The T-O Report The Official Secretary Newsletter of the Texas-Oklahoma District
Photo Credit: Convention Liaison Chris Do June/July Issue Volume 1, Issue 2
In This Issue Key Notes from the Secretary...3 Key Notes from the Treasurer...4 Key Notes from the Convention Liaison…..5
Reminders……6 Updates ………..7 ICON Recap …….8-9 Secretary Resources…..10 The DO NOTS of Reporting….11
The Pros of Reporting…...12 Top 5 Projects …….13-14 Key Contacts……..15 Be Sure to Stay Connected Website: (District) tokeyclub.com (International) keyclub.org Remind 101: Text @1617tos to 81010 Facebook: T-O District Key Club Secretaries Twitter: TO Key Club District Instagram: todistrictkeyclub
Key Notes From the District Secretary District Secretary Kennie Merbach What’s up Texas– Oklahoma Secretaries! Summer is nearly over, but the service never ends! As one thing ends, another begins. So as we enjoy the last bit of Summertime freedom, look forward to recruiting new members as we start the 16-17 school year. I’ve been very busy these past two months and I want to continue to improve as the year goes on. This past two months I have attended our Staff Training, International Convention, and our Summer Board meeting. Staff Training was amazing. I got the opportunity to meet up with the other staff members and get properly adjusted to my role. International Convention was spectacular! Hundreds of Key Clubbers from all over the world came together under one roof to connect with others with a dedication to serve. Meeting other District Secretaries was definitely eye opening and seeing the way other districts function was intriguing. Though I cannot discuss much of went of at our Summer Board meeting, I can proudly state that Decorated Envelopes are back! I have updated some resources for you guys such as a new Main Page that should include newly used Key Club Function terms, The Jolly Book of Wisdom, and etc. So be sure to ask your Division’s LTG for those! As always enjoy the rest of your summer and keep on the amazing service. Also congratulations to graduated seniors! I wish you the best in this new chapter in your life. Caring is our way of life, so lets do our best to better our homes, schools, and communities. Yours in Service,
Kennie Merbach
Key Notes From the District Treasurer District Treasurer Leia George I am so excited to be your next year's district treasurer! My name is spelled like Princess Leia from Star Wars but pronounced like Lee-uh, but don't worry I'll respond to both. I have the greatest faith that if we work together we can make our district mightier than it is right now. I live in Cypress, which is on the northwest side of Houston, and will be senior at Cypress Woods High School. When I'm not doing Key Club work (which is 99% of the time), you can find me drinking coffee or playing tennis. I am also available you to at any time so please feel free to contact me with whatever at whenever and I will try to get back with you as soon as possible. During this next year I have the strongest belief that our district will do great things! As district treasurer I will have a focus on membership dues, especially from clubs that have been suspended, so that our district will continue to grow and we can complete more service. I also plan on connecting each club’s treasurer with monthly fundraisers to either inspire or accomplish. I hope to also ensure that all clubs in our district will be in good standing. The Youth Opportunity Funds (Y.O.F) is another amazing opportunity that I hope to expose to each club across our mighty district. Lastly I want to be available to all members on a larger social media platform to ensure that all questions are answered and as soon as possible. Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, random thoughts, updates, exciting news, and anything in between! I would be happy to help any of you with anything Key-Club related. Let me know if you have any suggestions about what would help you become more successful. Stay in Touch: Feel free to contact me on any of these platforms! Remind: Text @totr to 810-10 Facebook: T-O District Key Club Treasurers Twitter: @TOKCTreasurers Yours in Service,
Leia George
Key Notes From the CL Convention Liaison Chris Do What’s up, Texas-Oklahoma, If you’ve been keeping up with (the kardashians) what’s poppin’ in our district you may or may not know about me already. If not, it’s fine! I don’t bite! I am currently serving as your 2016 – 2017 Convention Liaison for our mighty Texas – Oklahoma district and hope to see you all at District Convention this upcoming year as I serve you all and celebrate a year of successful service. Most people say I can brighten the room, but I just want to brighten your lives through Key Club. If you ever see me don’t be afraid to talk to me or even contact me on social media! I’m an open book. As for myself, my name is Christopher Do, and yes, you pronounce my last name like ‘dough’ but mostly everyone calls me Chris for short. You can honestly call me whatever you’d like and I would be totally fine with it. I think I’d like to believe I’m a pretty sarcastic, laidback guy. I have a pretty dark sense of humor also so I am sorry in advance if my jokes slightly offend you. They usually suck anyways. Anyways back to myself. I currently live in Garland, Texas. A suburb of Dallas roughly thirty minutes away. I am an incoming senior and attend North Garland High School where I hope to plan to pursue in nursing in the future. I am also on my schools swim team as captain and have been a lifeguard these past few summers as well so If you ever need to be resurrected, ya’ boy’ has got your back. I also have an undying passion for adventure, food, snap chat, and obviously, Key Club. I like to think that I eat, sleep, and live Key Club but I think I’ve managed to control myself lately. I’ve been in the Kiwanis Family for three years now since joining Key Club my freshman year. Ever since joining Key Club it has lit a spark in me that forever has changed me as person wanting to serve and give back to our homes, schools, and communities. Key Club is not just a club it’s a lifestyle. Seriously. Being so addicted to Key Club I managed to successfully serve roughly 400 service hours since my freshman year. This passion shows how not only serving others is a gratitude I like to give but also a passion that is never undying. Being apart of Key Club has not only opened many doors for me, but has made me into a better person. Being a Key Clubber really does change lives. As for being Convention Liaison, my year has yet to begin and I hope I can make a change and make a great impact in all your lives. My goals for the year is to collaborate, interact, and take action. Join me on my fantastic roller coaster ride of service and hope you can hang on with me throughout the year! Yours in Service,
Chris Do
Reminders The Task of the Month is : Take a picture as a group of a service project, social, or event you did this month and include it in the report. Remember to put your division number on the front of your Monthly Report when submitting. Remember to write the number of members of your activity sheet. Also, be sure to send your monthly reports to my home address– not the Immediate Past District Secretaries. Thanks! Be sure to include this in your monthly report!
