Division 15 December Newsletter

KEY CLUB 3636 WOODVIEW TRACE INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46268 USA 1-800-KIWANIS FAX 1-317-879-0204

Official Newsletter of Key Club International – New Jersey District – Division 15 Dickinson | County Prep | Union City | McNair | A. Harry Moore | Lincoln

Harsh Times

Volume 1 Issue 8

In this issue!

Hey Division 15,

LTG Message.................1

As the month of December quickly dawned upon us, I’d like to start off by wishing everyone Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. As Christmas time rolls around, it should give us more motivation that we are all blessed with a roof over our heads and food on all of our plates. Use this motivation to give someone else the same opportunity that all of us have. Get out there and make a difference in the life of someone else, whether it’s volunteering or planning a clothing drive for a local homeless center or going to rec therapy at Children’s Specialized Hospital, whatever it may be, remember that every little thing you do counts.

I’d also like to introduce the 65th annual New Jersey District Convention to all of you which will be held from April 8-10 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia Pennsylvania. As New Jersey Key Club members have often said, District Convention is both an extremely fun yet life changing experience. At convention, you’ll have the opportunity to attend fun workshops, partake in a dance on Friday night and another dance on Saturday night, have the opportunity to vote upon the new executive board and if you’re lucky, you’ll have the opportunity to be hypnotized by world famous hypnotist Steve Meade! You’ll all get lots more information from myself as time progresses but make sure you save the date for District Convention! I hope all of you keep up the great work over the next few months, as always, if you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me, I’m always more than willing to help.

Key Leader Recap…....2

Yours in Caring and Service,

Harsh Swaminarayan

Lieutenant Governor – Division 15 New Jersey District of Key Club International

How to get Distinguished….3 LTG Elections……...........3 Important Dates…….…..4 Member spotlight…….4 Important Contacts……5

On December 10-12, I had the opportunity to indulge in one of the most amazing experiences of my Key Club career yet. This event was none another than Kiwanis Key Leader. As a weekend that’s meant to change the way teenagers see leadership, I had the opportunity to facilitate and lead a group neighborhood, participate in tons of confidence building activities and of course, had the ability to learn new things about leadership. One of the most memorable aspects of the weekend was learning about a man named Larry Selman, who was born with an intellectual disorder. The name of the documentary was “The Collector of Bedford Street,� and told the story of Larry, a selfless man born with an intellectual disorder who continues to give everything he has to helping others.

At one point in his life, Larry had $10 a month to spend on himself, an amount that can be spent within seconds in New York, the city where Larry currently resides.

Having faced adversity, almost being evicted from the home he spent a majority of his life and sacrificing everything he had to change the lives of others, Larry has managed to raise over half a million dollars over the course of 30 years! The story of Larry is inspiring beyond belief and I recommend everyone see it, it helps put into perspective how fortunate we are and how altruistic some individuals can be. In conclusion, Key Leader weekend was nothing short of amazing and each second brought forth a new lesson and allowed me to learn more about myself and also gave me the opportunity to further hone my leadership skills.

Every year, clubs across the state look forward to the epic Awards ceremony during the Saturday night of DCON. But, even though only a few clubs can win on Saturday Night, any club has the chance to be a winner during the Saturday Morning Awards Ceremony!

That’s right, every year, outstanding club officers are recognized for their hard work and dedication to both the New Jersey District of Key Club and to Children’s Specialized Hospital!

Of course, you may be asking yourself, “Am I eligible to be distinguished?”

Well, if you’ve been doing your job as an officer, and have attended necessary District and Divisional events (like RTCs, OTCs, Fall Rally, and, if you’re President, PCMs), then you are certainly on the road to getting distinguished! All you have to do now is to keep up the amazing work for the remainder of your term in office! While with SATs, and, if you’re a senior, various scholarship applications, this may sometimes prove difficult, with proper time management, you can do it. Good luck and have great final few months in office!

With nearly half of the service year gone, it is now time to begin looking for the person who will soon take over as the Lieutenant Governor of Division 15. This job is open to any paid underclassman Key Club member who is in good standing, has actively participated in service projects and has a true passion for improving the lives of others.

Although being Lieutenant Governor is one of the best experiences an individual can have, it also comes with it’s fair share of work but if anyone’s interested, please feel free to contact me for more information. Please keep in mind that each club must have 2 delegates in attendance. The elections information is as follows: Lieutenant Governor – Division 15 Elections William L. Dickinson High School January 20, 2011 4:15 P.M. 2, Palisade Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 (SNOW DATE = January 27, 2011)

Presidents’ Report Form Deadline: December 30th December CMRF Deadline: January 10th Division 15 CSH Dance: TBA LTG Elections: January 20th Elections Snow date: January 27th

I’d like to take this moment to recognize an extraordinary Key Club member who defies shows that a general member is ideally the most important part of Key Club. This member is none other than Ankush Kumar from William L. Dickinson High School. Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure to see Ankush’s passion and dedication for Key club flourish. He has grown into a mature individual with the drive to make a difference and serve others. As the only Division 15 attendee (besides myself) at Key Leader, I also had the opportunity to see Ankush perform in a larger environment, working with individuals from across the state in his Key Leader neighborhood and I must say, I’m proud to see how far he has come and hope that he keeps up the great work.

District Governor Rachel Orbach

Governor.orbach@gmail.com District Treasurer Devan Corona devancorona@gmail.com

Zone Administrator Stephen Gandley stephen.gandley@verizon.net

District Administrator Barrie Werfel NJDAwerfel@aol.com

District Secretary

Kevin Sun secretarysun@gmail.com

District Editor Nicole Darrah njkceditor@gmail.com

District Webmaster Shivam Patel Spshivam72@gmail.com

Lieutenant Governor Division 15 Harsh Swaminarayan Harshltgdiv15@gmail.com