2019 January/February Tex-O-Key

Volume 7 | Issue 5 | 2018 January & February | Texas Oklahoma

TEX-O-KEY TEX-O-KEY

"WHATEVER IT TAKES" Letting our hearts pave the path to a lifetime of service.

//CYPRESS FALLS

COMPASSION GENEROSITY GOODWILL

Working T-Ogether to make the world a better place.

Table of Contents 2) Editor's Note 3) District Updates- DCON Promotion 6)Treasurer's Update 7) Governor's Message 9) Featured Articles 15) Partners and Sponsors 17) District Staff Contact Information 18) Social Media

Riddle What travels around the world but stays in one corner?

Email me the answer with the email subject line:

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School Division Month Riddle of the Month Ex: Awesome D55 June Riddle of the Month

Connect Email: editor@tokeyclub.com or kyratburke@gmail.com Remind: @toeditor to 81010 Facebook: T-O District Key Club Editors

Editor's Note Hello, T-O! Happy February everyone! Our district has surely entered 2019 with great spirits and ambitions. In this Tex-O-Key, I have included some insightful club articles and important messages from our district board. I hope everyone enjoys this issue and gains some new Key Club knowledge. Feel free to contact me if you have any comments, questions, or concerns. Let's work T-Ogether to make 2019 a year to remember!

Yours in service, Kyra Burke Letter to the Editor: November/December Edition From: Jocelyn Reyes, Cypress Springs High School- I have looked up more information regarding DCON but I'm still uncertain of what I 'm suppose to add to the newsletter.

Is this what you mean; just for clarification purposes...

Am I telling my school, through the newsletter, to make a poster for DCON and why they should attend to Key Club DCON event?

In my feedback, a "brief description" means including the specifics of the convention itself.

DCON will be held on April 25th at the Sheraton hotel in Dallas. You can include this in addition to the promotional poster.

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DISTRICT UPDATES

Groove into Service with us at the Sheraton Hotel in Dallas!

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Hello!

I’m Aina Sebastian, 2018-2019 District Technology Producer :) My position as tech producer has a range of tasks that I do for the district, but primarily keep up with the image of the district and help aid in any media-related art (like graphics and videos). The first thing I did as tech producer was changing the layout of our website. I also grade club websites for the Distinguished Website Award. My goal was to make it more approachable and informative; to do this I installed different plug-ins which connected all of our SNS and some included information about our board. I also work with the PR committees and other district staff members to create a consistent image of our district and to prepare for the visuals and graphics at DCON. Yours in Service, Aina Sebastian

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"

Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love -Martin Luther King Jr.

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"

DISTRICT UPDATES

TREASURER'S UPDATE Hello mighty T-O! I hope your 2019 has been off to a great start! If your club hasn't paid dues yet, pleased add 'Pay Club Dues' to your New Year's Resolution! February 1st is the suspended dues deadline, so visit key club.org/MUC to pay dues if you have not done so already.

In order for the district to keep an accurate number of our members, please update your membership in the Membership Update Center. You can use the same log in information and process as you would if you were to pay dues. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email!

Helping things make cents, Addie Flores

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Governor's Message

MESSAGE FROM YOUR

DISTRICT GOVERNOR

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Hey, T-O! It’s a brand new year, and I’m so thankful that I was able to start my 2019 off at Winter Board Meeting with our District Board. During WINBO, the board primarily focused on District Convention, and let me tell you, we’re in for a pretty groovy DCON. Don’t forget to register early in order to get the discounted registration rate. I hope to see all of you at our 70th Annual District Convention in April!

As we transition into spring, it starts to come time to elect the leadership for the upcoming year. Remember club elections should be held sometime in February so that elected officers can shadow the current officers until May. This can be a bittersweet time for many, but I encourage you to remain as energetic and optimistic during our last bit of the year as you were in the beginning. Remember that our organization is based on service, so be sure to do some hands on volunteering the next time you feel a little burnt out.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would just like to chat, I’m always here.

