The Empire Key December/January 2018 Volume 9, Issue 4 "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” –Anne Frank I pledge, on my honor, to uphold the Objects of Key Club International; to build my home, school and community; to serve my nation and God; and combat all forces which tend to undermine these institutions.
Social Media Facebook: New York District Key Club Twitter: @NYKeyClub Instagram: @nydkc
TABLE OF CONTENTS Governor's Update (1) International Trustee's Update (2) Editor & Treasurer's Updates (3) Committee Updates (4) Service Spotlights (5-6) Leadership Training Conference (7) District Project (8) Governor's Project (9) Preferred Charities (10) Kiwanis District Charities (11) Running for Higher Office (12) Directory (13-16)
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR CLARA LEE
Hi! I hope everyone’s doing well! Welcome to the December/January issue of The Empire Key. Here, you’ll find updates, service spotlights, and information about the charities we're supporting. If you’d like to contribute a service spotlight to the next issue of The Empire Key, you can contact me at claralee2018@gmail.com or message me on Facebook! If you sign up to write a service spotlight, it’d be great if you could send me photos, too. Service spotlights are due on the 27th of February. If you have any questions/feedback, please reach out to me. This is the second to last issue of The Empire Key, so I hope you enjoy. It's been so fun producing newsletters for your consumption. Yours in Care and Service, Clara Lee <3
A NOTE FROM THE TREASURER MATTHEW PORTNOY
Hi NYDKC, As this service year comes to an end, I hope we are all proud of the hard work and dedication we have put into it! So far, as a district, we have raised a total of $94,139.37. This is 62.8% of our $150,000 goal. Amazing job so far everybody! Please continue to submit Fundraising Report Forms so that all of your hard work can be accounted for! Additionally, as of now, we have exactly 11,000 paid members! The New York District is one of the largest out of the 33 and we have continued to grow over the last few weeks, but we aren’t finished yet! So far, only 189 clubs out of 241 have paid dues, so please continue collecting dues payment and then submit them as soon as possible if your club hasn’t done so yet. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns you may reach out to me at matthewportnoy.treas@nydkc.org Yours in service, Matthew Portnoy
service spotlight
One of the signature things my club does is a program called Big Buddy. It takes kids from the elementary schools in our district and brings them to the high school for an afternoon with a “big buddy.” We serve as role models for them since usually, the kids that participate are the ones who need a role model. Often, these kids act out and lack guidance. We hang out with them, play games, and have snacks. This program is important because it connects kids with older children who can really become people the children can look up to. Over the course of the year, you really make a bond with the child and learn a lot about them. It’s a ton of fun for both the kids and the Key Clubbers!
Erica Swirky, Division 14
The Women's March took place on Saturday, January 20. The walk spanned from the Upper West part of Central Park to Midtown. As I took the train from Flushing to Manhattan, I could already pinpoint people heading to the walk. They all wore "pussyhats" and had huge signs. As I arrived at the park, all the surrounding streets were filled to the brim with excited marchers ready to walk for women's awareness. As I met up with the rest of Division 11, everyone had smiles on their faces and were prepared for the March. However, as we entered the lane where everyone was walking, we were stopped due to the sheer amount of people on each block. Police lined the park to ensure that nothing got out of hand. At some points, we would only be able to walk a few meters every 20 minutes. Events like this would typically make me upset. However, seeing all the energy radiating from the crowd and my members, I looked past it all and kept marching. It was entertaining to just talk with them and rant about Donald Trump. After walking for nearly three hours, we reached the end. Even though the march was packed, it was still enjoyable and I was able to connect more with the members of my division. Eric Zhao, Division 11
service spotlight
The North Shore Kiwanis Club donates to many organizations throughout the year. The club is proud to support the Family & Children Association (FCA) and the North Shore Key Club with a $500.00 donation to the “Quilt Project.” This donation will assist the club with their Major Emphasis Project, “Coloring For A Cause.“ Through the Quilt Project, the North Shore Key Club has joined hands and partnered with the FCA. to coordinate artwork created by the Kiwanis Family and North Shore community members. Artists were asked to create pictures that were then transferred onto fabric and sewn into what hopes to be the largest quilt of its kind. The FCA is a haven for homeless teens on Long Island and their quilt project is symbolic of the community joining together to provide warmth and safety for teens in need. The North Shore Kiwanis Club paid for the materials that made this happen. Julia Salat, Division 8
The Van Cortlandt Park event I attended was physically demanding but worth it! My friend and I arrived at the last stop of the 1 train to help with trail maintenance at Van Cortlandt Park. We spread woodchips all over the park, which creates paths for trucks to go in and out of the park easily. While the task was long and challenging, I learned the importance of trail maintenance. Using woodchips on trails contributes to a more sustainable environment. Woodchips are great for the environment because they reduce the need to send fallen trees to the landfill and waste fuel. Woodchips are a great way to reuse our natural resources and lessen our carbon footprint. The adults there were very nice to the volunteers. At the end of the event, they continuously thanked us for our efforts, which was I was touched by. April Su, Division 9
