Viking Newsletter | Lamar Key Club | Volume lV Issue V | January 2023

VIKING NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2022

LAMAR HIGH SCHOOL

REGION 7 DIVISION 39N

VOLUME III ISSUE VI

THE THE

EDITOR'S EDITOR'S LETTER

LETTER

Hey guys! I hope y'all had a great January, be sure to read about our articles and hoto, and look forward to future service events Even though we didn't have a meeting this month be sure to stay tuned about the meeting February and any future events that might happen. Happy reading.

KIWANIS Pancake Day

February 25th at First United Methodist Church of Arlington

Shift: 8am to 12pm

Responsibilities include cooking pancakes (only if you want to), pouring drinks, bussing tables, taking tickets, cleaning up

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F4DADAF2CA7FD0-feb1st

Arlington Public Library: Books with Wheels

Work to make arts and crafts for APL's Books with Wheels program

George W Hawkes Downtown Library (10:30am-12pm January 22nd)

Must sign up using link, do not attend if you didn't sign up!

Charity Miles

https://miles app link/8H4Q6ZnAKab

10 miles/hr - it's not hard! Just take your phone on walks.

Make sure you’re in our group! We’re supporting March of Dimes, a Kiwanis Partnership

Free Rice (UN World Food Program)

Group Code 29JTX24F

Maximum 5 hours, so 2500 grains of rice

Download the app or use the website: freerice.org

Humans of Texas Oklahoma (Due Feb 30th)

Become our featured HOTO member of the month! Write 450-500 words about your key club experience, and include a picture of yourself.

Lamar Key Club Website

https://keyclublamar.wixsite.com/lhskey

Find all the important information here including opportunities, meeting presentations, cord and stole requirements.

Log Your Hours!

https://tinyurl com/vv4bvmv4

Email Us! keyclub.lamar@gmail.com

Follow Us: @lamarkeyclub

CLUB OFF CLUB OFF

PRESIDENTSARALIM

FICERS

SENIORREPNICHOLASASTIE

K C .LAMAR.SENIORREP@GMAIL. COM

FRESHMANREPCESARMUNOZ

KC .LAMAR.FRESHREP@GMAIL.COM

KAIDENCHENG

ASTER@GMAIL. CO M

JUNIORREPFAVOUROKACHA

K C .LAMAR.JUNIORREP@GMAIL. COM

HISTORIANSEEMAHAMOONDIN I

SOPHREPOPEN

K C .LAMAR.HISTORIAN@GMAIL.COM

KC .LAMAR

.SOPHREP@GMAIL.COM

HOTO HOTO

Cheng -Kaiden Cheng

-Kaiden

Hello, my name is Kaiden Cheng. I was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and moved to Arlington when I was 8. I’m currently a junior at Lamar High School. I’m involved in the National Honor Society, Key Club, and the Varsity tennis team. Key Club was one of the first-ever programs I joined at Lamar and I didn’t have any expectations at the beginning because it was something that everyone joined. However, as I looked back I quickly realized how valuable the experience is. Key Club is an organization that gives members opportunities to provide service to the community and school, helps us build character, develops leadership that can prove important in the future. Also, Key clubs help us create meaningful relationships with people that have similar interests. A goal in wanting to make the world a better place. One of my favorite Key Club service events is the Fall festive at River legacy. Although we weren’t able to do it in my sophomore year. It was a fun experience nevertheless. In my freshman year, I participated in the hayride. The task was straightforward and I was ecstatic to see the smile on their faces when the ride was over even though the weather was substandard. Last year I worked in the pumpkin patch and later in a simulated campground to create an illusion of camping in the storm. As boring as it may sound, kids enjoy that type of activity. The lady I volunteered with taught me a lot about why she volunteers and listening to her talk about it made me want to do it more. That’s what makes volunteering enjoyable.

Volunteering has always been a part of my life. Throughout my childhood, I’ve volunteered at various places. From hospitals to orphanages. I grew fond of volunteering because it enables me to help others selflessly and gives me a greater perspective of self-awareness. To elaborate, depending on the cause, you may face a rather tragic situation. As a volunteer, we are expected to stay calm and positive. Dealing with these situations can question your view of the world and your personal choices. This may be a little overwhelming at first, but fostering a stronger selfconsciousness is a surprising change that we as volunteers experience. Lastly, being in Key Club has allowed me to serve and give back to the community. I am looking forward to creating more memories and I am glad to be a part of the Key Club family.

Photo Caption: Five Key Club officers and members volunteering for Salvation Army.

