January Tex-O Key

Official Publication of the Texas-Oklahoma District of Keyclub International

Tex-OKey

Volume 1 Issue 2

the

January 2013

KICKING OFF Read in on great events to start off the New Year and find out what to look for in an officer.

the New Year with a fresh START

visit our website at www.tokeyclub.com

1 2

volume

issue

in this issue of:

the official

Tex-OKey Move Your Feet Help a Heart Beat, page 36

District

International

4 District Governor’s Report 5 District Editor’s Letter 6 Article Details 7 LTG Ad 7 DCON Forum Application 8 Project Committees/ Updates 10 Contribution Page 11 Why go to DCON? 12 Dues 13 9 Steps to Pay Dues 14 Key Leader Dates

15 International President Update 16 International Trustee Update

Clubs 17 Paid Clubs Updated List 20 Walk to End Alzheimer’s 21 Raising Awareness for CMN 22 Mats for Uganda

23 FTC Craft Project 24 Sweet Service 25 The Best Way to Start off Your New Year 26 Interactions with Civic Organizations 30 Brown Santa 32 Officer Elections 34 Jingle Bell Jog 36 Move Your Feet Help a Heart Beat 37 Cy Ranch Supports CMN 38 A Shot at Life 39 Top 25 Clubs

dance graphic

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District Governor’s Report

months to do everything I can for this great District and its members. I hope you all feel the same.

Hey what’s up!

If you have questions, just call or email me at

512-705-1707 governor@tokeyclub.com

H

4

appy Holidays Texas-Oklahoma!

With the new year officially under way, I am so excited for the next three months ahead as we wrap up our year of service. During these next few months, I look all of the amazing things that we have left to do and I am excited. With just over 3 months left, we have service projects that will change our communities, officer elections that will move our clubs forward into next year, and district convention to celebrate both our successes and those ahead. I have to say, and I’m sure you will all agree, our terms have seemed to rush by. Looking back at the memories and experiences we’ve shared, along with our many accomplishments, I’m empowered to end the year strong, taking these last few Tex-O Key December 2012

Our projects and the community service we perform in Key Club are what makes this organization so amazing The idea that we, students no older than 18, can have such a tremendous impact on those around us, it’s truly incredible.

Please join our efforts to help eradicate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus from the face of the Earth by participating in our District project. Please join our efforts to bring smiles to children who truly need them by participating in our Governor’s project. You have a chance to save the lives of children, and mothers, in both of these very important projects, while being awarded patches for participation and possibly winning a trophy at DCON. I hope to see your completion forms come this March. Remember that it is not too late to plan a project to participate, all you need to do to qualify for a patch is host one event for either project.

This year has been great so far, but I cannot wait to witness even greater successes in the following months in membership, service, future leaders and the celebration capping it all: DCON. Join me and Don’t be Afraid to Serve at DCON 2013.

A Word from your District Editor

Hi

everyone!

Winter Break is finally here! Can you believe it? Two weeks of relaxation in High School is like a dream come true!

Christmas was especially breath taking, because it actually snowed all day! It was a beautiful White Christmas.

Now I hope you have all enjoyed the December issue of The Tex-O Key! As the District Editor, I’ve tried my best to do a good job of designing, picking articles, and forming everything together to your taste. I would like to thank everyone for doing such a wonderful job of contributing articles! It was hard for me to choose from so many articles because they were all truly exceptional. I also want to thank everyone for sending pictures as well. Continue the good work you guys!

If you have any suggestions or questions, don’t hesitate to contact me! Enjoy the rest of your Winter Break!

From your District Editor, Grace Liu

contact information:

editor@tokeyclub.com got any questions? call here!

send your articles here!

817-962-8945

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The

Key

to making a good Tex-O Key is YOU.

The Tex-O Key itself is consisted of precious Key Club memories constructed inside for the purpose of spreading ideas, lessons, and tips on how to benefit the community no matter where you are. These memories come from clubs spread out in the T-O District. Your help is needed to make the Tex-O Key successful!

Ready to get started?

1. Recognize your club and write articles!

2. Have great ideas on what events to go to that will help benefit the community? Write about it!

3. Are you a good leader? Write advice and tips that can help others be one as well.

4. Did you attend an event that changed your/someone’s life for the better?

Write about it.

5. Read the article assignments that I send out every month or look at the back of every Tex-O Key that I publish (like this one!) and think about what to write for them.

Pictures are a beautiful thing. They brighten up your words. They illustrate your story.

They contribute to your memories.

Unlike articles, there are no limits to pictures. Send as many as you want.

If you choose to take pictures for the Tex-O Key, please keep in mind that they should be taken in a positive atmosphere, shown with diversity, and overfilled with Key Club spirit. Pictures with excellent quality and large sizes are preferred.

6 Tex-O Key December 2012

Are you interested in running for LTG?

CONTACT YOUR ltg TODAY

don’t know your division or ltg?

contact governor@ tokeyclub.com

eLECTIONS ARE HELD IN jANUARY ADN FEBRUARY You must fill out proper forms before

Be cool. run for LTG.

...and be a dues paying member!

Club Forum Application Hello T-O!

At the 2013 District Convention, three lucky clubs will get the chance to teach a forum in front of numerous DCON attendees! Basically, each forum will be about 50 minutes long and will be about a predetermined topic. The three club forums this year will be Icebreakers, Fundraising, and Stress Management. As a club, decide which topic you want to teach, brainstorm different ways to teach it, and apply to teach the forum!

The club forum application should have already been sent out by your respective Lieutenant Governor; the application must be mailed to me by January 31st. You have about a month to complete and send in the application; make sure to send in only one application per club. Now, you may be wondering why you should apply to teach a forum. Well, the answer is simple. By teaching a forum, you will be able to spread your ideas throughout the district, facilitate the growth of new, up-andcoming clubs, and most of all, have a blast doing so! Ask any past DCON forum attendees or any past DCON forum teachers about the amazing time they had while teaching a forum. And if you think your club is interested, make sure you apply!

Sincerely, Roshni Chandwani T-O Convention Liaison

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Project Committe

Governor’s Project Goals:

For CMN 150 clubs raise at least $30,000 contribute 5,000 community hours

Committee Members: Shelby Adams Kelsea Long

Jennifer Kay Tuggle HinzeChairwoman (713) 412 6241 ltg.division3s@gmail.com

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A Message from the Governor’s Project Chairwoman Although, I realize this quote is a little cliché, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. With only about 3 months remaining in the Key Club year, it is absolutely vital that we stand for the pediatric patients in our local community. It’s time for us to make a difference and to give to the Children’s Miracle network--a service partner so deeply committed to bettering the lives of families across the nation.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Jennifer Kay Tuggle Hinze. Because of my horrendously long name, I’m often referred to as Jen, J-Tuggs or Tuggles.

