Evergreen Key Club

Kyle from Youth Venture has posted pictures of Key Club members when we delivered our scarves.  Check it out: Kyle’s Flickr.

 Make sure to look at the other pictures from his YV Road Trip to see what other Youth Venture-ers are doing.

Evergreen Key Club was featured on The West Seattle Herald, a local newspaper.  The article was written by our very own Julia Huang discussing our Youth Venture “Kill the Chill.”  Find the same article on here: “Wrapped in Warmth.”

Congratulations Evergreen Key Club!

Using Key Club in College and Scholarship Essays

by Lam-Ha Dang

For most seniors, the two months of March and April will be two very dramatic, if not climatic, months of the year.  It is the time that most colleges and scholarships release their admissions or award decisions.  As a senior myself, I’ve been through the process of applying and patiently awaiting my letters, hopefully bringing good news, so I complied a  few tips for filling out applications and especially for writing essays. 

Many colleges and scholarships, as you may know, do not look for academically incredible students, but rather well-rounded citizens.  Colleges want to know that besides being a stellar scholar, you are also involved in your community, using what you learned in the classroom to change the world for the better.  They need to know that you will be a positive and unique contribution to their student body and campus.  Likewise, scholarships may emphasize community service and leadership, but that does not mean a great academic background will not help.  Be sure you place academics in top priority.

Luckily you are a Key Club member, so you have many expriences to draw from when presenting yourself to the judging panels.  Obviously, you have showed that you care about your community and a leader at school, but that is not enough. 

Here are some tips when writing that essay or essays.

March’s Division Council Meeting (DCM) will be held on Friday, March 21st from 5-7 at Samantha Chin’s house.  It will be Samantha’s last DCM before she steps down as Lt. Governor.  If you are interested in attending talk to any officer.  It will be a potluck as well!  Come to hear important information about convention and have fun, of course!

Download: March’s Newsletter

 Check out D26 DCON goodies!

T-Shirts: LIME…

Not just sunglasses, flashing sunglasses.
Not just lime green t-shirts, tennis ball lime green t-shirts.
Not just pom-poms, glowing pom-poms.
Not just crashing DCON ‘08, but crashing in style.

Wrapped In Warmth
by Julia Huang

In October of 2007, the sixty members of Evergreen Key Club, a student service organization at Evergreen High School of White Center, went through a rigorous application process for the Starbucks Youth Venture Grant. Sponsored by Starbucks in partnership with Youth Venture, the startup grant gives youths with an initiative to better the community the necessary funding for the first year of their “venture.”

After many afterschool hour meetings, Key Club’s members struck an idea that seemed to be the perfect venture project and so came the venture: “Kill the Chill.” The club aims to mobilize youth in community service and ultimately to make improvements in ailing societal issues. Hence, through this venture where students hand-make scarves and take part in the donation of the finished products to aid organizations that serve the homeless population, the two goals are accomplished. Additionally, from past experiences of volunteering, the club members noticed that the homeless are deficient in both care and warmth during the blustery winter months and by providing these handmade scarves, the club members hope to alleviate both.

The initial application process required a detailed action plan, which includes general ideas and an overview to the very minute details of an inventory of supplies and their costs. After this first step, three representatives from the club attended a panel discussion to present this seed to three members of the Starbucks Corporation and two greater Seattle community leaders. As a fruit to their hard work, the members were awarded an eight hundred dollar grant and went quickly to work

In a month’s time of hard work from the sixty students, a total of one hundred scarves were made and donated to the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle’s Pioneer Square on February 18th. The club members all agreed that there was not another place they’d rather spend a day during their mid-winter break. Moreover, the students were thrilled to be joined by Youth Venture’s Jack Knellinger, Kyle Taylor and Melina Buckley. Kyle and Melina, who are currently on a road trip to visit ventures around the country, found time to drop by and document the progress of Kill the Chill and the venture’s successes. After donating the scarves to the mission, students were treated to a tour of the organization’s six-leveled men’s shelter. At the end of the day, everyone walked out accomplished and with their hope of giving back to the community, fulfilled.

