Evergreen Key Club

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