The YanKey February 2012
Volume LVV Issue II
The official publication of the New England District of Key Club International
The YanKey
Interested in being featured in the YanKey? Well, here are two opportunities! • Cover page contest: submit a high quality image and write a few words on how you think it pertains to service • Club/Division Spotlight: Write a small explanation about what distinguishes your club/division from the rest with a few pictures of course! For more information, or to submit entries for any YanKey contest email Steve at stephenrobertsjr@gmail.com Promotional Posters should be for your home club and provide meeting information: where and when.If you would like to participate in this contest there are a few simple guidelines. • It is not a requirement for it to be at graphic standards level, but posters at graphics standards will be considered before those not at graphic standards. • Posters must be submitted by 20 April 2012. • Posters must be submitted in these dimensions: 8.5 Inches by 11 Inches • Posters must be visually appealing and must not be offensive to any person whatsoever.
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IN THIS ISSUE Looking Local...................3-5 District Projects.................6-7 International News...........8-9 District News..................10-15 Detachable Recruitment Poster..................................16
LOOKING LOCAL
Hosting a Blood Drive with Woburn Memorial High School Key Club
Written by: Rob Gibbs
On October 31 2011, the Woburn Memorial High School Key Club in partnership with the American Red Cross hosted a six hour blood drive. The Key Club had a great response from the students and faculty alike. As a result, the American Red Cross collected 40 pints of blood for donation. The patience and cooperation of the entire school body made the process much easier. The Woburn Memorial High School Principal remarked, “It is great to see the school community come together for such an important cause.” Woburn Memorial High School Key Club’s blood donation will contribute greatly to saving lives. The Woburn Memorial High School Key Club would like to especially thank the Red Cross for the time and efforts of their devoted workers and volunteers. Woburn High’s efforts will be added to the life-saving 6 million pints of blood collected by the Red Cross annually. If you are interested in learning more about hosting a blood drive, please go to http://www.redcrossblood.org/ hosting-blood-drive . It is a cause that saves lives. All photo/logo credits go to their respected photographers and the American Red Cross.
Text REDCROSS or 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
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The YanKey
Bike and boat: Volunteering with greenville key club Written by: Spencer Lee
Greenville, Maine. Vacationland at its best! We have a large lake for water activities, several mountains for hiking, cross country ski trails, and many nature trails. But before Greenville was a place to come to for vacation, it was a logging and lumbering town. As the forests were being logged, loggers started to use one of the natural features to transport wood to the mills. It was the Moosehead Lake, and to transport these logs they built several large transportation boats. Many of these boats have long been put out of commission. The last remaining boat is known as the Katahdin, or as the locals fondly call her, “the Kate”. Every summer, the people of Greenville hold an annual event, known as the “Bike and Boat”. Riders who participate are expected to ride from Greenville to Rockwood which is another town just up Moosehead Lake from Greenville. Once the bikers reach the finish in Rockwood, the Katahdin will sail from Greenville to the pickup point in Rockwood. All bikers will then load onto the boat and will take a scenic boat ride back to Greenville. This yearly event is a great combination of the present Vacationland and the old logging town Greenville, Maine used to be. For more information on how to donate to the annual Bike and Boat please visit http://cadean.org/dynamic.aspx?id=69280
Key Club members world wide serve over 12 million community service hours annually.
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LOOKING LOCAL
Volunteering in every season
Written by: Emily Kyte As summer fades into fall, the autumn foliage makes its annual appearance. Though beautiful, once littered on the ground leaves create a challenged for many elderly citizens. Without the physical ability to rake the leaves away from their steps and sidewalks, senior citizens may face a dangerous hazard to their health. Since Scarborough has a number of elderly citizens in need each fall, the Scarborough High School Key Club has started a fall leaf raking program. Each year elderly citizens write to or call our club advisor and request that their leaves be raked. Once a list of elderly citizens is formed, club members sign up to volunteer. We meet up on an early Saturday morning, break up into groups, and set out to rake and bag leaves. Once leaves have been collected, we drop them off at a local farm which takes leaves for free each year. This helpful volunteering opportunity is both helpful and fun! The Cost of Volunteerism Rakes - $28.82 Lawn Bags - $7.00 The Fun Memories Created - Priceless Places that Need to be Raked Retirement Homes Hospitals Schools
The actual cost of this service project can be extremely low because the cost of rakes can be removed if you borrow them from your parents. If you cannot borrow rakes from your parents, then the resale price of rakes are $8 - $15. Lawn bags sell for about 40 cents a bag. If you remove 25 lawn bags, and you do not purchase rakes, then the entire cost of this service project is $10.