But this initiative is far from a single spurt of effort, for Evergreen Key Club hopes to build continuity to its venture and will be busily cutting away at fleece every winter season, long after Santa’s elves have finished their season’s task.

Interested in Kyle and Melina’s road trip?  Please visit their blog:  www.yvroadtrip.com
For more information about the Union Gospel Mission, please visit its website: www.ugm.org

District Council Meetings (DCM) are meetings of all the Key Clubs in our Division. (D-26!)  It’s a great opportunity to network and share ideas.  Members are always invited to go.  The next one is February 22 at Samantha Chin’s house from 2-3:30 pm.  If you would like to go, talk to one of the officers for more information.

Check out this month’s Lt. Governor’s newsletter: FEB_newsletter

DCON! Are you ready?

The Boys and Girls Club located on 9800 8th Ave SWhas a variety of volunteering opportunities available to suit everybody’s interests.  They are looking for:

Some boys to start a running club.

Tech savvy individuals to work the Media Center.

Crafty and artsy individuals to do creative painting with the children.

And much more!

Interested?  Sign-up on site at the Boys and Girls Club in White Center

Contact Ryan
(206)768-3221
rschaedig@positiveplace.org

Happy 2nd Semester Key Clubbers!

I hope you are enjoying your new classes or if none of them changed, happy that you only have 1 semester left.  Seniors, as of today, you only have 80 more days left until you’re officially out of here.  A new semester means new beginnings and opportunities.  Here’s what’s beginning in Key Club this month: 

+Convention! The annual district convention is coming up this April with the theme of “Service in the Stars”.  This year it will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sea-Tac on April 11-13, 2008.  Those interested must keep in mind that you must have a minimum of 40 logged volunteer hours.  Clubbers will only have to pay $50 since the club and our sponsoring Kiwanis Club will covering part of the cost.  Get your applications from Mrs. Morris and turn everything in by Monday February 11 to the bookkeeper.  (Not the officers or Mrs. Morris)

+A few weeks ago, about 90 scarves were made for our Youth Venture.  We are in the process of tagging and putting the finishing touches on them.   On February 18 or 19 we will be distributing the scarves to a local homeless shelter or organization.  Be sure to be there!  We might help with serving food or volunteering with the organization.  In addition the press from Youth Venture will be there to capture us in action.  (Photographers and cameras!)  Don’t miss out!

+Volunteer for the Evergreen book fair from February 6 to 14.  Talk to Uyen for more information and to sign up.  Support your school’s library by buying a book or two.

+Also, remember the White Center Food Bank needs volunteers to help with sorting and distribution every other Wednesday from 5:30-8:00.

2008-2009 Officers

Congrats to the newly elected officers.  They will be shadowing the current officers until after convention when they’ll be officially installed at a Kiwanis meeting.  Again, congrats!

President: Tony Vo
Vice President: Tim Cal
Secretary: Mahalet Assefa
Treasurer: DeeDee Tran
Bulletin Editor:  Tammy Do
Webmaster: Cynthia Pham

Happy Volunteering!

Please come to the meeting on January 28th because that day we will be electing new officers. Nominations have been made in the last two meetings. Nominees will be making their speeches and the rest of the club will be voting. Be there!

On Tuesday, January 22, there will be a mandatory meeting for all those who are interested in going to this year District Convention. We will be going over details and passing out paperwork. It is very important that interested members come. At the same time, we will be making fleece scarves for our Youth Venture. Help out! It counts as service hours too!

Congratulations Evergreen Key Club! We logged a total of 176.5 hours in the month of December 2007! Keep it coming! And props to Diana Nguyen for being the top volunteer of the month with 20.5 hours. Good Job.

Added a new header.  Like it?

Welcome to Evergreen High School Key Club’s website.  Stay tuned for updates!

Merry Christmas!  We hope all are enjoying the white Christmas.

Added two pictures: