Hello, PNW Key Clubbers!
This month, I would like to put special emphasis on the power of planning in advance. Just like with anything else, if you’re always two to three weeks ahead of schedule, you’ll be able to accomplish so much more throughout the year. I would highly recommend utilizing platforms such as Notion and Google Calendar to do this. Notion will help you organize your tasks, while Google Calendar will provide you with a visual for your deadlines and meeting dates.
An upcoming event you can practice this tactic with is Trick or Treat for UNICEF for Start Strong: Zambia! If your club members want an excuse to rekindle their sense of childhood and trick-or-treat for Halloween, this is an excellent opportunity to partake. For this fun and spirited annual service project, club members go door-to-door and tell their neighbors a little about the cause while asking for cash donations. They may even get some candy while on the job! Listen to a message from Olympian and UNICEF Ambassador Laurie Hernandez to learn more about the project here.
If you’re looking for more ways to get involved in your community at the beginning of the school year, Kiwanis Family members around the world gather annually on the fourth Saturday in October for Kiwanis One Day. It’s a day set aside for clubs to work together to better their communities — and to invite friends and family to join them in a joint-service project! So, join your local Kiwanis Club on Saturday, October 28th, to do just that. Remember, all it takes is one day to make a difference. If you have any questions, need help connecting with other Kiwanis Family branches in your area, or would like to share your joint-service project ideas, feel free to reach out to Kiwanis Family Relations Chair, Kaitlin Medina at kfam@pnwkeyclub.org.
Another upcoming event from Key Club International is Key Club Week, which takes place from November 6-10th. Each day of the week, Key Club International has a new challenge for your club. Get involved with this annual event to show your school what Key Club is all about. Repost graphics on social media, get your members to use hashtags, and lead through action by demonstrating club spirit! Learn more about what challenges KCI has in store for your club this year here.
Finally, if you want an opportunity to showcase your Key Club spirit, another free upcoming event you should attend is the Global Engagement Rally on Saturday, November 18th, 2023, at 4 p.m. Pacific Time via Zoom. During the rally, Key Club International members across the globe will engage with diverse volunteers, explore different backgrounds and perspectives, and more!
The PNW 74th annual District Convention will take place from March 8-10th in Portland, OR, at the Oregon Convention Center. Registration for this year’s DCON is officially open. The registration deadline is February 1st, 2024, so now is the time to start planning and fundraising with your club! Here are some important resources relating to convention:
To find out more about this year’s convention, Service with a Splash, the registration link, Registration Packet, Election Packet, and more, click here.
Ready to grow the Membership and your Kiwanis-Family connections? Join the Membership Growth and Reactivation and Kiwanis Family Relations Committee on Wednesday, October 4th, at 7 p.m. for their Unlocking Success Webinar!
Learn more about how to sponsor clubs, recruit members, connect with your Kiwanis Family, and more! Make sure to register through the link below before Monday, October 2nd, at 11:59 p.m. to attend.
Contact MGRC Chair Keera Michie (membership@pnwkeyclub.org) or K-FAM Chair Kaitlin Medina (kfam@pnwkeyclub.org) if you have any questions. Look forward to seeing you there!
The PNWOF Application is OPEN. The Pacific Northwest Opportunities Fund (PNWOF) is a grant provided by the District to assist with funding a club’s service project or fundraiser. The grant amount ranges from $100 to $1,000 and covers up to 2/3 of the anticipated project cost. The grant opened on Friday, September 1st, and closes on Tuesday, October 31st, 2023, and can be found on our District’s Website. Begin planning your service projects and thinking about your application now! If you have any questions about the PNWOF application or grant, please contact PNWOF Committee Chair Eric Li at pnwof@pnwkeyclub.org.
The VING Project provides students with the opportunity to give someone in their life who needs a little help $1000 by submitting a brief nomination video. The only guidelines are that the nominee must be over the age of 18, living in the US, not family, and struggling with finances. Watch THIS quick video to see what The VING Project is all about! To nominate someone, go to vingproject.org/nominate-now and type PNW Key Club under “Where did you hear about VING?” To learn more about the VING Project and its mission, click the link below!
The Membership Growth and Reactivation Committee (MGRC) has been working hard to gather and create resources that will help your club prosper and grow when the new school year begins! To make things easy for you, they have created a Linktree that includes tips, tricks, and tools needed to help your club see growth this service year. These resources include guides on how to recruit 8th graders, conduct your club meetings, and much more. The MGRC Committee will continue to share and make resources throughout the year, so make sure to stay up to date by bookmarking the Linktree, which can be found below! If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for the MGRC Committee, please don’t hesitate to contact our MGRC Chair, Keera Michie, at membership@pnwkeyclub.org
Do you want to learn how to make a real impact – the kind that changes lives and improves the world? Through the Global Leadership Certificate Program, you’ll learn how to get your voice heard and your community’s concerns met. With 39 different courses being offered based on Key Club’s core values of fellowship, leadership, and service, it is guaranteed that this program will not only help you stand out as a candidate for post-secondary education/employment – it will help you become a stronger leader and change maker.
We are pleased to report that nearly all divisions have Lieutenant Governors now, some for the first time in many years. This is all thanks to the help of the advisors and Key Clubbers who nominated eligible students. However, we still need your help! Lieutenant Governors are vital to the health of each Key Club division and serve as the critical connection between the club and district levels. Clubs in divisions that have no Lieutenant Governors lack a consistent source of relevant updates, resources, and leadership.
The following divisions have Lieutenant Governor vacancies.
- Division 9
- Division 46
- Division 52
- Division 76
- Division 78
If you or anyone you know is from one of these divisions and is interested in serving as a Lieutenant Governor during the 2023-2024 year, please contact me at governor@pnwkeyclub.org or District Administrator Brian Egger at administrator@pnwkeyclub.org for more information. I can assure you that serving on the District Board is an incredible experience and will help you develop your leadership skills.