Empire Key (Spring 2010)

EMPIRE KEY The Official Publication of the New York District Key Club

HAPPY SPRING!

Spring 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS Governor’s Greetings

2

Letter from the Editor

3

Conference Packing List

3

Conference Fundraisers

4

Kamp Kiwanis

4

Supply Collection Wish List 5 Kiwanis One Day

13

CKI Service Week

14

Life After Key Club

15

Photo Finishes

16

Public Relations Packet

16

Letter from a Past Officer

17

Governor’s Greetings Greetings Key Clubbers!

There’s just three weeks left until the Leadership Training Conference. Can you believe it’s already been a year? I can’t say how proud I am of your hard work this year, and I hope you can come join us at our annual conference to celebrate this incredible year with Key Clubbers from all over this mighty district.

We’re at the home stretch now, and it’s more important than ever for you to continue serving your communities so we can reach our service goals. Club secretaries, please refer to your lieutenant governor newsletters (or contact your lieutenant governor: www.nydkc.org/board/contacts) for your club’s paperwork status, and make sure you have completed all your Monthly Report Forms.

We’ve done an incredible amount of service already, but by collecting all these missing forms, we will have a much more accurate account of our year’s accomplishments. These forms can be completed very easily on our website www.nydkc.org.

Are you excited for the 62nd Annual New York District Leadership Training Conference? I cannot wait to see all of you at Kutsher’s Country Club from April 16-18, and I will guarantee that it will be so much fun.

If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late. Contact your advisor or lieutenant governor and additional information can be found online at conference.nydkc.org. At the conference, you will have an opportunity to meet with a thousand Key Clubbers from across the State of New York, sharing your ideas, learning new leadership skills, receiving recognition for service, participating in contests and talent shows, showing off your dance moves, joining in the Walk for Haiti, and so much more! This is an event everyone will be talking about, so be sure to register, and let’s celebrate this year of service!

This year, the theme of our Leadership Training Conference is “Around the World”. Over this past year, we’ve done so much to make a positive difference around the globe and before this year is over, the New York District Key Club will make a difference in Haiti. At the Conference, we will hold a charity walk — Walk for Haiti — in support of the Haiti earthquake relief efforts. All the money we raise will be donated to UNICEF for its efforts in Haiti. Please download a fundraising form at conference.nydkc.org and get donations from your friends, families, and colleagues, and bring all the money you’ve raised to the conference in April. Even if you are not going to be at the conference, I would still greatly appreciate your support and encourage you to give the funds you collect to a friend who is coming to the conference or mail in the funds you collected to District Administrator Mr. Andrew Lowenberg. Thank you in advance for your help!

Have a smashing March, and I hope to see you in Monticello!

Yours ever in the spirit of service, Governor Allen Yu

2

Letter from the Editor Spring is here, and with it warm weather, spring break, a new District Board and a renewed sense of responsibility! As you and your club are adjusting to your own transitions, remember to register for the Leadership Training Conference, either online at conference.nydkc.org or by mail. The earlier you register, the better! Take these last few pre-conference weeks to get all your paperwork in (you can even hand in Monthly Report Forms at the Conference on Friday) and rack up some more service hours and dollars for our district and international causes. In this penultimate issue of the Empire Key, you’ll find tips from District Webmaster Victor Ma on ways to document your past year of service to make sure those indelible moments are preserved in digital form. Check our Lt. Governor Jen Kramer’s article on this year’s Kamp Kiwanis supply collection at Conference, and New York District Circle K Governor Michael Zebrowski talks to us about Circle K Service Week and how your club can get involved. There’s a wealth of information in this issue as we near a weekend of fun and learning, including a letter from a past lieutenant governor on a worthy cause that hits home. Watch out for the last issue of the Empire Key, where we’ll spotlight the best service projects of the year from around the New York District...and around the world!

On the cover: Sergeant-At-Arms Co-Chair Jensen Cheong helps out at a local park cleanup.

Not sure what to bring? Make sure you don’t leave home without these essentials! For

the guys: one suit jacket, one to three dress shirts, one to three pairs of slacks, a necktie, black or brown shoes

For

the girls: One dress suit or one to three skirts and slacks with blouse, black shoes

Two

to three sets of undergarments

Your

Key Club Medical Release form and any other forms required by your school

A

completed and signed Certificate of Election form from each club

Casual

wear: one to two shirts or t-shirts, one to two pairs of pants or jeans, sneakers A completed 2010-2011 Key Club Election Report Form from each club (arrive to conference in casual wear)

Toiletries:

toothbrush, toothpaste, small towels, shampoo, soap, hairdryer

Pajamas

or nightwear for two nights

Your

UNICEF Walk for Haiti donor form and money raised (minimum $10 to participate)

Donated

supplies for Kamp Kiwanis (a wish list can be found inside this issue)

3

Kamp Kiwanis Excited for Leadership Training Conference? Not only will it be a great weekend of learning and fun but it will also be an opportunity to make a difference through fundraisers and service projects. The specific fundraisers and service projects at Leadership Training Conference are the Penny Wars, Board Auction, Collection for Kamp Kiwanis Wish List, Charity Walk and Blood Drive. Keep these in mind and spread the word to your friends attending Leadership Training Conference that there will be valuable opportunities at the conference to help out!

Kamp Kiwanis, sponsored by the New York District Kiwanis Foundation, is one of our District Projects and allows kids to enjoy a fun and beneficial camp experience. Some of the children attending Kamp Kiwanis have special needs, and all of the kids attending gain the excitement and adventure of camp while learning leadership and service values. You can view the 2010 Kamp Kiwanis Wish List in the next few pages to find out what Kamp Kiwanis needs most and don’t forget to go to conference.nydkc.org to find out more about how you can prepare for the service projects. See you all at Leadership Training Conference!

—Lt. Governor Jen Kramer, District Projects Committee Chair

PENNY WARS

BOARD AUCTION

Be sure to bring pennies to the Conference! Each division will get one jar. The more pennies, the more points a division gets.

But beware of large coins like quarters and nickels! The larger the denomination, the more points your division loses. In the end, the division with the most points wins a prize!

Ever dreamed of dancing with a District Board officer or even an International officer? Of course you have! Here’s your chance to win one by entering a raffle for a dance with an officer at Saturday’s Governor’s Ball.

BLOOD DRIVE Medics will be on hand Friday afternoon to facilitate a blood drive at the Conference. If you are 16 or younger, you will need a signed parental consent form in order to give blood.

4

KAMP KIWANIS COLLECTION

UNICEF WALK FOR HAITI

Kamp Kiwanis is in need of supplies! Check out their wish list in the next few pages and drop off any new or gently used items you may have at the Conference.

This year’s walk will be dedicated to relief efforts in Haiti by UNICEF, one of the International Projects. Explore the grounds of Kutsher’s while giving to a worthy cause.

A minimum of $10 is needed to participate.

Supply Collection

5

Kamp Kiwanis

6

Supply Collection

7

Kamp Kiwanis

8

Supply Collection

9

Kamp Kiwanis

10

Supply Collection

11

Kamp Kiwanis

12

Kiwanis One Day One of the most important projects Key Club International participates in at the start of a new service year is Kiwanis One Day. Held worldwide on April 10, 2010, Kiwanis, Key Club, Kiwanis K-Kids, Builders Club, Circle K, and Aktion Club come together for a day of united service.

To prepare for this great day of service, use a step-by-step plan. Start by planning within your own Key Club. Form a committee and brainstorm ideas of a project that would be fun for everyone. “Projects include anything from building playgrounds to volunteering at a shelter to stocking shelves at a food pantry.” Once you pick an idea, send a news release through your school and other Key Clubbers in your division.

Then work closely with your local Kiwanis club to get involved with the other branches of the Kiwanis-Family in your community.

Your Kiwanis Club may already have contact with some of these other local clubs but if you want to take charge on this project go to www.keyclub.org and find the clubs in your area. Call or email the presidents or representatives of these clubs to inform them of the project you are planning. Make sure you give the clubs enough time to put it on their calendars. Ask when the clubs are having meetings and see if you and a couple of your members can attend to speak about your project. This will motivate not only the members of the other branches of the Kiwanis-Family but your own club members as well.

For project ideas and more information about Kiwanis One Day, visit the homepage at http:// www.kiwanis.org/ServiceProjects/KiwanisOneDay/tabid/285/Default.aspx.

—International Trustee Nancy Zhang

13

CKI Service Week From April 4-10, 2010, Circle K International will be celebrating CKI Service Week, a weeklong celebration dedicated towards increasing knowledge about Circle K and increasing Kiwanis-Family relations. As you probably know, Circle K is the college-level Service Leadership Program sponsored

by Kiwanis International, and we are essentially the older, college student sibling of Key Club in the Kiwanis-Family.

During CKI Service Week, we will be focusing quite extensively on educating about our four Circle K International Service Partners, which are: Better World Books, March of Dimes, Students Team Up to Fight Hunger (STUFH), and UNICEF’s Six Cents Initiative. While our clubs, divisions, and districts often perform very diverse projects, our organization is united through our collective support and involvement with these four organizations.

During CKI Service Week, we will be encouraging our clubs to hold projects aimed towards our Service Partners, and we would love to get those of you in Key Club involved! CKI Service Week ends on Kiwanis One Day, a day on which most clubs participate in service projects with members of other branches of the Kiwanis-Family, but this year, we are strongly encouraging all of our clubs to make a concerted effort to involve other Kiwanis-Family organizations in their projects throughout the entire week.

Please feel free to contact your local Circle K clubs in order to plan joint projects for CKI Service Week and Kiwanis One Day. We have advertised this initiative in Circle K, and our clubs would love to work with you. If you need any assistance in contacting local Circle K clubs or lieutenant governors, please feel free to contact me. My email address is Michael.NYCKI@gmail.com, and my screen name is ZebrowskiCKI. We look forward to continuing to work with you, and I wish you all the best of luck as the 20092010 service year draws to a close! —New York District Circle K Governor Michael Zebrowski

14

Life After Key Club As the Key Club service year comes to a close, the end of the school year is approaching quickly as well. As seniors await their college decisions and slip into their bouts of senioritis, it is important to remember that life in the Kiwanis-Family does not end with senior year in high school. With Circle K in college and Kiwanis beyond, Key Club is only the beginning.

After leaving high school, many Key Clubbers aren’t aware that they can continue their service in college. Circle K is just like Key Club, only on the collegiate level. Not all colleges have a Circle K, but it never hurts to start one. It is a good idea to join because you can still be in contact with your local Kiwanis Club and Key Club. When joining Circle K, it helps add to your college, just like it did for your high school. You are also invited to Key Club and Kiwanis board meetings as well. If your friends go off to different colleges than you, and you both join Circle K, you can still keep in contact with each other and continue to work, just as if you were Key Club members back in high school! So when you are thinking about what colleges to go to, keep in mind that your work in service and leadership will be carried throughout your college experience.

After you graduate from high school, your Key Club career will sadly come to an end.

However, your KiwanisFamily career has just begun.

For many of us, Key Club was the first Kiwanis-Family club we ever joined, but what is important to realize is that it shouldn’t be your last. There are plenty of options about where you can go in the Kiwanis-Family. And what better than to be part of the club that allowed you to have your Key Club experience? Kiwanis Clubs can often provide invaluable connections to people in the community. When you are looking for a job fresh out of college, who knows if a Kiwanian may know someone at a place of employment? It is important to realize that the Kiwanis-Family wants you to continue to be a part of them, and they can still offer you the same fun and learning experience that Key Club has. If you are interested in joining —Lt. Governor Devan Farrell, the local Kiwanis Club in college or starting a Circle K club in your college, talk to your curKiwanis-Family Relations Committee Co-Chair rent sponsoring Kiwanis Club about how to join. They will be more than willing to help you, and will be happy to hear you want to conCIRCLE K tinue your Kiwanis-Family career!

KIWANIS

—Lt. Governor Billy Fletcher, Kiwanis-Family Relations Committee Co-Chair 15

Photo Finishes So you’ve attended a service event and took some wonderful photos. Now what?

Sure, you can upload them onto your Facebook profile, but unless you set that album to public, non-friends won’t be able to view it. If you are the administrator of your club’s group or page, you can upload them there. If not, you can ask someone with access to add them.

