THE WOLVERINE KEY
THE MIGHTY MICHIGAN DISTRICT
The Mighty Michiga District: Birthpla of Kiwan
Hello Mighty Michigan Key Clubbers, Hello Mighty Michigan Key Clubbers,
My name is Jenna Morrison and I am thrilled to be My name is Jenna Morrison and I am thrilled to be your District Governor this service year! This next year, your District Governor this service year! This next year, my goals are to Support, Unite, and Nurture our my goals are to Support, Unite, and Nurture our district to help us shine together! This, however, is not district to help us shine together! This, however, is not possible without all of you. I encourage you and your possible without all of you. I encourage you and your clubs to support one another and your community, clubs to support one another and your community, to unite our district by participating in district and to unite our district by participating in district and divisional events, and to nurture membership within divisional events, and to nurture membership within your club and nurture relationships with your club, your club and nurture relationships with your club, division, and our district! Please keep a look out for division, and our district! Please keep a look out for emails and newsletters from your Lieutenant emails and newsletters from your Lieutenant Governors and stay in contact with them. I am so Governors and stay in contact with them. I am so excited to embark on this journey of service and excited to embark on this journey of service and leadership with you all and to see many of you at Fall leadership with you all and to see many of you at Fall Rally. As always, please do not hesitate to contact Rally. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me (governor@mikeyclub.org) if you ever have any me (governor@mikeyclub.org) if you ever have any questions or concerns. Let’s make this a great questions or concerns. Let’s make this a great year for the Mighty Michigan District! year for the Mighty Michigan District!
Yours in caring servic
Yours in caring servic
Jenna Morrison Jenna Morrison
GOVERNOR’S Letter
Hello Key Clubbers! Hello Key Clubbers!
Welcome to my first edition of the Welcome to my first edition of the Wolverine Key! As you read through Wolverine Key! As you read through our first district magazine, I hope you our first district magazine, I hope you feel a sense of pride towards service feel a sense of pride towards service and leadership. The purpose of the and leadership. The purpose of the Wolverine Key is to celebrate the Wolverine Key is to celebrate the incredible contributions each of you incredible contributions each of you makes to our communities. Within makes to our communities. Within these pages, you'll find inspiring stories these pages, you'll find inspiring stories of service, leadership tips from our of service, leadership tips from our outstanding district board, updates outstanding district board, updates on our district's ongoing projects, and on our district's ongoing projects, and much more. Enjoy! much more. Enjoy! Yours
Yours
LAYLA GARCIA
DISTRICTSECRETARY
ST. JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL
DISTRICT BULLETIN EDITOR
CRESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
FAVORITESONG: CHERRYFLAVOREDBY
THENEIGHBOURHOOD
meet the DD-BOARD -BOARD
LTG DIV. ONE - FATIMA AWADA
LTG DIV. TWO - DANA KASSOUMEH
LTG DIV. THREE - ADDY SHULL
LTG DIV. FOUR - RJ LANGEN
LTG DIV. FIVE - SOPHIA LIU
LTG DIV. SIX - BEN PEASE
LTG DIV. SEVEN - JACKSON PALMER
LTG DIV. EIGHT - SALSABIL ZAHID
LTG DIV. NINE - JOHN YANG
LTG DIV. TEN - BROOKE WICKER
LTG DIV. ELEVEN - FATME KHALIL
LTG DIV. TWELVE - RAMI ABDULLA
LTG DIV. THIRTEEN - YAALVISHI RP.
LTG DIV. FOURTEEN - HANNAH CABAL
LTG DIV. FIFTEEN - LEEA EUN
LTG DIV. SIXTEEN - MCCARTY LIANG
KIWANIS FAMILY RELATIONS
CHAIR
JANA IBRAHIM
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS AND PROJECTS CHAIR
JOEY BERRY
NEW CLUB BUILDING CO-CHAIRS
JUMANA KAMALALDIN & MIA
MORABITO
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COCHAIRS
JUHI BHATT & TAYLOR
GABRIELSON
EVENTS CO-CHAIRS
CECILIA LOSSIO
GALLEGOS
SPRING BOARD Recap
Spring Board 2024 was one for Spring Board 2024 was one for the books! Following the the books! Following the District Board’s placement in District Board’s placement in February-March, the board February-March, the board took a trip to the Howell Nature took a trip to the Howell Nature Center for their Spring Board Center for their Spring Board ttrainings. rainings.
