Obon Festival
TT, Piedmont Hills, D12E
The Obon Festival was one of the actually FUN events that Jackie and I were able to host during the summer and hopefully, it won't be the last of the fun events to come! On the morning of the event, I arrived early so that I could find out where the sign-in area was and where our work was going to be. I ended up having a few minutes spare after talking to the event organizer so I decided to look around for a bit and check out the other places that they had and the event was so much larger than I expected. There were different areas across the street as well as a band playing music in the center and a large Buddhist church for people to pray in as well. However, once everyone arrived I went back to the event organizer with them and we started working. Maria and Lily were sent to go make the sauces for the tempura while Chao-Chi and I helped put the assortments of vegetable tempuras onto the plates to serve to the customers. This worked in a very organized fashion with each plate being passed down a line like at a Chipotle where it began with Chao-Chi's potato tempura, then my zucchini tempura, then farther down the line till the plate was completely stacked with vegetables. Our pace increased as more and more customers began to line up for the tempura and soon I barely had time to stop and drink water as Chao-Chi kept sliding down plate after plate giving me no time to rest. However, I found my chance to take a break when we ran out of deep-fried zucchini which meant that we wouldn't be able to work till we got more. After the first time we ran out, it began happening again and again which gradually slowed down our pace for the rest of our shift and soon the work became kind of relaxing as I watched the people deep frying the vegetables as I waited for my next batch of zucchini to arrive.
Pencil Cases for Local Schools
BK, Sequoia, D34N
Sequoia's Key Club participated in an interclub event with Carlmont and Hillsdale. The service event was on July 30th from 1 PM to 3 PM. Each school brought materials such as pencils, highlighters, scissors, etc. We then put them into pencil pouches for incoming students to have what they need for the upcoming school year. Additionally, we added notes of inspiration and kindness.
Zoofari
AO, Fresno, D05S
On July 29th, the McLane Key club participated in the Zoofari Ice Cream event at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo alongside multiple organizations and clubs, including Kiwanis. Our club was separated into stations, and I was given the job of passing out the buckets of ice cream to different stations and passing out scoops of ice cream to the people as they entered the zoo. There was also designated the job of “runner”, meaning that when our station ran out of ice cream, I would run and get more ice cream from the truck and bring it back to our station. At the end of the day, we helped clean and pack up some stations and bring the supplies back to the truck. I also met new people from Kiwanis and Key Club, including the new Kiwanis Lieutenant Governor of Division 5 , Claudia Soria-Delgado. I enjoyed this event and loved helping the community and I would definitely participate in the next one.
Day on the Farm
WL, Enochs, D46N
D46N Key Clubbers were presented with the chance to participate in a service event outside of Key Club with the Society for disABILITIES. The event began on June 18, bright and early at 8:00 am. Volunteers were expected to help set up the activities before the kids arrived. Numerous tasks were divided up between the volunteers throughout the day, like handing out name tags, disposing of trash bags, and reading to the kids. The activities for the kids included horseback riding, hay rides, a petting zoo, and more. Just like setting up, volunteers also cleaned up before they left. Another member from Enochs Key Club, Jozette, said that “it was very fun to work with the kids. Many of the volunteers were very patient and felt passionate about the cause. All of the children were very excited and it was heartwarming to see that.” All in all, it was a very fun event to be a part of and I’d love to volunteer there again.
Kiwanis Backpack Assembly
AM, South Gate, D13W
On Tuesday, July 26th, 2022, volunteers from the community, alongside South Gate High School Key Club members, partook in SG Kiwani's annual Backpack Assembly day. With the support and donations from local sponsors, volunteers filled backpacks with abundant school supplies for scholars in the community. At South Gate Park's Banquet hall, tables were set up with different materials such as pencils, pens, crayons, sharpeners, hi-lighters, binders, glue sticks, books, pencil bags, paper, and masks. With a rotational system in place to ensure all backpacks received the same materials, volunteers filled more than 400 backpacks! Further assorted for different age groups, these backpacks were handed out to children in the community on July 30th at South Gate's "Back to School" giveaway at the Azalea shopping center. After the assembly, one key club member said she "really liked the experience because [she] got to see many different volunteers working together for this project." Collectively, we hope to serve our community in the upcoming months by continuing to be a resource to our Kiwanis family!