N E W S L E T T E R
September 2 0 1 8
VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 5 REGION 2 DIVISION 40 WEST EDMOND NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
In this Issue... Editor's Note
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First Meeting Recap
2
RTC Recap
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Hope Center Recap
4
Fall Fun Fests Recap
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Fall Rally Recap
6
DCON Theme
7
October Calendar
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October Events
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Service Partners
10 - 12
Governors Project
13
District Project
14
Articles
15 - 24
Contact Us!
25 - 27
Editor's Note Hey guys! I hope you've had a lovely September! We have many events planned for October, so be sure to come to the meeting on October 4. I would like to point out that it's now time for Trick-or-Treat for Unicef! Remember, all proceeds go to the Eliminate Project, which reduces tetanus, a disease that kills mostly newborns and new mothers. With your help, we can end tetanus! Yours in Service, Alisha Arshad
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First Meeting RECAP We had our first meeting on September 6! There was a great turnout of 103 kids. We can't wait for the amazing memories and impacts we'll make this year! If you can't make it to the meetings, check the Remind for the agenda.Â
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RTC RECAP We went to a Regional Training Conference on September 11. Many clubs from Region 2 were there. We learned more about how we could be more involved with our service partners, how we could improve our club, and more!
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Hope Center RECAP “What an eye opening place the Hope Center is. The feeling of every student working towards a similar cause is a very uplifting experience. It is one that strengthens the bond that everyone in Key Club and our community shares.” - Anna Parry, Historian
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Fall Fun Fests RECAP "I absolutely loved volunteering at the Northern Hills Fall Fun Fest and the Cross Timbers Family Fun Night! Working with my friends in several booths was a lot of fun, and seeing all the children laugh and smile made my day!"Â - Alisha Arshad, Editor
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Fall Rally RECAP "It was amazing to see and meet members of Key Club from all around. A great way to start off the year!"Â - Brenna Murphy, Member
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October Events 10-4
meeting in the cafeteria during tutorial
10-5 - 10-21
Wings Fall Festival every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
10-6
Free to Live from 10 AM to 12 PM
10-7 - 10-28
Top Soccer from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM every Sunday
10-12
Once Upon a Starry Night from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Heritage Elementary School
10-13
Walk for Alzheimer's BALTO Carnival from 6 PM to 9 PM
10-22
DCM at Hafer Park - time t.b.a.
10-23 - 10-30
Storybook Forest from 5 PM to 9 PM
10-25
Ice Cream Social during tutorial
10-26
Sunset Elementary Fall Fun Night from 6 PM to 7:30 PM St. Mary's Fall Festival from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
10-31
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
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Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF funds have helped save and improve children's lives around the world. UNICEF works in 190 countries and reaches millions of children with immunizations, education, health care, nutrition, safe water and sanitation, emergency relief, and more—with the help of your support!
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Thirst Project hopes to educate the next generation by arming students with information about how they can be a part of social change, make a difference and encourage others to join in the effort.
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Since the 1940s, Key Clubs have worked with March of Dimes to make a positive impact in the lives of babies everywhere. Today, Kiwanis members continue that culture of service by supporting the March of Dimes all year long by hosting service projects, raising funds and educating communities about the crisis of preterm birth.
Members work together by sponsoring fundraising events and conducting service projects at their local children's hospitals. Contact your local CMN hospital and invite a representative to a club meeting to share ideas and create a partnership.
UNICEF is the only organization of the United Nations dedicated exclusively to children. Working with other United Nations bodies, governments and nongovernmental organizations, UNICEF helps to provide for children’s needs in more than 150 developing countries through community-based services in primary health care, basic education and safe water and sanitation. 12
The Governors Project is about raising awareness of Alzheimer's disease. There are many ways to raise awareness for this illness, but the two that we are concentrating on are Alzheimer's Walks and Alzheimer's Month. We are planning to raise money for and participate in as many walks as we can. The color for Alzheimer's Month, which is in November, is purple, so we could wear purple and spread the word. If you have any more ideas on what our club can do, contact the Lieutenant Governor or the President listed in the Contact Information page.
