A LETTER FROM YOUR PRESIDENT 4

A LETTER FROM YOUR TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 5

MEMBER OF THE MONTH 6

D35 EAST BANQUET 7

LANTERMAN SPECIAL OLYMPICS 8

YMCA RESTORATION 9

BONELLI TRIATHLON 10

TROOP PACKAGING 11

UPCOMING EVENTS 12

CONTACT INFORMATION 13

Hello Key Clubbers!

My name is Jane Wu, and I will be serving as YOUR next president for the 2013-2014 school

year. I am so blessed to be a part of this great big Key Club ohana, and I look forward to a year

filled with service, spirit, and excitement! So, before you flip through the pages of our very first

newsletter, perhaps you would like to know why Key Club is such an important part of my life.

As high school students, I think the most memorable experiences we have come from the

things we do outside of school. Whether it’s being a part of a sport or club, these activities are

what shape us as individuals. However, out of all the things you could possibly do with yourself in

the span of these four, short years, Key Club is probably one of the most worthwhile. For me, Key

Club means so many things. It means service, family, leadership, spirit, happiness, complacency;

the list goes on and on. As Key Clubbers, we are not only dedicated to giving back to our

community; we also strive to become better humans, better citizens of our world. You see, Key

Club teaches us that caring really can be a way of life, and leadership isn’t just telling other

people what to do. In Key Club, we connect the K’s, we work with other schools and

organizations, and we create a network of spirited and passionate young adults, ready to take

on the challenges of the world.

Now, maybe it’s just me, but whenever I’m at a Key

Club event, no matter how stressed or upset I may be, I

just can’t help but smile and be completely and utterly

happy. Seeing the eager faces of members and the

twinkle in the eyes of those we serve, I know that every

second I spend in Key Club is time well spent. After all,

who actually does homework on Saturdays?

Of course, my experience in Key Club has been, at

the very least, unforgettable. Regardless, my goal this

year is to serve you, the members, and make your Key

Club experience the best it could be. Start submitting

articles, and I’ll catch you at the next event!

Sincerely,

Jane Wu

Hey Key Clubbers,

I am Eric Chen, your technology editor for the next school year. This is my first newsletter

and I just want to say that I had a lot of fun putting this together. As tech editor this year, I want

to let you know that I will need as much articles and pictures as I can get. Always remember to

write articles when you go to events and send it to me at

e.chen@msn.com.

Anyways, I’m sure you have questions about who I am and

what my interests are, so I’ll tell you right now…

I am a freshman at Diamond Bar High School and I like to

push myself to my own limits. I am in Track and Field and I am doing

pole vault this year. Pole vaulting is one of my favorite hobbies

because it really shows how much effort I have put into practice

and it is one of the few things that helps me relieve my boredom

after being in school for a whole day.

Another thing that helps me get away from school is going

to Key Club events. My personal favorite is the Lanterman Special

Olympics. This event is my all-time favorite because I was able to

make delicious snow cones for the athletes to eat while I also had

the privilege to eat as many free snow cones as I wanted.

I especially like going to events because they help relieve

me of all my stress and I leave an event feeling good, knowing that

I was spending my time helping someone else in need.

Hopefully, you know what I’m talking about, but if you don’t,

don’t worry, just make sure to go to the next event! And don’t

forget to WRITE AN ARTICLE for me!

Sincerely,

Eric Chen

Being Member of the Month for April of

Diamond Bar High School was a huge honor for

me. The experiences that I have gained during

my Key Club years taught me that we all are

very lucky right now. It showed me how much a

group of people can accomplish, and how the

accomplishments will affect other people.

For example, my experiences at FFDY

(Foundation for Disabled Youth) showed me that

these families have gone through so many

difficult times, and that they look forward to

attending these events every week. It is a way

for their children to communicate with others

and also for their parents to converse among

themselves. These angels all have different

talents as well as many difficulties, but when you

are working with one of them, you see that they

are not that much different from anyone else.

They have a favorite color and they all have a

favorite thing to do. You can see how proud their

parents are when they see their children talking

to another child. It is just precious to see their

happy faces after one event.

Also, I have been to many Isaiah Rock

events. The wonderful people who run the

organization are amazing. They have gone out

of their way to provide for the unlucky families.

They would package food every few weekends

and distribute them to many families. My favorite

events are the Christmas packing and the

Christmas distribution. During the week of

packing, a lot of people gather together to

complete the packaging. They would blast

Christmas music and everyone would have a

good time while helping these families. This is a

tedious task, but when one goes to the

distribution, it all becomes worth it. The families

were so happy to receive the food and the gifts

that my friends and I packed. To us, it does not

seem like a big deal; we gave up about 10 hours

of our time to pack the goods, but it makes a

huge difference to them. When walking around,

you can see how appreciated these families

were. They would sit outside in the cold for hours

in the morning just to receive these packages.