I have had the incredible opportunity to serve as the Lt. Governor of my Division 3S minions, 1 of 7 Key Club International Service Ambassadors, and most enjoyably the 2012-2013 Governor’s Project Chairwoman. My job as chairwoman is really to just plan committee meetings, utilize my committee member’s opinions and strengths, and to plan all things Governor’s Project related. Behind the fancy titles and job description is just an ordinary high school senior that is absolutely in love with all things service—especially anything to do with CMN. In order to receive completion for the B.R.O. Project (Brother Reaching Out), your club must participate in at least one project for CMN or your local hospital. That’s it—just one. Most anything i

s accepted and we tried to keep it simple. Ideas range from hosting fundraisers Dance Marathon, Bake Sales, Benefit Concerts, etc.) to direct ideas like planting flowers at your local hospital or hosting a teddy bear drive. Anyone who completes the one project and sends the completion form in will receive a patch for completion. We kept the requirements minimal so our entire district can be unified for this one incredible cause. Feel free to go aboveand beyond.

Your hard work will likely be spotlighted at District Convention. As a district, we aim to have at least 150 clubs receive completion for the project through raising at least $30,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network and donating at least 5,000 community service hours. I know we can achieve our goal if we all stand together and unite for this wonderful cause. Feel free to contact me or my committee members if you need ANYTHING at all!

Jennifer Tuggle Hinze

Shelby AdamsSecretary shelby_adams@ rocketmail.com Kelsea LongPublic Relations kelsealong96@ yahoo.com

ees

District Project Goals:

raise $30,000 by DCON every member in the T-O District fundraise atleast $1.80

A Message from the District Project Chairwoman

This is your District Project Chairwomen, Carolina Hernandez the Lieutenant Governor

Carolina Hernandez Beltran Chairwoman carohernandez3nltg@gmail. com

for Division 3N. I am so excited for upcoming for this upcoming year, and even more excited about this year’s District Project, The ELIMINATE Project.

1 child dies every 9 minutes from MNT. Within 9 minutes of reading this paragraph a newborn child will lose its life from MNT. So what are you going to do about this T-O? For every mother has the right to give birth to a healthy child, to raise her child, and to see that child grow

up. No one and nothing, has that right to take that away from a mother, especially not a disease so curable as MNT. Which is why we as a District Board chose The ELIMINATE Project as our new District Project for the year. Which is also why the District Initiative Project Committee and I have decided to set forth the goal of fundraising, as a District, 30,000 U.S dollars

by DCON 2013 to donate to The ELIMINATE Project. We

are the third largest District in all of Key Club International, and I believe if every member in T-O fundraises at least $1.80, we can meet our goals and even surpass it. I on behalf of all the District Board ask you, as a member of Key Club and as a global citizen, to participate in this year’s District Project. I ask you to assist the Texas-Oklahoma Key Club District in reaching our goal and saving the lives of children around the world.

Committee Members:

Edeline Ong Secretary edelineong24s@ gmail.com

Carrie Harms Design and Media Head carrie.harms.96@ gmail.com

Se Yeon Kim Progress Supervisor kim.seyeon94@ gmail.com

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contribution page Cover Picture Rebekah E. Drennon Table of Contents Picture Jennifer Kay Tuggle Hinze Move Your Feet Help a Hear Beat Ad Jennifer Kay Tuggle Hinze LTG Advertisement Brian O’ Hara DCON Flyer Roshni Chandwani Dues Maci Slater

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Articles

Isaiah ValleQuinones Thuy Tran Rebecca Bingham Nancy Huang Miranda Mishan Christina Koo Kimhan Tran Ian Sims Kimberly Pham Haylee Smith Elizabeth Hang Steven Baringer Kimberly Bosquez KangDi Li Edeline Ong Luke Broussard Yvonne Nguyen Samuel Quach Gregory Ross Jeff Hou Kaylee Barnett Rebekah E. Drennon Preslee Thorne Jessie Pullen Brianna Cook Jennifer Kay Tuggle Hinze Hannah Bielefeidt Tashrima Hossain

District Convention 2013 e

The advent of the new year means that District Convention is right around the corner!

As a quick refresher, DCON is a 4 day retreat in Dallas, Texas on April 4足7. The purpose of DCON is to celebrate the past year and share ideas for the upcoming year. Be on the lookout for tons of Convention material including the Convention CD which will be published online this year, the club forum application, and registration material. The Convention CD will include material such as contest information, the Convention Bulletin, and dress code information! Also, since DCON is during STAR testing, make sure you talk to your principal NOW so that you guys can leave at your normal time. If you have any questions, email your Lieutenant Governor or me! 足Roshni Chandwani T足O Convention Liaison roshni.chandwani.kc@gmail.com

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dues dues dues dues duesdues Well Hello T-O!

duesdues

I know it is a busy time of the year, but it is VERY important that you and your club pay dues. Did you know that if your club does NOT submit their dues to international, you will not be able to: • Attend DCON • Have a vote in your Division Election Conference (DEC) where you vote for your Lt. Governor • Run for Lt. Governor of your division and your club will be deemed as suspended So as you can see, paying your dues should be at the top of your list!

Now, I know some of you have been having trouble with the new Membership Update Center (MUC). Just understand that you aren’t the only one! For step-by-step instructions on how to get a new password, contact your LT. Governor or me today! There is also a step-bystep video that I would be glad to send to you! The cost per member is $12.50. The $12.50 per member is what you must submit to international. So please, please PAY YOUR DUES! I am always here if you need me, just a text or email away!

Yours in service, Maci Slater District Treasurer

12Tex-O Key December 2012

}

Ho

Before you start

The club will not receive a password from Kiwanis this year. The new Membership Update Center (MUC) system generates the individual’s password directly to the individual. Remember only the Faculty Advisor and Club Secretary will be able to access the system. It is also critical that you follow the steps to get into the system. You can not use last year’s Advisor’s name(if different from this year’s) or password, or any other member of the club. It is best if you start with the Faculty Advisor because we know the secretary information is probably out of date. Here are the steps to follow to get started.

ow to update your membership For Club Advisors & Secretaries

1)

in 7 steps:

Log on to Key Club International at: www.keyclub.org

2)

Select the “Lead” tab along the list of tap just above the blue pencil. A drop down menu will appear on the left.

3)

Select “Membership Update Center” form the drop down menu. You can also get into the center by selecting “Dues and Reports” tab just above the red search box in the upper right hand part of the screen and then select the Membership Update Center links in the center of the page.

4)

On the Membership Update Center page select “register/reset password. This is a critical step that you must take on your first attempted log in. Do not just try and enter your email address and password on the form. This will take you to a page to input your email address.

5)

Input your email address. If it is the email address that Kiwanis has in their records, after a short delay (1 minute or so) you will get a hyper-link to a site to generate your own password. Once you have logged in then the secretary can take over and fill in the club’s membership information. Please pass the training video link to your secretary so he/she can see how to update the system. It is very easy but reviewing the training video will make it even easier.

Here is the video link: http://www.youtube. comwatch?v=0tfAvudii-w&feature=youtube

6)

If the email address that Kiwanis has on file for your club’s Faculty Advisor is incorrect you will get a message that the login attempt has failed. Then you will need to contact Kiwanis Member Services at memberservices@kiwanis.org or 1-800 Kiwanis (549-2647) ext 1 and they will assist you in getting on line. You will need your club number which you can find at in the attachment. Club are listed in alphabetical order. Here is a sample message to Member Services:

“Dear Member Services, My name is (insert FA full name) (email is XXXXXXXXXXXX) and I am the faculty advisor for the (insert school name) High School Key Club. My club ID number is (insert Club number). I would like to request an update in your contact information to reflect this change. I am in Division (XX) and the campus resides in the Texas-Oklahoma District.