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Ending Tetanus Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is a fundraiser by the United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund that uses money to provide humanitarian aid to people all over the world. They help end poverty, hunger, disease, and so much more. Key Club’s partnership with them primarily focuses on the Eliminate Project, so our club’s donations go towards the effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) worldwide. Tetanus is a disease that’s developed through unhygienic childbirth. It kills swiftly and painfully. Babies and new mothers are the major victims. About one baby dies every 15 minutes from tetanus; that’s about 93 babies a day. Fortunately, it’s preventable. Unfortunately, it’s not available to many people. This is where Project Eliminate steps in. With the money raised by donations, vaccines are given to women so tetanus can be stopped. Since 1999, UNICEF has helped immunize more that 151 million women in 50 countries. The disease has been eliminated in 44 countries, but there are still 14 countries that depend on UNICEF to prevent the cruel and avoidable deaths of newborns and their mothers. 15
As an empathetic person, it breaks my heart to imagine a lifeless mother holding her dead baby in her arms as her family weeps for them. I’m devastated by the fact that this happens every few minutes. Life after life has vanished so quickly and the only way to bring justice to them is to prevent others from dying of this disease. “I think the hardest part of losing someone, isn't having to say goodbye, but rather learning to live without them. Always trying fill the void, the emptiness that's left inside your heart when they go,” someone once said. Tetanus doesn’t just kill people, it shatters hearts and it crushes the souls of those who were left behind. We can stop the unjustly deaths of the innocent and the devastation of the living; we can prevent the loss of light in this world. The world can be a brighter place as long as the darkness of death is covered with the light of life we help bring. All we need to do, as a Key Club that’s committed to service, to bring an end to tetanus is grab an iconic orange box and say to our neighbors, friends, and family, “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF!”
Alisha Arshad Editor
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My 4 Years in Key Club When I was a freshman, I did not have the slightest idea as to what joining Key Club would entail. I was under the false assumption that Key Club was quite literally a club for collecting keys. Lucky enough for me, my English teacher was the Key Club sponsor and was able to educate me more about the benefits of joining Key Club. I am extremely grateful that I was enlightened by her-otherwise I would not have had the opportunities and memories I’ve gained through Key Club! By engaging in Key Club, I have had the opportunity to meet many new individuals and foster relationships that will be long-lasting. Key Club is currently one of the largest organizations in our school, so it is easy to meet many different people. I believe I have made the best of friends by participating in Key Club. As an officer, I have been able to form close bonds with each of the individuals on the officer team, contributing to personal benefits of being a Key Club member. Moreover, because Key Club members come from different grades and backgrounds, I have been able to learn more about different people in my school and why service matters to them. 17
In addition, Key Club has given me the opportunity to meet with many adult members of my community to learn more about service. I have had the opportunity to meet with members of various volunteer organizations, such as the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Infant Crisis Center, Edmond Turkey Trot, Edmond Aquatics Club, and more. By meeting with people who have served for a time longer than I have, I have learned about the importance of continuously giving back to your community, regardless of age. I have also been able to meet with members of my local Kiwanis branch. By meeting these people I have been able to see the profound impact Kiwanis has had on their life. I hope that one day I can be as driven and dedicated to service as the people I have met throughout my journey in Key Club. Key Club has had a huge impact on my life and is one of my greatest accomplishments in high school. I strongly encourage individuals to partake in this organization simply because of the impact it will have on your life. The people I have met through joining Key Club, as well as the people I have encouraged to join Key Club, have made a lasting impact on their community through the service they have participated in.
Alysha Siddiqi President
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Key Club Friends Getting involved with Key Club is such a wonderful way to make friends. Especially at Edmond North High School. Key Club is so large here that you have so many different people you can become friends with. We can fill up part of our cafeteria with all the people who show up to meetings. That is saying something. It fills my heart with joy to see so many people wanting to make a difference in the community. When I first joined Key Club, I was still somewhat new to the school. I knew some people, but not a ton. It was my freshman English teacher who persuaded me to join for my sophomore year. She told me about the organization and it sounded like a good match. I am so glad I joined. I have met so many new people through Key Club. Key Club gives you the opportunity to sign up to volunteer for so many different organizations and at each place you interact with a different group of people. All of this variety allows for you to meet people you may not talk to otherwise. At a big school, it is difficult to get to know every single person.
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Also, most of the volunteer opportunities require some form of working together or teamwork, so that definitely helps you get to know those you are working with. What is a better way to get to know someone than working together for a cause that is for the greater good? You also know that these people all have similar interests to you. You are both spending your free time to help others and knowing you both have this passion of helping really helps to connect you. Although you may not become best friends with the people you get to know, they can still become a friendly face in hallways, or someone you can work with if you don’t know anyone in your class. It never hurts to just have those people you can walk up to and say, “Hey, you were with me when we volunteered at ___.” For me personally, Key Club has really helped me get to know a lot more people. Some of which are on the officer team with me right now. This school year I am looking forward to all the new members or people I do not know yet who I will be meeting through this marvelous club.
