The Official District Publication of Pennsylvania Key Club

Sunny Selections

Greetings, Key Clubbers! My name is Stephen Wheadon, and I am honored to serve as your District Governor! I cannot thank you enough for giving me this amazing opportunity. It is the members, like yourself, that enable our amazing organization to exist. Without you, Key Club would not span across 30 countries or be pushing new membership heights of over 250,000 members. With that being said, YOU truly are the KEY to our organization. Aside from my work on the District level, I am also an active member of my home club. My home club is the Wyoming Valley West Key Club in Division 15 South, which is located in Northeast Pennsylvania. Ever since my freshman year, I have been an avid Key Clubber. My experience started as just a member. I later got to blossom and serve at the Club Level as Club Treasurer. That same year an amazing opportunity arose. I was sponsored to attend Key Leader in Wernersville. At Key Leader, I learned the true aspects of being a servant leader, and made friends and memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. Keeping my experiences from Key Leader in hand, I then ran for District Communications Coordinator the following year and won. After a challenging, yet incredibly fun, year as Communications Coordinator, I then realized that I wanted to do something more. I took my final leap and ran for District Governor and won! Now, as Governor, I am serving for you... but only because you enabled me to do so. During my campaign for Governor, I had 4 prime goals: recognize, increase, serve, and educate. I am already well on my way to completing these goals. I have created a Recognition committee on the District level to review, revise, and implement changes to our current recognition polices. By keeping strong communication with my Lt. Governors, I was also able to work on the development and revitalization of new clubs across Pennsylvania. My next goal highlights the most vital component to our organization - service. After all, it's who we are, a service organization! The District Board has approved a 130,000 service hour goal. However, this cannot be completed without YOUR help. Make sure you're filling out all appropriate monthly reports and sending them in. My final goal is to educate. Through working with Bob Orlando, our District Administrator, we are all set on a new type of officer training-- an online training system. For now, this is just a sneak peak... more information will be coming your way over the summer months and into next year. Enjoy your summer vacation, and look for more communication from the District Board to come your way in the next few weeks! Yours in Service, Stephen Wheadon | PA District Governor |Key Club International

Hi there, Pennsylvania District Key Clubbers!

Yes, it's time. Time for what? Why, Key Club

International Convention, of course! ICON, as International

Convention is affectionately termed, is my favorite weekend

of the entire year. It's a time for members from 5,000 clubs

and 30 countries to come together to celebrate their service

and the lasting impact that they've had on the world and

have a blast while doing it! This year's International

Convention will be hosted by the Capital District July 3-7 in

our very own nation's capital: Washington, D.C. Convention

attendees will have the opportunity to hear from keynote

speaker Elizabeth Smart in a general session, learn service

ideas and strategies to take back to their home clubs in

workshops, dance the night away at the Eliminate Project

charity dance, and elect the 2013-2014 Key Club

International Board, and more, not to mention make friends

to keep for a lifetime. I don't exaggerate when I say that

International Convention will be one of the most fun

experiences of your high school career, but you have to be

willing to give it a shot. Check with your lieutenant governor

for more information about registration and the cost of

attending next year. But for this year’s group, I'll look

forward to seeing you in D.C. this July 3-7 for Key Club

International Convention!

Rebecca Riley | International President | Key Club

International

In just a few short days, Key Clubbers from the Pennsylvania District will be traveling to

Washington, D.C. for the 2013 Key Club International Convention. June 30 marks the beginning of our

district tour, and the convention itself runs from July 3-July 7. Key Clubbers from around the state will

begin by traveling south to Washington, D.C. on a motor coach, and will then tour Washington, D.C. on

foot and on the metro, the subway system that runs around the city. Those attending will continue to

tour the United States capital for the next two days, even attending a night tour of the city on a double

decker bus, and we will be participating in a Kids Against Hunger service project on the morning of

Tuesday, July 2. For this project, we will be collaborating with Key Clubbers from other districts, and

trying to set a record for the most meal boxes packaged at one time. The official beginning of the 2013