Please let me know when this change is made.

Thank you so very much,”

Member Services will send you a email stating your email has been updated and at that point you can reenter the system using step 5. They may also send you a temp password, if they do then you can log in on the first page and proceed with the membership update.

7)

Once the Secretary has the member information loaded he/she can go on line and do the same steps 1-5 and then the Secretary will have direct access. The Faculty Advisor and Secretary will be the only people allow direct access to the system to update membership, so if either of you change job/ graduate make sure to update the new information before you leave the position.

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Date: January 18th-20th Location: Glen Rose Date: February 1st-3rd Location: Glen Rose Date: April 19th-21st Location: Huntsville, Carolina Creek, Texas

Date: May 17th-19th Location: Kingston, Cross Point Camp, Oklahoma

INTERNATIONAL

KeyLeader information

COST $145 for Key Clubbers $170 for non-Key Clubbers $85 for student facilitators Tex-O Key December 2012

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INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

UPDATE

email: rriley@alabamakeyclub.org Hi there, Texas-Oklahoma Key Clubbers!

How was your holiday season? I hope it was filled with warmth, joy, friends, and family, as was mine. I also hope that, like me, you are preparing to embark on a new year filled with excitement, growth, and, of course, service as 2013 approaches. We on the International Board are committed to continuing to see our promise to you--improvement and progress for Key Club International through dedication and innovation--through in 2013.

As we move into the new year, we hope to finalize our work on outlining a new Key Club promotional video, updating our service project resources, tagging the resources on the website, planning a club chartering link for keyclub.org, and much, much more. I am tremendously excited about the opportunities that the new year has in store for Key Club, and I hope that you are too! If there is ever anything that I can do for you in 2013, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email at rriley@alabamakeyclub.org. As always, thank you for all your service! We wouldn’t be the oldest, largest, and best high school service organization in the world if it weren’t for you!

Rebecca Riley Key Club International President

Thanks again, and happy 2013!

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INTERNATIONAL TRUSTEE

UPDATE

email: kayla.lash@gmail.com

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a relaxing winter break and are easing back into the school year. This past month, I have accomplished a lot for Key Club!

We have held two Communication Kayla Lash Committee meetings Texas-Oklahoma’s since the InternationInternational al Board Meeting and have began working Trustee on our new committee directives, which includes evaluating all of the resources on the International

16Tex-O Key December 2012

Website, brainstorming new methods of improved communication across all levels of Key Club International, and planning a webinar for district officers! Aside from committee work, YOF judging occurred in December in Anaheim, California at the 2014 International Convention site. The YOF Judging Committee consisted of myself, Vice President Caitlin Stroup, and Trustees Colten

Meisner, Zack Dameron, and Betty Stearns.

Anyone who applied will be receiving the decision on their application shortly. For other International news, the International Board Meeting minutes will be available soon! Thank you for your outstanding service!

Every nine minutes, an infant dies from neonatal tetanus.

Knowing this fact, the Key Club International has made a goal to reach $110 million dollars by 2015. Do your part to protect the connection. Do your part to keep families together. Do your part to change the world.

Paid Clubs Report

CLUBS

138 paid clubs 9,822 members

A&M Consolidated 26 AC Jones 39 Academy High 54 Allen 160 Arlington 378 Atascocita 37 Atlanta 15 Ball 129 Baytown Christian 38 Bellaire 26 Booker T. Washington 137 Broken Arrow N. 26 Broken Bow 21 Brownwood 28 Bullard 51 Byron P. Steele I I 72 Canyon 70 Carl Albert 123 Cascia Hall 150 Cedar Park 42 Charles Akins 27 Chisum 76 Christian Education Alliance 32 Cleburne 40 Clements 23 Clyde 26 Coleyville Hertiage 68 Creekview 81 Cy-Fair 378 Cy-Falls 230 Cypress Lakes 158 Cy-Ranch 644 Cyrus Wood 302

Davis 55 Dekalb 30 Devalle 22 Dobie 15 Dunbar 12 Duncan 71 Durant 18 Early 90 Edmound N. 139 Elgin 113 Elk City 58 Elkins 16 Goose Creek 93 Granbury 125 Guthrie 40 Harding Charter Prep 36 Harlingen 25 Harrah 43 Hebron 243 Henderson 66 Hereford 9 Holdenville 12 Hunstville 58 Idabel 25 James Bowie 207 Jarrell 33 Jenks 193 John Foster Dulles 52 Jones 32 Kempner 39 Kennedale 75 Kingwood 68 Kingwood Prk. 76 Lake Ridge 15 Lake Travis 21

Lampasas 25 Lawton 17 Leandere 38 Legacy Christian 13 Libery Eylau 38 Lockhart 52 Los Fresnos 10 Lumberton 116 MacArthur 82 Manor New Tech. 53 Mansfield Legacy 46 Mansfield Legacy 177 Marble Falls 20 Marine Military 85 McCallum 70 McKinney Boyd 50 McKinney N. 62 McLoud 18 Mineola 61 N. Crowley 44 N. Garland 93 Nacogdoches 100 New Braunfels 22 North Lamar 12 NYOS Charter 24 Our Lady of the Hills16 Palo Duro 20 Paramus 31 Pathways Middle College 10 Plano West Sr. 99 Polythecnic 26 Ponca City 26 Port Aransas 32 R.L. Paschal 37

Red water Senior 26 Rice 56 Richarte 13 Robert E. Lee (Tyler) 25 Ronald Reagan 77 Ross S. Sterling 97 Rouse 12 Sachse 30 Saginaw 43 Sam Rayburn 40 Samuel Clemens 32 San Angelo Central 56 San Marcos 23 Second Baptist 101 Sperry 34 St. Agnes 143 Strake Jesuit Prep. 186 Street 16 Sulphur 29 Sunset 49 Texas City 39 Texas Senior 58 Union 53 Union Intermediate 23 Vandergrift 98 Venus 35 WE Boswell 44 West 37 West Brook 89 West Moore 68 Westfield 48 Wetumpka 17

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18Tex-O Key December 2012

hospitals helping local kids

clubs

Top25

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The Eliminate Project makes an international impact by helping mothers around the globe with maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT). An average of US $1.80 is all it takes to cure a mother and

her future children from the deathly MNT. The Eliminate Project allows Key Club members to focus on the globe. It not only benefits the unborn, but also the mothers that carry the infants.

WALK TO

END ALZHEIMER’S

l by Isaiah ValleQuinones, LTG 18

The San Angelo Central High School Key Club took its first steps towards helping the program on September 15, 2012. They needed the help of the city though. The annual San Angelo Community Fair was held that day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Businesses and organizations set up booths to spread the word about what they do. The Key Club had their own booth. The Texas-Oklahoma’s district Governor’s project this year is the B.R.O. (Brothers Reaching Out) Project. Its sole purpose is to benefit Children’s Miracle Network. The club used the community fair to let San Angelo know who Key Club is

20Tex-O Key December 2012

and what they do. They made citizens aware of our project and Children’s Miracle Network. They had a poster board that contained information about Children’s Miracle Network and the B.R.O Project. As people stepped up to their booth, they gave them information and asked if they were willing to make a donation. A dollar per CMN balloon was given.

