Harvest Festival
JO, Pleasant Grove, D07S
The month of October helped PGKC members grow closer through fun service events, many of which were centered around making Halloweekend enjoyable for young children. PGKC held five separate service events on Friday, October 27, in which members helped run various halloween-themed carnivals and dances. One of these events included the Elk Grove Elementary Harvest Festival, where students and families spent the night playing games like real-life angry birds, nerf wars, bowling, and more. The event was made successful by the work of several schools, including EGKC and Kerr Middle School students. While some volunteers helped run games, others focused on distributing food and drinks to help raise money for each participating grade level. After enjoying the photo booth and eating complementary pizza, student volunteers helped tear down decorations and clean hay off the school grounds.
Alzheimers Walk
BA, Etiwanda, D15N
On October 14, 2023, Etiwanda Key Clubbers had the opportunity to serve at the Inland Empire Walk to End Alzheimers in Rancho Cucamonga. Before the sun even rose, our members were diligently setting up tables, booths, signs, and balloons. I helped unload and stack snacks, gifts, and personal dedications for people who were running or donating to support the cause. As the event started, it warmed my heart to see families and members of our community join together to honor loved ones who have been affected by Alzheimer's disease. Our hard working members (with exciting guest appearances by Alta Loma's very own Vicky Huang and William Salloum) also cheered and led runners along the path for the charity walk. I felt so energized as I cheered and danced with people who were passing through, connecting with people just for one short, joyful moment at the finish line was so special to me. The charity walk ended before 10:00 AM, so we continued to work at booths, make memories with each other, and enjoy the festivities. After taking some smiley club photos, we began cleaning up and putting away the booths and decorations. By the end of the event, I felt so full of love, and felt so proud to have supported this cause alongside my kind friends I get to call Etiwanda Key Clubbers. We all loved working with this organization to put on a beautiful event, and I'll always remember how this event reminded me how much service can make me smile.
Combat Cancer Walk
HC, JFK, D15S
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when we reflect on trends in breast cancer research, prevention, and treatment. Every year “Sisterz Support” hosts an event called Combat Cancer Walk! The event has many vendors that allow small businesses to promote their business! People walked around JFKMCHS and Norco College! Keyclubbers cheered on walker as they passed by and help pass out necklace as a reward for participating in the Combat Cancer Walk!
Lamping Fall Fest
EM, Coronado, D28E
The Lamping Fall Fest was a ton of fun. My group specifically got to run some games, like bowling and musical chairs. Seeing the elementary school kids’ cute costumes was definitely a bonus, too. We volunteered from about 4 to 8, and helped set up and clean up afterwards. This is my second year going to the Lamping Fall Fest, and I can’t wait to go back next year!
Fall Rally North
CCY, Piedmont Hills, D12E
As we sat in the cramped bus filled with our spirit gear, backpacks, and our Key Club spirit, we were moving closer and closer to Vallejo. The bus ride took over an hour, but we arrived earlier than the division buses (since we took our own bus). We had more people joining us for FRN this year, making our spirit sessions seem promising. As we stepped into Six Flags, Annie, Lori, and I were walking around asking Key Clubbers from across the district for their Instagram contacts. It's technically not stranger danger if they're a part of Key Club, right? As we waited for Six Flags personnel to let us into the Chabot stadium, we were all planning how to run to the stadium to get the best spots. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to run, but we were able to speedwalk! We were very lucky as we got the best seats, the one right in front of the stage where the judges could hear us directly. I saw lots of other divisions, including D12S and D12W. The amount of organized columns of bright colors made the stadium seem colorful and extremely spirited. I remember right before the first round of the spirit battle, Shreya, Jackie, and I were trying to figure out our plan for getting people to be loud, and placing the loud cheerers scattered around the column. Once the spirit battle began, I used up my whole lung capacity and brought out my full spirit. I could feel my voice draining away just from the first spirit session. When the second-round divisions were announced, I was beyond surprised when D12E was on the list. For the second cheer, we did the new cheer called Cupid, which was definitely a creative cheer. I was really proud of being able to see all of the division members loud and spirited as a team, and being able to work with Shreya and the other spirit coordinators leading up to FRN. It was a 12/10 experience and I would definitely come back again if I was able to. The rest of the afternoon I went on daring roller coasters and really fun rides, which spending $24 on a regular plain burger and a box of dry french fries. The best last-first FRN experience!