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THE ESPRES SO FALL 2026

V O L. 37 ISSUE 2

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT KEY CLUB

What is Key Club?

My Key Club Story

Keys to Membership

Dues Information

ICON Recap

My ICON Story

International Trustee Update

PNWOF

Trick or Treat for UNICEF

Joint-Service Projects

District Project Update

Executive Updates

KCI Membership Benefit Partners

KCI Major Emphasis

Member Resources

Contact Information

membership@pnwkeyclub.org!

Dallas, Texas

icon 2026!

MY ICON MY ICON STORY! STORY!

EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS!

his summer, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 2026 Key Club International Convention in Dallas, Texas. It was my first time attending the convention, but it will be a memory I cherish forever. Before the convention began, our district went to a Medieval Times dinner, the 6th floor museum at Dealey Plaza, and even spent a full day at Six Flags Over Texas! At Six Flags, we got to go on lots of rides and hang out with people from other Districts! Once the convention started, we went straight into activities, including workshops, caucusing, guest speaker sessions, spirit battles, and pin trading.

The next four days were filled with conversations and connections with Key Clubbers from around the world. From meeting international trustee candidates to connecting with fellow participants in the GLC Masterclass, I heard diverse perspectives from people who share my passion for Key Club and service. Among the many memorable experiences at the convention, three opportunities particularly shaped my experience: participating in the Global Leadership Masterclass, receiving the X-Hunger Scholarship, and hearing from Olivia Zhang during the Closing Session.

DISTRICT ADMIN UPDATE Written by Angela Bruhl

Welcome back to school! As we settle into our new schedules and classes, we continue our Key Club work. Now is the time to focus on recruitment and dues payments. Make sure to have booths at your school’s club rush, a float in the Homecoming parade, and fliers posted around your school advertising your meetings. Also, attend the MGRC webinar for more ideas of how to recruit and grow your club. Dues can be paid throughout the year, however clubs are encouraged to generate and pay their first invoice by November 1, 2026. Clubs needing assistance with updating their roster and paying their dues can contact Alice at treasurer@pnwkeyclub.org. Pay your dues through Kiwanis Engage. If you have trouble with Kiwanis Engage, please contact 1-800-KIWANIS between 5:30 am and 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time for further assistance. This year’s Global Engagement Rally will be on November 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. PT. Make sure to register and sign up today! This is a leadership training included with your Key Club membership; it includes communication, collaboration, volunteerism, and self-awareness. Many PNW Key Clubbers have taken this opportunity and have found so much value in it! Key Club International has updated its website, so make sure to visit it as well as the PNW Key Club website for resources and more. On that note, make sure to order your Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes now, if you haven’t already. Finally, our District Project is the RMHC. You can support them in multiple ways: either volunteer at a house, make cards or no-sew blankets and send them to a house, or fundraise for the charity and submit the money to the PNW Shop. And, it is never too early to begin planning for DCON. It will be in Seattle this year, so whether it is fundraising or finding chaperones, start now. Let’s have a great school year full of projects, fundraisers, and more!

INTERNATIONAL TRUSTEE UPDATE Written by Malik Bah

Hello Pacific Northwest Key Clubbers! My name is Malik Bah, and I’m so excited to be able to serve as your 2026-27 International Trustee! This year, our district pairing consists of PNW (of course), Rocky Mountain, and the Bahamas District. After serving as a Lieutenant Governor and District Governor for the Minnesota-Dakotas District, I am so excited to bring that same passion and experience to serve you all!

For some background, I am a senior at Fridley High School in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area (Twin Cities Metro) in Minnesota, and I’m involved in some activities such as HOSA, where I serve as my chapter’s President, Youth in Government, where I’m the Speaker of the House, Speech, and some more activities! I enjoy hanging out with friends, spending time in nature, and listening to music.

As a Trustee, I serve on two committees. The Executive Committee focuses on supporting the I-Council, executing the 2026-2031 Strategic Plan, and our big goals for the service year: reaching 250,000 members and 1,000+ attendees at ICON 2027 in Washington, D.C., where I hope to see you all in attendance! I also serve as the Chair of the Membership Development Committee, where we are focusing on our Charter Champions and Key Conversations initiatives, establishing a central Key Club membership resource drive available to districts, and gathering feedback from the ICouncil to improve membership as a whole.

Being on the International Board has been a wonderful experience so far, and I am looking forward to getting to know you all and working with your district as we collaborate and share ideas! Feel free to reach out to me anytime via Instagram at @fevismm or via email at mbah@keyclub.org. I look forward to hearing from you guys!