Service in our Home, our School, and our Community The February YanKey - Page Five
The YanKey
Key Club Rocks KPTi Written by: Clorese Johns On December 3, many Key Club members attended the Kiwanis Pediatric trauma Institute Annual Open House. Key Clubbers from all over New England showed their support by donating dolls, blankets, and school and art supplies. KPTI is located in the center of Boston and is a part of The Floating Hospital for Children at Tuft’s Medical Center. KPTI has a system designed to respond to pediatric trauma: emergency medical technicians, local hospitals to treat most injuries, and a regional hospital for the more severely injured children. KPTI is dedicated to preventing traumatic injury. Medical research is conducted on the effects of traumatic brain injury. Community safety is a high priority for KPTI. It provides safety information to many organizations, local hospitals, day care centers, homes, police and fire departments, and other facilities. They offer a complete bicycle safety program to clubs and community groups to host in their local area, and they provide specialized training to pediatric emergency caregivers. The Floating Hospital employs a team of highly skilled nurses, physicians, and technicians, all trained in the specialized care of pediatric trauma. If you were unable to make it to this year’s open house, I highly encourage you to try again next year. If you would like more information on the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute or the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, please visit their website at www.kpti.org. Page Six - The February YanKey
DISTRICT PROJECTS
The Eliminate Project
By: Clorese Johns Every day in the developing world, 22,000 children die from preventable causes before reaching their fifth birthday. Although one person cannot single-handedly stop this, there are ways to help. The Eliminate Project is Kiwanis International’s global campaign to help eliminate maternal/ neonatal tetanus from the face of the Earth. Elimination is achieved when there is less than one case of the disease per 1,000 live births in every district of the country. The fundraising effort will raise US$110 million for the project by 2015. Maternal/neonatal tetanus affects many people in some of the world’s poorest countries. The disease is contracted from unsanitary birthing practices. It is very deadly and can kill both the mother and her baby. A baby usually dies within one week of contracting MNT. During this week the child endures extreme pain and becomes very sensitive to light and touch, causing them to have painful convulsions and difficulty breathing. MNT takes the lives of 160 babies everyday; that’s one baby every nine minutes. Tetanus is 100% preventable, but it has a fatality rate of 100% in areas lacking treatment. The good news is we can help save the lives of 61 million mothers and their future babies. For just $1.80, about the price of a cup of coffee, you can pay for three doses of the tetanus vaccine which is all it takes to protect the mother and baby. Since 2000, MNT has been eliminated from 20 countries, leaving 39 yet to be helped. There are many ways that you can do your part to eliminate tetanus in the remaining countries. You can show your support by raising awareness in your school and community – the more people know, the more likely they are to help. You can post fliers at public areas in your community, and you can make an MNT presentation in your school. You can also hold fundraisers. You could hold an Eliminate dance, make an Eliminate piggy bank, or create your own fundraiser. All money raised for this project supports multiple initiatives. The money will support the immunization of women who are of reproductive age by administering the three vaccines to mothers and newborns who have limited access to prenatal care, immunizations, and birth attendants. It will also bring immunizations to pregnant women as a part of a package of interventions delivered during prenatal care visits. The money will also fund the promotion of clean delivery practices, increasing the number of healthy births. A small portion of the funds go towards educating the Kiwanis family on MNT issues. The Eliminate Project is a great program dedicated to saving the lives of those less fortunate than we are. So do what you can to help. Save up spare change, advocate, fundraise, or skip that cup of coffee. After all, for only $1.80 who wouldn’t save a few lives?