Facebook is nice for sharing, but it reduces the size and quality of your photos. If someone wants a high quality version of a photo, they’ll have to ask you. A better option is to upload them onto a photo sharing site. Here are some examples.

Photobucket.com offers 500 MB of free storage. Uploaded photos must either be smaller than 1 MB or 1024x768 in size and uploaded videos must be five minutes or shorter with free accounts. It has scrapbook, slideshow, and remix builders.

Flickr.com has a 100MB monthly upload limit (10MB per photo). Free users can upload a maximum of two videos per month. Only the most recent 200 images are viewable in the photo stream of a free account. Free accounts inactive for 90 consecutive days will be deleted. Photos can be organized by tags, sets, and collections.

Picasa Web Albums offers 1 GB of free space for photos. Features include name tags, collaborative albums, likes, comments, slideshows, and uploading videos.

Twitpic is often used in tandem with Twitter. It is integrated with Twitter—logins are the same and comments are sent as replies. A number of smart-phone applications can upload to Twitpic.

Most of these services support private photo albums or privacy control. Try some of these services out and see which one you like best. A good comparison chart can be found here or on Wikipedia by simply searching “List of photo sharing websites.”

Hope you find success in your photo sharing endeavors!

—District Webmaster Victor Ma

Public relations packet Successfully publicizing Key Club at school can be a tougher job than it looks. Public relations committee is creating a packet for clubs to really get the word out year-round. There will be an article that includes tips for increasing membership through public relations, various inmeeting project ideas to spice up your meetings and how to get the media involved. The packet will also include several flyers to use but a how-to in how to create your own as well.

There will be plenty of different ideas that your club can use to really bring those students into the club. The packet will be sent out during March so keep an eye out!

—Lt. Governor Nadyli Nuñez, Public Relations Committee Chair

16

Letter from a Past Officer Meghan Elizabeth (Maggie) Russo came into the world on January 10, 2008, a happy and healthy baby girl born to proud parents Mike and Mary Beth, a New York City firefighter and a teacher-turned-stay-at -home mom. Mary Beth was a two-term Lieutenant Governor from Brooklyn and an International Trustee in the early 1990s.

Over the next 18 months, she grew in leaps and bounds, constantly trying to keep up with her big brother Michael, 13 months her senior. She was the picture of health, a bundle of energy and Mommy and Daddy’s beautiful Princess.

At 19 months, during a family vacation in the Poconos, the camera picked up something that her doctor and family did not. Over the next eight weeks, a tumor would continue to grow undetected in Meghan’s left eye, obstructing vision until it eventually severed her retina completely, causing blindness in the left eye.

In late October, Meghan’s parents noticed that her left eye was reflecting strangely in the light. During a trip to the pediatrician’s office, Mike and Mary Beth asked the doctor to examine her eye. Moments later, her doctor was setting up an emergency trip to the ophthalmologist’s office. Later that evening, Meghan was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer.

Six days later, Meghan and her parents went to see Dr. David Abramson at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. After an examination under anesthesia, Dr. Abramson confirmed that she had retinoblastoma. He said that the tumor was covering over 60 percent of her eye, that the retina was severed and she had no vision, and that her safest option was an enucleation (removal of the eye). Dr. Abramson did offer an alternative treatment called chemo-reduction, but he felt that it was not in Meghan’s best interest. With the knowledge that Meghan would never regain sight in her left eye, and the fear that the cancer could spread toward her other eye, her nervous system or her brain, Meghan’s parents agreed to the surgery.

On Monday, November 9, 2009, Meghan had an enucleation of the left eye. She was home that night. By the next morning, if it weren’t for the tell-tale bandage, you would not know that she was sick. Meghan is still the same bubbly, vivacious little girl she was before her diagnosis. She sings songs, tells jokes, plays with her brother, and brings a smile to the faces of all who know her.

Meghan will soon be fitted for a prosthetic eye. The ocularist explained that she will need a new one each year a she grows. Eventually, Maggie’s parents would like to look into a surgery that would give her a more permanent and more lifelike implant. The pathology results said that the cancer did not spread and there was a one percent chance of it returning.