Key Club International Convention will be on Wednesday, July 3, and there will also be a meet and greet

that night. On Thursday, the day will begin with an advisor and chaperone orientation breakfast,

followed by opening session, district caucuses, a nomination conference, a charity dance, contest judging,

and fireworks to be viewed on the Capitol Mall in honor of Independence Day. Friday will be filled with

workshops, a meet the candidates session, a service fair, and a recognition session. Finally, Saturday will

be chock full with workshops, the House of Delegates, a farewell session, and a dance. Key Clubbers

from around the world will then make the journey safely to their home districts on Sunday, July 7th, with

a wonderful experience under their belts. If you think that this sounds like a fantastic adventure (let’s face

it, who wouldn’t!), then you always have the opportunity to attend next year’s international convention,

to be held in Anaheim, California. As you know, any Key Club event is always a blast, and the Key Club

International Convention is no exception!

- Elissa Hill, Division 8/10 LTG

This year, the PA Key Club District Convention and Leadership Conference was held in Hershey from March 8 to

March 10. Key Clubbers from across the state convened at the Hershey Lodge Friday night, and then gathered for

dinner and an opening session, which featured keynote speaker Patrick Maurer. Mr. Maurer excited Pennsylvania

Key Clubbers with interesting and comical stories, but also inspired leadership and perseverance that would be

themes throughout the weekend. After opening session, Key Clubbers were split into groups, and attended the first

leadership session of the convention, involving games and socializing with a between-the-lines message about

becoming a better leader. Later, at the meet and greet, Key Clubbers participated in service projects to earn tickets,

which could be redeemed to play carnival games. There was also a scavenger hunt that allowed attendees to meet

other Key Clubbers and take pictures with various types of people.

The next day, Saturday, was by far the busiest day of the convention. To begin with, Key Clubbers gathered with

their zones to hear speeches given by those running for district governor, district secretary/treasurer, and district

communications coordinator After lunch, the day was packed full of workshops, officer training, and of course the

House of Delegates. The general session Saturday night was the awards session. At this session, many clubs and

individual Key Clubbers were recognized for their outstanding achievements over the course of the past year, and the

Pennsylvania District celebrated reaching our goal of 100,000 service hours. Saturday night, students relaxed at the

dance, and some were even able to win in the “dance with a board member” drawings.

Before anyone knew it, Sunday morning arrived, and the last day of convention was upon us. One last leadership

breakout session was held in the morning, and students gathered to say farewell to their new friends. The closing

general session was eventful, with the retirement of the past district board, and the installation of the current district

board. The session as a whole was suspenseful as to who would make up the executive board, and finally it was

announced that our new district governor would be Stephen Wheadon, our new district secretary/treasurer would be

Medha Sharma, and our new district communications coordinator would be Helen Wang. Immediate past governor

Tessa Rhinehart ceremoniously passed the gavel to Governor Stephen, and he struck the bell to bring the 2013

Pennsylvania District of Key Club International Convention and Leadership Conference to a close.

- Elissa Hill, Division 8/10 LTG

The most recent Pennsylvania District Key Club Convention, held at the Hershey Lodge from March

eighth to March tenth, was packed full of wonderful memories! One moment that really sticks out in my

mind is the keynote address given by Patrick Maurer. Patrick is a professional public speaker who really

knows how to grab his audience's attention. He jumped around the stage, and kept everyone sitting on

the edge of their seats.

However, the story I will never forget is that of September 11th, and with the Boston Bombings

occurring so recently, I feel it is important to keep in mind. On 9/11, he and a friend were in college,

hundreds of miles away from New York City, when they saw the towers on the news. All they thought

they could do was watch helplessly. They tried to brainstorm ideas and ways to help, but with the chaos

and confusion, all they did was upset themselves, so they went to get ice cream at their local Cold Stone

Creamery. By this time, it was well past 10:00 pm, and they thought it might be closed, but when they

got there, the doors were open, and they ate there cup of hope together. Because of this, they each eat

ice cream from Cold Stone annually on this now-famous date.

Years later, Patrick met an executive of Cold Stone at a conference and told him the story. The

executive looked back, smiled and replied, "I'm really glad you told me that, because we were feeling the

same way and didn't know what to do, so we called our stores and asked them if they could stay opened

as late as they felt they could to comfort Americans across the country." This man was so far away from

what happened and still did something to help. That is the power of one hero, with a line of support

behind them. You have the power to be that hero who can make a difference form a hundreds of miles

away. The support that you need to accomplish anything is held in Key Club.

