Light Up the Night
EE, Upland, D15N
On July 4th, 2023, Upland Key Clubbers were given the opportunity to volunteer at the City of Upland’s Light up the Night Firework Spectacular at Cable Airport. We spent five hours assisting our fellow Kiwanians by taking tickets and providing admission wristbands to hundreds of attendees there for the local food stands, live entertainment and most importantly, fireworks! At first, myself and other volunteers felt hesitant approaching guests and assisting with their wristbands. However, by the end of the day, all of us were certified wristband experts and performed our tasks quickly and efficiently. Throughout the day, I was given the chance to interact with many friendly people while doing service for the City of Upland. Organizers were very grateful for our help and gave volunteers free food, snacks, and a City of Upland drawstring bag and flashlight. After our volunteering shift ended at 8 P.M., we were given free entrance to the event (rainbow foam light stick included). We roamed the available food stands, and after grabbing a delicious bite, watched the spectacular fireworks show. Witnessing these captivating lights alongside my best friends after a long day of service was a very splendid reward!
Creek Cleanup
CL, College Park, D26N
On July 15th, Key Clubbers partnered with the Martinez Kiwanis and Alhambra Key Club to spruce up the Mid/Vine Hill Creek! Together, they helped pick up litter and pulled overgrowth. Using various tools, the creek quickly turned back into its natural beauty! After the cleanup, volunteers came together to chat and bond over a delicious lunch!
One of our College Park Key Clubbers, Jesse Doan, explained exactly what they did at the service event. He said that they were “trimming branches, removing debris from the ground, raking the brush into piles, cutting down plants that block the way, and removing weeds. All of the tools were provided by Kiwanians.”
Jesse goes on to say that “it was nice having Alhambra Key Club join us and the Kiwanians were also quite friendly to talk with. Whether it was raking the brush into piles, picking up debris, pulling out weeds, etc, everyone was helping out with something. It was very rewarding to see how much nicer the creek looked after we were done. We walked away knowing we significantly reduced the chances for a potential wildfire at a vital habitat. At the end, we even had a whole feast for lunch.”
It was certainly a tiring, but fun event to appreciate and respect our environment. Just something as little as picking up a can of soda or pulling a weed out, can certainly beautify our community and make it more pleasant to the eye! Lastly, cleaning up our creeks doesn’t just make it more physically appealing, but also ensures the safety of its organisms that live there! Thank you to all Alhambra, Kiwanians, and College Park Key Clubbers who attended!
Tropical-TC
EF, Mt. Whitney, D33
On August 8th, D33 and D18 as R11 held Tropical-TC (Officer Training Conference or OTC) together at Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about Key Club, make friends, and participate in several fun activities. The first set of games were played during the icebreaker portion. Among the activities were lining up by birthday, rock paper scissors evolution, and the human knot. During the human knot, members gathered in two groups with one person to disentangle the circle. The winning group was presented with snacks. During the activity portion of Tropical-TC, members played musical chairs and the fire and ice game. Anyone who got out would perform the chicken dance, and the remaining four competitors raced to determine the winner. Club officers had the opportunity to further their knowledge on their roles and connect with their DLT. D18 Kiwanis members further educated Key Club about the history of events and the Kiwanis family. Attendees were also given pizza during a break to enjoy with some drinks and friends. During the OTC, D33 and D18 each held their own division council meetings (DCM’s).
Lihue Hongwanji Bon Dance
MM, Kaua’i, D22M
On July 7th and 8th, Kauai High School Key Club helped at the Lihue Hongwanji Bon Dance. There were multiple jobs we could volunteer to help out with for this event like andagi, dinner plates, and counter sales. For andagi, members were bagging and handing out the bags of andagi; with dinner plates, members were helping in the back kitchen; and for counter sales, we would take the orders from customers. At counter sales, customers could order things like flying saucers, pronto pops, soda and andagi. All of these jobs were busy the whole night as members helped customers get their orders. I think this was a fun event to help out at since we were always on our toes to keep up with sales. Also it was nice to see many locals coming out to enjoy the bon dance after not having any for such a long time.
Volleyball Tournament
KN, West Campus, D07N
On August 6th, 2023 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Division 7 North and Division 7 West had a joint volleyball tournament. The DLT members went around 9 a.m. to help set up. There were many Kiwanians there to chaperone including the WCHS Kiwanis advisor Seng, and they also had lots of fun at the event. There was a $3 donation that went towards PTP and the YES! Initiative. It got pretty hot towards the end of the event, however, it was so much fun we kept on playing. I met a lot of new people including people from D7W. I hope we can have another one of these events another time since I think many people enjoyed it!