KIWANIS DISTRICT CHARITIES KIWANIS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA CENTER
"THE KIWANIS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA CENTER SUPPORTS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA EFFORTS AT THE COHEN CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER AS WELL AS PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE AREA TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN AND TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY OF LOCAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES RESPONSE TEAMS. IN 1991, NORTH SHORE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND THE NEW YORK DISTRICT OF KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL ESTABLISHED THE KIWANIS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA CENTER. KIWANIS' COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN AND COMMUNITY COUPLED WITH NORTH SHORE'S MEDICAL EXCELLENCE, OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, HAVE CREATED A LIFE-SAVING PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN THROUGHOUT THE REGION." FOR MORE INFORMATION: HTTP://KIWANISPEDIATRICTRAUMACENTER.ORG/
KAMP KIWANIS
"KAMP KIWANIS IS AIMED AT PROVIDING FUN, PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND ADVENTURE. IT STRIVES TO AFFORD OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN A CREATIVE OUTDOOR GROUP EXPERIENCE IN A DEMOCRATIC SETTING AND DEVELOP CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADERSHIP AND FAIR PLAY. THE PROGRAM AT KAMP KIWANIS IS DESIGNED TO MAINSTREAM ALL CHILDREN, INCLUDING UP TO 20 EACH SESSION WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. RULES FOR ACCEPTANCE AND PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM ARE THE SAME FOR EVERYONE WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE, COLOR, SEX, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN. KAMP KIWANIS IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE NEW YORK DISTRICT FOUNDATION. SINCE ALL NEW YORK DISTRICT KIWANIANS IN GOOD STANDING ARE FOUNDATION MEMBERS, THE CAMP IS ESSENTIALLY OWNED BY ALL KIWANIANS IN THE NY DISTRICT." FOR MORE INFORMATION: HTTP://WWW.KAMPKIWANIS.ORG/
KIWANIS PEDIATRIC LYME DISEASE
"THE LYME DISEASE PROJECT AIMS TO HELP PAY FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN WITH LYME DISEASE, WHICH IS CAUSED BY BACTERIA TRANSMITTED BY THE DEER TICK AND MAY NEGATIVELY AFFECT THE BRAIN . OTHER COMMON SYMPTOMS INCLUDE MIGRAINES, MOOD SWINGS, IRRITABILITY, DEPRESSION AND MARKED FATIGUE.. OUR SUPPORT IS FUNDED THROUGH DONATIONS FROM KIWANIS CLUBS AND INDIVIDUALS AND CHANNELED INTO THE PEDIATRIC LYME DISEASE FUND." FOR MORE INFORMATION: HTTP://WWW.KIWANIS-NY.ORG/LYME/
District Governor Gavin Li gavinli.gov@nydkc.org
District Secretary District Treasurer Natalie D'Onofrio Matthew Portnoy nataliedonofrio.sec@nydkc.org matthewportnoy.treas@nydkc.org
District Webmaster Dante Gil-Marin dantegilmarin.web@nydkc.org
District EA Josephine Leung josephineleung.ea@nydkc.org
District EA Sherry Yu sherryyu.ea@nydkc.org
District Editor Clara Lee claralee2018@gmail.com
LTG Division 1 Eva Reese evareese.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 2 Chelsea Shuren chelseashuren.ltg@nydkc.org
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LTG Division 3 Morgan Persky morganpersky.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 4N Lauren Farkas laurenfarkas.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 5 LTG Division 6 Caroline Casella Shivani Patel carolinecasella.ltg@nydkc.org shivanipatel.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 8 Annie Liu annieliu.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 8A Shu Gao shugao.ltg@nydkc.org
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LTG Division 4S Salaar Khan salaarkhan.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 7 Ebony Thompson ebonythompson.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 9 Patricia Ahmed patriciaahmed.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 10 Ramota Olatunji ramotaolatunji.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 11 Eric Zhao ericzhao.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 12 Zahra Watson zahrawatson.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 13 Trisha Melton trishamelton.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 14 Erica Swirsky ericaswirsky.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 15 Marlies Amberger marliesamberger.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 16 LTG Division 17 Samira Ahmed Arianna Lanzi samiraahmed.ltg@nydkc.org ariannalanzi.ltg@nydkc.org
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LTG Division 18 Nicole Presti nicolepresti.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 19 Alice Cho alicecho.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 21 LTG Division 20 Rachael Rosenstein Macy Missigman rachaelrosenstein.ltg@nydkc.org macymissigman.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 22 Olivia Lovejoy olivialovejoy.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 23 LTG Division 24 Catherine Callahan Braeden Dorchester catherinecallahan.ltg@nydkc.org braedendorchester.ltg@nydkc.org
LTG Division 25 Devin Murphy devinmurphy.ltg@nydkc.org Assistant Administrator Jason Steiner IanJS@aol.com
LTG Division 26 Alexis Murawski alexismurawski.ltg@nydkc.org
International Trustee Alisa Nguyen alisanguyen.kci@gmail.com
District Administrator Mr. Goldstein nydkca@frontier.com
Assistant Administrator Michael Berthel mjberthel@gmail.com
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