Recently, I have also gone to a soup kitchen. This

may have been the most emotional event I have

ever been to. Preparing the food for these

individuals was fun for us, but when serving them

the meal, they seemed so happy to receive one

healthy and full meal. All the helpers made sure

that these people had enough food and had a

carefree time. At the end, the leader talked to us

about what we had experienced. Some people

were successful in their life, but after one horrific

event, it left them broken. I learned that day to

appreciate everything I have and the wonderful

life that I have now.

Lastly, social events, such as the Diamond

Bar Birthday Party, were a way for us to

communicate with others. Communicating with

others is an important lesson that can only be

gained over time. These events allow members

to practice these skills. I also went to a DCM

where I got to meet other committed members

of Key Club. They were very outgoing and they

reached out to you. They made you feel like you

belong even if it was my first meeting, and that

meant a lot.

So what does Key Club mean to me?

Well, it taught me so many important values for

the future such as social skills and also to value

everything I have. It also showed me that so

much can be accomplished when you work

hard. I’ve met so many worthwhile friends in Key

Club. I hope for many more great things to be

done in Key Club and also to become a more

committed member of Key Club International.

-Kelly Song

The D35E Banquet was so much fun! Since it

was at Speedzone, after the actual banquet

dinner (which was yummy pizza) we got to ride

go karts and play video games. It was a great

way to bond with officers and meet other Key

Clubbers. We played mini golf in the dark,

which is more fun than it sounds, especially

when you play with Ananda Gutierrez. Lenny

and the divisional officers were great. It was

sad to see them end their term. There were

tears everywhere and group hugs. The rest of

the time was full of laughter and smiles! Having

the banquet at Speedzone was great

because we were able to casually meet other

people and have fun at the same time.

-Tiffany Cheng

Division 35 East’s very own end-of-the-

year banquet was held on Saturday, April 6th,

2013, from 5:00 to 9:30 P.M. The event took place

at Speedzone Los Angeles, an arcade/car

racing/mini golf facility. The first ninety minutes

were spent in a meeting room, where former

officers were recognized and where awards

(such as Elephant of the Year) were given out to

outstanding members by past Lieutenant

Governor (LTG) Lenny Luc and our current LTG,

Andy Wong. Despite the cost ($25 for pizza and

unlimited arcade/racing), many Key Clubbers

attended to have fun, meet new people, and to

relax near the end of second semester. A few of

the Walnut Valley and Hacienda Heights

Kiwanians were present as well. After all the

awards were given out, pizza, soda, and cookies

were served, and after everyone was done

eating, the fun began! Some Key Clubbers

headed to the racing track; those with a driver’s

license had the privilege of racing in the Grand

Prix. (Those without a license, sadly, had to wait

in the long long long line by the other track.)

Others went to the mini golf courts and tried to

navigate tiny golf balls around numerous

obstacles. Still others raced straight for the

arcade, trying out Dance Dance Revolution,

connect 4, table hockey, etc. There were many

laughs and good memories made. The end of

the banquet found the Key Clubbers tired but

happy, and prepared for future service events.

-Crystal Chang

As a Key Club officer, I enjoy attending

service events and helping others. I am proud to

say that I have learned a lot this past month. I am

creating stronger bonds with my fellow co-officers

and I am starting to take my love for Key Club to a

whole new level. This is all thanks to my new

favorite event: The Special Lanterman Olympics

which I attended on Saturday, April 20. At a first

glimpse, the Special Lanterman Olympics was

really similar to other Key Club events such as

Isaiah’s Rock and the Mt. Sac Relays. Within the

first hour of working, however, I realized that I was

wrong. To me, this event was unique and special.

It stood out because of all the dedication in the

athletes that competed. Even though every

athlete faced more challenges then I will ever

face in my lifetime, they worked hard, gave it their

all and proved it to everyone at the Special

Olympics. They overcame every obstacle thrown

at them and made their dreams come true. As a

track runner myself, I know how hard it is to push

yourself past your physical limits but every single

one of them did it. They pushed themselves and

they all soared with flying colors. They are all

champions. I am honored to have been able to

help them reach their goals and I will definitely be

the first to sign up for the Special Lanterman

Olympics next year.

-Allen Chen

YMCA Restoration was one my favorite events of April. During

this event, volunteers from Key Club were asked to help the Hacienda

Heights Kiwanis for Kiwanis One Day. We were to “restore” the YMCA

building by repainting the outside walls and creating a new ramp. In

total, I spent around 9 hours here, from morning to late afternoon. For

the first half of the day, I relentlessly attacked the walls with paint.