Be sure to mail your monthly reports to this address on the 5th of the following month:
Kennie Merbach 7980 Blue Bonnet St. Beaumont, TX 77713 If the 5th is a Sunday or a Holiday, it will be expected to be postmarked by the 6th.
Remember to email Articles/Newsletters to the District Editor
Sophia Tran at sophiatran.kc@gmail.com
Be sure to Cc me in the email as proof
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have! I am here to help you! Email: secretary@tokeyclub.com Phone#: (409) 291– 9327
Updates Hey T-O Secretaries! Here are a few quick updates on what’s going on:
1. Decorated Envelopes are back! Unfortunately they do not apply to the point system, but the best ones will be featured each month on the District Website. I really enjoy seeing your creativity come through each report so I personally highly recommend the challenge. THIS IS OPTIONAL, IT IS NOT MANDATORY FOR YOU TO DECORATE ENVELOPES. 2. There are now updated reporting forms. The Main Page has been updated with the terms your LTG’s use. The Jolly Book of Wisdom was also updated to better help you understand reporting. These resources will be posted on the district website, hopefully soon. If you are in need of these resources check in with your LTG! 3. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GRATUATED CLASS of 2016! With the official start to the Key Club year , seniors will drop from your “ # of members in club.” But do not worry, membership recruitment is easy to get a heads start on with the beginning of school.
ICON Recap ICON stands for International Convention
ICON Recap ICON stands for International Convention
Secretary Resources Organization Tips
Secretary Reporting Quick Tips
Be organized! Sending to District Secretary (In order to put in envelope)
*** This my
Save digital copies of your report onto a flash drive that way you always have backup reports
preferred organization.
Main Page
Activity Sheet(s)
Minutes (Required for both Board and
At the beginning of each month set up your Main Page for the whole month. For example, if your club has weekly meetings you can go ahead fill out the dates and number of members in your club under REPORT OF REGULAR/BOARD MEETINGS
Always update your Main Page after a meeting of how many members attended and if any guest speakers or K-Family was in attendance
General meetings)
Sign-in Sheets (For all General meetings held during that month. All 100% attendance at Board meetings)
Projects with 100+ hours
Fundraising or donated money $500+
Proof of Publication/Recognition
Task of the Month
Lieutenant Governors, Kiwanis Advisors, and Regional Advisors all get just the Main Page and Activity Sheet(s)
Email report to your Division LTG Mail to Regional Advisor ( unless they pre-
fer email) Mail/Hand in to Kiwanis Advisor Mail to District Secretary ***KEEP UP WITH EVERYTHING*** YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT MAY COME IN HANDY!
For each meeting (General and Board) keep 2-3 agendas: 1 for yourself, 1 for your binder (optional), and 1 as an extra
Make an extra copy of all meeting sign-in sheets and any 100% attendance board meetings
Keep things in date order! Whether its projects or sign-in sheets from meetings, keeping things in date order makes it easier on you when you start inputting data into your Main Page and Activity Sheet(s).
Do minutes for your club’s meetings within 7 days of that meeting. It will make it easier to write detailed minutes with the meeting still fresh on your mind! The extra agendas also help when writing minutes
I hope this helps you keep reporting stress free ! Be sure to refer to the Jolly Book of Wisdom on tokeyclub.com!
The DO NOTS OF REPORTING DO NOTS
Reminders
Use the correct forms! Report forms from International are not cool. The Texas-Oklahoma District has spent years perfecting monthly reports, so please use them. If you do not submit your reports on these forms then your report will not be counted.
Periodically, the District Secretary has come across some interesting activities on the activity sheet. However, there is no way points can be given for these activities (Yes! People have actually attempted these!) Some examples of activities that will not receive any credit are:
You can only count the hours of DUES PAID MEMBERS. If your little brother accompanies you to a project, you cannot count him as a member.
• Several of our members did the laundry for their family.
Please do not try to alter the forms! You do not receive any points for changing the font or for coloring in the extra boxes. Make sure that if you are unable to attend a meeting, someone takes down all the information for you and takes minutes. Remember that you are unable to fill in any of the “total boxes” on the forms for a reason. They’re for the my use.