- Lindsey MacGregor, Division 19N LTG

The Eliminate Project throughout the Kiwanis family focuses on the elimination of Maternal and Neonatal

Tetanus (MNT) in developing countries. This horrible disease claims the lives of 60,000 innocent babies

and 30,000 mothers annually. For just $1.80, three vaccines can be purchased for mothers. Each vaccine

that a mother receives also protects her future children from contracting this painful disease. For the battle

against this disease, the Kiwanis family has partnered with UNICEF, with a goal to eliminate the disease

from the face of the Earth by 2015. Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus has already been eliminated from 31

countries throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including Iraq, China, and Egypt. To accomplish

this goal, $110 Million must be raised to immunize 129 million mothers and their future children. The end

of this disease will mean the beginning of better health for millions of families globally.

- Lindsey MacGregor, Division 19N LTG and Elissa Hill, Division 8/10 LTG

Join the effort today!

Visit:

www.theeliminateproject.org.

Our District Secretary/Treasurer,

Medha Sharma, is a member of

North Allegheny Senior High Key

Club, in Division 3. She is a senior

and has been a Key Clubber since

her first year of high school. That

year, she was her club’s Convention

Planning Committee Chair. She

then went on to be a Distinguished

President, and most recently the

Division 3 LTG.

Medha says: …The goal of a good

Secretary-Treasurer is communication

between the clubs and the district. A

lot of clubs aren’t aware of the

wonderful service occurring in the

clubs around them and throughout

PA, so I want to make sure they are

always up-to-date with the district’s

affairs…I’m confident in my abilities

to keep the relationship between the

district and the clubs strong.

Our majestic PA District Governor,

Stephen Wheadon, is a member of

Wyoming Valley West Key Club, in

Division 15 South. He is a senior this

year, and has been a Key Clubber

since his freshman year, where he

served as a Freshman Representative.

The following year, he became a

distinguished club treasurer, and

most recently, he held the office of

District Communications

Coordinator.

Stephen says: Key Club has drastically

changed my life for the better. For this

reason, I want to give back to this

incredible organization by serving as

your Governor. I am ready to rise

above the challenges to efficiently and

effectively serve Pennsylvania. With

my love for Key Club in hand, along

with the substantial amount of

experience and dedication I have

accumulated, I will be able to further

serve and strengthen the Pennsylvania

District

Our District Communications

Coordinator, Helen Wang, is a

member of Conestoga Key Club,

in Division 22. Last year, Helen

was the president of her club,

which she has been a member of

throughout her high school

career. She also served on her

club’s March of Dimes

committee, which has been her

favorite Key Club experience.

Helen Says: Although the

Communications Coordinator position

will be a lot of responsibility, I believe I

possess the qualities necessary to fill the

role. I am genuinely passionate about

Key Club and through a district office

position, I know I will be able to impact

even more lives, which is my ultimate

objective…some of my goals include

increasing service hours by keeping

divisions up to date on the newest

projects and helping set service goals,

and increasing the use of social media to

improve communication.

Pennsylvania District Goals

Each year, the district board and executive board always set a few goals that we hope the district as a whole will be able to accomplish within the year. This year, the board has decided to set rather high standards for Pennsylvania Key Clubbers. Although the goals are lofty, we know that they can be reached with the determination and combined efforts of all of you majestic Key Clubbers! At their board meeting in late April, the district board voted to present the following goals for the 2013-2014 Key Club year:

1. Complete 130,000 service hours. (Last year Pennsylvania Key Clubbers completed about 110,000 hours.) To complete this goal, we need to not only serve others as much as we possibly can, but also do your best to submit monthly reports each month, so that your club’s service hours can be documented, and taken into account when calculating our hours towards this goal.

2. Raise $100,000 for our current Youth Serving Youth project, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This amount will allow the Pennsylvania Key Club name to be associated with a specific research project from LLS, which we would be able to choose.