Words cannot describe my frustration with myself and the people

around me when white paint splattered on my shoes and hair. My

arms became tired after just half an hour of rolling the paint on the

walls, but I persevered. There was really a sense of teamwork and

unity through common purpose while painting those walls, when so

many Key Clubbers were painting different little pieces of the same

wall, so that in the end, each of our individual contributions combined

to form a completely painted wall. For almost 2 hours, we worked

together to paint one side of the wall. After this, the Kiwanis served us

free lunch, a barbeque. Maybe it’s because I tried my first veggie

burger and also bought from an ice cream truck for the first time, but

even the lunch period of the YMCA Restoration event holds a special

place in my heart. During lunch was when I was actually able to get

to know my fellow Key Clubbers. I was there with only one other Key

Clubber from my school, so it was so interesting meeting different

people who didn’t live in our area. After lunch, we painted two other

sides of the building. This time, though, the atmosphere was much

more relaxed, as we sang to old songs and joked about random

topics. Although I had to leave early, I’m surprised by the many

people I was able to meet and the amount of progress we made in

such a short amount of time.

Even now, almost one month later, the paint refuses to

completely come off my shoes. Yet, when I look at them, I feel a

pleasant sense of accomplishment and pride. Some of the people I

met at the YMCA Restoration have added me on Facebook. Most of

all, though, I feel even more greatly that Key Club is a club that brings

together people who would never have been able to meet each

other otherwise. The YMCA Restoration really demonstrated how Key

Clubbers could work together with strangers, yet at the end of the

day, become friends while still getting service done and bonding with

Kiwanis members.

-Tiffany Zhang

BONELLI TRIATHLON

A grueling 1.5K swim, followed by an excruciating 40K bike ride, concluded with a 10K power run.

This is the Bonelli Triathlon. One can easily see how the race participants might feel a bit discouraged

before, during, or even after the race. I guess it’s a good thing they have us spirited Key Clubbers there

cheering them on the entire way! In fact, my job at the most recent Bonelli Triathlon was just that, to cheer

the racers on. All alone, I was stationed out on the bike course anxious to cheer bikers on. I waited for

what seemed to be an eternity until I heard the swoosh of several bike wheels. As the first biker flew by

me, I opened my mouth to shout, but for some reason, no sound came out. Another several bikers flew by

me and I found myself offering no support or encouragement at all. I really was disappointed in myself;

but I just couldn’t get past the awkwardness of suddenly starting a cheer as a biker raced by. I wasn’t sure

how to start the cheering, but I was sure of one thing—it had to start soon. I noticed a new string of bikers

hurtling my way and I decided that it was time to start screaming and shouting. With a ‘power pose’

under my belt, I cupped my hands around my mouth and cheered my heart out for the incoming bikers.

Nearing the end of the race, I was jumping, shouting, and smiling. What truly put a smile on my face were

the mirrored smiles on the bikers’ faces. One biker even stuck out his hand to give me a high five. And as

tired as they must have been, every single biker gave me a look of gratitude followed by an out-of-breath

“thank you.” After the race had finished, a couple of bikers walked back from the finish line to where I was

standing on the track and actually thanked me for “pumping them up.” Needless to say, I was very

touched. Honestly, the Bonelli Triathlon event was one of the best events I have ever attended. The

feeling of being a part of the bikers’ trek that day made everything worth it—even the feeling of standing

for 5 hours without access to a restroom. I encourage everyone to serve at this event in the future

because it really is one worth going to!

-Caroline Hsieh

TROOP PACKAGING

On Thursday, April 11th, DBHS Key Clubbers helped pack supplies

and various materials for our armed forces. Color guard veterans

gave a special presentation before the event, including with a

patriotic flag salute and song, “America the Beautiful.” Various

troops will receive the packages, which include everything from

magazines, books, and writing materials to shampoo, toothpaste,

and razors. Schools from our very own Division 35 East teamed up

with Key Clubbers from Division 35 West and numerous Kiwanis clubs

to make the event a huge success!

-Steven Gomez

“It was really fun moving around the assembly line! Everything was already

set up and well-organized. I also loved the food: pizza, salad, chips, and

cookies! Best of all, I met so many people from our K-Family and other

schools!”

–Crystal Chang

Annual

Chapman

Awards

Night

-Bonelli Triathlon

-The Color Run™

5k Volunteering

-Isaiah’s Rock

Early Membership Drive

-UC Riverside

Key to College

-May Division

Council

Meeting

Contact Info