravagance, and it certainly won’t be the last night either.
Key Club Dance: Key to Fun By New Rochelle High School Key Clubber Diana Euyoque On March 20, 2010, The New Rochelle High School Key Club held a dinner dance at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in order to raise money for the Leadership Training Conference. In total, with the help of our sponsoring Kiwanis, Parkchester Kiwanis, we raised $616! But just a few days before that a few Key Club members went on the hunt for decorating the place, which I am pleased to say looked amazing! I not only attended the Key Club dance, but helped set up for it. It was a hard tedious job, but together with some Key Club members, we managed and had loads of fun in doing it! We even went as far as having Piggy Back races and Human Vacuum races, but after we finished with our work of course. My friends, Lidia Baragan, Adriana (Adri) Manzo, Gabriela (Gaby) Cardoso, and I were in charge of the faux bar we had planned to set out. It was a fun experience; Lidia was in charge of serving the soda, Adri was in charge of making Pina Coladas, Gaby was a sort of a bar back helping with whatever was needed, and I was in charge of the Margaritas. Of course the drinks were virgin although we were still crazy, but not so much! The night was surreal! We danced all night, it was hilarious! Even if you didn't know how to dance, chances were you at least hit the dance floor once. There was music from country to Indian and Greek to today's latest hits and we all participated! The funny thing about it, I find, was that throughout the night, I felt like family. I didn't care that I couldn't sing and I know I can't dance, but I danced the night away. I sort of met new people that night, but bonded closely with my friends I already had. It was an unforgettable night. I'll admit I did some things that night that makes me bring my palm to my face, shake my head, and ask out loud, "what was I thinking!?" I guess this just further proves how much fun I had! I could write an entire book describing the emotions, the jokes, the dancing, the singing, the drinking (of virgin mock-tails), and the cleaning up; even the cleaning up was fun. We were all munching on left over dessert as we cleaned the tables, and even though we were all tired it was still fun! I can describe all of that, but the truth to the matter is, I forgot many details and hey, your loss for not attending, you missed out on a great night....although I wish there were a few cute guys there! Just Kidding!
May
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Intergenerational Olympics By New Rochelle High School Key Clubber Ghipsel Cibrian On the first floor of the United Hebrew (UH) of New Rochelle, the main floor was filled with fun and laughter for the first-ever Intergenerational Olympics. It was spring break, a chance to relax from school, but for us New Rochelle High School Key Clubbers, we never rest when it comes to our community. Each of the Key Clubbers was paired up with a resident of the UH. I was paired with a wonderful lady, Ms. Rosa. Before starting, we sang the Star Spangled Banner and then came the fun. For games we had bowling, wheel chair/walking races and card games. Each of the residents had their own schedule, and Ms. Rosa and I had Black Jack first. I’m not much of a gambler, but Ms. Rosa was all about taking chances. I only remember her winning two out of the eight rounds but one of them with a perfect 21. Then came bowling, which was probably the loudest area (no wonder they were situated a distance from the others) and was filled with cheers. Residents with wheel chairs, others on walkers, were on their feet and gave it their best. But the most vivid and funniest moment I have in my memories is when we were waiting for Mr. Rosa’s turn to go compete in the walking race. As we were waiting, races were going on and one of the residents just ran, leaving all of his fellow friends behind. I can recall, they had to start the race again, this time they asked him to walk, since it was a walking race, so he walked and of course he won that race too. After the scores had been tallied we returned to our starting point. They announced the winners, and gave each a gold chocolate medal. Unfortunately Ms. Rosa and I were not one of those who received a medal. We left with promises of returning next year for another Intergenerational Olympics.