Setting Club Goals As a Key Club, preparing for the upcoming school year is the key to success. A great way to begin is by meeting with your club to discuss goals. You can meet in a local park or pizzeria, and maybe even do a small service project while you are all together. Some great goals to start your year off with include the following:

1. Work more closely with other Kiwanis family members, such as your sponsoring Kiwanis Club, or a Builders Club.

2. Work on the Major Emphasis project for the Kiwanis family, which is “Children: Their Future, Our Focus” and encompasses The Eliminate Project, Children’s Miracle Network, March of Dimes, and UNICEF

3. Do a much service as possible, perhaps even setting a goal of projects or service hours each month.

4. Recruit at least 15 new club members at your school. 5. Have all of your officers become distinguished at the end of the year. (Don’t forget to

submit your monthly reports!) 6. Have lots of fun while making the world a better place.

- Lindsey MacGregor, Division 19N LTG and Elissa Hill, Division 8/10 LTG

Service

Spotlight!

“Building on a tradition, not resting on one”

May 1925, Key Club started its official practice of a high school community service group in California, where it

had flourished years later throughout the United States into one of the largest community service groups in the

country. June 13, 1963 – Reading High School officially had its charter approved where new Key Club members

from the high school could go out into the community representing the beliefs of Kiwanis International. The

beliefs are to serve by building our home, school, and our community through helping others and each other. We

are approaching our 50th year and we look back to see what we have done. Have we grown? Have we dropped off?

Have we lost our focus? Are we doing anything at all? 2 years ago, our members stated that we have to change the

direction that we are heading. Our new advisor, Mr. Andrieux agreed. He stated, “…we have to plot a new course

of action, a new direction, a game change” as he quoted a scene from the movie “Battleship.” We focused on

tradition instead of just going out to do community service. We scheduled and met with various alumni groups

from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. We listened to what our community used to be like and what we used to do. They

described to us how school spirit and community spirit were one of the same. They provided us vision and an idea

what needed to be done. With our Advisor continuously pushing us forward, our objective was to make a

difference in the community which will in turn help us grow and flourish as human beings. We scheduled events at

various middle schools and elementary schools. The events were family activities that brought memories back so

parents and their children could enjoy. We developed teamwork with other clubs so we could work on larger scale

projects such as the cleanups of various city parks all in one day which attracted the support of local congress

woman, Senator Judy Schwank. We involved ourselves in traditional activities that were in danger of no longer

existing by taking ownership and continuing its efforts such as Meals on Wheels on Christmas Eve, Cinderella

Project, Book Donations to the City Library, Food Drive for the Homeless, Safe Trick or Treat for babies and

toddlers, Special Olympics at RHS, and so much more. We still continued our traditional Homecoming events,

Pep Rally, Spirit Week, Teacher Appreciation Breakfast, Dodgeball Tournament, Teacher vs. Student Basketball,

Christmas Door Decorating Contest, Halloween Dress-up Contest, Arts & Crafts Sessions at Elementary Schools,

3 Motivational Speakers, Student Orientation for new Students, Middle School Summer Basketball Tournament,

Powder Puff Flag Football, Talent Show, Fall and Spring Dances, and our famous First-Aid / CPR Class. Letters

from families, teachers, and other students provided us confirmation that we needed to do more because we

caught the attention of many and we wanted them to be involved. Over 6,900 hours of community service was

recorded and we wanted to do more. We wanted every student at the middle schools and at the elementary school

level to know that the kids at Reading High School do believe in the future by helping the young follow a positive

direction. We were not looking for any rewards, but one was given that touched us all. Key Club Stoles were

presented to all 36 graduating Key Club Seniors. The stoles represented all of the hard work through academics

and community service that we accomplished. Mr. Andrieux made sure that we remained true to ourselves by

graduating on time and confirming our seat at the next level of higher education. The stoles sent a message to our

younger members. “Be Proud, Be Humble, and Always Build on a Tradition.” Let the community see who you are

and what you have accomplished. Take your Key Club Stoles and hang them proud with your graduation gown as

you wore them both during the graduation ceremony. It signifies that you met the challenge and you are just the

beginning. There will be others that will follow in your footsteps in bringing our community closer together. We

started it in 1963 and we will continue forward.

We are Key Club. 101 Members Strong, Striving for 150 for 2013-2014.

- Elianny Rodriguez, Outgoing President

#KeyClubProblems

Sizzlin’ Summer Service

The End