Yours in Service, Addi Duerksen, District Governor

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HUMANS OF TEXAS OKLAHOMA Taher Hassanali, Cypress Ranch High School Key Club has made a huge impact on my life in many ways and has allowed me to grow as a person tremendously. Being a Key Club officer has allowed me to learn many skills that has molded me to the person I am now and as a result has made my experience in Key Club greater. By being an officer, I have learned to be punctual and in fact, this skill is what has pushed me to become the responsible and hardworking person I am now. Through the acts of being an Event Chairmen for Cypress Ranch Key Club I quickly had to learned to be on time and eliminate the thought of procrastination. By keeping this punctual mindset and continuously practicing it, I created a habit that changed the way I tackle new tasks and overcome challenges forever.

This skill I have learned has immensely helped me in executing my job in the way that I have never been overwhelmed with putting up multiple events on Sign-up Genius and have never failed to miscommunicate event dates and times with event coordinators. This may sound clichĂŠ but by being punctual and getting things done on time, if not early, I have eliminated a lot of stress and as a result have left time to volunteer and become more motivated the next time I have a task. Also, by being more punctual it has allowed me to uphold the standards of being a Key Club officer and being a good role model for our members by being on time to events and meetings.

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Also, by being more punctual it has allowed me to uphold the standards of being a Key Club officer and being a good role model for our members by being on time to events and meetings. Overall, Key Club has the reach and the means to impact the lives of many of its members in the way that it can create new traits in people and better old ones. Through the numerous things that Key Club has taught me, this organization truly means so much to me. The fact that an organization such as this offers so much more than community service hours when you truly become involved and has the ability to change a person to become better each day is what makes Key Cub unique compared to other organizations. Overall, Key Club truly is an organization that gives forth the opportunity to excel in many aspects while being involved in the community. Key Club is much more than gaining community service hours and is an opportunity to learn new things about yourself and others while simultaneously doing the good deed of serving your community. //Cypress Ranch

//Mansfield Summit

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WRAPPING UP THE HOLIDAYS Andy Huynh, Uplift Summit High School The winter holiday season is the time of year for celebration. Families gather together to spread joy through sharing meals, enjoying music, and, perhaps most notably, giving presents. Gift-giving is an essential aspect of the holidays, yet, unfortunately, not every family have the ability to provide gifts to their children. Mission Arlington works to change that with their annual Christmas Store event.

Established in 1986, Mission Arlington’s goal is to serve the local community through collecting, organizing, and distributing donations to the needy. Their Christmas Store is a 12-day opportunity in December for low-income families to get free toys for their children. This year, Key Club decided to help out on Friday, December 21st and Saturday, December 22nd.

On site, there were multiple tasks that members had the choice of selecting, including organizing the shelves, helping parents shop, handling check-out, and gift-wrapping. To start off, several members decided it would be best to help clean and reorganize the toy shelves. Members including Lisa Vasquez and Arturo Cornejo made sure nothing was left on the ground, all toys were properly displayed, and the shelves were visually-appealing.

They were amazed by the wide variety of toys available, including board games, dolls, basketballs, and much more. At 10:00 AM, the store opened doors and the first wave of parents entered the store. //Uplift Summit

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Members rushed to get plastic bags and be assigned to a parent. Their job was to help parents understand the process, navigate the store, and find the toys they want for their children. This task often proved to be somewhat difficult as not every parent was fluent in the English language as there were immigrants from all around the world.

Using their native language or skills //Uplift Summit acquired in Spanish class, members including Arian Tashakori, Hamza Abdilahi, and Simon Adetosoye were able to communicate with parents and make sure they felt comfortable in the often times hectic store.

Once the parents were done shopping, they moved to checkout. Here, members including Kaya Lane and Eloghosa Eguakun, made sure parents have selected the correct number of toys and then directed them to the giftwrapping stations. At these stations, members Abdulrahman Atoum and Yazmin Menjivar, along with Editor Lily Huynh, worked to make sure every gift was wrapped beautifully. They spent long hours making ribbons and perfecting their wrapping skills for any toy that comes their way.

In all, the Christmas Store was a nice way to start off Winter Break. The holiday season is about giving, and Key Club decided to give to their community by making sure every child has a gift this year. The work had long and hard as members worked from eight hours on two days, but it was worth it. Members learned essential communication and gift-wrapping skills that they will use for years to come. Not to mention, the event require teamwork and brought the members present closer with one another. The Christmas Store was a fun an exciting experience that Key Club is sure to help out again in the future.

