jersey key january issue

The Jersey Key

VOLUME 65 | ISSUE 2 JANUARY 2012 Find more leadership tips and news

on the online version of this issue issuu.com/njkeyclub

The district’s new talent competition fundraiser for the Eliminate Project

Former Kiwanis International Trustee Mr. Ed Hutchinson appointed as new Key Club District Administrator

District board

elections

Walk the Boardwalk of Service Join hundreds of Key Clubbers at District Convention 2012

and get inspired to dive into another year of service

Project Showcase

Choose your 2012-2013 leaders

The Jersey Key Volume 65, Issue 2 | January 2012

district

Why you need to

go to District

Convention 4

The district’s new

talent competition

fundraiser for

Eliminate—

Project Showcase 5

Meet last year’s district

talent show winner

Mree 6

District event recaps 7

Division 1 adds two

new Key Clubs 7

Former Kiwanis

International Trustee

Mr. Ed Hutchinson

appointed as new

Key Club

District Administrator 8

Meet the district’s new

Kiwanis Committee on

Key Clubs 8

District and International

elections 9

k-family

Former Key Clubbers join

their Circle K district boards

11

How you can

interact with your

Builders Club 11

Tenafly raises money for

Eliminate through memorial

garden 12

Hackettstown Key Clubbers

entertain children at

daycare while their parents

take ESL classes 12

Promote your club

with t-shirts 12

McNair recognizes Web-

master Akash 13

When membership is largely

one race 13

The Jersey Key is the official publication of the New Jersey District of Key Club International. Each service year, three issues are released. In 2010 at the 64th New Jersey District Conven-

tion, the House of Delegates voted that only one issue of The Jersey Key could be printed each year. The District Bulletin Editor is responsible for creating The Jersey Key and is elected

into office at District Convention. To submit articles to The Jersey Key, email the District Bulletin Editor at [email protected].

international

How clubs Trick-or-Treat for

UNICEF 10

Message from International

Trustee Nick DePorzio 10

No New Jersey

Key Clubs have

applied for grant to

fund projects 10

leadership

College

application

advice from

seniors and

alumni 14

General meeting mistakes

that officers should avoid

making 15

Mid-year membership drives

15

How to stay on top of many

smaller projects and de-

velop leaders at the same

time 15

clubs

PROJECT SHOWCASE Unlike last year’s Generosity Rocks, this year’s district talent

show is not open to just musicians. Read more about Project Showcase on page 8.

DCON A inspiring

weekend of bonding

with your friends and meeting dedicated

student leaders like

yourself takes place

from March 30 to April 1. Read more about

District Convention on

page 4.

BACK COVER Your

district executives

posed at the beach in front of District Con-

vention’s new home,

the Ocean Place Re-

sort & Spa. A special thanks to Lt. Gov.

Zachariah DeGiulio for

the wonderful picture!

2 ISSUU.COM/NJKEYCLUB January 2012

Crank up your speakers! If you’re viewing this at ISSUU.COM/

NJKEYCLUB, you can hear last year’s

district talent show winner Mree’s

song “Atmosphere”

DISTRICT

3

district

THE JERSEY KEY January 2012

WHAT’S UP, NEW JESREY?! WITH THREE months to go this service year, I hope you’re all enjoying this Key Club adventure as much as I am. The district board has been working ex-tremely hard since they started their terms back in April, and have done a great deal and have much more coming in the future. At this point in time, every division is plan-ning their Project Showcase. Project Show-case, similar to last year’s Generosity Rocks, is a talent show/concert, all proceeds going to our district’s goal for The Eliminate Pro-ject. Officers, you should be hearing periodi-cally about Project Showcase from your lieu-tenant governor, but if you’re not just send them an email and they’ll be sure to respond. With the last half of the service year ap-proaching, District Convention is well on its way. Our new location, the Ocean Place Hotel in Long Branch, New Jersey, welcomes us to Walk the Boardwalk of Service from March 30 to April 1. Look out for registra-tion information soon! Thank you for all that you do in Key Club that benefits your homes, schools, and com-munities. We are grateful for all that you do. Yours in caring, service, and friendship,

Nicole Darrah GOVERNOR NEW JERSEY DISTRICT KEY CLUB INTERNATIONAL

BY RACHEL GARDNER, LT. GOV. DIV. 6, VANI RANGANATH, LT. GOV. DIV. 9

See you at

District

Convention!