Benefit Concert for Cancer By Yorktown Heights President Liz Amler The Yorktown High School Key Club hosted the Concert for Cancer event on Saturday, May 8th at Yorktown High School. With a great night of music and food, we had over 100 people attend to support the American Cancer Society and Support Connection. This event was particularly exciting for Key Club because we teamed up with the Leo Club, another community service organization in Yorktown to run this benefit concert. We had an amazing night of music ranging from L2, Chris Koon, Tyna Q, The Melillo Brothers, Esteban Rivera, Sitback Cellar, The Trio, and Kristina Koller. All of these artists not only donated their time and talents to support the great causes of American Cancer Society and Support Connection, but provided the audience with a night of fantastic music as well. Key Club members helped throughout the concert, and were busy selling tickets, helping out backstage, and selling food at the bake sale. With the help from people within the Yorktown community, great performers, and the teamwork of Leo and Key Club we were able to raise $2500 dollars, which was way more than originally expected. The Concert for Cancer was a huge success and will repeat in years to come!
May
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Leadership Training Conference Review By Lieutenant Governor James Florakis On April 16 to April 18, 2010 about 1,000 New York Key Clubbers from around the state gathered at Kutsher’s Country Club in Monticello, NY for the New York District Key Club’s 62nd Annual Leadership Training Conference. The weekend was held to celebrate another awesome year of service, elect new district officers, meet other Key Clubbers, and have loads of fun! The weekend was also filled with service projects (such as the UNICEF Walk for Haiti), highly informative workshops and sessions, dances, and other events (such as the Service Fair and Talent Show). Out of all this, I mostly enjoyed meeting tons of Key Clubbers, including Key Clubbers from the one and only Division 12! At the conference, I was able to meet Key Clubbers from Spring Valley, Woodlands, and Mount Vernon. New Rochelle Key Clubbers attended as well. With Ms. Marx’s (the faculty advisor from Spring Valley) help, we were able to gather the clubs that attended the conference from Division 12 for a brief informational session/meet-and-greet. Another one of my favorite parts from the weekend was hearing everyone (or mostly everyone) break out into Key Club cheers! These cheers included the “New York District Song” and the “Beaver Song” (one of my personal favorites!). In case you want to use these at your next Key Club meeting to get some energy flowing, these cheers can be found at http://www.nydkc.org/home/about-nyd. Another Key Club cheer includes the greeting “Hey [insert name here]! How do you feel?” and the Key Clubber responds by saying, “I feel good! OH, I FEEL SO GOOD!” and adds a hip-thrust. In writing, this seems highly idiotic (and in a way it is) but it was so much fun to call out other Key Clubbers and have them respond back! In addition to the Key Club International Convention that I attended last year in Memphis, Tennessee, the weekend at the Leadership Training Conference was most definitely one of the best experiences of my life and I highly recommend that everyone attend next year’s! For those who attended this year’s conference please fill out the following survey to improve next year’s conference: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=C93cPXNRaC1t0cAgkaBWpV5b9L2gR8g9U5IGVBCEuZQ%3d&. And mark your calendars for next year! It’s from April 8 to April 10 and more information will follow soon. Hope to see you there and can’t wait till next year’s Leadership Training Conference!
May
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Club Spotlight! To Sleep or Not to Sleep; That is the Question (Spring Valley Key Club’s Stay-Awake-Athon) By Spring Valley Treasurer Ruta Patel
It’s 2:00 AM. Do you know where your Key Clubbers are? Well, on Friday, April 23 to Saturday, April 24, 2010, Spring Valley High School’s Key Club was at its annual Stay-Awake-Athon. There are certain events that the Spring Valley Key Club holds yearly but this is the biggest one. For almost 20 years, Spring Valley High School has held this event to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The Stay-Awake-Athon is open not only to Key Clubbers, but also to all the other students in the high school and any local students who would like to attend. Admission prices vary from year to year but as stated by Key Clubber Alexandra Leslie, “It is definitely a worthwhile event and cause. I plan on attending every year!” From seven on Friday night to midnight, everyone was able to rock out to awesome local bands that volunteer to play. But if you’re not interested in listening to the bands, you can also challenge your friends in a game of basketball or in your favorite videogame. As for those who would rather do neither of these, there’s also the prospect of just hanging