Photographer/Photo Credit: Luke Anderson

Most Memorable Event

-Luke Walsh

I've done quite a few events with the Lamar key club last year, but I would have to say my most memorable event has to be the annual river legacy festival. I have done it sophomore year too and the event has to be the most memorable because of how long it always is. It by far has to be the longest event I have done so far. The event itself is 6 hours long, keep in mind that a usual event is only around 2 hours long. So, if you want to get a lot of hours this is definitely the way to do it. The river legacy festival takes place around October to September, and you can pick 2 shifts to work for. You can pick the morning shift which is from 10am to 4pm. You can also pick the afternoon shift which is from 4pm to 9pm, and if you’re really crazy you can do both shifts, which is a 12-hour shift, and some people actually did it. I picked the afternoon shift; I was initially going to do the morning but everybody was doing it so there were no spots left. I was hoping to get a fun job because last year I got a game which might sound fun, but it wasn’t. The reason that wasn’t fun is because I had to pick stuff up all the time which hurt my back and made me feel like an old man. The game I got last year was a game called dino bowling which is just a bowling game for little kids with a dinosaur theme. It was fun at first helping the little kids but then it just became tiring. Mainly because the bowling pins were on an uneven surface so it would always stand upright. So, I was hoping for this year that I would get something like concession stands but I got games again. Thankfully it was not dino bowling again it was a game where you toss dinosaurs into a basket, which did require less work. But thankfully one of the people I knew there wanted to trade jobs with me, and for the next 3 hours I got to sit down and relax. Even though the job I got was an inflatable slide and there were kids causing chaos around me. I was able to work through it. After that was over, we had to help clean up which wasn’t the most fun, but it was kind of cool to see what they did for cleaning up. After that we went on a shuttle to go home. Overall, I would say that the experience wasn’t too bad.

Photo Caption: Officer Luke and several other members at a river legacy event

New Year's Resolution

-Sara Lim

Going into the New Year is like a fresh start for all of us. We can choose to continue how we went about our days in 2022 or we can come with an open, determined and optimistic attitude in 2023. Lamar Key Club in 2022 did not meet all of our goals we had set to accomplish. For example, we didn’t get the opportunity to volunteer at a local animal shelter, so this year we will make that happen. After contacting many local shelters and having none get back to me, I will drive to a location and ask them if we can volunteer at the shelter center there. Euless animal shelter is one that I have in mind because it is a modern and open facility. Hopefully, through optimism and hard work- we will be able to volunteer at a local animal shelter because that is what I promised the members of our Key Club.

Another goal we failed to meet was having more socials and member interaction. Not only did we not have a single social last fall, but I feel the members have grown apart. The club isn’t what it used to be and it is very stagnant. This year, I will strive to have at least two socials where members can mingle and talk to one another as Key Club members. Socials such as getting boba or making crafts for a local nursing home as a key club will bring us together and strengthen our relationships. Key Club isn’t just about volunteering, but also about meeting others who are passionate to serve. Meeting new friends and creating new bonds is important. This is another one of our Key Club’s resolutions. Another one of our resolutions that our Key Club is trying to meet this 2023 year is partnering with other Key Clubs in AISDour district. To achieve this goal, I will need to make an effort to reach out to the other clubs’ presidents and communicate with them. We have already made an effort to do this by choosing to attend the annual Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast where all Key Clubs in the district serve to volunteer. At this event, I will be able to serve alongside other Key Club officers and members and build those bonds. We can communicate and arrange joint service events and socials. This will be a great opportunity to tie bonds and build bridges between other clubs.

Why I chose Key Club

-Luke Walsh

I remember the first time I thought of joining the Key Club. It was sophomore year or last year. I was at this event called Viking fest. If you don't know what Viking fest is, it is an event where you can see all the extra-curricular activities you can do like from the chess club to baseball. They offer all types of stuff. I went there to help out my swim team because we had a booth, but we were able to walk around as well. I had a walk around the area looking at things and I saw one club, the key club. Now I remember hearing about it around the beginning of the year, it did sound interesting, but I didn’t think much of it. Until that moment when I saw it. I thought to myself that I need to join a club so why not this one. Plus, the thing that sweetened the deal was that they said it would look great on your college resume which is exactly what I needed. My first interaction with the key club wasn’t even through a meeting, it was first through the small little donations service I saw on reminder. I brought some cans to one of my teachers for service hours. The funny thing was I came so unprepared, I didn’t even know that I was supposed to have a service hours sheet or what that even was. I don't remember much about the first meeting though. I didn’t know too many people there, so it was kind of awkward. Funny thing was that I didn’t really meet that many people until I did the service events. Through the service events I met a lot of cool people that I would get to know. All in all though I would say I chose key club because it was the best fit for me, and I’m glad I chose it.