If a donation was given, the person was able to write their name on the balloon and the club put it up for everyone to see. The balloons give the people a sense of pride for making the donation. Throughout the day the Key Clubbers asked and talked with

many people. By the end of the day, their board was filled with balloons.

The club had raised $96 to be donated directly to Children’s Miracle Network.

Key Club is proud to be able to benefit such important programs such as CMN. They know they are making a difference when every dollar they are able to raise is helping to save a child’s life. Through the community fair, they were also able to make others aware of the program. Children’s Miracle Network can count on a helping hand from San Angelo Central High School Key Club for years to come. l by Rebecca Bingham

Project of the Month: A Shot at Life featured on page 40 Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease that destroys the lives of many people and their families. Despite this horrible disease and all the lives that it ruins, there is still a way for us to end this horrible disease.

That is exactly what MacArthur High School Key Club of Lawton, Oklahoma, tried to do with helping the head coordinator, Ms. Debbie Sellers and her team, in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

It all started bright and early, at around 8 AM on a Saturday morning. It was just a couple of MacArthur High School Key Clubbers coming together to volunteer in any way they could. The

first bunch that got there had to help set up the hydration station, which was accompanied with water and snacks. After that was done, the rest of Key Clubbers that arrived were designated to stand near the registration booth with the Chick-fil-A cow mascot to greet and reward the other volunteers coming to stop Alzheimer’s.

A little while after 9 AM is when the event really started to kick off. More volunteers and people walking to end Alzheimer’s began to come in, along with the MacArthur High School pom and cheer squad who came to

Raising Awareness for CMN

m, San Angelo Central Key Club

help cheer on those that walked. Before the walk started, Key Clubbers needed to be assigned areas with signs to help direct those walking to the area they needed to go (and I was one of them!).

All in all, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s was a great event with lots of success! Although, I was very sick, (had homecoming the night before, and had to wake up early on a Saturday morning) I was so happy to see that the people helping with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s had raised $33,918.29 to help end Alzheimer’s!

Alex’s Lemonade Stand l by Thuy Tran, LTG 1S

As many of you know, the Kiwanis family plays a huge part in the fundraising portion of Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Alex’s Lemonade Stand helps fund cancer research, with the help of members just like you, in your community.

What’s nice about this project, is that it only takes a few members to make it happen, as well as just a few materials, and you’re set! The Governor’s project this year, is the B.R.O project, where there are tons of fun projects available for your club to participate in (including Alex’s Lemonade Stand) to earn points and better your community. This summer, I participated in an Alex’s Lemonade Stand fundraiser, located at the Walgreens near my school. It was nice to see the kids faces when we offered them a nice, refreshing drink on a hot summer day. It was even more rewarding to see them donating their spare change, or dollar bills in the donation box, and letting them know they’re benefitting many children across the nation. ber, I have the ability to contribute and make a lasting impact in serving the world.

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l by Nancy Huang, LTG 28

mats for

UGANDA

On November 10, 2012, Division 28 got together and made birthing mats for Ugandan mothers. Since this was a multi-club program, we also welcomed students from around the community who came for the sake of credit hours for AP Environmental and National Honor Society. This way, people from other clubs got to what Key Club was all about!

After a brief speech by Lieutenant Governor Nancy Huang about the implications of the District’s initiative against maternal and neonatal tetanus, the project commenced. While Mean Girls and cookies were available in the background, everyone crowded into the community room at the Freeman Memorial Library to cut old plastic bags into strips and make “plarn”, or plastic yarn. The president of Clear Lake High School’s Club UNICEF Stephanie Cho and Nancy Huang then went around showing everyone how to finger-crochet the plarn into braids that would eventually turn into mats.

Even though no mats ended up being completed, lots of freshmen and first-time service project attendees had lots of fun and many came up to ask for a second session of the project. Division 28 really saw what it meant to be in Key Club by having fun while changing lives and bringing in fellow students to the spirit of service.

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Happiness Shared in the Holiday Season l by Miranda Mishan, LTG 2 As the holidays are here, most look forward to presents, food, and fun. Key Club members however, are always excited for service projects around the holidays. One of my favorite projects that I’ve attended the past three years is Kiwanis Pancakes with Santa, hosted by the Kiwanis club in my hometown. It’s always a pleasure to serve with a Kiwanis club, but this event never fails to bring me extra joy around the holiday season.

Each time I’ve served at this event, I was stationed at the children’s craft table. Parents would bring their kids to the table, and the children would create something holiday themed, an ornament for a Christmas tree, for example.

My job was to teach the kids how to do the project, but for the most part, let them

do it on their own. That was the best part – seeing the excitement on the faces of children when they’d finished something all on their own, and seeing the pride on the faces of parents who adored anything their kids made.

Overall, this event is an awesome way to connect community members, and bring us all together during the holidays.

I was really pleased to see that through my service, I could bring some joy to children in the community and their families. I hope that this holiday season, and during their time in Key Club, all club members can experience an event that allows them to share happiness with others in their communities.

CMN Project of Children’s Miracle Network the Month:

FTC Craft Project at Mansfield Summit l by Christina Koo, LTG 39S This year, in order to 1,500 sheets of tissue contribute towards the paper squares to use Governor’s project, for our service project.

Region 7 Key Clubs, During our training which consists of divi- conference, I taught sions 1 North, 1 South, the officers and faculty 8, 39 North, and 39 advisors how to make South, did a service the flowers, which was project at our Fall a very simple process.

Training Conference We made a total of on September 15th. around 300 flowers in Since there were many about only 15 minutes. of us, around 200 Key I was utterly surprised Clubbers, we decided by how quickly the to do a craft project for squares ran out and the kids at our local how the flowers aphospitals. We created peared almost instanpaper flowers, made taneously inside the out of gift wrapping once empty baskets. tissue paper and pipe Overall, we created cleaners. The materials many beautiful flowers, for this service project in perhaps the most were very cheap; it interesting assortment only costs around $5 of colors. The flowfor all the supplies, ers we made from this since tissue paper and event were given to the pipe cleaners are in local hospitals around abundance at Dollar our region for the Tree stores. To prepare hospitalized children. for this, I stayed up A simple gift can cheer all night long before up a lonely, ill child, our training conferand a simple gesture ence cutting 5”x5” of care and encouragesheets of tissue paper ment can change the for our project. After perception of a child a long night, I had a in ways I cannot even huge stack of around imagine.

Children’s Miracle Network is an amazing organization that helps to raise money for children who can’t afford to get the treatments they need for dangerous diseases. Key Club is an international organization that strives to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network.

-Rebecca Bingham

Cypress Ranch Key Club Supports Governor’s Project and Children’s Miracle Network featured on page 39

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l by Kimhan Tran, Kempner Key Club

Knit for Kids

take as much as they want and donate as much money as they wanted to. This ultimately yielded us much more profit in the long run.

l by Ian Sims, Cypress Creek Key Club

As December nears retailers and households across America are in a rush to prepare for the next big Holiday—Christmas!

Festive music begins to play on the radio while Christmas lights line the trees outside. As all of this happens another thing begins to gradually change—the weather.