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2018 RECAP Carrie Shupack, Jenks High School One of the highs of my Key Club experience of 2018 was, of course, becoming a board member. Being a board member for the Jenks High School Key Club has been such a rewarding experience. It is amazing helping other people with their service, as well as assisting officers with all of the things involved in running Key Club. In the past as a general member, I still volunteered, came to meetings, and submitted hours, but since becoming a board member, I have started being a more active //Jenks participant in Key Club. I go to more events, such as Key Club Socials and the Kiwanis Christmas Parade. Being a board member has made me feel closer to the Key Club experience, and I feel more motivated to and interested in participating in club activities. It has also made me realize how important Key Club is for our school and community. It provides many people, including teachers, with the help they need to get things done. It serves as a base of volunteers so that when teachers, or churches, or other community institutions need help, they need only contact Key Club to get a whole group of people willing to serve.

Another high point of my Key Club experience of 2018 has been all of the volunteering I have done over the course of the year. I have enjoyed all the service projects, including working at my church's nursery and Sunday School, helping out teachers at my school, and other activities. Volunteering and helping out will always be the most fulfilling work a person can do. As a board member I feel like I have been exposed to several new experiences in service, and it has impacted me for the better.

Entering into the new year, I hope I will continue to do things that are supportive of the community that I live in. I am hoping to come up with new and innovative projects for my board, which is libraries. That especially includes The Big Event, which is fast approaching. The Big Event is a day full of volunteering in all areas, with every board. It is a time when all Key Club members spend the day helping out at various places around Jenks. Entering into the 2019 school year specifically, I hope to be a useful and productive member of Key Club, whether that is as a general member, board member, or officer.

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HOLIDAY BREAK Juliana Covey, San Angelo High School

//San Angelo

The month of December has been full of cheer and holiday spirit. With the holiday break springing forward Key Clubbers have been volunteering at the local dog rescue (PAWS Shelter of Central Texas). They also have Participated in an adoption dog walk show. Key clubbers have been working the boys’ varsity basketball team food concessions. In support of the San Angelo school spirit and as encouragement for the players of the team. We attempt to bridge together the community of San Angelo and the community of Central High School.

Holiday spirit is flowing in the air as the holiday break approaches. Excitement rises as a break from school work approaches and as another year of life approaches.

With the holiday break the spirit of giving is in the air. As giving presents is a part of the holiday cheer so is volunteering and sharing our key club love with our community. By collaborating with the Kiwanis Club members and myself worked the entrance to the San Angelo city Christmas Lights. Aiding other volunteers, we stopped the cars who were entering the light show. The first duty was to collect the suggested donation of five dollars.

The donations are needed to improve the lights for the next year and to maintain them. We also and out “enough sugar to last the whole night” through the use of candy canes. If a dog is in the vehicle we also provided doggy biscuits. Finally, a flyer is handed out to the passengers in the car, so they may fill it out in order to enter a raffle. We repeated these steps for every car during the night until the trail of lights was closed.

Winter break has come, and key club events have halted in order to allow members to spend time with their friends and family. Volunteering is just as important as remember those who you volunteer for, people and life. With the new year here key club members will be able to make their mark in the year of 2019 by volunteering. Members will continue to aid their community and make their mark in the world. Participation in key club during high school will better every person. Volunteer events, and community participation will lead to great life lessons. Lessons of giving and not expecting anything in return will build each key club member’s character for when they graduate and embark on their own journey.

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SUPPORTED CHARITIES

Co-Sponsors:

SERVICE PARTNER

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CONTACT US

DISTRICT STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION GOVERNOR: Addi Duerksen governor@tokeyclub.com SECRETARY: Bunsri Patel secretary@tokeyclub.com TREASURER: Addie Flores treasurer@tokeyclub.com EDITOR: Kyra Burke editor@tokeyclub.com TECHNOLOGY PRODUCER: Aina Sebastian techassistant@tokeyclub.com CONVENTION LIAISON: Nadia Rodriguez CL@tokeyclub.com

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ASK US ANYTHING

CONNECT WITH US

SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE: tokeyclub.com

FACEBOOK: Texas-Oklahoma Key Club District

INSTAGRAM: @todistrictkeyclub

TWITTER: @TOKEYCLUB

SNAPCHAT: tokeyclub

STAY UPDATED

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-Thank you for reading-