Haley Johnson Welcoming Chair
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What Key Club is to Me While volunteering for Key Club, I have found many new friends who share the same interests as me while we helped our communities in Fall Fun Fests in various elementary schools. We were connected through our dedication to service. Now, I’m planning a huge volunteer event in which we could allow a massive number of volunteers to make an impact within a few hours of work. It is still being decided as of now on the subject of what the volunteers would be helping with, but I’m looking forward to it! My Key Club experience has helped me achieve greatness within myself and to help others achieve the same. Key Club is the way to succeed, as I was able to see firsthand as many lives were changed before my eyes. All volunteer opportunities allow me to grow as a person, because my community service allowed me to take a first hand look on people who were needy, that required assistance from adversities away from their control. No being should be left in the dark, and that is what Key Club stands for.
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People are unknowingly changing people’s lives, just like one organization I frequently volunteer at does. Top Soccer is a fantastic organization which involves children that have had unfortunate conditions wrought upon them, and it was our job to make sure every child could experience the outdoors and play soccer. Many of them had no outside experience and had not seen more than a hospital room in their time on the planet; any child whose childhood was stripped from their lives should know that there are people that are there for them, and the world is not as harsh as it seems. Top Soccer accomplishes this greatly with the whole community gathering together to make these children understand that very fact. The child I was teaching soccer to would not see outside his hospital bed for another three years because his situation was dire. The parents had not disclosed the disease, but there was nothing that was to be seen to inhibit the child's abilities as he was enthusiastic and very energetic. All that matters is that I was able to make his day in a small period of time by helping him find an outlet for his energy through playing soccer. That is what Key Club is about, and it is exactly what should truly matter.
Nabil Ahmed Fundraising Chair
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Key Club Connections One of the best things about volunteering is meeting new people. While I was in my freshman year of high school, I never put myself out in front of many people. I always volunteered alone. After volunteering at a few places, I realized that having a friend with me was not a bad idea. While volunteering at a call center, I ended up alone, again. I noticed another person who seemed like he was in the same situation I was. He looked a little older than me, probably in college, and had very short hair that was spiked up. Awkwardly, I shuffled my way to him. I introduced myself to him in the most direct and detailed way anyone could ever do. I said, “Hi.” He looked at me for a solid minute, then decided to spare me embarrassment. His name was Vincent, and he was probably one of the most interesting guys I have ever met. He was an aspiring astrophysicist, played 3 instruments, played golf, and spoke French. While talking to him, I had lost track of time. We only had a few things in common, but it was enough to spark a conversation that lasted hours.
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Vincent was a part of many Kiwanis partner organizations, and always volunteered in his spare time. He admired his father, who was very selfless, and helped people in need as a Red Cross Medic. He hoped to become as selfless and giving as his father, who had passed away when he was 15. Vincent made it his goal to become the best person he could be, for his mother, and his siblings. As the eldest in his family, he took responsibility and wanted to be someone that his family could look up to, like his father. Volunteering is great, but people like Vincent make it even better. Key Club is like a train, with many doors and a huge variety of destinations. Key Club lets people come together as passengers on that train who meet and share stories and ideas. Vincent was a passenger, and I met him, and I hope to meet many more people while finding my way to the destination of a better world. All Key Clubbers are interconnected through our devotion to service: we thrive when we help others. We all have Key Club and service embedded in our hearts.
Jamil Ahmed District/Divisional Projects Chair
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Contact Us! District Governor – Addi Dirkson governor@tokeyclub.com District Treasurer – Addie Flores treasurer@tokeyclub.com District Secretary – Bunsri Patel secretary@tokeyclub.com District Editor – Kyra Burke editor@tokeyclub.com Regional Advisor – Steven Baringer Steven.baringer20@gmail.com Lieutenant Governor - Lauren Ross laureneross40w@gmail.com
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Contact Us! Sponsor - Emily Gravchikov emily.gravchikov@edmondschools.net
President - Alysha Siddiqi alyshasiddiqi14@gmail.com
Vice President - Jessica Xia  jessxia4301@gmail.com
Secretary - Maya Ferrell mayaferrell@icloud.com
Editor - Alisha Arshad lisha7302@gmail.com
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Contact Us! Treasurer - Elden Bruner eldenbruner@yahoo.com
Historian - Anna Parry annatiffanyparry@gmail.com
Webmaster - Amal Jamshed ajawesome0134@gmail.com
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Happy Halloween! “Caring – Our Way of Life.”
enhskeyc@gmail.com
@enhskeyclub
text 81010 @enhskeyc https://keyclubedmondnorth.wixsite.com/enhs newsletter made by Alisha Arshad