2012-2013 newsletter: issue 5 -- October/November 2012

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BRONX SCIENCE K E Y C L U B 75 West 205 Street, Bronx, NY 10468

Volume 1 Issue 5

Phone: 1-718-817-7700

THE KIWI

Puppetry Arts Haunted Walking Full Circle with the Juvenile Halloween Carnival Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)

By Solomon Qiu, Dedicated Member

Fax: 718-733-7951

Table of Contents!

Puppetry Arts Halloween

On a half day where many would rather hang out Carnival……………….……1-2 with their friends, Key Clubbers Amanda Tam, Herman Li, Divisional Update………..…3 Thomas Chan, Lisa Liu, Kevin Chen, William Yu and Solomon Qiu attended the Puppetry Arts event in Brooklyn Member Spotlight: OctoberNovember 2012…………... 3 in lieu of recent events. What began, as a series of Event Spotlight: Light the unpacking and moving around props suddenly became Night…………………....…..4-5 a festival in which we all had fun setting up. From setting Recent Events………….....6-7 tables, to raising tents, to building skeletons, the Bronx Science Key Club helped mitigate the burden Tim had of Credits!……………….…..…..8 ensuring a fun event for those little children. Roughly eighty volunteers helped Tim’s vision of a haunted house materialize; the work was trifling but the effigy of the children having fun was enough to make me want to do this erroneous job again. (continued on next page) Helping stuff goodie bags, a prodigious feeling UPCOMING EVENTS! burgeoned in my small body; stuffing candies, crossword 11/5 – 11/9: Key Club Week!

(Show keyclub spirit!)

11/10: Fall Rally 11/24: Amazing Race

Puppetry Arts Haunted Halloween Carnival

By Solomon Qiu, Dedicated Member puzzles, drinks, crayons and other trinkets into the bag brought forth a feeling of being a charlatan, as to a child this goodie bag must have appeared as a jackpot. A feeling of warmth enshrouded the little lunchroom that the other volunteers and I were at as we stuffed the myriad of empty bags; working together stimulated a mentality of teamwork. Similarly to working in an assembly line, we all split the work assigning one person per trinket to place into the bag. This event truly felt like a community project bonding with strangers to combat a singular task of ensuring a fun event for the children. There was also an area denoted as the gift area. In this province, gifts were laid out in such a fashion that each gift had a certain ticket value that could be exchanged for tickets. Most of Key Club was situated here and we were all stupefied by the plethora of gifts given by the many sponsors such as 711, Regal Theater, and many others. It was a rapturous feeling knowing that the commercial businesses that we go to daily would help give back to the community.

Finally we were given pizza by 7-11 and ended our prostrated but astonishing event with a group picture on the red carpet.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT!

DIVISIONAL UPDATE! October 24th: October Divisional Lt Governor Herman Li met with members of division 11. Each club presented past and future events and shared feelings about the beginning of the key club school year.

UPCOMING DIVISIONAL EVENTS Key Club Week 11/5 – 11/9 Fall Rally 11/12, Edward Marrow High School, Brooklyn Amazing Race: 11/24, Lower Manhattan (signup on the website!)

"He never had senioritis, the signs of a true key clubber. He has committed sooooo much to the club with leadership, creativity, and leadership."

-- Amanda Tam, President

For the Months of October and November:

CONNIE LIANG! In a club as large as our own, it is important to recognize those who go above and beyond the call and role of a member who is always the familiar face in the crowd during various Key Club events.

Connie always has a smile on and she is willing to help everyone no matter what. She is very devoted and dedicated to Key Club which inspires everyone else to do the same.

-- Christine Lim, Dedicated Member Though Connie has her laughs, clumsiness, and quirkiness, she is one of the most devoted Key Clubbers I've come to know. Her laughter, especially, brings a smile to everyone around her!

- Vincent Colicchio Dedicated member

Connie is an amazingly dedicated member of key club and she always comes to events and meetings with a smile.

She makes key club more enjoyable and fun. – Caroline Fang, Dedicated Member

Connie is one of the nicest people I know, ready to help anyone at anytime.

She always has a big smile on her face and is is as friendly as they can get - Jasmine Quindala, Dedicated Member

Connie is a joy to work with, she is a very energetic person and an important member of Key Club. When I'm down, Connie is able to make my day brighter with just a smile.

-- Qing Lin, Public Relations Chair

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Light the

By Cindy Lin, Dedicated Member On a whim, I decided to volunteer for the Light the Night Walk with Jessica’s persuasion and I can say with confidence that it was one of the best whims I’ve ever had.

The purpose of the Light the Night Walk was to raise awareness about the relentlessness of leukemia and at the same time relentlessly find a cure for it. It took place at 7:30pm to 9pm in the eerie woods of Victory Park.

I have been to walks before that were raising awareness about chronic diseases, such as the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) walk, AIDS walk, and Breast Cancer Awareness walk. However, the Light the Night Walk has left so much more of an impact than the other two had.

For one thing, I was a volunteer in this walk as compared to the other two where I was walking in support, so there was interaction. The other thing was that this walk was much smaller in size, about a tenth of what the AIDS walk and Breast Cancer Awareness walk had. Lastly, walkers and volunteers were given items to represent different motives.

Walkers were given balloons (with lights in it) in the shades of red, white, or yellow. A red balloon showed that you are a supporter, a white balloon showed that you are a survivor or current patient, and a yellow balloon showed that you are “in loving memory of”. As volunteers, our job was to cheer for the walkers passing us and we were given cowbells and little clappers in the corresponding colors. Here in this walk, you were fully aware of who was who and it made the affects of the disease felt so much more real.

