March 2015
Volume 68 Issue III
Discover the Magic of Service at the 69th Annual
2015 Lieutenan
5-2016 nt Governors
District
International
Club
Key Leader RTCs
Blood Drives 6 International Message 6
Eliminathon 7 Website Updates
ICON
Division 16 10 Holiday Ball 10 LTG Elects
Eliminate 11
8 DCON
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Workshops 9 AARF 9
New Jersey District Executive Board
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The Jersey Key
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Messages Governor’s Welcome| Samantha Levisay Hello New Jersey Key Clubbers! Well another year of service has passed us by. It has been a truly amazing time getting to know all of you from the south in Cape May to the north in Tenafly. I cannot say this year has been easy, but I can say for a fact it has been rewarding. We as a district have grown not in number but in strength. The attendance at various district events held over this year has proven that the New Jersey District is only getting stronger. This past year we successfully had RTCs. Officers from across the state gathered for these training sessions. We also had our Fall Rally where over 3,000 key clubbers attended at Six Flags Great Adventure. Our Key Leader was also more than successful with over 70 attendees. Our ELIMINATHONs were awesome and raised over $6,000 for the ELIMINATE Project. So many members from our district have the drive and passion that make New Jersey as mighty as it is. The members fuel this district. You ARE the district. Thank you for making this year a great one. Remember DCON is coming up very shortly. Our District Education and Leadership Conference is a great way to network with other young leaders across the state. We also elect the new New Jersey Executive Board. Also at the event will be workshops, sessions, a special Key Note Speaker: Chip Paillex, and speakers from various service organizations. As some of you key clubbers graduate and some others move on to a new Key Club chapter in life I challenge you to reflect on your time in this organization. Have you used your time to utilize all that it can offer you? With thousands of opportunities offered there is so much one can accomplish within this organization. Help someone else accomplish their goal if you can. On a closing note, thank you New Jersey for making these last four years awesome.
District Administrator| Ms. McCann "When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me." –Mr. Rogers Thank you for what you have done to help our children. Thank you for what you have done for animals, the homeless, those who were hungry, and those who were lonely. For ringing bells in the cold because it meant funding for Salvation Army. For walking in the rain because it meant those with disease could have hope and additional funding for research. For surpassing any feat presented to raise funds to Eliminate MNT. Although you disguise yourselves as regular high school students in everyday life, I know you are far more than regular or ordinary. Clark Kent would understand your plight- a seemingly regular person who could transform into a hero when needed. I am so glad you agreed to join Key Club as a member, officer or advisor. I know you are glad as well. As we complete a strong service year, I wish you the best in the future. For those underclassmen, my hope is that you will continue to lead and serve your homes, school and communities. For those graduating, I hope you will continue a life of service with Circle K, Kiwanis and many other great service opportunities presented in front of you. For our advisors, thank you for giving of yourself and your time- you are heroes and you allow our Key Clubbers to garner superhero powers as well. You facilitate clubs and members who change lives. Key Clubbers and Advisors, you are truly heroes. Clark Kent and Superman were just fictional characters in comics and movies, but your powers are real. The magical powers of the sorting hat and the bravery and strength of Harry Potter pale in comparison to all you do every day. Our world is a better place because of your everyday acts of heroism.
March 2014
Editor’s Message|Patrick Quinn Thank you for taking you time to read this final issue of the Jersey Key published by me as the District Editor. I’d like to thank everyone who takes the time to appreciate all the efforts that go into making an issue of the Jersey Key. Let this be your guide to service in Key Club and whomever my successor may be, will also be an amazing District Editor and will make fantastic issues of the Jersey Key. District Convention is right around the corner and we are eagerly waiting to see you all come out for a great time. You will find more information within. I hope you all enjoyed your service year and I wish you the best in your future wherever it may take you. Best of Luck and Farewell
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DISTRICT
Key Leader
By Sean Quinn
Key Leader was a weekend retreat to teach Key Club members to become better leaders. We would have conversations that would help explain qualities that good leaders have and how to gain these qualities if you don’t already posses them. During these conversations there would be breaks into neighborhoods. The neighborhoods were groups of people that were put together to do things base on what was discussed. Practice scenarios were given to see how the groups worked together and to see how someone would handle a certain situation. These neighborhoods would
also go and do different activities together like a maze and some games. The point of each activity was to teach something that a leader must know for instance, asking for help and teamwork. Not only do you learn to be a better leader but you can make a lot of new Key Club friends that you can see at other activities. Key Leader is something that can be cared with you throughout the entire time you are in Key Club. It helps advance the Key Club experience by so much allowing you to be even more helpful in service.