Before you know it’s forty degrees outside and cold enough to see your breath. Boy, what would you ever do without your coat or jacket? Having something to keep you warm seems like an essential commodity; however millions of people around the world don’t have even that. There is a program working to solve that problem however, called “Knit for Kids”. Knit for Kids was created as a way

24Tex-O Key December 2012

to send hand-knit or crocheted sweaters to children in need! As long as you know how to knit you can begin helping others in three easy steps. The first step is to download one of the patterns from the program’s website ( http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/ getinvolved/knit-for-kids). Next, you knit or crochet that pattern using any color combination that you like. Lastly, you mail your finished sweating to the company’s offices in Pennsylvania. With the help of amazing participants, over half a million children have received a sweater to wear in the harsh, win

Sweet Service

going to give up and just lose hope that easily though.

We persevered and worked even harder.

We yelled even louder to people far away and in the streets. Slowly one by one, there were more people coming up to We caught people’s attention by standing our little booth. Time was ticking, and we in the parking lot or near the street with were just so close. In the end, someone dosigns we decorated and made ourselves.

This really utilized each of the participant’s nated a whole $20! Our goal was reached, and we profusely thanked the person. strengths. We went up to every person who walked into the store This project truly touched my heart and and told them how much this would help I would like to continue doing this again children. Our LTG even told a personal story, so they could understand the impact in the future. It was incredible to see the impact that one group of people can make. they made with even just a dollar. Every 37 Division 3S Key Clubbers gathered The unique thing about this project is that time someone donated, then we would together with our Kiwanians. All of us absolutely anyone can make it a success. brought baked goods such as cupcakes and clap and tell them how awesome we I look forward to having more fun with brownies. We also set up a lemonade stand thought they were. the Division 3S minions and raising more with both regular lemonade and strawberry lemonade. We did not have a set price for The day was almost ending, and we didn’t money for the Children’s Miracle Network. reach our goal of $500 yet. We weren’t the lemonade or goods. The donor could As my time in Key Club comes to an end, I’ve started reflecting on the activities and service projects I’ve participated in thus far. My club and division have had the privilege of doing many things ranging from attending Fall Rally to participating in Santa’s Exchange. One of the things I’ve enjoyed doing the most this year so far was participating in a bake sale at HEB for the Children’s Miracle Network. While I realize this sounds standard, with the skillful execution and our Division 3S Minion spirit, it was beyond a success.

ter weather. The best part about the sweaters though is that they can still be used once the child outgrows it. Sweaters can be handme-downs to other siblings and children in the area. Hearing about this program almost makes me want to take up this skill and learn how to knit. (Maybe my mom can teach me)! So if you know how to knit, or know somebody that does know how, please consider participating with this project or telling them about it. It’s a fun thing to do that has an important impact in the lives of many!

Suggestion for Events for the New Year l by Kimberly Pham, John Foster Dulles Key Club The fellow officers of John Foster Dulles Key Club have come up with some great ideas for the next year. Though the club might not be able to do some of the events that the officers planned, the ideas could be later used in the future. One idea is having a Talent Show in Town Center where tickets will be sold to enter and watch. At the same time, Key Club will be advocating certain topics related to helping others and eliminating diseases such as tetanus. In addition, there would be concession stands to sell food and other items by fellow Key Club members. There will be a huge prize at the end of the show, and the club will have at least

How to ELIMINATE It’s hard to fundraise and give out a very useful product as well. When Sonic approached multiple Denton area clubs with their special Sonic “Community” card to sell for the charity of their choice. The Denton area schools chose Eliminate. The Sonic Community cards had coupons for free drinks, free burgers, and deals on almost all of the

three winners. Another idea is having a water balloon party where tickets will be sold to anybody in school that wants to participate. The officers would provide the balloons with the club’s allowance. For the tickets, the officers would just buy those “Admit One” tickets and put a certain stamp, marking, or indentation on the back of the ticket to make sure nobody is counterfeiting. The event will be for one day and would last for a couple of hours. Lastly, another idea is to sell t-shirts that promote a cause.

For example, Dulles Key Club is planning on selling Eliminate t-shirts to promote awareness about diseases such as tetanus and other children diseases.

l by Haylee Smith, LTG 39N

popular items on the menu.

Selling Community cards was so easy. They cost only $5 and I could easily fit a stack in my pocket. By the end of the day, I could sell 9 cards while at school and have $45 left for the Eliminate project. The best part of selling the cards so easily was looking at the money raised at the end of the day;

looking at that money, I knew I could save so many people. If $1.80 is the cost of one vaccine, $45 could make 25 vaccines.

Selling those cards made an impact on how I felt about fundraising; instead of people giving cash for no product, they got free food and helped eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus.

Participating in the District Project was easy and rewarding.

The Best Way to Start off YOUR New Year l by Elizabeth Hang, Summit Key Club So here’s the scoop. Whenever a new school year starts, everyone begins to feel a little chilly.

So this year, our Mansfield Summit Key Club held an Ice Cream social called the “Back to School Bash”. We requested that each interested member bring an ice cream topping to the event when they signed up for Key Club at schedule pick-up. Our “Back-toSchool Bash” occurred one week before school started and it was a fantastic way to get incoming members excited not only for school, but also for Key Club!

At the social, we used a

new, clean, plastic gutter to put the ice cream in. As each member arrived, we began to place toppings from the top to the bottom.

After everyone had settled, the officers introduced themselves and talked to everyone a bit about Key Club. After the introduction was completed, the eating began!

You don’t have to have an Ice Cream Social to start off your year! As long as you hold an event that members will interact with each other and have a good time, then your year won’t need to start off on the rocky road and the fun will sprinkle on your way!

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Interactions with Civic Organizations l by Steven Baringer, LTG 20 Every year the two Chamber of Commerce in our county and have their annual fundraiser. This fundraiser consisted of a steak dinner, a silent auction, and a live auction.

Various businesses and people donated items and all the proceeds went to benefit the two communities. Key Club always assists Kiwanis with the man power in the kitchen.

We are in charge of cutting the cake, getting potatoes ready, and anything else it takes.

Now the next part of my fundraiser is my favorite, the auction. This is where people fight like ninjas for two hours to get what they want.

Our club decided to get in on the fun this year, so we got our bidder number and it was on like Donkey Kong! The item that caught our eyes was a banner that had our school mascot on it. We took a vote, and decided that we would purchase it for the front office to hang up. For most of the auction no one bid against us, and then toward the end a mystery bidder came around and would not give up. We think that it was our Regional Advisor, Ryan Edmondson.

At the last five minutes of the auction we placed our club sponsor by it so he could place the last bid. His mission was successful! We

all were very excited! The banner is now hanging up in our front office.

From the fundraiser more than $28,000 was raised, $1,500 was from the dinner Kiwanis and Key Club helped with. We worked hard in the kitchen but we had fun while doing it.

I encourage you to do service projects with your Kiwanis clubs and other organizations in your communities. With your help, we can make a huge impact on Texas and Oklahoma.

But to do so, we have to work T-Ogether!

