NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE
The Iolian THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ILLINOIS EASTERN-IOWA DISTRICT
Caring — Our Way of Life
2021-2022 Executive Board District Governor Yana Patel governor@iikeyclub.org District Secretary Nicole Konstant secretary@iikeyclub.org District Treasurer Riya Prasade treasurer@iikeyclub.org District Editor Olivia Egert editor@iikeyclub.org District Stat. Secretary Maria Pawlak statsec@iikeyclub.org District Webmaster Avi Gogineni techchair@iikeyclub.org
Update from Key Club Governor Yana Patel Hello I-I District Key Clubbers! My name is Yana Patel, and it is my pleasure and honor to be serving as your District Governor for the 20212022 Service Year! I am currently a Senior at Addison Trail High School in Addison, Illinois. Besides Key Club, I also serve as a class officer, my school’s BPA secretary, and International Dance captain! However, Key Club truly is my second home. Joining Key Club my freshman year was the best decision I had ever made; new friends, a new environment, new beginnings, and a more passionate affection for the gift of service. Serving as my club's Sophomore Representative, then President, a Lieutenant Governor for Division 9 West, and now District Governor, has all taught me one thing: Key Clubbers are the embodiment of love and kindness. My plan this year as we write our Comeback Story is to simply continue to STRIVE with your support and motivation. My platform breakdown stands for: Support, Tenacity, Responsibility, Interconnectedness, Virtuosic, and Enthusiastic. To stay updated with my plans and district happenings, be sure to follow both @iikeyclub and @iikeyclub.governorsguide on Instagram! By following, you will receive frequent reminders about I-I’s upcoming events, new campaign launches, and find prominent information in my Weekly Updates that I send out to our District Board. As we return to a hopeful year of normalcy and celebrate our Homecoming, it is essential that we all work as a team to ensure each club Meets their Mark! During our Key Club International Convention in Orlando this year, I took away something very important from our opening session speaker, Alex Sheen. He founded the movement, “Because I said I would''. Essentially you fill out a statement vowing to fulfill a certain promise because you said you would. During that opening session night, I wrote on my card. “I promise to serve the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District and our clubs to the best of my ability, and continue to persevere until our entire team is proud of the work we have accomplished because I said I would”. As we take each step into this service year, I encourage all of you to reach out to friends and family members to join Key Club! But, why Key Club? Key Club because it’s the single most welcoming and inspiring environment you could possibly be in as a leader. Key Club because it’s one of the only opportunities you have to make service possible. This past year has been nothing but a rocky road for all of us. We have faced many challenges, but also many successes. Through it all, we stuck by each other as a unified district. Let’s aim to make this year a fresh start for all of us by rewriting our shining story. As we progress during the year, know that I am here as a resource to you, so whatever it may be, please do not hesitate to reach out! I hope you’re just excited as I am to make this a great year of service, friendship, and leadership. As your Governor, I will put forth my best efforts to increase continuity, and together, we will STRIVE to make this District the best it can be! Let's make this an amazing year I-I! Yours In Service and Always in Friendship, Yana Patel 2021-2022 I-I District Governor Key Club International governor@iikeyclub.org
Update from International Trustee Sana Yooseph I hope the year has been going well so far! As Trustee, I've held routine calls with the wonderful governors of Cal-ill-inas, and we have some fun events in the works. In the Programs & Partners Committee, we've been working to plan the second ever Global Engagement Rally, featuring Key Club alumni, inspiring guest speakers, and fun workshops! Make sure to register in mid-November, and the actual event takes place Saturday, December 4th, over Zoom (details to come). I'd like to offer a kudos to CNH for holding successful Fall Rallies this month! The I-I District held an awesome bonding event at a theme park, and the Carolinas completed a productive Board Meeting! Phenomenal work from the great Cal-ill-inas Sistrict :) Thank you for all your endless dedication, and make sure to use International's Homecoming resources to start the year off strong for ALL your clubs (see keyclub.org for more)! Best Regards, Sana Yoospeph
How We Can Show the Gift of Giving
Serve in Soup Kitchens On a holiday that revolves around feasting, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that not everyone has the access to filling dinner like everyone else. Take your serving heart to a soup kitchen and pay it forward, so everyone and feel the true gift of giving.