The weekend was full of fun! The weekend was full of fun!
From the top of the high ropes
From the top of the high ropes to the cozy atmosphere of a to the cozy atmosphere of a bonfire, the board completed bonfire, the board completed LTG and committee chair LTG and committee chair training, perfected the strategic training, perfected the strategic plan for the 2024-2025 service plan for the 2024-2025 service year, and much more! year, and much more!
Juhi, Taylor, and our favorite, MIKEY!
Moments by the lake!
Theduality of Rami
John Yang being turned into JoJo Siwa...!
Abdulla...
Fatme, Jana, and Dunya <3 Selfieee!
INTERNATIONAL Convention
This weekend, the mighty Michigan District went for gold at the International Convention in Atlanta Georgia!
We were blessed with traveling with the amazing Indiana District, where thousands of memories and lifelong friendships were made, we cannot wait to work with them again!
Aside from winning District Spirit at the closing ceremony, we are extra proud of two amazing Michiganders, Mohammed Ali AlSabeh and Chikanma Okoisor for winning INTERNATIONAL TRUSTEE! You both make MI proud.
This was truly a week full of service, leadership, friendship, memories, and much more. We can’t wait for ICON 2025 IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA!!
IINTERNATIONAL NTERNATIONAL Updates
The Dues increase amendment has been passed! Starting this Service year, International dues are now $10. Say hello to your new International President and Vice, David Robaina and Carissa Andorf!
We are proud to introduce 11 new International Trustees, Aspen Hess, Armin Sedghi, Moe Ali Al-Sabeh, Nicole Bunag, Kevin Hidalgo, Nidhi Rao, Sunny Sandhu, Ethan Schmidt, Chikanma Okoisor, and Ariana Lee!
IINTERNATIONAL NTERNATIONAL Partners
PPARTNERS ARTNERS
CCHARITIES HARITIES
Makes Waves
Hello Mightly Michigan Key Clubbers,
I am thrilled to share with you the 2024-2025 Governor’s Project! This year's MIDKCI Governor’s Project is...
Key Club Makes Waves!
Through this project, I hope to encourage clubs across the Michigan District to participate and help fight the global water crisis by partnering with the Thirst Project, the world’s largest youth water organization, and one of Key Club’s preferred charities.
Working with our International Partners and Projects committee, we will share with you different project and fundraiser ideas to combat the water crisis and make waves in our community and world! Ranging from Walk-a-thons to sports tournaments to bake sales, the opportunities to make a difference are endless!
I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together through the Governor’s Project!
Donate to our District fundraising page!
Rubber Duckie Race: Buy a ton of rubber duckies on the Internet, and let donors ‘adopt’ one for a fee. Once each rubber duckie has an owner, head to your local river/creek and race them! Whoever’s duckie wins, reward them with a prize!
Talent Show: Recruit your most talented peers to each perform an act. Sell tickets to attend the show, and create some entertainment!
Recycling Campaign: Collect recyclable bottles from your neighborhood, school, or community. Turn them into your local recycling center, and donate the money to Thirst Project!
Garage Sale: Sell old/unwanted things and donate all the money to Thirst Project! Encourage people to donate their stuff, or come by and shop!
learn more
YOURSIN CARINGSERVICE, Jenna Morrison
DISTRICTGOVERNOR
WHY I KEY
IIjoinedkeyclubbecauseitwasanoutletfor joinedkeyclubbecauseitwasanoutletfor bbeinginvolvedwithinthecommunity.Iamstillin einginvolvedwithinthecommunity.Iamstillin iitbecauseithascreatedawesomerelationships tbecauseithascreatedawesomerelationships tthathavebenefitedmetremendously.The hathavebenefitedmetremendously.The iimpactofkeyclubhasbeeneverlastingcreating mpactofkeyclubhasbeeneverlastingcreating memoriesandexperiencesIwillneverforget. memoriesandexperiencesIwillneverforget.