Members react to new

District Convention location

The Ocean Place Resort & Spa has replaced the Valley

Forge Convention Center, a place of many Key Club

memories

Watch some of the most talented

high school students in New Jersey

Project Showcase Final Round // Sat, Feb 11 // Millburn High School

WHEN THE NEW JERSEY DISTRICT OF KEY Club thinks of District Convention, what comes to mind? A weekend full of fun and service located at the Valley Forge Conven-tion Center in King of Prussia, PA. But this year’s DCON has moved from our old loca-tion to the beautiful beaches of Long Branch at the Ocean Place Resort & Spa. Due to a change in Pennsylvania law, gam-bling will now be allowed at the Valley Forge Convention Center, making it unfit for a student event. “I am really excited to see a change in DCON locations,” Point Pleasant Beach High School Key Club President Jessica Magno said. “I think it could increase the attendance since it is in state and relatively close to many divisions. I can’t wait!”

She is from Division 6 and close to the beach, but other divisions across the state or even more excited. Nick Porcelli from Bloomfield High School in Division 17 said, “I think this will be a change for the better, plus I can’t wait to have DCON down at the shore!” Keyport High School Key Club President Kerrin McLaughlin said “The hotel is huge! It even has a pool and a great view of the ocean. We can even walk along the boardwalk at DCON with our friends and we’ll have plenty of photo opportunities! I think this place really highlights the best parts of New Jersey and will be a great place to end the service year and start the new one.”


DISTRICT district

Elect the 2012-2013 executive offi-cers Hear their speeches, ask them ques-tions during caucus breakouts, and meet next year’s district leaders.

BY PAIGE CRESCI LT. GOV. DIV. 2, VANI RANGANATH, LT. GOV. DIV. 9, ZACHARIAH DEGIULIO, LT. GOV. DIV. 12, ASHLEY JOSEPH, LT. GOV. DIV. 15

Earn scholarships Each year, 18 scholarships are given to Key Clubbers all around the district. And this doesn’t mean just district board members. Last year, no more than five scholarships were awarded to District Board member. The scholarships range from $500 to $2,000. All seniors can apply for a scholarship through the district, even those

who are not officers. At times it may seem that New Jersey District Board of Trustees always gets the credit for the effort and dedication that every Key Clubber has. But this is not the case. The scholarships packet was included in the November mailing that was sent to club advisors and presidents. Appli-cations are due February 25.

Why you should go to DCON

The talent show Show your fellow Key Clubbers your talent! Audition at DCON, and the three finalists will perform Sat-urday night.

Holmdel Key Clubber Will Lee won the talent show at DCON 2010. “It really was a great experi-ence for me,” he said. “I was so surprised that my talent stood out to the judges. Everyone should really try it because we all have something to show the world!”

Are you a club offi-cer? Learn how you can lead better this service year at workshops Do you need help with making

newsletters or using graphic standards? There is a workshop for that! Want to gather up more infor-mation about CSH and ELIMINATE? There is a workshop for that as well! Spend some time at these work-shops and soak up as much information as

possible.

Claim your awards There are recognition sessions where clubs are recognized for the effort they put in during the service year. Contests information was

included in the District Con-vention mailing that was sent to advisors and club presidents. Although the real reward for service comes from the people you help, participat-ing in a contest is a fun way to show club talent.

Do you like to dance? Come out to the Friday night dance and formal Governor’s Ball on Saturday night. You are sure to have a great time! Dance the night away.

Come out to see our new location DCON will be hosted at the beach at the Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch. This is the first time our convention has

taken place in our own state for over 30 years.

DISTRICT

5

district


THIS SERVICE YEAR, THE DISTRICT HAS THE exciting opportunity support the new district project, the Eliminate Project. The New Jersey District has set a goal of $79,180.38 to be raised for this fund. Though this number may seem overwhelming, Project Showcase: Saving Lives Through Talent events are happening around the district to raise money against maternal and neo-natal teta-nus. What is Project Showcase?

Project Showcase is a talent competition fund-raiser to benefit the Eliminate Project. Whether you sing, break dance, or even yo-yo, you are welcomed to compete. How is the competition organized?

Each of the district’s 22 divisions will host or co-host a competition in a location near you.

Once a winner from each of these divisional events is named, the New Jersey District will organize a state-wide show in mid-February. Who can enter?

The competition is open to any high school student, not to just Key Clubbers. Also, if participants are in a band or group, only one of these members must be in high school. With such a broad definition for partici-pants, Project Showcase is sure to have a great variety of acts. Remember to spread the word to all of your friends who may not hear about it through Key Club meetings.

BY NICOLE VENTRONE, LT. GOV. DIV. 8

Project Showcase talent competition

raises money for The Eliminate Project

ROCK ON On November 18, Divisions 19 and 20 held New Jersey’s very first Project Showcase and raised $1000.

Find pictures and other

informational resources

to educate your club about

The Eliminate Project at theeliminateproject.org.

Nicole is a co-chair of the 2011-2012 District Project Steer-ing Committee. Email her at [email protected].

District-wide talent

competition is open to all

high school students, not

just Key Clubbers.

