Key Club Community Analysis

Key Club is an international, student-led organization dedicated to service in the community. As a two-year director on the Key Club Board of Directors at my high school, I have been able to organize and participate in a number of events that have directly impacted my peers, mentors, and fellow citizens.

I chose to participate in this work in order to spread the spirit of volunteerism. The idea for this group was already in place when I enrolled at the high school and sought participation in a service club; however, the organization was rather inactive. I was inspired to become more involved as I reached out individually to local organizations in need of volunteers, including the local school corporation and Christian ministries.

Key Club

drastically needed intensification in activity level. I had to engage current high school students in volunteerism and encourage the community to enlist our service organization to help their various events. I had to recruit members, encourage them to sign up for and attend service events, and notify them of other responsibilities. I also had to reach out to the community, form relationships with coordinators, and involve Key Club with their organizations. Additionally, I had to create documents, spreadsheets, and flyers to promote service. Lastly, Key Club is under the umbrella of the Kiwanis Club Foundation; therefore, the other directors and I attend weekly meetings and vocalize the participation of Key Club in the community and discuss ways in which Key Club and Kiwanis Club can partner together to benefit others through service and fundraising.
Perhaps the most significant and difficult role I play as a director of Key Club is not even the volunteerism itself; instead, I broadcast the importance of service to society, promote responsibility and leadership, and encourage my classmates to become active constituents of their community.

An important objective I had this year was to expand the activism and influence of its members. By participating in school events such as Registration and Freshmen Orientation, I was able to embolden Key Club members to act as role models in the school and advocate the idea that volunteerism is directly beneficial. Moreover, we have increased the number of events that we contribute to include events that demonstrate parallel aspirations for the community. The community itself is more cognizant of our involvement. Many organizations have reached out and asked for our assistance after hearing the goals of Key Club: service, leadership, and character

building.
I received a bit of recognition for my leadership role in Key Club; however, I believe that the best thing I have received from this experience was not personal; instead, it is local. Key Club has now become a recognized and appreciated society in Southeast Indiana. I acquired many organizational and communicative skills through my role, as well as the simple experience of leading a progressively larger group of individuals. I learned to set achievable goals and utilize the available resources to reach them. I would encourage others that they are capable of making a difference in their local community, regardless of the size or influence of their organization. What matters is the heart of the club, the intensity of the leaders, and the desire for growth and change.
Lastly, I would like to add that the most memorable part of this activity, and the incident that made me feel particularly good about volunteering, are the same.

At an event called Arts in the Park, members get up before dawn to help vendors set up their tents and products to sell. It is physically-demanding work that many of the vendors are unable to accomplish individually. Many are very appreciative of our assistance and even go so far as to attempt to pay us; however, it is a universally accepted policy that volunteerism is unpaid work; therefore, our members respectfully decline their offers. One vendor, though, reached out to the Key Club sponsor and made a donation to the club on behalf of our service. This small incidence made me feel proud of my volunteers and their

efforts.
Directing Key Club has been a time-consuming position; however, it has been the foremost method in which I have been able to directly increase my contribution to my school and community. I have reached out to business leaders, Kiwanis Club members, and my peers, formed relationships with each of them, and, in the process, developed leadership and service skills. It is my hope that the work I have performed to broaden the range of service and number of participants will continually intensify in the upcoming years as members and organizations reciprocate the ideals of Key Club.