RTC By Jackie Dragon
bond with other Key Clubbers from around the state.
Regional Training Conferences are a great resource for newly elected club officers and general members! Fun workshops range include information on current Key Club district and international projects, skills like public speaking and effective leadership, and techniques for design and running events. Creative themes like Greek and Roman mythology and complimentary breakfast and lunch for attendees also help keep the atmosphere light and energetic as attendees meet and
RTCs are held in the spring and fall, with Northern and Southern Spring conferences and Northern, Central, and Southern Fall conferences. There are many options to receive this important information, which is part of why club officers have to attend at least one training conference to be distinguished. More information will be sent out in April of the 2015-2016 service year on RTC dates and locations, so stay tuned and check with your new lieutenant governor after DCON
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DISTRICT
By Lt. Governor Farwa Shakeel
Salutations, New Jersey District! As many of you know, this year, the District Project Steering Committee of the New Jersey District Board decided to host volleyball marathons-called the Eliminathon- throughout the district. Many of you may have attended or played in your divisional tournaments or came to the District Eliminathon in early February. The Eliminathon was a huge success! Thanks to your support, the New Jersey District raised almost $5,000 from all the Eliminathons combined. The District Eliminathon brought together teams from all over New Jersey to compete for the championship! The trophy and title went to the Big D.I.G.S, the winners from the Divisions 12 and 13 Eliminathon. Congratulations! This goes to show that it doesn’t take much to save lives. Just with the Eliminathons alone, you are making a big difference in the lives of mothers and children affected by tetanus. We have come one step closer to eliminating MNT, New Jersey District! Thank you for all that you do. The DPS Committee also urges all of you to continuing fundraising for the Eliminate Project. Hosting bake sales, eating contests, and sports tournaments of your own are just some of the ways to raise money for this cause. A Special Thanks to All Host Clubs/Facilities in the Eliminathon Tournament! Divisions 1 & 2- Lower Cape May Regional High School Divisions 3 & 4- West Deptford High School Divisions 7 & 8- Southern Regional High School Divisions 9 & 10- Salvation Army of Red Bank Division 11- Piscataway High School Divisions 12 & 13- Bridgewater-Raritan High School Divisions 14 & 15- Millburn High School Divisions 16 & 17- Tenafly High School Divisions 18 & 19- Livingston High School Division 20- Parsippany High School Divisions 21 & 22- Mount Olive High School District Eliminathon: Arthur L. Johnson High School
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DISTRICT Website Updates By Webmaster Srikar Gudipati
Hello everyone! As the service year’s end quickly approaches, checking the district website often will become more and more crucial. In the past few weeks, I have made several changes to the website which ultimately provide Key Clubs with more information about the remaining service events this year. The most important change is the addition of a page for our district’s upcoming district convention, located at the following URL: http:// njkeyclub.org/events/dcon/. This webpage provides the registration packet, sergeant at arms flyers, location, and time information for this grand end-of-the-service-year event, so please make sure you visit it and share the URL with your Key Club friends! In addition to the district convention page, I have also updated the District Resources page, located at http://njkeyclub.org/resources/ district-resources/, with the latest files and other documents pertinent to upcoming district events and opportunities. On this webpage, you can find the district convention contests packet, the elections and campaigning packet, the Key Club annual achievement report form, the scholarships packet, board meeting summaries for the past few board meetings, and more! Please take time to visit the district website and view the resources and information that it has to offer, so that your Key Club as a whole can be better informed and prepared for future service events! As always, feel free to ask me questions by emailing me at njwebmastersrikar@gmail.com! Thanks for reading this article!