Reports that are not sent in with sufficient postage will be returned to the sender and not counted until it has been sent in with sufficient postage.
They will also be counted as late if you do not include proof that you sent it on time the first time.
• During convention, we ate at the farewell brunch with over 1,000 members of the KFamily. (So did every other club that went!) • At convention, a dance was held as an IDD fundraiser. Our club helped. • 5 of our members go out for a night on the town once a month. • One of our members played in the spring music concert. (The projects must be done as a club) • Since all of our members belong to Student Council as well, we have an Interclub each week. • Members did household chores at various times during the month. • We helped set up for prom and made decorations. (For projects like this to count, you must have signed proof from an adult sponsor that it was specifically a Key Club project and not just something that a lot of Key Clubbers happened to be involved in.)
ENOUGH SAID.
Pros of Reporting As a club secretary it is your job to report to the district the things your clubs does each month. Though the task may seem daunting at first, it gets easier each month as you gain more and more experience. If you are already reporting for your club, then keep up the great work! If your club or even yourself is new to reporting, then it is never too late to start reporting for your club! The benefits to reporting are endless. Reporting on a monthly basis provides the following benefits:
Shows how much your club improves each month as well as each year
Shows how active your club is
Allows for others to help make Key Club at your school and to see what could be worked on
Allows for your club to rack up points, which helps with how each club is ranked
Allows there to be room for improvement within your club
Keeps you connected with the District
Potential to receive Awards/Patches at DCON
Recognition for the service your club has done on the district website, in the Tex-O-Key, or other media outlets
Bragging rights to how great your reporting is!
To help your club improve from behind the scenes ( YOU ARE THE BACKBONE OF YOUR CLUB)
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET TO REPORTING!
Top 5 Projects for May 1. Trash Bash – Paschal Key Club spent an afternoon on the Trinity River cleaning up all of the trash they came across while talking and hanging out with fellow Key Club members. By doing this they helped insure a cleaner environment for animals and people living off the river.
2. Recycle Pomeranians - North Garland Key Club helped take care rescued Pomeranians by grooming and bathing the dogs. Members also helped play with the Pomeranians and cleaned cages to insure the best overall environment for the dogs. While taking care of the Pomeranians, members learn more about how to take care of their own pets.
3. A Look Ahead Disability Conference – Mansfield Key Club volunteered the Disability Conference. Members helped with setting up, running, and shutting down the event. The conference was held to support those living with disabilities and their families as well as bring awareness to the difficulties of living with a disability.
4. Relay for Life – Bryan Key Club helped serve food to cancer survivors and their caregivers as well as actively participates in the walk against cancer. The event was held to help raise money and awareness to fight back cancer.
5. Children’s Miracle Network Phon-A-Thon–Bullard Key Club participated in a Phon-A-Thon fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network. Members spent three hours each calling people who had previously donated to Children’s Miracle Network and asked them to continue donating. Bullard Key Club helped raise over $10,000 for Children’s Miracle Network.
Top 5 Projects for June 1. Fort Bend Library Sale – Clements Key Club helped out their local library sell books to the general public. They helped put up flyers advertising the event as well as helped unpack books from storage and sort them by genre and the author’s last name for the book sale. During the event key clubbers helped keep the books restocked and organized until the end of the event, in which they helped condense the left over books and clean up the surrounding area. 2. Summer Reading Program – Early Key Club helped their local public library in their summer reading program. Key Clubbers helped sign in to the program as well as prepare them for the reading program. Members help get children interested in reading by reading books to the younger children on a weekly basis. 3. Pet Pals- Jenks Key Club volunteered at various locations around Tulsa working and aiding pets. Key Clubbers helped out with other volunteers with the caretaking of animals that have been neglected and badly abused. Members helped with cleaning cages, walking dogs, and loving the animals under their care. 4. Park Project – Mansfield Summit Key Club helped clean up and beautify their local park. Key Clubbers helped paint the fence surrounding the park as well as clean trash around the park to help enhance and encourage more people to go outside and to go to the park. 5. ICanBike – Uplift Summit International Key Club helped encourage and keep watch of children diagnosed with Down Syndrome as they learn how to ride a bike. Members worked one on one with each individual to insure each one learned the necessary skills to ride a bike, bike safety, as well as making sure the children had a blast while learning how to ride a bike. park.
Key Contacts District Governor - Dianna Cardenas Email: governor@tokeyclub.com Phone: (210) 748-2014 District Secretary - Kennie Merbach
Email: secretary@tokeyclub.com Phone: (409) 291-9327 District Treasurer - Leia George Email: treasurer@tokeyclub.com Phone: (832) 515-6948
District Editor– Sophia Tran Email: sophiatran.kc@gmail.com Phone: (469) 432-4941 Convention Liaison - Chris Do Email: dochrisn@gmail.com Phone: (469) 888-0606 District Administrator - Walt Roetter Email: administrator@tokeyclub.com Phone: (830) 733-0008
Thanks for Reading!
SEE YOU NEXT ISSUE