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The YanKey THE KEY CLUB ALUMNI ASSOcIATION
Written by: Lucy McDermott There’s one problem with Key Club. Once you graduate from high school, you’re out. Done. Finished. AKA Graduated. As harsh as this reality is though, it isn’t a bad thing. For those of us who were in Key Club, the Key Club Alumni Association is a wonderful and natural transition because even though it’s sad to leave, no one is supposed to stay in high school their entire life. The goal is to move on. Now that we’re in the real world, the pressures of life have a way of bogging us down. Whether it’s work, school, or family, the daily grind can make it hard to live the life we want to live. The antidote? Plugging in and living our lives with other like-minded, passionate individuals who spur us on to be the person we want to be. Key Club impressed upon us a love for service and empowered us to live it out, so why not tap into the strength of this same community for the long haul? That’s what the alumni association is about. Join for free and begin to connect with Key Clubbers from all walks of life who share your love for Key Club and passion for service to others. Together we can do more. For more information go to http://slp.kiwanis.org/kiwanis/ en/alumni/key-club-alumni/Home.aspx
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
International Update from our very own lucy mcdermott Hello all you New England District Lobsters! I hope that everyone is ready for yet another snowy winter full of service. As you know my name is Lucy McDermott, and I am your International Trustee for the 2011-2012 Key Club year. I live in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, which is the rural town where I have lived for 17 years. My job as Trustee is to be a liaison between the international level of Key Club and the club level. I send out weekly updates to the New England District Board. If you would like to be included in my weekly e-mails please e-mail me so I can add you to the e-mail list. Also do not hesitate to contact me if you ever have any question. I would be more than happy to answer any questions, and if I cannot answer the question, I will ask someone who will be able to answer your question. Also make sure to “like” Key Club International on Facebook for up to date information on International. Also make sure to look at the Key Club International YouTube page for new Key Club TV episodes! This year the International Board is working very hard to help serve you. We are 13 very committed members to help make Key Club the best it can be! We have set a membership recruitment goal of 275,000 members and we are currently at 263,000 members. Let’s push for another 12,000 by the end of the year, I know we can reach 275,000! I hope that you all will attend DECON April 13-15, 2012 so I can meet you and hear about your wonderful clubs. Until then, keep up the great service New England! In caring, service, and friendship, Lucy McDermott International Trustee lem.trustee@gmail.com
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The YanKey Youth Opportunities Fund Written by: Cody Hopkins
The Major Emphasis Program: “Children: Their Futures, Our Focus”
Has your club considered doing a service project but was unsuc- Written by: Cody Hopkins last run date: September 2011) In 1946, Key Clubbers were challenged. We cessful because of a lack of financial support? If this is something your club were challenged by Key Club International to make has faced, you need to apply for the an International impact; today, we make that impact Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) Grant! through the Major Emphasis Program. When fundraisEach year a portion of every Key Club ing for the March of Dimes, Children’s Miracle Network, or UNICEF, we are making an impact on our Major member’s dues, as well as money Emphasis. raised through G. Harold Martin FelNot only is fundraising a major part of the lowships is added to an endowment fund held within the Kiwanis Founda- program, but a hands-on service initiative called Live2Learn also makes up a large part of this program. tion. Every club in good standing (all Live2Learn’s main goal is to better the lives and educaclubs who have paid dues) is eligible tion of children ages 5-9. By targeting three main goals, to apply for a YOF grant in an amountimproving grades, giving back, and growing together, ranging from US$100 to US$2,000. This Key Clubbers are able to better the lives of children. Part of this service initiative is to mentor, tutor, grant money is usually awarded to and assist children in their everyday education. If 60 a club who is working with another minutes were taken out of your week to even just read organization to raise a portion of the to a young child, that child would greatly benefit. Just funds needed for the service projects these 60 minutes each week would help this child to of the club. develop social skills, evolve his imagination, and give In order to apply for this grant, him someone to look up to. your club must fill out an application Each day as Key Clubbers we look to benefit our by going to www.keyclub.org. The homes, schools and communities. We look for ways to application can be found within the get others involved in giving back. By providing serDownloads section of the website. vice opportunities for young children within their own Key Club International does suggest schools, we are mentoring and leading them to live that anyone interested in applying for the lives of a servant leader. Through both improving a grant read the Application Guide- grades and giving back, we are growing together. By lines which can be found in the Key us taking just 60 minutes out of our days, we are stimuClub Guidebook under Board Policies. lating young children’s imaginations, we are developThere is a strict deadline for all aping personal growth, and we are making a major implications of October 15; no applica- pact in a child’s life. tions will be accepted after this date! When you are conducting service projects this year, keep our service initiative in mind. Take just an hour out of your week to change the life of a child, chair a walk to raise money for premature children in the March of Dimes, and make an International impact! For more information about the Major Emphasis Program, visit www.keyclub.org. (