Proceeds go towards

Kiwanis and UNICEF’s

campaign against mater-

nal and neonatal tetanus.


DISTRICT district

PH

OTO

BY E

MIL

Y T

EBBETS

Meet last year’s

district talent show winner Mree

Marie Hsiao was the winner of last year’s Generosity Rocks concert series. Marie, known as Mree, is attends Somerville High School. You can listen to music from her new album Grow on her Facebook page.

Check out Mree on YouTube at mreebee3,

like her Facebook page, and buy her new album at

http://mreemusic.com/store.

Who are your musical influ-

ences?

It’s kind of funny. My first influ-ence that made me want to be-come a singer was Mariah Carey. I saw her in the movie Glitter and I wanted nothing more than to be able to sing like her. Now, how-ever, that seems so silly because I wouldn’t be caught dead listening to her on my iPod. Now, I would say my influences are bands like Bon Iver, Jonsi, Sigur Ros, The Middle East, and Hammock.

Do you want to study music

in college?

Since I want to continue perusing music, I am planning to go to college to study music produc-tion/sound engineering.

How would you describe

your music for an audience

that has never heard you?

It has always been hard for me to categorize music, but if I had to describe my style, I would say it is a mixture of indie, singer/songwriter, and acoustic.

What was the first song that

you ever sang in front of an

audience?

The first time I sang in front of an audience was one of the scariest and most exhilarating things I had ever done at the time. I did a cover of “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles for my eighth grade school talent show.

What are your songs about?

I tend to write about a wide vari-

ety of things, but the thing they all have in common is that they are usually always about some-thing I’m going through or feeling at the time.

How old were you when you

started performing in front of

live audiences?

I started performing regularly during my sophomore year of high school.

Does your family carry the

same musical/artistic talents

that you do?

My sister studies illustration at FIT, my brother is extremely into composing jazz music, my mother is also a painter, and my dad used to play guitar.

How did you create your first

album?

I have a little home studio set up in my room where I recorded and mixed my album through Pro Tools.

What has been the biggest

challenge for you while per-

forming?

Whenever I perform a new song, I have to work hard to remember all of my lyrics and sing them right.

Where would you like to see

yourself in the next five years

as an artist?

In the next five years, I would hope to be touring and promot-ing my newest album.

BY KATIE BRYDEN, LT. GOV. DIV. 11

http://mreemusic.com/store

DISTRICT

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district


The district’s five Regional Training Conferences

teach over 500 officers how to better their clubs

theeliminateproject.org Learn more about our district project

WE STARTED THE YEAR WITH the goal to “Sweeten the World with Service,” and we did just that. This year’s Fall Regional Training Conferences hosted by Montville, West Deptford, and Piscataway Key

Clubs and Spring Regional Training Conferences hosted by Brick Memorial and Millburn Key Clubs were all suc-cessful. In total, all the RTCs trained over 500 attendees on the basics of becom-

ing a Key Clubber. The changes introduced this year—from new workshops to new icebreak-ers to the introduction of our new NJ mascot—made these RTCs pretty sweet for every one.

BY JIAYUN FANG, DISTRICT SECRETARY

CONGRATULATIONS TO CAPE May County Technical and At-lantic Christian! Officially chartered last August Cape May County Technical is Division 1’s tenth club. With Atlantic Christian adding an eleventh Key Club, Division 1 will split next year into Division 1A and 1B. Division 1 is also in the proc-ess of chartering a Key Club at the Atlantic County Institute of Technology.

With its 11th

club, Division 1

will split into two

divisions next

year BY CECILIA KANG

LT. GOV. DIV. 1

FALL RALLY On October 9, New Jersey Key Clubbers New Jersey packed into busses and cars to gather at Six Flags Great Adventure to get pumped up for the service year. Following tradition, the session ended in a nail-bitingly close cheering competition, in which Division 1 took home the Spirit Stick. After all this excitement, Key Clubbers enjoyed an incredible and thrilling day in the park with wicked rides, daring drops, and blaring speeds. –DIANA LEE, LT. GOV. DIV. 16

Next year’s officers can attend spring

Regional Training Conferences. More information

will come out in April.