Photo:Severalofficersatthe missionArlingtonevent

DISTRICT NEWS DISTRICT NEWS

Not only does our club have newsletters, but https://issuu.com/todistrict/docs/septemberoctober tex o key 5

to read the most recent one! You can also find previous ones by clicking on their profile on issu com

DISTRICT PROJECT

This year ’ s District Project is Opportunity for All (OFA). OFA addresses the disadvantaged and works to combat their obstacles as well as providing new opportunities. Whether it is through education, the arts, or athletics, OFA is about allowing people to explore and cultivate new skills to offer a brighter future.

There is also a Texas-Oklahoma District Website available for anything you need! the website is tokeyclub com

DISTRICT GOVERNOR Johnathan Perez governor@tokeyclubcom

d i s t r i c t o f f i c e r s d i s t r i c t o f f i c e r s

DISTRICT TREASURER Emily Zhang treasurer@tokeyclubcom

DISTRICT EDITOR Bethany Tran editor@tokeyclubcom

CONVENTION LIASON

Minori Kikuchi cl@tokeyclubcom

DISTRICT SECRETARY Dylan Dam secretary@tokeyclubcom

LTG Trinh Luong tluongltg @gmail.com

TECHNOLOGY PRODUCER Lendell Adndal techproducer @tokeyclubcom

REGION 7 ADVISOR

Siya Patel region7@tokeyclubcom

WANT TO DO MORE?

HERE ARE KEY CLUB INTERNATION PARTNERS AND COLLABORATIVE P

Landscape Structures (LSI) has joined Kiwanis International as a vision partner to bring play to communities across the globe. LSI is proud to provide highquality commercial playground equipment and planning consultation services that reflect the high degree of integrity that Kiwanis clubs expect

Nickelodeon currently presents two major campaigns year round that encourage action in kids globally. Worldwide Day of Play reinforces Nickelodeon’s mission to make the world a more playful place by leading Play events across the country. Nickelodeon’s Get Dirty campaign seeks to educate kids, families, and teachers about what they can do to help protect the planet in a way that is mindful and fun

Thirst Project is a nonprofit organization that works with the support of young people to END the global water crisis by building freshwater wells in developing communities that need safe, clean drinking water. By providing a community with safe drinking water, disease rates can drop by up to 88% virtually overnight! Child mortality rates can drop up to 90%- overnight! Clean water also plays an incredibly critical role in effectively treating and managing HIV/AIDS in rural communities.

TeleSquads provide Key Club members with affordable opportunities to complete community service hours while gaining hands-ons international experience implementing projects that improve health and education outcomes for in-need communities. Each TeleSquad is a customized 1-9 week online course for groups of 8 or more Key Club members to build knowledge through skill-based volunteering, build cultural competency through virtual immersion, and deliver real impact through our local team by participating in live community and professional exchanges.

NAL'S SERVICE PARTNERS

The Army strives to strengthen local communities through service and to build character and leadership among youth such as Key Club members. Through the Kiwanis Speakers

Army personnel can connect with Kiwanisfamily clubs at club

meetings, raising awareness of what today’s Army can provide and offer access to local Army support and resources. The Army also gives exceptional opportunities in higher education that can help young people throughout their lives.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS

Since 2014, Up with People and Kiwanis Interna members have teamed up to serve our communities, inspire youth and expand our impact in the world. that’s what Kiwanis International and Up with People share Up with People programs open a door to service and intercultural understanding whether it’s through a local show, leadership, and cultural workshops or providing service and travel experiences for young adults. Both organizations strive to ‘ serve the children of the world’ and ‘ empower youth to take action’ through our partnership

Register for one month of fitness, reach your health goals, and change lives. Join individually or create a team. Your involvement creates community, and it helps Project Happiness educate youth and people of all ages by providing proven tools for greater happiness and well-being.

K Corps is Kiwanis International’s youth exchange program for Key Clubbers and Kiwanis-family teens. It’s a great opportunity for youth connected with Kiwanis and for families and Kiwanis clubs as well.Through the program, clubs, families and youth develop strong global relationships and intercultural communication skills by attending meetings, experiencing fellowship, raising funds for various causes and participating in service projects.

Thankyouforreading!HappyValentinesDay<3