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DISTRICT NEWS Call to Convention Hello New England District of Key Club International, My name is Karl Uzcategui. I am the current Division 30 Lt. Governor and your District Conference Chair for the 2011-2012 Key Club year. I would just like to extend an invitation to all Key Clubs in New England: On April 13-15 at the Marriott and Sheraton Hotels in Springfield, Massachusetts we will have our annual district convention. This event has several names: DCON, Convention, District Educational Conference, and DeCon. This year’s theme is Outer Space with the slogan, “Service! To Infinity and Beyond!” I hope you will take the opportunity to participate in our various contests and apply for some wonderful scholarships. If your club members are unable to attend, you may still enter most of the contests, and all members may apply for scholarships. In addition to the many existing contests, we have added one more for all those Key Clubs that attend DeCON. It is called the Club Pride Award, and it will be given at the Awards Ceremony at convention. As the name indicates, the club with the most visible pride will receive recognition from the New England District. A criteria and entry form will be mailed out in the next general mailing. Also, for clubs that wish to apply to be a Host Club, a form will be sent out for your club to compete. Remember you, as the members of the New England District, contribute the most to the success of the convention. I have created an email. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns dealing with DeCON, the DeCON Committee and I would be happy to review them. If this will be the first time your club attends DeCON, you probably have lots of questions. If your club is returning to DeCON, we want to hear from you too. Our main goal for this email is to encourage you to send us any and all ideas that you might have. Also, feel free to tell us what you liked most about DeCON in the past. Did someone you meet or something you learned at DeCON inspire you? This conference is not only for the District Board, it is for each and every Key Clubber. If we know what you want or what you’re looking forward to, then we as the District Board can aim toward making your conference experience one to remember. The emails NED.DECON@gmail.com I look forward to seeing all of you at the conference and hope you will take back a piece of knowledge to your individual clubs. Thank you for your time and continuous dedication to service. Sincerely, Karl Uzcategui
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The YanKey
K-Family Relations
Written by: Sara Sweeten What’s one very special part of the Key Club International family? Well, as many of you know, we’re a part of an even bigger family – the K-Fam! The Kiwanis Family consists of our parent organization, Kiwanis and Circle K, Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids and Aktion Club. There are all types of people involved in the K-Family, but what makes it so great is that we all have one common goal – the goal of service. For years and years, the K-Family has teamed up to do so many outstanding service projects, but sometimes it can be hard to remember that keeping strong relationships with our K-Family members is one of our most important roles as a Key Clubber. So why are K-Family relations so important? For one, they strengthen the force of service, so more ideas are spread, more connections are made, and therefore, more service is accomplished. As for those on the K-Family who are younger than us - Builder’s Club and K-Kids - we serve as role models. Whether we know it or not, we are their mentors and our good examples set the stage for our younger generation. Not only that, but younger K-Family members are future Key Clubbers, and we want them to be the best they can be for our great organization. What can we do for the younger K-Family members? We can coordinate a joint service project with them and make them feel as involved in the planning as possible so that they feel they’re doing their part too. We could hold a training for K-Kids or Builders Club members to teach them more about the organization, and how to grow as servant leaders. Even as simple as having our presence at a meeting they hold can make a huge difference. Also, we can’t forget about Kiwanis, Aktion Club and Circle K members! The members of these clubs serve as our mentors. It is important to keep strong relationships with them because they are our role models. Attending regular Kiwanis meetings (especially of your sponsoring Kiwanis Club) is extremely important to keep everyone in constant communication throughout the year. Hold a service project with some Circle K or Aktion Club members, or even just keep up communication with some members to share ideas or advice. Want to plan ahead? Mark the date for Saturday, April 21, 2012 – the date of Kiwanis One Day. Kiwanis One Day is a global effort toward service where all K-Family members can participate in making a difference. Don’t miss out on taking part on this great day! The New England District Board of Key Clubs, has a K-Family Relations Committee with the goal of educating Key Clubbers about the importance of K-Family relations and strengthening these relations throughout the 2011-2012 Key Club year. With the help of so many dedicated Key Clubbers willing to help improve these relations, we can have an incredibly successful year of service!