with your friends and playing cards or a club favorite, Twister (which gained popularity among the number of Key Clubbers who had attended the Leadership Training Conference the previous weekend). At midnight, the bands finish playing. But as soon as they are done, the DJ plays songs by various artists. While some people do leave at midnight, those who stay are able to listen, dance and/or sing to their favorite songs. Of course, if tone-deaf singing is not your favorite thing to hear, you could attempt to go to sleep (although if you’re listening to a tone-deaf person singing you a lullaby, good luck). But this is highly unadvisable. After all, if you saw your best friend fall asleep and you just happened to have a permanent marker, wouldn’t you want to use their face as a canvas? From midnight to seven on Saturday morning, everyone who attended did their best to stay awake by occu-
pying themselves with various activities or making sure they drank enough of their best friend, caffeine. Not everyone drank sodas to stay awake since there were tons of other food choices such as pasta, pizza, frozen yogurt and bagels in the morning. For every Stay-Awake-Athon, including this one, all the food was donated from either Key Clubbers themselves or local restaurants. In order to make sure that there is enough food for this event, Key Clubbers have been making phone calls and delivering letters for donations for weeks! Even on the night of the event, Key Clubbers had their hands full with driving to restaurants to pick up donations (sometimes at 3 AM), preparing any food and collecting admission money. But it was all worth it as the event helped raise more than $3000! Although Spring Valley holds a Stay-Awake-Athon annually, this year was unique. Not only did Spring Valley Key Clubbers attend, but members from Mount Vernon High School’s Key Club also visited. Newly elected Lieutenant Governor James Florakis also made a special guest appearance. In the future, Spring Valley High School Key Club hopes to continue to work with the other clubs in Division 12.
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The Olympian
Paperwork Status Election Report Forms (ERFs) should be in by now, Club Statuses should be sent out the last Friday of every month, and Monthly Report Forms (MRFs) which can be found on the district website are due the 7th of every month. Please see page 2 and check the Google Group Calendar page at http://groups.google.com/group/nydkc12/web/calendar for more information on paperwork.
ERF Chart
ERFs (an X indicates that I have received it)
Alexander Hamilton Ardsley Mamaroneck Maria Regina Mount Vernon
X
New Rochelle
X
North Rockland Ramapo
X
Rye Neck
X
Saunders Spring Valley
X
Ursuline
X
Woodlands Yonkers Yorktown Heights
May
Page 9
Contact Information New York District Executive Board •
Governor Nadyli Nuñez
New York District Division 12 •
nadylinunez.gov@nydkc.org •
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jamesflorakis.ltg@nydkc.org (914) 523-2837
Secretary Grace Na gracena.sec@nydkc.org
329 Stuart Drive
Treasurer Safanah Siddiqui safanahsiddiqui.treas@nydkc.org
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Editor Jensen Cheong jensencheong.editor@nydkc.org
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Webmaster Emily Lew
New Rochelle, NY 10804 •
Division Secretary (Temporarily vacant)
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Division Executive Assistant (Temporarily vacant)
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Kiwanis Committee Member Mr. Ed Sexton
emilylew.tech@nydkc.org •
Lieutenant Governor James Florakis
Executive Assistant Jillian Harmon
ed.sexton@asmnet.com (914) 523-6126
jillianharmon.ea@nydkc.org
New York District Committee Chairs •
Governor’s Project - Lt. Governor Nicole Murray
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nicolemurray.ltg@nydkc.org •
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sharifmahfouz.ltg@nydkc.org
District Projects - Lt. Governor Rhea Singh rheasingh.ltg@nydkc.org
Kiwanis-Family Relations - Lt. Governor Dylan Gross
International Projects and Programs - Lt. Governor Susanna Novick
dylangross.ltg@nydkc.org
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• susannanovick.ltg@nydkc.org •
Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center - Lt. Governor Yasmin Soliman yasminsoliman.ltg@nydkc.org
Advocacy - Lt. Governor Katie Cieplicki • katiecieplicki.ltg@nydkc.org
Public Relations - Editor Jensen Cheong jensencheong.editor@nydkc.org
New Club Building and Reactivation - Lt. Governor • James Florakis jamesflorakis.ltg@nydkc.org
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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! The New York District Key Club’s mascot is the beaver. Go beaver!
Reminders! •
Visit the New York District Key Club website at www.nydkc.org
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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)
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Pass on this newsletter to all your friends