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Greetings, Pacific Northwest District Key Clubbers!
I hope that you all are enjoying the beginning of the holiday season. As we move deeper into the fall, this is the perfect time to start thinking about your club’s elections, District Convention registration, and finalizing dues payment. This edition of the Biweekly Update contains information about the recent official visit to Division 78, running for higher office, and our district’s membership. Additionally, you can see my Mid-Year Report for more information about what I’ve been doing to accomplish the goals I set at the beginning of the term.
As always, feel free to reach out to me at governor@pnwkeyclub.org if you have any questions!
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This weekend, PNW Key Club made an official visit to Division 78, which covers Southeastern Oregon. Division 78 is one of the largest divisions in the district, spanning from the Cascades to the Idaho border, and has traditionally been quite independent. As we learned this weekend, Division 78 isn’t just unique in its size and location, but also in the quality of service it provides to its communities.
On Friday, November 15th, Lieutenant Governor Kelsey Olivera hosted her division at Pappy’s Pizzeria in Redmond, Oregon. Four of the division’s six clubs are located in the Redmond area at Madras, Redmond, Ridgeview, and Sisters High Schools. Over 20 students and 6 advisors attended the meeting where we were able to provide training about the organization, our District Project, and strengthening clubs through effective meetings. Additionally, we were able to meet two students and a staff member from Trinity Lutheran High School in Bend, Oregon who are interested in chartering their own club.
The following morning, District Administrator Brian Egger and I left Redmond to meet with Key Clubbers in Burns, Oregon. Burns is a small community of only a few thousand people, is the only town in any direction for over 70 miles, and is a 2.5 hour drive from Redmond. Despite this, the Kiwanis Club of Burns-Hines and local high school students have paired up to make an impact. We were able to meet with the club’s president, vice president, and Kiwanis advisor at a local McDonald’s where we discussed involvement at the district level, gave an overview of the organization, and provided the club with officer training resources.
Lastly, the official visit concluded in Ontario, Oregon, where we met with the Nyssa High School Key Club. All of the clubs officers, two advisors, and seven other members joined us at Fiesta Guadalajara where we discussed District Convention attendance, officer training materials, and a few of the club’s impressive community service projects. Despite the lack of a Kiwanis club in their area, the Key Club has paired with community members and organizations to raise enough money for their club’s charter fee in 2018, revitalize local properties, and provide an outlet for students to give back to their community of Nyssa, Oregon.
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Winter typically marks the peak time for club and divisional elections throughout the district. As some members consider running for Lieutenant Governor or District Executive office, the Executive Committee develops educational materials to assist prospective candidates in deciding which position, if any, may suit them best. The annual Running for Higher Office Webinar will be held on Tuesday, December 17th at 7:00 PM. This webinar will cover the duties of Lieutenant Governors and District Executive Officers, endorsement for International office, and required paperwork. There will also be time for questioning after the webinar concludes. For more information on the role of District Board members, please click the buttons below.
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At this point, we’re already more than half-way through the service year, so I wanted to use this opportunity to provide a brief update on what I’ve been doing to accomplish the goals I originally set forth as District Governor. To start, my primary goal for the year is to help strengthen clubs in our district by providing them with the tools necessary to leave a meaningful impact on their members and the communities they serve. Here’s what we’ve done to make progress on that objective thus far:
Officer Training Conferences (OTCs) took place throughout the spring and summer and were hosted by each Lieutenant Governor. The content of these conferences, developed by Immediate-Past District Governor Ingrid Redford, helped provide officers throughout the Pacific Northwest with a standardized educational experience for the first time. On the District Board, the Executive Committee has focused on providing Lieutenant Governors targeted training that highlights resources they need to be successful. For example, we’ve introduced breakout sessions at each board meeting that encourage detailed discussions in small group settings. Furthermore, we’ve dedicated additional time to provide training on various topics, including club chartering, club visits, Kiwanis-family relations, and spirit gear. Lastly, District Administrator Brian Egger and I have been conducting official visits to various divisions throughout the last two months. Targeted training opportunities were offered at each of these events. For example, clubs in Alaska received training on the District Project and running for Key Club office, clubs in Southeastern Oregon were provided with training on the structure of the organization and improving their club meetings, and clubs in Canada received training on maximizing their impact as secondary school students.
At this point, we’re looking for students who are interested in making the year-long commitment to serve on the 2020-2021 District Board. If you are a Key Clubber in Division 70, 72, 74, or 80 who is interested in running for the office of Lieutenant Governor, please reach out to me. These four divisions include all Key Clubs in the Willamette Valley South of Tualatin, OR and Northeastern Oregon. Additionally, students in Division AYN can reach out to Loren Odoardo at ltgays@pnwkeyclub.org; students in Division 52 can contact Elise McGuire at ltg58@pnwkeyclub.org.
One of our greatest accomplishments as a district this year was successfully launching Key Club Day East. The event took place in Spokane this September and was the largest event ever organized by PNW Key Club in Eastern Washington. 75 Key Clubbers from Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho attended. Key Club Day East followed the same layout as Key Club Days North and South, including Hoan Do as the keynote speaker, Thirst Project education, and even some divisional spirit. Additionally, Canada Conference and Alaska Conference were both successful, engaging over 150 students in areas of the district that face significant roadblocks to sending large numbers of students to the District Convention.
Lastly, one of my other major goals for the year has been to expand the reach of Key Club in new communities. This year, two Key Clubs have been successfully chartered. This includes the Two Rivers School in North Bend, WA and our second club in California, Golden Eagle Charter School in Yreka, CA. Two other schools are currently in the process of completing their charter. In addition, Pacific Northwest Key Club is working with the Kiwanis clubs in Interior British Columbia to also build new clubs in that region.
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The Early Bird deadline for dues has passed, allowing us to make our first assessment of membership throughout the district. The Pacific Northwest District currently has 4,064 paid members in 90 clubs. This means that PNW Key Club is currently the third largest district by both amount of clubs and amount of members. Of these 90 clubs, 22 have met or exceeded their membership goal. Additionally, more than two-thirds of the clubs in Divisions 30 and 42V have submitted dues.
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