GOVERNOR UPDATE

Lawrence McConnell

Hello, Pacific Northwest Key Club! It’s hard to believe that summer is already over and we’re officially heading into another school year. For me, the transition into fall has been…busy, to say the least. Between college applications (which, admittedly, scare me a little), DECA and theater ramping up for their events, and everything that comes with being a senior, there is certainly a lot going on. Thankfully, I’ve also had plenty of things to look forward to, including spending time with my new cat, Jackson, and, of course, getting to see so many of you at Key Club Days North and South! Key Club Days have easily been some of my favorite moments of the summer. Getting to watch everyone come together and serve was incredibly meaningful, especially seeing how many cards were created for Ronald McDonald House Charities. And, of course, I can’t forget getting pied not once, but twice! Those moments reminded me why I love this organization so much: service is something we get to experience together. I’m also incredibly proud of our Summer Board meeting and the way our District Board has grown together. One of the things I’ve appreciated most during my time as Governor is just how much love exists within our District Board. Seeing the relationships people have built with one another and watching everyone support each other has been genuinely special. At the same time, being Governor has taught me that leadership comes with difficult decisions. I certainly didn’t expect to have to make as many hard decisions as I have, but those experiences have taught me a lot about what it means to lead with both responsibility and care. As we enter the fall, I want to encourage every Key Clubber to remember the root of what we do: service. Service isn’t simply about completing a certain number of hours or checking another project off a list. It is about looking at your community, listening to what it needs, and finding a way to help. That can look different in every community. In Spokane, for example, recent wildfires have created needs related to fire safety, fundraising, and support for people who have been affected. Your community might have completely different needs. Take the time to find them. Talk to local organizations, listen to the people around you, and ask yourself what you can do to make someone’s day, week, or life just a little bit better. And as we get deeper into the school year, I hope you remember to enjoy the journey, too. There will be stressful days, difficult decisions, exams, applications, and more responsibilities than any of us probably want to think about. But there will also be latenight conversations, new friendships, service projects, school events, and memories that you’ll carry with you long after this year ends. I am so incredibly excited about everything this year has in store for us, especially DCON! Until then, keep serving, keep caring for your communities, and most importantly, keep caring for each other.

SECRETARY UPDATE

Rebekah Christensen Hello, Pacific Northwest Key Cub!

Happy fall! I have loved to see all of the work your clubs have been doing this summer, and I cannot wait to hear about upcoming projects for the school year. To catch you up, this summer has been a great one for PNW Key Club! Secretary Report submission rates have increased from 61.9% at the beginning of the year to 73.0% this month, and clubs have been staying active throughout the summer, from establishing club committees to fundraising for local Ronald McDonald Houses. Keep up the good work! I loved seeing you all at Key Club Days this year, and I can’t wait to see what your clubs accomplish next! On the topic of club activities, I am delighted to announce that as of August 2026, PNW Key Club has contributed over 1,700 service hours and over $6,500 to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Keep up the good work, and we will have a good chance at reaching our goal of 11,667 service hours and $11,667 in direct donations. Thank you to everyone who has continued to support the RMHC this year. We truly cannot do it without each and every one of you! I encourage you to continue your support by hosting service projects, donating funds, and dedicating your time this school year to helping families in need! Additionally, I urge you to take advantage of the resources created by the Membership Growth and Reactivation Committee. Whether it be taking a look at Running a Rural Club 101, drafting personal club outreach using Personal Invitations, or copying email templates from the 8th Grade Recruitment Resource. To learn more about ways to recruit and retain members, how to utilize MGRC and International resources, and more, register for the Keys To Membership Webinar on September 27th, 2026! You will hear from the PNW Membership Growth and Reactivation committee, PNW Key Clubs with strong membership and club growth, and International trustees Sawyer Sullivan and Malik Bah. We will also have an interactive club Q&A panel breakout rooms with Key Clubs that have been successful with membership growth and retention. As we enter the busiest season of the Key Club year, I want to remind all of you to uphold your values. What keeps you going in busy times? How do you handle burnout? Please know that if you ever need assistance or have any questions/concerns, the PNW Key Club District Board is here to help! Remember to take time to yourself this school year, and I’ll see you at DCON!

