keystonian: back to school edition
DESCRIPTION
The Keystonian is the official publication of the Pennsylvania District of Key Club International.TRANSCRIPT
In Key
Club, you
may not
change
the world,
but you
have the
oppor-
tunity to
help
someone
who just
might.
PA Key Clubbers at ICON in front of the Capitol
International convention was held in Washington D.C., the Pennsylvania
tour started on June 30th, and the convention was July 3rd-7th. We boarded
the bus with other PA Key Clubbers, and headed down to D.C. For the first
few days, we explored the historic capital city. We toured the monuments,
museums, and restaurants. Being in the United States capital for the Fourth
of July was a great experience. We also watched the Fireworks on the mall
from our hotel rooms. As Key Clubbers, we made memories and friends
that will last a lifetime. Once the actual convention started, we went to
workshops to make us better Key Clubbers, and leaders. We traded our dis-
trict pins, which featured the fabulous Pinky the Flamingo in Fourth of July
gear. There were Key
Clubbers from around
the world. Some of
the key clubbers in
attendance were from
the Bahamas, Jamaica,
Canada, and even the
U.K. We elected our
new international of-
ficers and Raeford
Podium at the 2013 District Convention/Leadership Conference in Her-shey, PA. This year’s District Convention will be in Harrisburg, PA.
Penny was elected our new inter-
national president, taking over
for Rebecca Riley. We had a Key
note address from Elizabeth
Smart, who was kidnapped for
nine months when she was a
teenager. She was forced to live
a life against her will, and stayed
strong throughout the entire
ordeal. Her story was one of
hope, courage, and inspiration.
While she spoke, a ball room,
full of teenage Key Clubbers was
so silent you could hear a pin
drop. President Riley read a let-
ter at the introduction of the
closing ceremony that was actu-
ally from President Barack
Obama himself. He wrote of
how proud he was of our service
and dedication. It was incredible
to have the President of the
United States write to us, and a
gesture that will not be forgot-
ten. While at convention, every-
one attended an Eliminate
dance, and we danced towards a
better world that is maternal/
neonatal tetanus free. To wrap
up our days we watched Key-
Parkland Key Clubbers prepare for an exciting day at DCON 2013 in Hershey, PA!
Q: The new school year is starting and I’m not sure how to balance Key Club
with my 4,598,986 other extracurricular activities?
- Overcommitted Officer
A: Okay, first, breathe. Remember you are in your position for a reason and you
wouldn’t have been elected if your peers didn’t think you could handle the job.
Being involved in different leadership positions inside and outside of Key Club
will help prepare you for the future. So handling these kinds of situations now
will give you the experience you need to succeed in the future. The best answer is
to put everything into perspective and get organized. Look at what you are all
involved in and decide if you need to cut anything out. Decide what means more
to you and go from there. To help you get organized, get a planner and write eve-
rything down. This will help you not forget anything and give you a resource to
refer to when you need to schedule something.
Q: Our board is so disconnected and the officers barely speak to each other out-
side of meetings. The club is beginning to suffer, because of the lack of commu-
nication. What can we do?
- Mission: Bond the Board
A: Doing simple things outside of school, like a movie night or a pool party, are
good ways to help build friendships between the officers. Different social activi-
ties will help the board better connect with each other and build friendships that
will outlast the years in Key Club. Another option is attending Kiwanis Key Lead-
er, which you can find more information about in this issue of the Keystonian!
Q: About half of our Key Club graduated last year and freshman don’t know
what Key Club really is exactly. Our membership is really lacking and our service
projects aren’t going as well. What do we do?
- Missing Members
A: Host a membership mixer! You can find a how-to guide in this issue! Also, if
your middle school has one, Builders Club is a great way to gain new members, as
they are already a part of the Kiwanis-Family.
By now, you all know that UNICEF plays a major role in the Eliminate Project.
However, UNICEF can’t donate time and money for vaccinations without any
donations. Luckily, there is a creative and easy way that you, a dedicated Key
Clubber, can contribute to the ever-depleting fund pool and help fight maternal
and neonatal tetanus, as well as a lot of other worthy causes. Trick-or-Treat for
UNICEF has helped raise over $167 million so far, and it has made a difference
in the lives of millions of kids across the globe. You can participate in Trick-or-
Treat for UNICEF by preordering your collection boxes at http://
www.trickortreatforunicef.org/order. The boxes are completely free and can be
easily ordered online. From there, it’s easy as dressing up on Halloween and
people for, along with candy, to make a small donation. Anything works: coins
or bills; all you have to do is ask! Be sure to remind them that it’s for a good
cause: eliminating MNT, as well as providing fresh food and water for children
who don’t have access to it. Here are some stories of kids across the world who
have directly benefited from you guys trick-or treating.
Nirmala in Nepal: Around the world there are 150 million orphans. 650,000
orphans live in Nepal itself. Many children in Nepal whohave lost their parents
are forced to work and become caretakers of their younger siblings. 13- year-
old Nirmala, an orphan herself, is taking care of her two younger siblings.
Nirmala works ong days to help provide much needed food for her brother and
sister. Hunger is a real problem in Nepal, with half of all children suffering
from malnutrition, and affecting the most vulnerable children like Nirmala and
her siblings. UNICEF is there in Nepal helping Nirmala and children like her
realize their potential by providing special protection and diets and opportuni-
ties to attend school and get an education for a brighter future.
Rosie Bell in Nicaragua: Almost 800 million people around the world don’t
have access to clean, safe water, includ-
ing a third of the people living in Nica-
ragua's countryside. Until recently, 12-
year-old Rosie Bell used to get up at the
crack of dawn and walk a mile and a
half to fetch water for her family from a
creek. Despite all this effort the water
was unclean and dirty. Consuming the
unclean water caused a nearly fatal case
of cholera for Rosie's younger brother.
UNICEF has installed a solar powered
water pump and filtration system for a
new well in this Nicaraguan community.
The new well provides pure clean water
that is pumped directly into households.
Rosie Bell and other kids are now safe
from contracting fatal water borne dis-
eases. Rosie Bell no longer has to take
the daily long walk and can attend
school. The kids whose lives you are
touching through UNICEF are real,
with real problems that cannot be reme-
died alone. It’s up to you to take ad-
vantage of this scary holiday to alleviate
some scary situations for children like
you across the globe. Take action and
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF this Hal-
loween!
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