District Convention 2015 By Lt. Governor David And Treasure Daniel The end of the service year is near and we all know what that means: District Convention. We have one last show prepared for you, and it will be every bit as fun and amazing as this year has been. It’s the pinnacle of Key Club events. If it’s any consolation that the best service year ever is drawing to a close, DCON is right around the corner! This year, you are invited to “Discovering the Magic of Service” at the 69th Annual District Convention, held in the Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch, New Jersey from March 27th-29th 2015. Taking classes at Hogwarts is the dream of every single Harry Potter fan, and now you can. Yeah, I know In order to book your ticket aboard the Hogwarts Express, be sure to refer to
your 69th Annual District Convention Registration Packet emailed to you by your respective Lieutenant Governor and available on the district website at: http://njkeyclub.org/ events/dcon/ Be sure to scroll down and click on the Registration Packet PDF under the important documents heading. With just the flick of your wand (or the click of your keypad), this packet will walk you through all the pertinent information necessary to discover the magic of service. To recap the most important information, registration costs $270 per Key Clubber. Registration totals for chaperones are$285 for double occu-
pancy and $350 for single occupancy. Remember that by wizarding law, 1 chaperone is required for every 10 students. The registration deadline is postmarked by Friday, March 6th, 2015. Be sure to be timely with your submission to ensure your owl invitation to this year’s District Convention. Be sure to get as many members to attend to learn as much as possible for the upcoming service year as well as to elect this year’s house prefects (district executive board officers)! We look forward to discovering the magic of service with you at this year’s 69th Annual New Jersey District Convention on March 27th
Service Fair | by Lt. Governor Latifa The service fair is a fair that allows Key Club members and advisors to meet representatives from various organizations and learn about service opportunities their own clubs can participate in. This year, the service fair at our District convention will take place on March 28th, 2015 from 7:30AM to 7PM. At the service fair, you will be able to meet representatives from organizations such as Alex’s Lemonade
Stand, Rustic Pathways, March of Dimes, Children’s Miracle Network, UNICEF, and more. Also, there will also be booths for The Eliminate Project, Circle K, International Convention 2015, board member raffles, and tie sales. If you have ever wondered about the organizations Key Club partners with or want to learn about service projects your club can partake
in, I strongly encourage you to visit the service fair. I promise it will be worth your while. Not only this, Key Club members who visit more than 10 booths will be given the chance to win a special prize. Now doesn’t that sound amazing? If you have any questions regarding the service fair, feel free to contact me at Latifa.ltgdiv14@gmail.com
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DCON Workshops By Lt. Governor Brooke When District Convention is upon the New Jersey District Board, it’s nothing but owls and owls and owls for months and months in preparation! It’s nearly dangerous how many of these creatures are flitting across the Muggle world; but they carry precious cargo that makes the whole trip worth it. For in their talons, they carry the precious work of the NJDB – presentations to be viewed by hundreds of Key Clubbers at DCON! During the months building up to DCON, I have been fortunate enough to chair the Workshops Committee, and oversee the process of creating interesting courses for our new and old wizards and witches of service to take throughout their exciting stay at Hogwarts. Workshops have been remodeled significantly from last year, in order to maximize the information each attendee can attain in a single 35-minute sitting. There are three diverse Sessions to choose from, and you can be your own sorting hat to pick the best course for you! The options are to the righ. Session 1: President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Editor General Members/Running for a Position Advisers
Session 2: Preferred Charities DPS: ELIMINATE and the Future Get more Involved in your Club/Division KEYping it Classy Organization Behind Events Service Leadership Fundraisers/Service Projects Kiwanis Family Relations and Events Service Organizations Panel Session 3: Fundrasiers/Service Projects Key Club Around the World Social Media Advicacy Public Speaking/Meeting Management/Icebreakers Organization Behind Events Service Organizations Panel Keynote Speaker and Service Panel The purpose of the three sessions of workshops is to create a dialog between the NJDB and club-level Key Clubbers that are looking to improve their school. All the information available in these workshops will prove beneficial in some way, so we encourage schools with multiple attendees to divide themselves amongst the different courses in each session. Make sure to take note of the presenters contact information at the end of the workshop, as they will be more than willing to send you a digital copy of their PowerPoint. Have fun at Convention, and I look forward to seeing my fellow Potterheads there!
AARF, completed with real Annual Achievement Report Forms signatures rather than typed names. By Secretary Jackie Club Monthly ReAt the end of every service year, Key Clubs around the world all fill out the international Annual Achievement Report Form (AARF) to record their service hours and accomplishments. Based on the club size and the number of points earned, a NJ Key Club can win awards at the NJ 2015 District Convention and possibly at the 2015 International Convention. Achievement awards, based on AARF points, are broken into four categories: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. These categories are based off of club size, with bronze awards for the smallest clubs and platinum awards for the largest. Within each category are the first, second, and third place prizes. Clubs with extremely high AARF points can also be distinguished by Key Club International with a plaque at ICON and be named a diamond level club, one of the highest possible achievements. Only two NJ clubs were given this distinction last year! Also, in addition to these awards, club members will become applicable for entering DCON contests only after the club has submitted its
port Forms (CMRFs) are extremely helpful when filling out the AARF accurately, as service project hours and fundraiser totals must be recorded in detail. A separate table for the fifty service projects from the year with the most service hours must be attached to the AARF. This table should include for each service project: the month in which it occurred, a brief project description, the number of members participating, and the number of service hours produced by Key Club members. Such a record is a great way to comprehensively evaluate the accomplishments of the club throughout the year. No other materials are required to send with the form. If you have any questions about the Annual Achievement Report Form, please contact District Secretary Jacqueline Dragon at njdsecretarydragon@gmail.com. Below are also answers to common questions about the report form. Good luck, everyone, and we look forward to seeing you at District Convention!