TREASURER UPDATE

Alice Xu

What’s up, PNW Key Clubbers?! Every good thing comes to an end, and it seems that summer is no exception…BUT it’s also September, which means KEY CLUB IS BACKKKKK!!! Between late evening Key Club meetings and abundant service opportunities every week, I’m forecasting an absolutely immaculate start to this fall quarter. I absolutely cannot wait for service to kick back up, and I hope you all feel the same way! Oh, and school’s starting too, I guess. The start of school is going to bring in a flurry of homework, classes, and, unfortunately, college applications for our long suffering seniors, and I can guarantee you that you’re going to be reading the winter Espresso in seemingly no time at all. Time seems to pass faster every year, so my go-to thought process for letting myself live is: “When I’m looking back at fall quarter in a few months, what do I want to remember?” Obviously, you’re not going to want to only remember how you spent every day perfecting your homework assignments and slaving away at college applications. Make sure you take some time to have fun and cheer for your school at football games, hang out with friends late into the night, and pour your heart into your favorite extracurriculars. That being said, Key Club is 100% one of your favorite extracurriculars, so remember to keep serving through the stress! Volunteering is a great way to have fun with friends, destress from schoolwork, and directly benefit your community. It’s a win-win! Don’t forget to pay your dues and apply to PNWOF as well ;) We ended the 2025-2026 service year with 11,695 dues-paid members, which is nice, but I know we can absolutely crush this number together as a district! Yes, fall is going to be stressful for many of us, but it’s also going to be fulfilling if you make the most of it. Always strive to better your community, but most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy yourself! Let’s sign up for those events and get back to service!

EDITOR UPDATE

Linh Tran

What’s Kickin’, PNW??!!! It was great seeing so many of you at our on-site Key Club Days events! I personally had such a great time, and I hope you did too. I definitely loved going on rides with my friends, and getting pied at Key Club Day North was definitely a highlight. Thank you all for your contributions to the Ronald McDonald House Charities through wishlist donations and cards. It’s crazy that summer is already over, but I’m excited for everything this new year will bring. I hope you all had a wonderful summer filled with great memories and are feeling refreshed for the school year ahead! Happy fall! With school, extracurriculars, jobs, and everything in between picking back up, don’t forget to stay connected with PNW Key Club. For the easiest way to stay up to date on the latest announcements, events, and updates, follow our official Instagram page, @pnwkeyclub. I’d also recommend signing up for our biweekly newsletter, which is sent every two weeks with important updates and opportunities. To subscribe, visit the PNW Key Club website, scroll down, and click “Join Our Mailing List.” As we enter another busy school year, remember to take time to enjoy the little things and to rest. I hope this year brings you new experiences, meaningful service, and plenty of memories to look back on. If you ever need help finding officer resources, have any questions, or simply want to chat, feel free to reach out to me at editor@pnwkeyclub.org.

Key Club International

MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT PARTNERS

Key Club International

PREFERRED CHARITIES

Key Club International

MAJOR EMPHASIS AWARD AWARD

CHILDREN: CHILDREN: THEIR THEIR FUTURE, FUTURE, OUR OUR FOCUS FOCUS

The Major Emphasis Award is given to the Key Club that has produced The best Major Emphasis Project of the year, completed on a local scale according to the theme of “Children: Their Future, Our Focus.”

HOW HOW DO DO YOU YOU EARN EARN THIS THIS AWARD? AWARD? To win this award, you will type out a report, turn it in, and it will be judged, before awards are given to the first, second, and thrid place Major Emphasis awards at the International Convention.

MEMBER RESOURCES All links are provided KIWANIS FAMILY RELATIONS

Kiwanis Branches Resources Joint Projects and Events Guide Kiwanis Family Chartering Guide

CLUB OFFICERS RESOURCES

Club Officer Guides Officer Toolkit

DOCUMENTS AND FORMS

Code of Conduct Form Medical Form Photo Release Form

Lawrence McConnell

DISTRICT GOVERNOR governor@pnwkeyclub.org

DISTRICT SECRETARY secretary@pnwkeyclub.org

Alice Xu

Linh Tran

DISTRICT TREASURER treasurer@pnwkeyclub.org

DISTRICT EDITOR editor@pnwkeyclub.org

Adult Team Justin Englund

Angela Bruhl

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR justin@pnwkeyclub.org

DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR angela@pnwkeyclub.org

Mike Wallis

Criena Sekhon

FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR mike@pnwkeyclub.org

SPECIAL ADVISOR

Committe Chairs Lillian Willard

District Convention convention@pnwkeyclub.org

Ashlynn Sudaisar

Lawrence McConnell

District Project project@pnwkeyclub.org

Membership Growth and Reactivation membership@pnwkeyclub.org

Alice Xu

Sierra Newell

Kiwanis-Family Relations kfam@pnwkeyclub.org

PNWOF pnwof@pnwkeyclub.org