DISTRICT district

BY AMANDA LUTICK, LT. GOV. DIV. 7

LAST FALL, EIGHT NJ KIWANIS members were appointed to serve on the Kiwanis District Commit-tee on Key Clubs. The committee is responsible for properly carry-ing out the administrative tasks of the Key Club District Board. Certainly not a stranger to the K-Family, Mr. Ed Hutchinson is

the newly appointed District

Administrator. He has been a member of the Cape May Ki-wanis Club for 32 years and also a member of the Dream Catchers Kiwanis Club, a internet-based club of mostly motorcyclists based in the Southwest District. In his time as a Kiwanian, he has served as a Lieutenant Gover-nor, District Treasurer, Gover-nor, and also as District Secretary. This past year, Mr. Hutchinson finished his term as a Kiwanis International Trustee. Mr. Hut-chinson has also worked with the NJ Key Club District as a Zone Administrator and Financial Counselor. Th is i s Ms. Kait l in

McCann’s third year on the com-mittee. Ms. McCann has held some notable position in the K-Family. She served as the NJ Key Club District Bulletin Editor, and as Circle K District Editor, Dis-trict Governor, as well as Interna-tional Vice President. In Kiwanis, she has served as a club president and is now a Lieutenant Gover-nor-Elect and New Jersey Founda-tion board member. Ms. McCann works as a middle school math teacher making sure her students have every opportu-nity possible to be successful and is enrolled in grad school to be a

school administrator. From the Kiwanis club of Edi-son, Zone Administrator Ms.

Laura Liebowitz has been in-volved as the Key Club advisor for Piscataway High School since 1988 and has also been a Kiwanis member for several years. Mrs. Liebowitz said, “I was ex-cited to join the committee be-cause I have been involved with Key Club for over 20 years and it always looked like fun and an opportunity to volunteer at a different level with some great kids!” Mrs. Liebowitz is a special edu-cation teacher and she has been to DCON in at least three differ-ent locations in the past 20 years. Zone Administrator Mr. Ron

Orthwein has been a dedicated member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany. From the Kiwanis Club of Marlboro, Mr.

Anthony Affatati has joined as the district’s new Financial Coun-selor, and Ms. Maria Recchione

is also another Zone Administra-tor. Zone Administrator Mr.

Jon Bitzer from the Kiwanis Club of Atlantic City and Mr. Affatati have both served Kiwanis as lieutenant governors. Leadership Advisor Robert

Acerra had some of the best experiences of his life with Key Club members. Rob’s history in the K-Family stems from his years in as a Key Club president and Lieutenant Governor, to where he is now as a Circle K International Repre-sentative. Outside of the K-Family, he is studying social work at Monmouth University.

Experienced Kiwanians

join advisory committee

on Key Clubs

Hi! A song comes to mind and it goes like this: “Where do I begin, to tell the story...” I would like to say I am thankful and proud to be given this opportunity to serve this Key Club district in this capacity. I have worked with this district for many years in different roles and I look forward, as a new page in my life turns, to work with the students and Committee to finish up this administrative year and have fun doing it. We have a lot of work yet before us, but I know by all of us working together, we will end up suc-cessful and have a good time doing it. Key Club is a student-led organization and our committee of Kiwanians will be there to help guide and support them in their endeavors. I had the pleasure to attend Kiwanis Family Conference and to be with some of the district board, and now I am really looking forward to meet the rest of the board and to work with them, and also to help them become professional leaders which they are already on the road to be-coming. I know we do teach them but I feel I al-ways end up learning more from them. That’s why I enjoy it so much and it helps keep me young. In service, Ed ADMINISTRATOR NEW JERSEY DISTRICT KEY CLUB INTERNATIONAL

Message from new

District Administrator

Mr. Ed Hutchinson

Zone Administrators help the

district board and can also help

your advisors too. To find out who your Zone Administrator

is, ask your LTG.

DISTRICT

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district


Don’t be in the dark Get district updates and

leadership tips from our

new social media connections

OUR NEW FACEBOOK PAGE

New Jersey District

of Key Club International

OUR NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL

youtube.com/njkeyclub FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@njkeyclub

AS A KEY CLUBBER, I’M SURE you’re all pumped up for service! But do you ever find yourself itching for a bigger role? Within a district, dedicated member can easily create a greater impact. Running for a higher position is a great idea and can benefit you personally. Keep in mind that all district positions require great dedica-tion and commitment. Lt. Gov. of Division 17 Jenn Braun says, “Run for a district position if you are willing to stay up until 2 A.M. doing Key Club work, sleeping, eating and breathing Key Club, all while loving every second of it.”

LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS

oversee the clubs in their division, and act as the liaison between each club and district. Attending district events, creating newsletters for their clubs, keeping in con-tact with their officers

through email and phone calls, as well as planning presidents council meet-ings for the division are some of the many duties of an LTG. The position is demand-ing, but still a highly re-warding experience. Lt. Gov. of Division 13 Nidhi Gurjar said, “The

position of LTG helps you better yourself as a person and give you the opportu-nity to meet some of the best people in the state.” Lieutenant Governors are elected in January at divi-sional elections.

You can also run for an executive board position! The executive board is elected at DCON each year. You can run to be DIS-

TRICT GOVERNOR, SECRE-

TARY, TREASURER, or BULLE-

TIN EDITOR. The Governor represents the district and supports the district board by keep-

ing in with dozens of peo-ple. She is also responsible for planning district board meetings. The Secretary records minutes at board meetings and also prepares the dis-trict handbook and direc-tory. The Treasurer works with the District Financial Coun-

selor to maintain the budget. They also help lieutenant governors and their clubs through the dues paying process. The Editor’s job is to cre-ate three issues of The Jer-sey Key, the district’s offi-cial publication.

You can also apply for the position of DISTRICT WEB-

MASTER, in which it will be your responsibility to run our district website and help the entire board with

any technical difficulties.

Members can also run to be INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT,

VICE PRESIDENT, or one of the 11 INTERNATIONAL

TRUSTEES of Key Club. Those elected to these positions have usually had experience in a district or International office. Candi-

dates are endorsed at their District Convention, then campaign and run at Inter-national Convention in the summer.

Running for positions

beyond the club level BY ASHLEY JOSEPH, LT. GOV. DIV. 15

Ashley is District Convention Elections Chairperson. Email her at [email protected].

The district board is responsible

for planning events like Fall Rally.

They also decided the theme for the event, Swing into the Jungle

of Service.

TRIVIA The last male New Jersey

District Governor was John Mona-

gle, who served from 2005-2006 and was a member of Arthur L.

John High School Key Club.

ONE OF OUR OWN Jared Greene

from Tenafly High School Key

Club was elected to the position of International Trustee last sum-

mer. Though he’s from New Jer-

sey, he serves at the trustee to

the Carolinas, Florida, and Ja-maica Districts.

DISTRICT

10

international

ISSUU.COM/NJKEYCLUB January 2012

NO NEW JERSEY DISTRICT KEY CLUBS applied for the Youth Opportunities Fund this year. The YOF grant is an endowed fund from the Kiwanis International Founda-

tion. Key Clubs can apply for $100 to $2000 for projects that they need more money to organize. For example, the Cy-Fair High School Key Club in Cypress, Texas, spent the $550 they received to buy books for elementary schools and cassette tapes to record them for the schools’ reading programs. Visit keyclub.org if your club would like to apply for the YOF grant. The applica-tion must be received by October 15.

No New Jersey clubs applied

for grant to fund projects

The Youth Opportunities

Fund awards up to $2000

to clubs in need of more

funding for projects

BY RAVI CHAUHAN, LT. GOV. DIV 3B

CLUBS HAVE DIFFERENT APPROACHES for raising money for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Bloomfield High School visits their

elementary school and educates the children about Vice President Nicole Couto says, “I love this idea because it gets our younger genera-tions involved in service projects.” Egg Harbor

Township High School takes a more tradi-tional approach and goes to each home in the nearby neighborhoods to collect dona-tions. Instead of going out on Halloween, though, they pick a later day and notify the residents via flyer a week prior to the event. They still dress up in costumes. For over 60 years, children have gone door-to-door for Trick-or-Treat for UNI-CEF, donating profits to causes such as Eliminate, this year’s benefactor. The money raised through Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF counts towards our district fundraising goal.

BY OLIVIA SHANLEY, LT. GOV. DIV 5

How different clubs

trick-or-treat for UNICEF

HEY, NEW JERSEY DISTRICT KEY CLUBBERS! THE winds of change are a blowing! The seasons have shifted, the weather is colder, and winter break has left just energized for the rest of the service year. In the midst of all these changes, one thing remains constant: our commitment to serve, our passion to make a difference. While our projects may change from raking leaves to shoveling snow, our purpose is resolute. My greatest encouragement and apprecia-tion goes to each of you for the service that you do. But what about the service of our leaders? What have they been up to? This past October, your Inter-national Board met in Orlando, Florida, to hold a board meeting. Several decisions were made for our organization and regarding the 2012 International Conven-tion being hosted in Orlando. Of the work done, things to look forward to include six future webinars, a Key Club mobile app, an applica-tion for translated materials, revisions to Interna-tional awards, among others. Should you ever be more curious about the Interna-tional Board’s work, please check out my website trustynick.com to satisfy your thirst for knowledge! A nice phone call or email is always welcome also! Remember that our aim is the same and with open hearts we are united in the spirit of service. Having just visited your sister district of Ohio, I am told to extend their support and appreciation of the work of New Jersey. As for your other sister of New York, I am only sure they feel the same. Funny, isn’t it? That no matter how great the miles that divide us are, the love we share is still strong. Remember that there will always be someone in Key Club there for you! I will always be one. Hope you enjoyed the holidays, New Jersey! Keep warm, and fill up on hot chocolate and good spirit! In caring and support, Nick DePorzio TRUSTEE TO THE OHIO, NEW JERSEY, AND NEW YORK DISTRICTS KEY CLUB INTERNATIONAL

International

updates from

Trustee Nick

DePorzio

For more

International news

visit Nick’s website:

trustynick.com

CRAFTY! Egg Harbor Township Key Club made a UNICEF box costume to wear while trick-or-treating.