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INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
Greetings New Jersey Key Clubbers, I am proud to say that after a productive year of caring for our homes, schools, and communities, we are finally here. We have finally reached the end of our successful service year. District Convention is quickly approaching, and I hope to see you all there! At DCON, take it as an opportunity to celebrate this year’s accomplishments, prepare for the upcoming year, and meet friends who share the same love of Key Club as you. For veteran attendees, enjoy this weekend because it will be over before you know it. For novices, get ready for one of the most novel, yet best experiences of your lifetime. For all of you, take this time to step outside of your comfort zone, and meet new Key Clubbers. Finally, I would like to thank you all for the effort you have dedicated to this organization throughout this past year. Without your hard work and commitment, the New Jersey District would not be where it is today. For all of those contributions, thank you. You have made a meaningful impact on not only this district, but also all of Key Club International. It has been such an honor to work with such a passionate, enthusiastic, and devoted group of individuals. After an incredible term as Trustee to one of the best districts in Key Club International, I cannot wait to meet you all at DCON. Moreover, I hope to see you all again in Indianapolis, Indiana for Kiwanis’ 100th anniversary at the 2015 Key Club International Convention. Here’s to many more successful years of the New Jersey District and Key Club International! Barry M. Seng
International Convention this year is going to be in Indianapolis, Indiana. The New Jersey District will be leaving on June 23rd and will be coming back home on June 30th. This year to celebrate the 100th birthday of Kiwanis the Kiwanis Family will coming together for one large and insanely fun convention! During the week there will be a concert for all of us to attend. Not only will you get to mingle with people from around the country, but also you will get to elect the new international board, go to informative workshops, and attend uplifting sessions. The New Jersey District will be making a few stops along the way to Indiana. The actual convention is from the 24th to the 28th. The NJ District likes to explore the town though and have some fun of our own. At the convention we will also be hearing about the amazing success the different districts has had with the ELIMINATE Project!!
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INTERNATIONAL ELIMINATE Updates Lt. Governor Aleena Kazmi
It’s easy to forget about the rest of the world when we’re caught up in our own problems. School can become difficult, friend-drama can strike at any moment, and family problems can cloud or minds. Here in Key Club however, we make it a point to care about others – this is why the Eliminate Project has been so successful these past few years. Now that we’re in the fifth year of the campaign and we’re really making progress, it’s time to recognize all the great work that you all have been doing this year! The ELIMINATE Project joins forces between Kiwanis International and UNICEF in a global effort to eliminate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) from the face of the earth. MNT is a lifethreatening disease that causes severe convulsions and pain to a newborn child and extreme pain during childbirth for the mother and is contracted when tetanus spores come into contact with open wounds, especially during childbirth. This life-threatening disease takes the life of one baby every nine minutes, nearly 60,000 lives a year and overall impacts nearly 61 million women and babies. A baby that is infected with tetanus only lives between three and seven days, dying after suffering excruciating pain and sensitivity to l ig ht an d touch . As of right now, the UNICEF-Kiwanis total for the Eliminate Project lies at $74 million raised out of the total $110 million necessary for elimination. As
Key Club International President Maria Palazzolo in Cambodia helping the Eliminate efforts abroad
of February 1st, the Kiwanis family total raised is $3,812,863.90. Of this large sum, Key Club alone has raised $3,057,193.34! Revel in the amazing feat NJ Key Clubbers, as one of the top contributors to the Eliminate Project in Key Club International, you can guarantee that you’ve helped Key Clubbers around the world save over 1.5 million lives! These lives have been saved through various methods; throughout the New Jersey District, Key Clubs have participated in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, Divisional Eliminathons, and a series of club projects that range from coffeehouses, restaurant nights, canning, and many more! The NJDB is still pushing to reach its goal of $109,325.15 for the 2014-2015 service year. So, what can you do to aid the campaign? In order to save one mother and all of her future children, a vaccination in a series of three doses is administered, each dose at the cost of $0.60, or $1.80 altogether. Such a small amount of
money can be collected just by skipping a morning coffee or by not buying that extra snack during lunch. The biggest impact you can have for this project is by preparing your club for the challenges of fundraising, educating yourself and your community about MNT, and advocating on behalf of those suffering. Congratulations to everyone for all of your amazingly successful events; keep on fundraising as the service year is not over yet! There are still 24 countries afflicted with MNT – make it your goal to have that number drop before DCON. The current statistic for MNT rates is 1 baby dying every 11 minutes, why not make it 12 or even 20? Challenge yourselves to fundraise as much as you can leading up to and during District Convention.