OOliviaSwirple,TecumsehHighSchool--Div.9 liviaSwirple,TecumsehHighSchool--Div.9
I joined Key Club because I wanted to make a positive impact in my I joined Key Club because I wanted to make a positive impact in my community and develop my leadership skills. Founding my home community and develop my leadership skills. Founding my home club at 15 as a sophomore, driven by the disappointment of not club at 15 as a sophomore, driven by the disappointment of not having a volunteer club accessible to everyone at our school, taught having a volunteer club accessible to everyone at our school, taught me how to navigate working with administration and provided an me how to navigate working with administration and provided an incredible outlet to help those around me. I remain in Key Club incredible outlet to help those around me. I remain in Key Club because I believe in its potential to grow stronger and more efficient, because I believe in its potential to grow stronger and more efficient, benefiting even more people in our state. The friendships I've made benefiting even more people in our state. The friendships I've made and the experiences I've had through Key Club have truly been the and the experiences I've had through Key Club have truly been the best part of my high school years. best part of my high school years.
RJ Langen, Forest Hills Northern -- Div. 4 RJ Langen, Forest Hills Northern -- Div. 4
JOINED CLUB
I originally joined key club because a friend wanted me to I originally joined key club because a friend wanted me to come with her, but I stayed even when she left because of how come with her, but I stayed even when she left because of how easy and enjoyable the projects are! I love being able to work easy and enjoyable the projects are! I love being able to work on cool projects with nice people from my school, and it is all on cool projects with nice people from my school, and it is all the better now that we have Kiwanis volunteers coming in to the better now that we have Kiwanis volunteers coming in to help out. Now that I am a board member, it is easy to say that help out. Now that I am a board member, it is easy to say that key club has made a positive change in my life, getting me to key club has made a positive change in my life, getting me to be more active in my school and our community as a whole. be more active in my school and our community as a whole.
SSophiaFata,CaledoniaHighSchool--Div.4 ophiaFata,CaledoniaHighSchool--Div.4
Key Club has made an impact on my life vaster than I could Key Club has made an impact on my life vaster than I could have ever imagined. I joined Key Club at first because I knew have ever imagined. I joined Key Club at first because I knew some of my friends were in it and my immediate thought was some of my friends were in it and my immediate thought was it would look good for college. But now that I have been in it it would look good for college. But now that I have been in it for almost 3 years, that’s only just a bonus. Key Club has for almost 3 years, that’s only just a bonus. Key Club has shown me the importance of leadership, character, the act of shown me the importance of leadership, character, the act of service, and overall the matter of being a better person. I service, and overall the matter of being a better person. I have met so many amazing people through Key Club, and I have met so many amazing people through Key Club, and I would recommend to quite literally everyone! would recommend to quite literally everyone!
Hannah Slawnyk, Annapolis High School -- Div. 12 Hannah Slawnyk, Annapolis High School -- Div. 12
SERVICE SERVICE Spotlight Spotlight HELPING HANDS
SCHOOL
The Helping Hands was our first The Helping Hands was our first ever divisional event, one we ever divisional event, one we plan to do annually. Key club plan to do annually. Key club members from schools in our members from schools in our division came and donated division came and donated hygiene projects and hygiene projects and completed service events. The completed service events. The products from these service products from these service events (e.g. blanket and pillow events (e.g. blanket and pillow making, sandwich making, etc.) making, sandwich making, etc.) were donated to family shelters were donated to family shelters in our community. in our community.
BOXES FOR SUMMER CAMP
FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Our event was a community Our event was a community service project where we service project where we created and decorated 70 created and decorated 70 boxes for children attending boxes for children attending the summer camp at the Kroc the summer camp at the Kroc Center. Each box contained Center. Each box contained a stuffed animal and candy. a stuffed animal and candy. Around 30 volunteers Around 30 volunteers contributed their time and contributed their time and creativity to make this project creativity to make this project a success. a success.
A few times each service year our A few times each service year our club holds a blood drive where club holds a blood drive where clubbers help out as well as clubbers help out as well as donate blood along with students donate blood along with students of our school. We had 110 key of our school. We had 110 key clubbers participate as donors, clubbers participate as donors, drive volunteers, or set up drive volunteers, or set up volunteers. It is known to be a volunteers. It is known to be a success each time we hold a drive success each time we hold a drive and the club loves helping out and the club loves helping out during this event. during this event.
