A Short Tale from the March of Dimes
The Monthly Newsletter of the Stuyvesant H.S. Key Club
Volume 8 Issue 8
May, 7, 1999
Greetings fellow Key Clubbers! OK, I know you guys have all had enough of me screaming at you at all those meetings. Don't worry, I'll be gone in a week. But, before I bid farewell, I just wanted to say how pleased I am with the jobs all of you have done in this past year. From our fundraisers, to our walks and weekly events, both new and returning members have pitched in, helping the needy everywhere that they went. It's been great being a leader in Key Club, and I wish the cabinet of next year double the amount of success that we have had this year. Under the leadership of Wai-Ping and Alan, with the saviness (is that a word?) that Kenneth has, and Cindy's creativity, Key Club is bound to improve and thrive. I hope that all of you have found a great time in every corner that you turned, and I wish that all of you will come along for the ride next year. Have fun, whatever you do, and I hope to see you around!
Michelle : Þ New Cabinet Co-President Alan Chu Phone: (718)539-6343 E-mail: DoggyChu@aol.com Contact me for general info about projects and Key Club
Secretary Kenneth Fung Phone: (718)891-3982 E-mail: Blizard21@aol.com Contact me for submissions to the Locksmith. Also if you need a PROJECT REPORT FORM or other forms to fill out.
Co-President Wai-Ping Chim Phone: (718)969-9825 E-mail: OneWPC@aol.com Contact me for general info about projects and Key Club
Treasurer Cindy Lin Phone: (718)268-8890 E-mail: Chylz928@aol.com Contact me about dues and fundraising. Come to me for raffle books or to give in raffle money.
“Caring - Our Way of Life.”
Saving Lives at the March of Dimes by Heather Chin
by Wei Liao "PENCILS, GET YOUR PENCILS." This is what you would have heard if you had come to the March of Dimes two weeks ago on April 24. Yes, we were giving out pencils, and there were boxes and boxes of them. Of course we also had more important things to do like giving out cups of orange juice and Florida Cuisine pamphlets. You're probably thinking, so what? Well, you might not know it, but giving out pencils and pamphlets is very hard work. You have to be assertive yet still friendly. You don't want to seem mean and pushy to people. But then, if you want them to take what you're giving, you've got to stand in the middle of the road and refuse to back down. A special award of assertiveness should be given to our official sticker girl* for the day. She actually chased after a taxi waving a sheet of stickers because she was supposed to give an orange (the fruit) sticker to everyone who passed by (how much of this is actually true, you will have to ask me in person). Anyway, the orange juice was doing okay, but the pencils and the pamphlets were going slow. Many of us had to beg people to take them (well, a few of us). Towards the end, we still had a lot of pamphlets left, but we were running low on the pencils. That's when we realized that we probably shouldn't have let previous passing walkers take handfuls each. We also had an excess of orange juice. We attempted to give them away to random people on the street after the walk. They refused because they didn't trust us enough (but we're Key Clubbers!). We had a lot of fun at the March of Dimes but the highlight of the day was when a few of us chased a fellow key club member* twice around the block, threatening to give him a hair cut. Two of us were going to pin him down and the other was going to go snip-snip at his hair. Much to our disappointment, we didn't succeed. Well, I said that this was going to be short. For a more complete and hopefully more serious narration, read Heather's article. And thus ends my tale. Hope you have been somewhat entertained. *names not mentioned because permission was not granted by persons at the time this was written.
Today, Sunday, April 26, thousands of people from all over the country gather to participate in the nationwide event called the March of Dimes: WalkAmerica. This walk is held annually to raise money to help cure diseases in small children. Starting around seven o’ clock in the morning, volunteers from all walks of life begin arriving at allotted checkpoint stations along the walkers’ route. Stuyvesant High School Key Clubbers are stationed at Checkpoint 2 at the corner of Lexington Ave. & 53 St., along with many other school organizations. We set to work at a table pouring orange juice, opening boxes of pencils, and arranging cookbook booklets. Key Clubber Alice Cao gives orange-shaped tickers to the early walkers. We get things ready until the first walkers arrive. The first signs of the walkers begin at approximately 9:00 AM. Individual volunteers grab whatever they can get a hold of and wait for the walkers to arrive. Then, the fun part begins. We work alongside other volunteers, distributing various things to the walkers: Devil Dogs, donuts, cookbooks, pencils, and stickers. We call out our “wares” to the walkers, sometimes with a catchy of comical phrase. It is as if we are in one of those ancient markets where vendors call out their products amid the hustle and bustle of people shopping. Finally, there are no more more runners to service. It is only 10:30 AM, but most people have already passed the second checkpoint. It is time to clean-up. We all clear up the mess on the street and tables. We take down signs and pack up remaining items (most of the are cookbooks and health pamphlets, not the food). Whew! Everything is over. It is time to go home. Thus ends a fun-filled day spent saving babies’ lives at the March of Dimes: WalkAmerica.
— Key Club Motto