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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