BLOOD DRIVE LAKESHORE HIGH SCHOOL
BOOKMARKS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLERS SERVATHON
PCEP
At one of our service meetings, our At one of our service meetings, our members made cute bookmarks for members made cute bookmarks for the local third graders. Around 100 the local third graders. Around 100 people contributed to the bookmark people contributed to the bookmark making and hundreds of bookmarks making and hundreds of bookmarks were produced! Then, they were were produced! Then, they were delivered to the local elementary delivered to the local elementary sschools. chools.
CRESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
Every year, Crestwood Key Club hosts
Every year, Crestwood Key Club hosts its divisional rally known as its divisional rally known as “Servathon” where Key Clubbers from “Servathon” where Key Clubbers from all across Division 12 gather to all across Division 12 gather to complete 6 service projects in 3 hours. complete 6 service projects in 3 hours.
With over 80 members in attendance,
With over 80 members in attendance, the event was a fantastic display of the the event was a fantastic display of the power of servant leadership. power of servant leadership.
FUNDRAISING: TIPS AND TRICKS
As some schools are just starting Summer Break, it's time to rally together and make a difference in our community. Fundraising plays a crucial role in fueling our district’s impactful projects and activities. From organizing fun events to spreading awareness, every dollar that clubs raise empowers all of us to create positive change. So, let's dive in and discover the key strategies to make this summer’s fundraising a huge success!
Tips:
Make sure you know who/what you are fundraising for School: Raising money for your own club can go toward funding service projects and subsidizing the cost of attending events such as SLC and Fall Rally. Charities: Raising money for our Key Club partners: UNICEF, Thirst Project, Erika’s Lighthouse, Schoolhouse.
Try to have a clear fundraising goal - This will be helpful when advertising and being sure you have no revenue loss.
Have a Budget - Your budget should balance well between how much you can spend while still reaching your goal.
Have a target audience - Who do you plan to attract and contribute to your event?
Set up - How will you be setting up your fundraiser?
Have a good Marketing plan - Use flyers, announcements, social media, and public figures to spread the word.
Overall, have a great time during your fundraiser and make sure to use the District Fundraising Guide to look over ideas for the summer. When you host a fundraiser, let your division’s Lieutenant Governor and I know about the fundraiser so you can be one step closer to winning the outstanding treasurer award. Most importantly, have fun!
LUNA ALOAWAD - DISTRICT TREASURER
SERVICE PROJECTS
Locating Service Projects
Finding nearby service projects and events can be tricky, but during my term as a club officer, I discovered a few effective strategies:
1.
Library Visits: Local libraries often have bulletin boards with flyers for upcoming community events. I used to visit my library weekly to look for any flyers, which typically included contact information, making it easy to reach out and ask if volunteers were needed. If they said they had enough volunteers, I would just make it clear that my club would love to help out in the future.
2.
Social Media: Following local organizations and city accounts on platforms like Instagram can keep you updated on community events. Whenever I saw a relevant post, I would reach out and offer our club’s assistance. It’s also important to maintain these connections with organizations once you make them to ensure your club is considered for future volunteer opportunities.
3.
Networking: Connect with local community organizations, especially those run by or involving fellow teens. If you or your friends know someone involved with a community group, reach out and offer to help.
Creating Service Projects
This is my favorite aspect of Key Club—coming up with ideas for service projects and events. Here are some tips for creating your own:
2.
1. Inspiration: Don't hesitate to connect with club officers from nearby schools to exchange ideas and gain insights. Additionally, feel free to look at other clubs' Instagram pages for inspiration!
3.
Collaborative Planning: Sit down with your club officers to brainstorm and plan events for the upcoming school year. Review successful events from previous years and explore ways to improve them. Make sure everyone is sharing their ideas and don’t dismiss anything too quickly.
Themed Volunteering: Align your projects with awareness months. For example, during May, Mental Health Awareness Month, my club created “Fidget Grams,” which included stickers and fidgets. We sold these at school and donated 75% of the proceeds to Emagine Health Services, a local organization. This project won us the 1st place Single Service Award at SLC! I highly recommend finding each awareness month and searching up service project ideas.
4.
Online Research: When in doubt, use the internet to search for ideas. Searches like “service projects for mental health awareness” or “summer service projects” can spark ideas. Even if the exact project isn’t feasible, you can modify it to fit your club’s needs. The internet is an invaluable resource for ideas.