Didn’t receive boxes?

Clubs that participated last

year were supposed to, but unfortunately International

ran out. The district is trying

to compile a list of clubs that

should have gotten boxes.

DISTRICT

11

k-family


In November, eight members of the New Jersey District Board, Kiwanis District Governor Mrs. Rosemarie Gibardi, a newly-appointed District Administrator Mr. Ed Hutchinson travelled Black Mountain, North Carolina to attend the 31st annual Kiwanis Family Conference. Kiwanis International President Alan Penn and Key Club International Trustee Alan Wang were also there, among other K-Family members from around the coun-try. The conference was an opportunity for different branches of the K-Family to meet each other and bond in the small groups that they were sorted into.

TWO OF LAST YEAR’S DISTRICT board members have joined their respective Circle K district boards. Former Lt. Gov. of Division 6 Christopher Godshall is now a lt. governor for the New York Dis-trict of Circle K, and last year’s Key Club District Webmaster Shivam Patel now serves as Tech-nology Committee Chair of the New Jersey District. After he arrived at Columbia University to study political sci-ence, Chris joined Circle K and was soon asked to be a lt. gover-nor. He oversees the Empire Divi-sion, the largest division in the New York District with seven clubs. Chris was a member of the Brick Memorial High School Key

Club and earned the Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lieutenant Governor Award last year. Shivam, last year’s New Jersey District Webmaster and alumnus of J.P. Stevens High School, was appointed Chairperson of the Technology Committee of the New Jersey District. He is also the Rutgers Circle K webmaster. He thought of joining Circle K during his term last year. Being able to use his technological skills to expand Key Club on a state level was fulfilling, and he wanted to continue serving through the K-Family in college. Both have noticed Circle K’s smaller size due to the number of fewer colleges versus high schools, but they still enjoy Circle K. “I like Circle K,” Chris said. “It’s much different from Key

Club, but the people are the same, just a new perspective.” The greatest experience Shivam has gained from Circle K is learn-ing how to use his “own two feet.” Because everyone is a legal adult, they do not rely on Kiwanis advisors as much as Key Clubs do. Shivam looks forward to using this freedom to be more creative with the district website and also with writing scripts for district promotional videos. “It’s a true service organiza-tion.” he says, “The friends you meet through the program have hearts of gold, and the projects you embark on will always leave those less fortunate smiling. If you truly wish to keep on making a difference, even after high school, join Circle K.”

BY AMI SHAH, LT. GOV. DIV. 3A, AND WESLEY YUAN, DISTRICT WEBMASTER

Former

Key Club

district board

members

appointed to

Circle K district

board positions ALWAYS PART OF THE K-FAMILY Immediate Past NJ District Webmas-

ter Shivam Patel (left) and Immediate Past Lt. Gov. Div. 6 Chris

Godshall have joined their Circle K district boards.

In the New Jersey Dis-trict, there are currently 66 Builders Clubs. As middle school students, they are Key Club’s future members, and it’s impor-tant for Key Clubs to in-teract with them. Here are some ways you can help your local Builders Club:

Invite Builder’s Club members to a Key Club event

Create a peer mentor program to help their transition from middle school to high school

Help them plan their events

Plan joint projects

Teach them about Key Club!

Plan a K-Family night with fun things like ice cream socials or movie nights to celebrate the success of all your local K-Family clubs.

Help the next generation of Key Clubbers—Builders Club

District board bonds with other K-Family

members in North Carolina BY NIDHI GURJAR, LT. GOV. DIV. 13

DISTRICT

12

clubs

ISSUU.COM/NJKEYCLUB January 2012

HACKETTSTOWN KEY CLUB members helped the day care for Spanish-speaking children at Trinity United Methodist Church on Saturdays last year. Parents attended English as a Second Language classes while Key Clubbers played with their children and kept them amused. While brightening the kids’ day, members realized not to take their capability to speak English for granted.

Hackettstown

Key Clubbers

entertain children

at daycare while

their parents take

ESL classes BY BRETT SANDERS

HACKETTSTOWN EDITOR

Whether working a benefit dinner or competing

for the all-important spirit stick at Fall Rally, t-

shirts display unity and can help the district get

one step closer to making Key Club a household

name.

Getting a club to print shirts can seem like a

daunting task, but with the right planning, it

can painless.

1. Create a design that is simple and

straightforward. Have a contest or recruit other

members to help you in designing it.