When the walk started, we noticed people of all ages; from teenagers, adults, seniors, and even to small children. And everyone held a different colored balloon, many holding white and yellow. As these people began to pass our post, it felt hard to cheer for them. What exactly were we cheering for? Was it alright to have such a jovial demeanor during such

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BRONX SCIENCE KEY CLUB newsletter

Night an event? I realized that we were cheering for them as a way of saying “Don’t give up!” and “There’s always hope!” yet something just didn’t click.

Jessica and I soon decided upon the phrase “Let’s hear it for the survivor” for every person with a white balloon who passed by. For a survivor, it was cheering for his or her victory. For a current patient, it was encouraging him or her that he or she can still survive and that hope exists. A tall, slim man, probably around eighty years old, came up to us and with sincere eyes and voice, said, “Thank you, girls.

Thank you so much.” In that instant, the walk had become that much more intimate and that much more real. Here was a man, a survivor, or maybe even a patient who was truly grateful for our support. Cheering wasn’t something out of place. It was actually something that touched the hearts of others and made an impact.

I looked on down the road. What had looked so eerie just moments ago was now brightly filled with beautiful lights.

Soon, we noticed a small boy, no older than four years old holding a white balloon. Wow. At that age, this boy probably didn’t even realize the seriousness of his disease; it was just something that felt like a big deal. Yet, this boy has experienced so much more than any of us could possibly imagine. “Hey, you’re amazing kid.” We knelt down to give him a high five. With a carefree smile and shining eyes, he gave us strong high-fives and continued to march on; march on down Victory Park.

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RECENT Walking Full Circle with the Juvenile

By Abbey Li, Townsend Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Harris Key Club

On a chilly Sunday in October 2010, I dashed over to the Unisphere at Flushing-Meadows Corona Park for the JDRF Walk. Then a freshman at Townsend Harris H.S., I was bewildered and lost, desperately searching for something comfortable, something familiar. I clung to Melissa Lei, my friend from Bronx Science Key Club, as we watched the boys from her club piggyback each other. Then, one of them grinned at us and asked for our names. "I'm not from Bronx Science," I murmured, "I'm just an intruder from Townsend Harris."

"Oh, that's okay," he said, smiling warmly. "Let me know your name anyway."

It was a simple gesture, but I was touched. Despite not being a part of Bronx Science, I felt included. I had finally found something comfortable, something familiar.

On a chilly Sunday in October 2012, I again rushed over to the Unisphere for the JDRF Walk.

Now a junior at THHS, I was no longer new to Key Club - just new to being a leader - and Melissa and I were determined to make this a successful inter-club event.

When my quiet group of twenty met Bronx Science's forty, my club members were shocked to see the boys climbing on top of each other. As for me, I laughed and ushered the surprised Harrisites into a photo with Bronx Science Key Club.

Watching its club members approach both my club members and me with an intense concentration on inclusivity during the walk, I was inspired to become as gregarious and personable as they were. "We think of each other as familia, that's why we're so comfortable with each other," said Bronx Science member Lawrence Chen. And so, it has become a dream for me to create a similarly friendly, inclusive, comfortable Key Club family that still embodies the distinct spirit of Townsend Harris, a Key Club that not only wholeheartedly serves and touches the community, but a Key Club that reaches out to and touches its own members too.

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BRONX SCIENCE KEY CLUB Newsletter

EVENTS 

By Melissa Lei, Scrapbook Committee Chair

End Violence…

By Climbing Stairs!

Thursday, October 18th 2012 marked the third annual Story by Story stair climb to end domestic violence. Over a thousand climbers supported this event by climbing a 42 story skyscraper at 1411 Broadway, between the Financial District and Times Square.

After a quick orientation, Key Clubbers were all scattered around the building; some cheered the climbers on, others served as medical assistants. I cheered on the participants as they climbed to the 15th floor with fellow Key Clubber Lawrence Chen. Most of the climbers seemed energetic and were able to tackle the remaining stairs, but there were several individuals who seemed have lost their pace. Luckily for them, the 15th floor was a rest spot and a water station so climbers can always take a short rest before they climb the remaining 27 floors.

As I was cheering for them, I was amazed at how much determination it takes to climb all the stairs. It was very admirable how the several individuals who seemed really tired were able to gather all their energy and resume the flight. Many people casually said that climbing 42 floors may not seem like a big deal, but in reality, it takes a lot of pacing and energy to climb the whole building. I climb stairs daily, whether in school or at home, but climbing just three flights of these staircases for me was tiring!

Seeing all these climbers made me wonder how amazing it was to be able to fundraise and end domestic violence just by performing a daily routine while staying fit! Someday, I’d like to attempt this event myself!

The Newsletter Staff!

Jessica Chan Editor Connie Liang Public Relations Committee Chair Qing Lin Public Relations Committee Chair Valued Contributors: Vincent Colicchio, Caroline Fang, Christine Lim, Cindy Lin, Melissa Lei, Jasmine Quindala, Solomon Qiu, *Special thanks to Townsend Harris Key Clubber, Abbey Li, for her contribution!

Thank you so much for submitting to the newsletter! If you article did not appear in this issue, they have been submitted to the divisional or district newsletter; so look out for when those are released! ď Š

BXSCIENCE KEYCLUB BOARD! AMANDA TAM Club President JAEHWI KWON Vice President LAWRENCE CHEN Secretary ROMAN MONDAL Treasurer JESSICA CHAN Editor

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