Experimenting with Service 2013 South RTC

This past Saturday, May 11, was the Spring Regional Training Conference. It took place at Cedar Creek High School, from nine in the morning to one in the afternoon. This year RTC motto was “Experiment with Service”.  At RTC breakfast and lunch was served to the attendees. For breakfast we were served donuts, fruit, yogurt, coffee, and orange juice, then for lunch there was pasta, ice tea, water, cake, brownies, cookies, and fruit. Throughout the conference there were many LTGs from different districts and Chairpersons’. During the RTC introduction, the LTGs and Chairpersons’ went over different events coming up such as, ICON, Fall Rally, and Key Leader.  Also this year’s district project was revealed to be the Eliminate Project. 

As for workshops they were broken up into four sessions, the first being half an hour, and the rest being 25 minutes, the workshops that I had attended were General Member, Make Your Meetings Move/ Icebreakers, KEYping it Classy, and Major Emphasis/ Parts of Service. During these workshops I learned how to become a better member of Key Club, such as, keeping up with events and taking part of planning events even if I am not an officer or committee chair. Also I was informed of how to dress and behave when attending Key Club events as my actions and behavior represents Key Club as a whole. Lastly, I was able to familiarize myself with the organizations that Key Club is associated with, and their significance.

Overall the experience of RTC was a memorable one. I was able to meet new people, learn more about Key Club, and have fun as I did it.

                                                            Written By Kimberly Tran

                                                                        General Member

March of Dimes

This is a little over due but here’s our March of Dimes experience from the point of view of our own Preferred Charities Officer Committee Chair, Celine Xia 

” On April 28th, 2013, I had the pleasure to participate in the March of Dimes. It is a 5K walk on the Ocean City boardwalk, and the day was gorgeous. We started off by enjoying some fantastic refreshments that the March of Dimes organization generously provided for the walkers! There were bagels, bananas, apples, pretzels, iced coffee, and even coconut water. As the starting time came near, there were two enthusiastic March of Dimes Coordinators lead the walkers went on stage and  that helped the crowd stretch and warm up. We did some jumping jacks, lounges, and the typical stretches. The time came, and everyone began to walk. It was like a herd of animals on the loose.

         The walk was nice, filled with chatters, laughs, and friends coming together for a common cause. Along the way, a lady stopped me and asked, “What is this event for?” I was surprised but replied quickly telling her that it was to help fund raise money for babies that were born prematurely, or with an illness. When I started to get ahead of everyone, I noticed that families had t-shirts that said, ” I’m walking for _____,” It also included the weight of the baby and the date he/she was born. These t-shirts made me realize that these where the type of people I was supporting on the walk. I was part of something that helped infants around the world. I was touched.

           As the walk came to an end, there was cake, shaved ice, cotton candy, and popcorn. It was a great way to end a long walk. I am so glad that I went, and will be looking forward to the next March of Dimes! — Celine Xia”

District Convention 2013

“There are no words that can describe DCON [District Convention]. Rather than a convention, it felt more like a family reunion even though I didn’t know 99% of the people.” – Kelly Ma grade 9

“It really was  an experience of a lifetime. .. I got the chance to meet amazing people… it’s a great feeling to know that there are other[s] out there who are … [like us], and that we’re all working together to make the world a better place (no matter how cheesy that sounds).” – Althea Pulido grade 10

“It was amazing. Key Club is even more amazing now. I want to go back.” – Kristopher Tran grade 9

Just as the attendees of District convention 2013 said, “There are no words that can describe DCON…” and “It really was an experience of a lifetime…” This time last year EHTHS Key Club came home from the New Jersey Key Club District Convention of 2012 with 13 district awards. This year the Key Club reached even greater heights and not only increased the attendance at district convention, but also built many new cross-divisional and even cross-district friendships. Key Club is not just a service organization, it is an experience filled with service, adventure, and friendship.

This year the 67^th Annual District Convention was held during the weekend of April 5^th to April 7^th, and EHTHS Key Club was chosen to be this year’s Host Club.  The Key Clubbers spent many hours making banners, centerpieces, posters, and silhouettes for the 1920’s themed convention.

Once arriving at the hotel, the Key Clubbers, dressed in their Key Cub shirts, dropped off their luggage, and began decorating the hotel halls and ball rooms with tinsel curtains, beads, photobooth polaroid and decorations, and other 1920’s themed items. As the EHTHS Key Clubbers put the finishing touches on their Gatsby themed party, other Key Clubs from throughout the state began to arrive, and old friends embraced each other in the halls.

District Convention is not the only Key Club event. Throughout the year the Key Club district of New Jersey gets together at International Convention in the summer, Fall Rally in the fall, Regional Training Conferences in the spring and fall, Key Leader in the winter, Divisional events throughout the year, and then ending each service year Is the District Convention, and through these events many unforgettable friendships and club bonds form. For EHTHS Key Club the bond grew between them, the Tenafly High School Key Club, and Bayside NY Key Club; forming “Eggaflyside”. 

Throughout the weekend, members attended workshops, voted for the New Jersey District Board, and were recognized for their achievements through the service year. Awards for this year include:

-          Platinum Level Achievement Award as a club.

-          3^rd place for nontraditional scrapbook by Sahira Iqbal (Senior) and Ro Ann (Christine) Pao (Junior)

-          3^rd place for club video by Valerie Wong (Senior)

-          1^st place Bulletin Editor Award to Pak Chau (Junior)

-          Host Club Award

-          Golden Member Award to Ahsan Irkam (Junior)

-          Distinguished Officer Awards:

o   President Valerie Wong (Senior)

o   Vice President Parth Parikh (Senior)

o   Corresponding Secretary Vi Nguyen (Junior)

o   Recording Secretary Cynthia Thurairajah (Junior)

o   Bulletin Editor Pak Chau (Junior)

o   Treasurer Selina Su (Senior)

Adding to the success and achievement of this year, Egg Harbor Township’s Pak Chau, bulletin editor, and Kelly Tran, Lieutenant Governor Division 1b, were elected to be District Editor and District Secretary of the New Jersey District. Both students gave countless speeches and campaigned throughout District convention with support from their home club and their campaign teams, to win the favor of the 1,000 key clubbers. The EHTHS Key Club is proud and honored to be home club of both the newly elected District Editor and Secretary and will continue to support them throughout this service year of 2013-2014.

At the end of District Convention 2013, the key clubbers left the unforgettable weekend with new experiences and passion for service. Overall EHTHS Key Club’s 2012-2013 service year has been phenomenal thanks to the hard work of its general members, officers, and advisors. With the inspiration from this weekend fueling them, the EHTHS Key Club will make the 2013 - 2014 Service year even better than the last, and will keep on climbing to new heights together as a club and as a family.

Let’s destroy these last 16 days of the 2012-2013 service year, cubs!

The Key Chain: Volume XVII, Issue 11