Conduct a Coat Drive Everyone grows out of coats.at some point in their life, why not hand it off to someone who might be going through a cold winter season? Take a load off and sift through your closet to find some winter gear that makes someone warm for the holidays. As a club, ask your peers to do the same over winter break to pass on the gift of giving.
SERVICE SPOTLIGHT All features are 2021 Iolian Submissions
ST. JOHN'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL X KEY CLUB: BOOK AND GAME DRIVE
DONUT FUNDRAISER Glenwood High School Key Club partnered with Scoop Du Jour to raise money for the Thirst Project during the month of February. Thirst Project is a non-profit organization that works with young people to help put an END to the global water crisis by building fresh water wells in developing communities that need safe, clean drinking water. Currently, we are raising money to help build a well in Swaziland - a small landlocked country in southern Africa. It only takes $25 to supply one person with clean drinking water for the rest of their life, but $12,000 will build a life-sustaining well for an entire community. That’s our goal - to build a well! Scoop Du Jour graciously sold us their amazing $1 donuts for just $0.50 each. Because of their generosity, we will proudly add at least $883 to our wall-building efforts!! This makes Key Club’s total donations to Thirst Project a little over $4550 to date! Key Club set up tables in the GHS Commons and members sold tickets: $1 for a single donut, $5 for a half-dozen, and $10 for a dozen. About 60 Key Club members sold over 2000 donuts. Our customers included teachers, staff, students, and parents, who purchased tickets, and in turn, visited Scoop Du Jour and traded their ticket for a tasty treat! While we are thrilled to get closer and closer to our goal of building a well, we are incredibly happy to have supported a local business and to have encouraged the community to do so, too. GHS Key Club wants to give a special shout-out to both Fran and Shannon at Scoop du Jour for their patience, generosity, and commitment to community!! Thank you SCOOPS!! We’ll be back!
In March of 2021, Glenwood High School Key Club hosted a book, board game, and puzzle drive for HSHS St. John’s Children Hospital, part of the Children’s Miracle Network. St. John's Children's Hospital serves the families of southern and central Illinois and promotes the health of children. Key Club officers set up collection boxes in the vestibule at GHS and distributed flyers to all schools in the district. Thanks to the generosity of students and community members, the club collected more than 1250 books/board games/puzzles. Club officers and members sanitized all items in multiple shifts and transported them to the hospital. They are welcome additions to the hospital and help entertain the children. As Ms. Emily Enstrom, manager of the Pediatrics/PICU unit put it, “some things we don't see often are infant books like the pop books” and the kids love puzzles and board games. Sometimes the hospital sends books home with the patients on discharge.
SERVICE SPOTLIGHT All features are 2021 Iolian Submissions
DONUT FUNDRAISER Glenwood High School Key Club partnered with Scoop Du Jour to raise money for the Thirst Project during the month of February. Thirst Project is a non-profit organization that works with young people to help put an END to the global water crisis by building fresh water wells in developing communities that need safe, clean drinking water. Currently, we are raising money to help build a well in Swaziland - a small landlocked country in southern Africa. It only takes $25 to supply one person with clean drinking water for the rest of their life, but $12,000 will build a lifesustaining well for an entire community. That’s our goal - to build a well! Scoop Du Jour graciously sold us their amazing $1 donuts for just $0.50 each. Because of their generosity, we will proudly add at least $883 to our wallbuilding efforts!! This makes Key Club’s total donations to Thirst Project a little over $4550 to date! Key Club set up tables in the GHS Commons and members sold tickets: $1 for a single donut, $5 for a half-dozen, and $10 for a dozen. About 60 Key Club members sold over 2000 donuts. Our customers included teachers, staff, students, and parents, who purchased tickets, and in turn, visited Scoop Du Jour and traded their ticket for a tasty treat! While we are thrilled to get closer and closer to our goal of building a well, we are incredibly happy to have supported a local business and to have encouraged the community to do so, too. GHS Key Club wants to give a special shout-out to both Fran and Shannon at Scoop du Jour for their patience, generosity, and commitment to community!! Thank you SCOOPS!! We’ll be back!