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DISTRICT NEWS Hello New England District, I hope you are all finding your Key Club year extremely successful. I am sure you are all making your schools and communities very proud. I know many of your clubs have already submitted dues and some have even hit the Early Bird deadline, but there are still Hello New England, a great number of clubs who have not yet I hope everyone is having a fantastic Key passed in their dues. This is a problem that needs to be remedied as soon as possible. It Club year so far! I am very impressed with the is extremely important that clubs submit dues secretary reports which I have received so far. I love hearing about everyone’s different so that Key Club International recognizes them as an official part of the Key Club family club service projects. However, as the year and so that they receive all of the resources progresses, there are a few things that I would and important information that comes with like all club secretaries to keep in mind. First, many clubs are still not submitting reports. If being a part of this family. clubs do not have my contact information, If a club has yet to submit its dues, it they should contact their corresponding Key should begin by updating the Membership Update Center, which can be found on the Club Lieutenant Governor. Also, some clubs are turning in the report late which causes Key Club International website, www. Keyclub.org. The information to access the Up- points to be subtracted from the report. This date Center should have been mailed to the also gives me less time to grade the reports. club’s adviser previously this year, most likely All clubs should remember that reports are in late August or early September. Each club due on the 10th of every month. Finally, secretaries who mail their reports to me should must have 15 paid members to be considremember to include their email address ered an official Key Club. Each of these 15 on the report. I will email the report grade members is required to pay $10. If these requirements have been met and the Member- to all secretaries. However, if the email is ship Update Center has been updated, then not included, the grade will be emailed to the club’s corresponding Lieutenant Govthe club will be considered paid. Thank you for your cooperation. If you ernor. Once again, all secretaries should be have any further questions please feel free to extremely proud of their work because the contact either myself or one of the incredible majority of the reports I have received have been phenomenal. Keep up the good work lieutenant governors in our District. and hope to see you all at DECON! Yours in caring and in service, Email: ngobitak.ndiwane@yahoo.com Rebecca Marchesseault Key Club International’s New England District Mailing Address: Ngobitak Ndiwane 126 Washington Street Treasurer Malden, MA 02148 Yours in service, Ngobitak Ndiwane New England District Secretary The February YanKey - Page Thirteen
The YanKey GOVERNORS MESSAGE
Greeting New England Key Clubbers! Does it really seem possible that it is already February? I still have a hard time believing that this Key Club year is nearly over! I hope you all are having an outstanding service filled year and are serving your homes, schools and communities in some fun and creative ways. I would like to take this opportunity to update you all on a few very important deadlines and dates to be aware of as we quickly approach the end of the year! Are you and all of the members of your club a member of the District Facebook page? If not, please search for ‘New England District of Key Clubs 2011-12’ as this is a great place to share new ideas, and stayed informed of all District events and important news! I also would like to formally invite all New England Key Clubs, who have paid their dues to join us in Springfield, MA at the Springfield Marriott on April 13-15 as New England celebrates the 2011-12 year of service, with an Outer space theme and the slogan, “Service to Infinity and Beyond!” The District Board has been working extremely hard to make this one of the best Conferences yet and you don’t want to miss it! DeCON is going to be an exciting weekend filled with dances, elections of Executive Board Members, and even a really cool Meet and Greet! Make sure your club has sent in their dues to ensure that you can celebrate at DeCON! Also, make sure to have your registration sent in by all deadlines to reserve your spot! Have you or someone in your club considered running for an Executive Board Position on the New England District Board of Trustees? If so, you must file a formal letter of intent that must be mailed to Financial Counselor, Mr. Daly, Administrator, Mr. Whitney and myself. The deadline for all letters of intent is February 28, 2012. The letter of intent must include; your name, contact information, and the position you intend to run for. If your letter is not filed on time, you will not be able to campaign for the entire conference weekend. For more information, contact your Lieutenant Governor or email me at: keyclubnokomis@gmail.com I hope to see you all in April at this year’s District Educational Conference on April 13-15, 2012! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask! Yours in caring and service, Cody Hopkins NED Key Club Governor Page Fourteen - The February YanKey
DISTRICT NEWS KEY CLUB TERMS TO KNOW AKTION CLUB BUILDERS CLUB DECON K-FAMILY LOBSTER MASSACHUSETTS SPRINGFIELD YANKEY KIWANIS
E I I I K I W A N I S I L
B S G B N T B K F B D D D
U S Y U I K K T D E B I E
D L E I F G N I R P S B D
B R I L H O E O I B D B S
H E B D C B E N B I E E N
S T T E S U H C A S S A M
R S D R S L L L L L S I C
C B E S L C I U C E S E A
I O C C O Y A B U N K P I
S L L L A E I S U T S O S
A L U U L K O A D K B O L
R O S B A O T K C G S B A
A WORD FROM THe editor Hey New England! I hope all of you enjoy the February YanKey! I would like to thank you all for having patience while my computer systems and designing programs were down. I would also like to thank the PaciďŹ c Northwest Editor MaryAlice Peng in her help with my brand new YanKey design and template. If you have any questions concerning the YanKey please email me at stephenrobertsjr@gmail.com. I hope to see all of you at this years District Convention! Yours in Caring, Steve Roberts Jr. District Bulletin Editor The February YanKey - Page Fifteen
d h n a c p x E a e r your
joining Key Club. Key Club members play a part in cool
Join us!
community service projects that make a difference at
Date/Time: __________________________
Take your high school experience to the next level by
home and across the globe. Plus, they gain leadership experience that’ll impress college recruiters. Attend a Key Club meeting or event to join and take an active role in Generation S (Service).
www.keyclub.org
Location: ___________________________ Contact: ____________________________