Overall, by exploring local resources, utilizing social media and the internet, networking, brainstorming with your team, and researching, you can find and create meaningful service projects that make a difference in your community.
FATME
FFROMTHEBOARD ROMTHEBOARD
PASSION FOR SERVICE
Service, to me, has always been something close to home. Whether it be the local animal shelter or volunteering at my school, I never had to look far for an opportunity to serve. But something never felt right. It never seemed that I was making an impact on the world around me. That all changed when I decided to come to Spain. One of my family members runs a little English school in Galicia, Spain and invited me to help teach her students from ages six to sixty. I was extremely hesitant at first because this would require me to travel by myself to a country I had never been to before, which sounded impossible. But, it turned out to be the greatest experience of my life.
I spent every day translating nouns and pronouns and teaching students how to use their verbs. These students had a passion for learning all about English and when they found out I was from the United States they were very curious to learn about what my life is like. All of the students have dreams to move to the United States and pursue careers in soccer and basketball or attend a university and it was incredible to be a part of their journey. Not only did this service project give me an opportunity to teach english but it also gave me the chance to improve my spanish speaking skills and try new things. Among these new things were navigating the airport and flying by myself for the first time as well as being in a teaching instead of learning position in school. This required me to make plans and schedules for classes and move classes around in order to help students get the most of it. Being there was helpful for the students as they were able to hear English in an American accent and learn about how life in the United States differs from their life in small Spanish towns. Moreover, this experience gave me the opportunity to impact the lives of many people while creating lifelong friendships and memories with people on the other side of the world.
Traveling and volunteering abroad is something that I would recommend to anybody in a heartbeat. It is absolutely incredible to see the ripple effect that you can have on one's life while experiencing different cultures and lifestyles. Saying goodbye to the students I spent three weeks teaching and talking too was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do because teaching them became a part of my everyday life and by the end of the month I knew everybody's name, age, and all of their favorite things and it was difficult to leave it all behind. But it was the most amazing experience and I would do it again every summer for the rest of my life if I had the chance.
JUHI BHATT AND TAYLOR GABRIELSON -
CECILIA LOSSIO - EVENTS CO CHAIR
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CO CHAIRS
WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?
With the advent of summer, and the consequent slowing of pace of life for us school-shackled students, there comes more time. In my life, time that used to be tied down by assignments, exams, and clubs, is now exchanged for forays into cooking, lame TV shows, calling friends, and aimless thinking. I’ve experienced such whiplash from ending school that my thoughts orbit the term gratefulness more often than not. So I decided to share some things in my life that I’m grateful for, in the hope that it can inspire you to be more aware of these blessings as well. And it’s not like during school I didn’t have any of these things; I definitely did. But the meaning of these things really change once the fog of school stress has lifted and the rays of summer shed light on them.
I am grateful for the ability to buy and eat food. Because I’ve started to learn how to cook, and many recipes call for ingredients that I don’t already have at home, I’ve started going out and buying them. Whether it be chicken, broccoli, greek yogurt, or salmon, the sheer ability to buy them whenever I want is something I cherish and am grateful for.
Taking naps when I want. During the school year, I was paranoid about taking naps in the afternoon, because once I laid my head down I wouldn’t be able to wake up for at least 3 hours. That loss of time meant I couldn’t finish assignments or practice violin or study for exams. On the other hand, since I have less commitments in the summertime, whenever I get sleepy, be it in the afternoon or not, I just lay my head down worry-free and take as long of a nap as I want.
Taking walks outside. I recently read up about ions in the Earth’s atmosphere, and learned that fresh air contains negative ions that affect your brain and mood in a positive way. Being outside, feeling the breeze on my face, feeling the sunlight, is really extraordinary. Coconut oil, because getting sunburned during the heatwave made my skin basically fall off and applying normal moisturizers felt like rubbing sandpaper on my skin. Using coconut oil instead saved me a lot of pain, and that I am grateful for.
Besides these broader categories that I experience gratefulness for over periods of time, minute details in my daily life that I am thankful for also exist in abundance. Over the summer, I encourage you to view your life with a grateful lens and never forget to count your blessings!
SOPHIA LIU - LTG OF DIV 5