2. Find a printer Ask around your school to

see if they know any printers that can print shirts

fairly cheaply. If not, use a website like keyclub-

shirts.com or ooshirts.com to order your shirts.

3. How to pay Use funds from your school’s

Key Club account or get members to pay ahead of

time and get a specific number.

4. Wear the shirts as often as possible!

Your members will wear them during school and

get others pumped for service.

How to promote your club with t-shirts BY ZACHARIAH DEGIULIO, LT. GOV. DIV 12

IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN Tenafly sits Huyler Park. A few trees dot the patches of grass, and a couple of shrubs add some greenery to the scene. But come springtime, that will change. Introduce a dozen Key Clubbers, Kiwanians, 20 trowels, and a donation of 2,500 tulip bulbs from a local coffee shop. For just a dollar each, commu-nity members could plant a tulip

in memory or in honor of a loved one, raising $400 the Eliminate Project. “Planting tulips was a great event!” said Tenafly Key Club Secretary Samantha Caine. “Now, whenever I drive by Huyler Park, I think about how much of a difference our Key Club has made in beautifying and helping our community.”

Tenafly plants

memorial tulips to

raise money for the

Eliminate Project BY CHRISTINA XIAO, TENAFLY TREASURER

DRESSED TO IMPRESS To print shirts like Voorhees High School Key Club’s, you

can talk to your school’s graphic design class or visit sites like keyclub-

shirts.com or ooshirts.com. Voorhees High School wears their shirts to various club events.

Read about more cool projects that

clubs are doing around the district.

issuu.com/njkeyclub

DISTRICT

13

clubs


ONCE IN A WHILE, THERE comes an officer who exceeds everybody’s expectations. Our club’s dedicated webmaster, Akash Desai, is one of those officers. Not only does Akash maintain the club website, but he is also

involved in the meet-ings, as every offi-cer should be. During meetings, Akash goes around to the mem-bers, rein-forcing key

aspects and addressing any con-cerns. Akash is able to use the four core values of Key Club in a way that not only benefits the club, but also advances it. Akash is a very daring, dedi-cated and inspirational individ-ual. It is with great pride and honor that we recognize some-one who reaches for the stars. A luminescent star that twinkles in our sky of members. The MAHS Key Club is glad to have Akash as an officer.

MEMBERS OF THE MANVILLE High School Key Club have suc-cessfully started a Circle of Friends club in their school. In this club, students interact and become friends with special edu-cation students. It creates a sense of belonging for them and gives them a more social experience at

school. Members play games, eat lunch together, and even plan field trips. Last year the club went bowling. Last year, there were only seven members. This year, there are 40 members who spend time with five special education students.

Manville Key Club

befriends special

education classmates

in a new club BY VANESSA VELEZ, MANVILLE PRESIDENT

Want to start your

own club? Visit

circleoffriends.org for more info.

McNair

recognizes

Webmaster

Akash Desai BY AKISHA MEHTA

MCNAIR PRESIDENT

Some clubs, especially in the New Jersey District, are composed of members of one race. Egg Harbor Township High School Key Club is largely Asian, and New Bruns-wick High School Key Club is Hispanic.

My home club of J.P. Stevens High School is also one of these clubs. We are the largest club in our division, with over 300 mem-bers, and the majority of them are Indian. Being Indian myself, I think it’s something that unites the club, but unfortunately deters students who aren’t Indian from joining. This situation is true for many clubs, but what sets J.P. Stevens apart is the ethnic makeup of the town it’s situated in. Not only is our club largely Indian, but so is our school. But the general consensus from

non-Indian members is that they are indifferent to the culture of our club. It is something we are accustomed to. “The fact that Key Club is a completely extracurricular organi-zation based purely on service means that the club itself does no recruiting of its own. People join by their own will,” J.P. Stevens Advisor Mr. Louis Andreuzzi said. “Whether those people are Asian, Caucasian, or Indian is beyond me. I just know that we make a difference, and that’s all that mat-ters.”

BY REVATHI MEKALA, LT. GOV. DIV. 10

J.P. Stevens Key Club’s membership is mostly Indian, as is Edison, the town where its students are from. Some clubs in the New

Jersey District are largely one race, giving students of the same race a reason to join while discouraging other students.

Some clubs attract

new members of

the same race, a

trend that can also

may discourage stu-

dents of other races

from joining.

Does it hurt clubs when members

are all of the same race?

DISTRICT


leadership

dafont.com For editors or anybody who likes adding fancy and exciting titles, this is the perfect site for you. Download hundreds of free fonts to make your titles and headings exciting It offers the option to select by theme or by custom search. join.me Is a simple and productive screen sharing site. This site is sure to make working both easier and fun.

jaycut.com Many clubs like to make videos advertising their events, such as the Eliminate video or Fall Rally promotional video, and a great way to edit all the film clips that you record is through this website. Jaycut is a website that allows a quick effective editing variety so you can film, alter, and publicize as soon as possible for best club results. All editors and members should defi-nitely check out this site.

skype.com Sometimes it is difficult to get all officers in one place for a meeting. Skype can help with that. Any computer with a camera allows users to instantly see and speak to one another instantly. This allows users to spread information instantly and keep in periodic contact at all available hours of the day.