The Satisfaction of Contributing l by Kimberly Bosquez, LTG 9W

On many occasions I have had the opportunity to contribute to the Texas Oklahoma District Project- ELIMINATE. My proudest moment thus far was when I was able aid the effort of eradicating maternal and neonatal Tex-O Key Decembertetanus 2012 when I was awarded the Walter Zeller Fellowship.

26

At my home Kiwanis club’s end o meeting, celebrating their success service, I proudly watched as my were awarded for all their hard w last awards, given by our Kiwanis Governor, were the Walter Zeller ships. Again, I watched as fellow members were awarded such grea

l by KangDi Li, Bellaire Key Club

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

How much would you enjoy a dish composed of two heavenly soft pieces of creamy white bread with perfectly pureed sunroasted peanut sauce and a light glaze of delicate grape preservatives lightly smattered in between? Stomach rumbling yet? Saliva oozing down your chin yet?

So maybe a plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwich isn’t the stuff of a gourmet diner’s dreams. Maybe it’s not what every hormonal teenager craves at 2A.M. or even what the average five year old considers luxury dining.

But maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is the difference between going to bed hungry that night and having a meal to fill that emptiness.

of the year sful year of sponsors work. The s Lieutenant r FellowK-Family at honors.

I was recently informed of the opportunity to contribute to the public in a most unexpected way. Via the Hare Krishna Temple in Houston, runof-the-mill peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are bagged with juice boxes and fruit to provide meals to the needy families from all over Houston, a city notorious for its unemployment rates. Every Sunday afternoon, this normally religious institution becomes an open sandwich-making factory, with people from all walks of life contributing to a conveyor-belt type system that creates sandwich after sandwich, brown-bagged lunch after brown-bagged lunch.

Unfortunately, high school is high school and Bellaire Key Club was once again faced with the dilemma of not being able to gather up enough of its members on that Sunday

As I was admiring a near Kiwanian’s Walter Zeller medal, my name was called out as the last recipient. I was elated not only to receive such an honorable award, but the fact that $1,250 was contributed on my behalf to fight MNT.

afternoon. So some improvisation was in order.

Sandwich making was brought to a Hermann Park, the site of a recent PCM of which close to forty members were in attendance. Kemper, Lamar, and Dulles contributed to a smaller, but by no means less efficient, peanutbutter-and-jelly-sandwich creating machine. In a little under fifteen minutes or so, over sixty sandwiches had been bagged up and safely sealed in an icebox that made its way back to Hare Krishna.

Sixty children, adolescents, even adults were saved from the pangs of an empty stomach that day, and just for the cost of some plain white bread and jars of peanut butter and jelly. Just a few minutes of every per-

Now, every time I see a mother and their child I am reminded of what the Walter Zeller Fellowship means and its impact on the ELIMINATE project. I am forever thankful that as a member of the Kiwanis Family and Tex-O IKey as a Key Clubber, haveDecember the ability 2012 to contribute and make a lasting impact in serving the world.

27

all babies will be born healthy.

28Tex-O Key December 2012

DISTRICT

one day...

marchforbabies.org/oneday

29Tex-O Key December 2012

brown SANTA l by Edeline Ong, LTG 24S

On November 24th, 2012, my home club, Bowie Key Club volunteered for Brown Santa.

Brown Santa started in 1981 with a few deputies helping out 25 families in the unincorporated areas of Travis County. Brown Santa helped 1957 families in the 2011 season for a total of 19,219 men, women, and children.

Each member of the club volunteered for two hours or even more. We were basically elves for a day. We wrapped 5 different gifts for each child in the family.

Each kid gets a soft toy, a puzzle, a book, and two different kinds of miscellaneous toys. Then, we put gift tags saying it’s from Santa!

This volunteering event benefits the community a lot. There is a lot of poor income communities in Austin. This is a great way to help out parents to give gifts to their children and don’t have to pay for a single item. Also, kids will be very happy when they open up their presents during Christmas morning!

l by Luke Broussard, LTG 12 & 22

Head Start

30Tex-O Key December 2012

This year was my second year to go to head start. I was afraid I would accidentally hurt one of them or a negative event would occur and it would then result in me being blamed for it, all because of my size.

After arriving, all of the children went outside to learn how to play kickball. One of the children came up to me with a basketball and wanted me to play with it, but instead I spun it on my finger. All of a sudden, the kids came over to me and became fascinated!

Seeing all the children

staring at me, I decided to teach them how to spin a ball on their finger. Although it didn’t really work out that well, I was able to keep them entertained for a while.

After their time outside, I went in and read them a story and played a few games. I soon realized that it was time for us to go. My time there made me realize that it was hard for me to leave.

I learned that volunteering at head start gets them the funding they need. After seeing the impact that we had

Christmas for the Angels

E

on the children, and the impact that they had on us, we decided to attend Head Start once a month to spend time with the less fortunate kids that don’t have people to care for them and show them love like we can. We resemble older brothers and sisters to them.

It is a very humbling experience to impact the lives of these kids.

very year at Mansfield High School, our Key club is given the wonderful task of managing Adopt a Child, or Angel Tree as some call it. Some might call me insane for enjoying the whole background process of helping my fellow officers get everything set for “pick-up” day, but everyone who was in charge of this project put in more than enough effort to give our kids a great holiday. Looking back and hearing some stressful stories from other “Angel” projects, I’m surprised it went so well. A number of things came up on the before the pick-up date. Toys came

l by Yvonne Nguyen, Mansfield Key Club to us unwrapped, bags came to us containing too little or too much, and some bags contained stuff that was age-inappropriate things. December 17 was a day of recognition and realization.

That day I realized that I will never-ever be able to honestly accept a job in the packaging industry. But I can say, based on my opinion, that my fellow officers and key club members are exceptional wrappers.

In the end, the wrapping scene only lasted 15 minutes, and our president was able to buy some last minute gifts for a few kids who didn’t re-

ceive much from their class.

Pick-up day, though, was... perfectly amazing. How else can you describe a dozen happy faces? I bet any answer would by synonymous with ‘joyful’ and ‘heartwarming’. We had inactive members come to helpeven our former president came down from college to help. My favorite part was when a family of four came to pick up their presents, 4 large bags and 4 fairly sized bicycles (all bicycles were donated by Bikes for Angels from The Ben Barber Technical school in Mansfield).

At the time we had no trolleys, so I encouraged the kids to ride their bikes out of the school.

All in all, it was a great way to start the holidays.

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Officer Elections are coming up!

Not sure which person is right for the job?

Check out these tips to help narrow down your list!

An Officer should be: • • • • • • •

dedicated accountable motivated in good standing with hours able to attend FTC & DCON enthusiastic able to attend every meeting and many events • reliable • a good leader • responsible l by Samuel Quach Clements Key Club

l by Gregory Ross M.B Lamar Key Club

Make sure the person is dedicated. There is nothing worse than putting a person in a leadership position and then being unable to fulfill the role at a crucial moment. Try individual interviews to narrow the pool down.

Make sure that they understand the aspect of accountably. As an officer, you are responsible for the welfare, happiness, and wellbeing of the members in your club. That means they understand that they are to put themselves on standby while the needs of others are to be taken care of…Whether it be to take care of some lost forms, rides, choosing events that are SAFE and will genuinely benefit them and the community.

Those who try are the most motivated, and that, my fellow clubbers, is what spreads into the club.