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CLUBS Elizabeth High School Blood Drive By Jacqueline Salgado Did you know that donating one pint of blood can help save the lives of up to three people? What better way than to start the new year off by saving lives? During the month of January, Elizabeth High School Key Club held five blood drives. Each blood drive was held at one of our different high schools. Students, teachers, principals, board members and even past alumni donated blood. Board of Ed member Maria Carvalho, stated, “coming to donate and spending some time with Key Club definitely beats eating lunch in my office any day." Our Key Clubbers tremendously helped the Red Cross. We had blood buddies that made new friends by talking to the donors during the process. Others were providing them snacks, holding down registration at the front desk, and timing the donors on mats ensuring they were okay. It was great to see how engaged our Key Clubbers were during every blood drive, as they went out of their way to comfort the donors. What was even better than that was seeing our own members donating during the blood drives. This shows that caring truly is our way of life.In caring and service.
Division 16 Holiday Ball By Lt. Governor David A while, while back—think January of last year, during my LTG election—Dickinson High School’s then-president, Rogina Gerges, asked me if I had any plans for events for the service year. I knew why she was asking; like myself, Rogina was in love with glamorous dances and events. And I knew from the January before that, when then-LTG Melika Behrooz announced a Valentine’s Day Sweethearts dance by the Hudson River, that I wanted to either attend or host something as massive. So I replied, “I’m a sucker for a masquerade,” to which Rogina absolutely beamed. Fast-forward nine months. Rogina is helming Dickinson for a second year, and I just knew that Rogina and the rest of Dickinson would jump at the idea of hosting the Masquerade with me. So I could barely keep my excitement when I asked them. The next two months were a hectic, hectic mess of planning, replanning, debating centerpieces (at one point we had completely emptied a local dollar store of plastic poinsettias before setting off in hot pursuit of a completely different idea—I’m pretty sure all 121 poinsettias are still under the cardboard box in the corner of the dollar store, where we abandoned them), and collecting dues. Guestlists were made, torn up, and redone. Seating plans were hurriedly drafted on spare manila folders in the middle of fifth block. Late night calls about the DJ always segued into how awesome it was going to be.
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CLUBS
District Governor Samantha Levisay njgovernorlevisay@gmail.com
District Secretary Jacqueline Dragon Njsecretarydragon @gmail.com
District Editor Patrick Quinn njeditorpatquinn@ gmail.com
District Treasurer Daniel McCormack njtreasurermccaormack@gmail.com
District Webmaster Srikar Gudipati Njwebmastersrikar @gmail.com
Lt. Governor 1 Angela Becker angelaltg1@gmail.com Lt. Governor 2 Dianna Torres dianna.ltg2@gmail.com Lt. Governor 3 Charmaine Chew charmaine. chew.ltg3@gmail.com Lt. Governor 4 VACANT Lt. Governor 5 VACANT Lt. Governor 6 Jeffery Maziarz jmaziarzltg6@gmail.com Lt. Governor 7 Josie Suddeth jsuddethltgdiv7 @gmail.com Lt. Governor 8 Pearl Polito pearlpolitoltg8@gmail.com
Lt. Governor 9 Tara Engelken tengelken.ltg.div9
@gmail.com
@gmail.com
Lt. Governor 10 Brooke Willemstyn ltg.brooke.div.10 @gmail.com
Lt. Governor 17 Jae Shin ltgshin@gmail.com
Lt. Governor 11 Farwa Shakeel ltg.farwa.shakeel @gmail.com Lt. Governor 12 Devin Sun devin.sun.ltg12 @gmail.com Lt. Governor 13 Nate Silberman Natesilbermanltgdiv13 @gmail.com Lt. Governor 14 Latifa Ali latifa.ltgdiv14 @gmail.com Lt. Governor 15 Darren Khong darren.ltg15@gmail.com
Lt. Governor 16 David Guirgis davidguirgis.ltg16
Lt. Governor 18 Ricky Thompson ltgricky@gmail.com Lt. Governor 19 Bobbie Boettinger ltg19.bobbieboettinger @gmail.com Lt. Governor 20 Aleena Kazami aleenakazami.ltg20 @gmail.com Lt. Governor 21 Harsh Patel harsh.ltg.div21 @gmail.com Lt. Governor 22 VACANT