Unfortunately, this did not prove true as of February 2010. After extensive testing, it was found that Maggie’s cancer had spread to her eye socket and her bone marrow. She is currently undergoing six months of aggressive chemotherapy and will have a bone marrow transplant this fall.

Maggie is a strong little girl who continues to fight. While she has been lucky so far, she still has a long road ahead. Maggie would also like to help other children. If you have young children in your family please take the time to look at your pictures. If both eyes do not have red eye, consult with your doctor. Retinoblastoma is aggressive, but very treatable if caught early.

In the meantime, Maggie’s Fund (www.maggiesfund.net) has been set up for Maggie’s mounting medical needs. The members of the Key Club Boards of 1991-1994 have been hard at work fundraising for Maggie. The bonds of Key Club have proven as strong now as they were almost 20 years ago. Please consider a fundraiser or donation from your club to help this little girl have every chance at a bright and healthy future.

If you would like to donate to Maggie’s Fund, please make checks payable to Meghan Russo and mail to: Jennifer Wolff, Esq. (Custodian for Maggie’s Fund) 240 East 86th Street Apt. 16A New York, NY 10028 —Past Lt. Governor Jennifer A. Napier Valvo (New York District Board 1993-1994)

17

New York District Board Allen Yu

District Governor

allenyu.gov@nydkc.org

Steff Springer

District Secretary

steffspringer.sec@nydkc.org

Teri Bunce

District Treasurer

teribunce.treasurer@nydkc.org

Gavin Huang

District Editor

gavinhuang.editor@nydkc.org

Victor Ma

District Webmaster

victorma.tech@nydkc.org

Alexandra Ladas

Executive Assistant

alexandraladas.ea@nydkc.org

Devan Farrell

Lieutenant Governor, Division 1

devanfarrell.ltg@nydkc.org

Lindsay Louie

Lieutenant Governor, Division 3

lindsaylouise.ltg@nydkc.org

Jennifer Kramer

Lieutenant Governor, Division 4

jenkramer.ltg@nydkc.org

James Levine

Lieutenant Governor, Division 5

jameslevine.ltg@nydkc.org

Chris Severance

Lieutenant Governor, Division 6

chrisseverance.ltg@nydkc.org

Shellee Wong

Lieutenant Governor, Division 7

shelleewong.ltg@nydkc.org

Diana Tian

Lieutenant Governor, Division 8

dianatian.ltg@nydkc.org

Tiffany Kwong

Lieutenant Governor, Division 9

tiffanykwong.ltg@nydkc.org

Safanah Siddiqui

Lieutenant Governor, Division 10

safanahsiddiqui.ltg@nydkc.org

18

Contact Information Nadyli Nu単ez

Lieutenant Governor, Division 11

nadylinunez.ltg@nydkc.org

Rebekah Ortiz

Lieutenant Governor, Division 13

rebekahortiz.ltg@nydkc.org

Alexandra Farrington

Lieutenant Governor, Division 14

alexfarrington.ltg@nydkc.org

Jacob Bardin

Lieutenant Governor, Division 15

jacobbardin.ltg@nydkc.org

Billy Fletcher

Lieutenant Governor, Division 16

billyfletcher.ltg@nydkc.org

Josh Barmen

Lieutenant Governor, Division 17

joshbarmen.ltg@nydkc.org

Peter Donnelly

Lieutenant Governor, Division 19

peterdonnelly.ltg@nydkc.org

Robert Nyumah

Lieutenant Governor, Division 21

robertnyumah.ltg@nydkc.org

Jillian Harmon

Lieutenant Governor, Division 22

jillianharmon.ltg@nydkc.org

Isabella Dean

Lieutenant Governor, Division 23

isabelladean.ltg@nydkc.org

Nick Coppola

Lieutenant Governor, Division 24

nickcoppola.ltg@nydkc.org

Lauren Surowiec

Lieutenant Governor, Division 25

laurensurowiec.ltg@nydkc.org

Danielle Ver Hague

Lieutenant Governor, Division 26

danielleverhague.ltg@nydkc.org

Cassie Allen

Lieutenant Governor, Division 27

cassieallen.ltg@nydkc.org

Visit www.nydkc.org for updates.

19

20