Use these websites

to talk to your

fellow officers and

promote your club BY JOSEPH TOUMANIOS, LT. GOV. DIV 18

College application advice Juniors, it’s only months away. Here’s tips

from Key Clubbers who’ve experienced the

application process

“I made a spreadsheet during my application

process that listed deadlines, the supplements I

still needed to complete, and the time I needed

to do them. Also, I made specific folders for my

college applications so nothing would get lost.” Past District Secretary Kevin Sun

Harvard University

“Major in something that will make you happy.

This is the choice that will direct the rest of your life

and you can’t choose a path you won’t be

happy with. I want to be a doctor and work with

people and feel like I am making a difference in

peoples’ lives.” Vice President Katie Sacco

Senior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology

“Ask yourself one question, "If you got into every

college in the world, where would you go?" You

should consider applying there early decision. As

for early action, it is another great opportunity be-

cause you will find out about your college deci-

sion in December.” President Sami Fiorino

Senior at Holmdel High School

“Recommendation letters are important. They

should come from people who know you well.

Getting a letter from a teacher you don't know

well just because you aced their class will say

nothing more than what is on your transcript.” Past Lt. Gov. Div. 19 Neepam Shah

The College of New Jersey

BY KIMBERLY LU, DISTRICT TREASURER

Reading The Jersey Key in issuu.com? Then you’re listening to Mree’s “Atmosphere.” Hear more from her new

album Grow on her Facebook page.

DISTRICT

15 THE JERSEY KEY January 2012

leadership

NOT ALL GENERAL MEETINGS ARE PERFECT, even if you’ve had experience planning them for the first half of this year. Here are a few things to avoid when run-ning your next club’s meeting: Being unprepared

No member is going to take the meeting seri-ously if the speaker does not have a clear un-derstanding of the topic. Members look up to officers and expect them to know everything about the club. One way to solve this problem is to review the agenda in detail at an officers meeting before the general meeting. This will also make answering members’ questions easier since all officers will know the information.

Poor public speaking

Command the room with a loud, clear voice. No one is going to pay attention if they can-not hear you, and speaking too fast won’t let your members take notes. Project your voice and speak at a slower pace. Losing your audience

Members are constantly having their own conversations, on their phone, and walking in and out of the room. A way to fix this prob-lem is to have officers spread out in different parts of the room. If people are talking, the officer can simply ask the members to stop and pay attention.

Officers, avoid these general meeting mistakes BY CELINA BAQUIRAN, LT. GOV. DIV 14

KEEPING TRACK OF ALL THE SMALLER PRO-jects your club plans can sometimes be chal-lenging. One help way to keep things organized is to assign a member to be in charge of each project. You can refer to this member as a “point person.” This individual is to be re-sponsible for keeping members who have signed up informed with reminders, cancella-tions, and changes. It is a great way to not only keep things organized but to also have more leadership opportunities available members who aren’t officers, especially trustworthy freshmen. Stockton College Circle K assigns points to each of their projects to keep their members in the loop.

You can still recruit new members, even

if the initial dues deadline has passed BY RYAN CLARKIN, LT. GOV. DIV. 21

The dues deadline has passed,

but it isn’t too late to recruit

more members.

Encourage members to bring a

friend to a specific meeting edu-

cate them on why Key Club is

such a great club. Recruiting new

members is all about getting the

word out, so take advantage of

morning announcements at

school, flyers, and newspaper

advertisements.

The process for submitting

dues for new members is the

same as the one your treasurer

went through earlier in the year.

Log in at keyclub.org, enter the

new members’ information, then

print out the invoice and mail it

and the dues payment to Kiwanis

International.

!!!

How to stay on top of

many smaller projects

and develop leaders

at the same time BY CECILIA KANG, LT. GOV. DIV 1

See you soon Continue to support Children’s

Specialized Hospital. To schedule a

recreational therapy visit, contact your

lieutenant governor today.

Learn about what the

International Board

discusses at their

meetings. Visit keyclub.org for agendas and

minutes.

Also check out trustynick.com for

updates from our International

Trustee Nick DePorzio.

$$$$ ***

Key Club is leadership.

Elect your 2012-2013 District Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, and Bulletin Editor at District Convention

Walk the Boardwalk of Service DISTRICT CONVENTION 2012 // March 30 - April 1 // Long Branch, NJ

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