News
By JD Manzanares, 2011- 2012 Division 10 Lieutenant Governor
There may be some of you fellow Key Clubbers who don’t know what key club is doing outside of the four walls where you meet. Key club is a highly interconnected international organization, with partner organizations Children of Peace International, Children’s Miracle Network, and March of Dimes. There is much to comprehend about key club, so I’ll start small. An individual key club is made up of members. These members are by far the most important part of the international organization simply because they are the men and women who are doing the service work in their communities. These members are locally governed by a set of officers established by Key club bylaws, or patterns and regulations. The officers are president, vice president(s), secretary, treasurer, and any other unofficial appointed position like a historian for example. That’s it for the local club.
What happens next is a District Board. There are multiple divisions or regions that split up the district. Each division gets a Lieutenant Governor to be a part of the board as the voice the division’s opinions. Often a Spring rally will be a means for an entire division to get together and vote for their Lt. G. At the district Convention, a party in itself, the district elects the board’s officer positions similar to your own local club offices. Then it goes one step further to where the District sends representatives to compete for an international office position. They do the same things a district board does for a district, only they are very important and influential throughout the world.
You may think we aren’t making a huge impact on the world, but our own rocky mountain district has supported many worthwhile causes including saving many lives by helping Children of Peace International build schools and shelters for the children of Vietnam. Also Key Club International will be supporting project eliminate to get rid of maternal neo-natal tetanus from the world to the closest entirety we can. Already we have eliminated one from the remaining 38 countries where it is still a leading cause of death.
We truly are changing this world, but the most important part of this entire organization is you, the members. Your dues are the way we fund the life saving projects. Your community service helps us get support from sponsors and towns. Your kindness toward others triggers chain reactions of caring and happiness that help us reach our ultimate goals. So if you like to party, want to help others, and have a few friends, then get involved with key club. International Convention is coming up soon, there’s one way. There are key leader camps coming up in the fall that are a blast. At home you can do your part with your clubs projects and pay your dues. If your club doesn’t pay dues, then you aren’t an official key club. Becoming one takes some paper work, but I would be glad to hand deliver it and see you get the I’s dotted and T’s crossed. That way you can have part in changing the world. That is Key club in a nutshell. For more information, my contact information is given. Please feel free to get a hold of me.