Prospective officers need to have attended FTC (Fall Training Conference) or be in good enough standing with hours so that they can go to DCON so that they have the necessary knowledge to adequately steer the club in a positive direction. Also, officers who are enthusiastic about serving the community can lighten the mood and ensure that people have a good time volunteering so they’ll be intoxicated by its appeal and volunteer even more in the future.

32Tex-O Key December 2012

There is one matter that stands above all others. The officers need to be legitimate candidates in their respected Key Club; they need to be people of high moral standing who have contributed much to the community. Not only people of high moral standing but also someone who had done something as simple as attending every meeting, attended majority of the events and has developed a strong rapport with all the other members of the Key Club. Some strategies for the selection of these officers would be to derive half of the decision through public election, but to also have something sim

For current officersA good plan of action is having a briefing for all of the members in which you can inform them of the responsibilities of their positions. It would also be advantageous to have these briefings separate from the regular club meetings so that there will be ample time for questions and going over important details. In this manner, interested members will have a better idea of the entailments of each position. By knowing what to expect, they will be more prepared to take on the responsibilities required of an officer. Once officers have been elected for the coming year, they should meet up with you and receive more individualized training.

l by Lisa Q. Nguyen, Kempner High School Key Club

l by Jeff Hou and Kaylee Barrett, Cypress Woods Key Club ilar to an electoral college – a board that is consisted of past officers/representatives – to give the other half of the selection. This way, the resultant outcome won’t be completely affected by each party, as many unfair factors may come into play.

While we won’t have as intense of an election as Obama and Romney pitted against each other to acclaim the highest office in the United States, Key Club elections have an enthusiastic environment of able people willing to give their all to be able to represent their Key Club in the community and make an everlasting impact.

An officer can be relied on for anything. The key element to a successful club is its successful leaders to coordinate each and every aspect that goes on in the club from events to socials.

To be a representative of your class for key club, you must be willing to go that extra mile to help improve whatever it is that you can so that the CyWoods key club can exceed. One of the main reasons that we are so picky on who can become a representative is because someone can’t just have a perfect attendance for the meetings or just make good grades. They must be leaders for their class and even role models to their fellow classmates. When a representative can act like a punctual, reliable, and responsible person, the rest of the members will carry out his/her influence. That way

once the members are at full potential, our club will be advancing in so many levels.

Cy-Woods key club only deserves the best, so we pay extra attention on who we want to become leaders and role models that will represent our club.

Some of the characteristics we look for in a representative would be the reliability because nothing builds a better foundation than trust. Also, representatives who are organized and punctual can create a well-rounded responsible personality. Our representatives are our foundation to the success of our club and they play an important role in creating the exceeding progress we make. Without our amazing representatives, our club would become lost in chaos. They are the basis of our club and what brings the officers and members together in order to achieve greatness.

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Jingle Bell Jog: ELIMINATE Project l by Rebekah E. Drennon, LTG 34

Saturday, December 8, 2012 began with Jingle Bell Jog participants lined up at the gate of the Mineola Nature Preserve anxiously awaiting a magical event. The jog pulled in 160 participants and over 75 spectators. Mineola community Bank donated 7 cases of water, and TIGERec donated a bouncy house.

If you want to experi-

34Tex-O Key December 2012

ence a magical event, wait at the bottom of the hill at the nature preserve for the participants to begin the race. It is a fantastic experience; over 200 people began descending from the top of the hill, each with a soft jingle bell ringing as they began their jog to trample out Tetanus worldwide.

It truly sounded like Santa and

his reindeer were in their midst.

The event ended with kids playing in the bouncy house, visiting, and people asking if the Division 34 Kiwanis and Key Clubs would host the event again next year. We cleared a little over $1600 for ELIMINATE thanks to everyone who came out and participated.

Fun Ways to Raise Money for CMN l by Preslee Thorne, MacArthur Key Club

Serving Others

l by Jessie Pullen, Davis Key Club

Recently, Davis Key Club members made “sock snowmen” to donate to the Children’s Miracle Network and our local nursing home. One of our members did a demonstration on how to make them. Everyone liked them and we decided it would be a great way to spread the winter cheer. You never know what the little things can do.

We all brought a package of tube socks and the local Kiwanis donated bags of beans, buttons, and

fuzzy pompoms. At the Davis Halloween carnival Key Club had two booths: face painting and a blow up slide. We donated half of the proceeds to UNICEF. Going on right now we are collecting pop tabs for the division project. The pop tabs raise money to go towards the Ronald McDonald house. We serve to give back to our community, and the people in it. When you don’t need help, others do.

Before closing each meeting, we have “happy quarters”. This is a time for the club members to give a donation to Network for simply being thankful. Also, with the end of the year right around the corner, the club is offering a photo shoot for senior pictures at a reasonable price. All of the proceeds go to Children’s Miracle Network.

These are just a few examples of the exciting things we do at meetings in order to raise money for a good cause with a good attitude.

Small Things can make a Big Impact l by Brianna Cook, LTG 5

For smaller clubs, service projects sometimes seem like a large task to tackle as they require extensive planning and most often, large amounts of volunteers. Especially when it comes to participating in large initiatives such as the Governor’s Project also known as the B.R.O. Project, service projects that are easy to participate serve as the most useful type of way to participate. One in particular that has become a very useful way to participate in large service initiatives is to collect donations. Collecting new toys and stuffed animals is a simple yet effective way to

influence the lives of others.

Additionally, one thing that many clubs also participate in is card decorations. Each year, a variety of Key Clubs will make, decorate, and distribute cards to children in local hospitals. This event only requires the participation of a few members to distribute and make get well cards, wishing all of the children well.

Although it doesn’t seem like much, just the small act of kindness from a donation or card distribution, can make a large impact and helps to put everyone in good spirits.

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Move Your Feet….Help a Heart Beat l by Jennifer Kay Tuggle Hinze , LTG 3S

Dance Marathon is only one the most incredible service opportunities EVER! What other time do you get to have tons of fun with your friends while raising THOUSANDS….yes I said THOUSANDS of dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network?

This is an organization that is committed to providing not only medical aid to all pediatric patients regardless of their ability to pay, but it also provides items to make their stay more tolerable. It’s also the beneficiary of the 2012-2013 Governor’s Project.

The first ever high school Dance Marathon in Texas will be held from 7PM- 1AM on

36Tex-O Key December 2012

March 8th in Houston, TX in the Ballroom at the Arabia Shrine Center. 40 committee members from Divisions 3N, 3S, 9E, 10, 25N, 28, and 30 have been working hard for months to plan this event.

Serving on committees ranging from entertainment to finance to morale, the real work for the big event will begin in January.

The event itself is not only going be a blast, but it’s also going to be an emotional experience. Dancers are encouraged to raise funds and the grand total will be counted the night of the event. We hope to reach our goal of having 1000 attendees and $25,000-$30,000.

Furthermore, miracle families

from the local CMN hospital will be sharing their inspiring stories. This night will definitely be a night to remember.

As the founder of the event, I encourage anyone who can come or raise funds to please do so. Contact me at ltg.division3s@gmail.com to learn how to best participate.

Not only will this satisfy patch requirements for the Governor’s Project, but you’ll also have the opportunity to be part of history in the making.

This event means more to me than words can possibly express. We’re going to T-Ogether change lives. Join us for the fun, and remember, everything we do is truly FOR THE KIDS.

Cypress Ranch Key Club Supports Governor’s Project and Children’s Miracle Network l by Hannah Bielefeldt, Cypress Ranch Key Club

For Texas-Oklahoma District Governor Brian O’Hara’s Governor’s Project this year, Cypress Ranch Key Club has been excited to support The B.R.O. Project (Brothers ReachingOut) ben

efiting Children’s Miracle Network.

This has been an amazing opportunity for the club to get involved with such a great organization. Starting in October, the club has done several projects to benefit Houston’s Texas Children’s Hospital, a Children’s Miracle Network hospital.

Early in the year in response to a plea from a parent with strong connections to Texas Children’s Hospital, our club learned that DVD’s were stolen from the treatment rooms at the hospital. We had a rush collection drive for children’s DVD’s in good condition to take to the hospital. In a week’s time, our club collected nearly 200 DVD’s, and a club member’s parent delivered these to the hospital for our club.

At the club’s overnight Lockin in October, there were movies, games, and food but most importantly there were stations for

different service projects. One of the stations was a blanket-making station. That night, Key Club members made a total of eight homemade “no sew” fleece blankets to go to the sick children at the hospital. Holiday Social at Willowbrook Mall. After eating together in the Food Court, the group went to Build-A-Bear Workshop and made several stuffed animals to give to the children at Texas Children’s. The club also used club funds and donated gift cards to purchase toys to take to the hospital.

A week or so before Christmas, Ranch club president Hannah Bielefeldt dropped off all of the toys, blankets, and teddy bears to the Texas Children’s Hospital’s West Campus hospital In early December, club officers held a in Katy, Texas. We are hopeful that these donations will brighten the day of some of the sick children spending time in the hospital over the holidays this year.

Cypress Ranch Key Club is happy to do their part and team up with the Children’s Miracle Network to help the kids at Texas Children’s Hospital. The club plans to continue to participate in this project as the New Year begins.

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Santa hats top frowzy mops of hair throughout the building. Plates are stacked high with freshly cooked pancakes. The crisp winter air teems with the aura of hospitability. The Saturday sun is still rising from its sleep, but the teenage volunteers are up and about, serving pancakes to those willing to service the 100 million women who are affected by maternal/neonatal tetanus (MNT) annually. It is the 2012 Eliminate Pancake Breakfast, and each family packed into the small Applebee’s restaurant is there for a good cause.

The Eliminate Project at general meetings. The members were touched by the young families’ hardships and became determined to make a change.

“This semester, I watched very dedicated members contribute to The Eliminate Project,” President Gabi Bradshaw11 said, “Whether through helping out at car washes, bake sales, or our annual pancake breakfast, our members were inspired to help mothers and their future babies in third world countries. I couldn’t be more proud of our club’s hard work and perseverance.”

Thanks to the owner of a local Applebee’s venue, On December 8, the Cypress Falls Key Club held its anthe club compiled a majority of its fundraised earnings durnual Applebee’s Eliminate Pancake Breakfast in order to ing the Eliminate Pancake Breakfast. Key Club volunteers eradicate maternal/neonatal tetanus from 32 different spent weeks prior to the event selling tickets and spreading countries. The student-led organization has spent much of awareness. On the day of the event, the members served its fall semester dedicated to raising money for The Elimi- as waiters and advertisers; proceeds from the event were nate Project, through the breakfast, car washes, trick-ordonated to The Eliminate Project. treating for UNICEF, and bake sales.

“During the Pancake Breakfast,” Vice President Ryan The Eliminate Project is not only a great cause,” Sachit Thompson12 said, “all of our members were extremely Saksena11 said, “but it’s also a necessary one. Tetanus is, flexible and willing to do whatever we asked them to do. and has been, a very avoidable disease. A $1.80 vaccine We were all motivated to work hard because of the inspishouldn’t stand between the future of a mother and her rational Eliminate video, which united our efforts to fight child.”

MNT.”

The club members welcomed the advent of the 2012The Eliminate Pancake Breakfast took the Key Club one 2013 academic year by setting a fundraising goal for The step closer to its final fundraising objective. District Project Eliminate Project. In order to raise awareness amidst the Chair, Saksena, created and slowly filled a poster of a school, the officer board decided to present videos about syringe to document growth toward the goals.

A Shot at Life

l by Tashrima Hossain , Cypress Falls Key Club

38Tex-O Key December 2012

vaccina the me represe the nu able to

ter, the goal. T saved 7

Maryam to save worked a large wonde

regardi

group tic and

ers. Th They’v stack-e part in With c nal/ne one syr

“The theme of The Eliminate Project is to provide ations,” Saksena said, “so it seemed fitting to use edical tool used to administer the vaccinations to ent our progress; the filling of our syringe symbolizes umber of vaccines contributed by Cypress Falls. We’re o give children around the world ‘a shot at life.’”

With all of the money raised from the fall semese Key Club has filled the syringe and achieved its Through its efforts, it has raised $1,406 and, in turn, 781 lives.

“I am extremely proud of our club,” Secretary m Arjomandi12 said, “We have fundraised enough e hundreds of mothers across the globe. We have d hard to reach our goal and are excited to have such e accomplishment, thanks to the hard work of our erful officer board and members.”

The club sponsor expressed the same sentiments ing the attainment of the club’s fundraising goals.

“It is rewarding to work with such a wonderful of students,” Kathie Kiklas said, “They are enthusiasd work so hard to make the club a success.”

The Key Club has reached success for 781 mothheir future children. The children’s future children. ve all been saved. The Santa hat-wearing, pancake eating, early-rising group of volunteers has done its n guaranteeing a shot at life for 100 million victims. continued service to The Eliminate Project, matereonatal tetanus will be eliminated from the world— ringe at a time.

Top 25 Clubs *these are of the rankings from October. Rankings will be updated in the February Issue.

Brownwood Cinco Ranch Cy Creek Cy Fair Cy Falls Cy Ranch Cy Woods Goose Creek Memorial Jenks Lampasas MacArthur Manor New Tech Mansfield Summit Mayde Creek Nacogdoches North Crowley R.L. Paschal Randall Sam Houston San Angelo Sulphur Venus WE Boswell West Brook Wetumka Tex-O Key December 2012

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“The entire world stands with us.�

-President Barack Obama

Have a moment of silence

for the

V

of the Connecticut 40Tex-O Key December 2012

Victims

t Shooting...

Thanks For Reading Tell me what you think of this issue!

Start thinking about what you can write for next month’s Tex-O Key: 1) What event have you attended that was made to help Children’s Miracle Network, March of Dimes, or Unicef?

2) What are some fun ice breakers to “break the ice”?

3) What was a DCON memory that makes you want to go again this year?

Feel free to submit other articles as well! Who knows? They might have a chance to end up in the Tex- O Key too! Remember to add a picture, a title, your school, and last but not least, your name!

Grace Liu T-O District Editor editor@tokeyclub.com 817-962-8945 Does your club have good resolution, diverse, and compassionate Key Club related pictures that show a positive effect? If so, send them to me for a chance to end up on the front cover or table of contents!