On August 22nd, Hillsborough County Special Olympics held its regional qualifier for swimming, Special Olympics Aquatics. Dozens of athletes were there with their families and coaches at the YMCA in New Tampa, and there were dozens of volunteers, including about twenty guys from Jesuit Key Club.

We arrived well before any athletes to prepare the pool area and for training. While a few guys set up the sound system, the rest of us were assembling the bleachers for the parents and the awards stage. After a while people started to arrive, and we were taught how to time the different events, direct traffic, and bring the athletes to their lanes. For a while there was little to do, so we socialized with the families of the athletes. They were all very grateful that we had volunteered our time to their children, and some asked us to volunteer again at the state level.

There were up to four lanes for the swimmers, and three of us were assigned to each lane. We recorded their times and helped them out of the pool. Very few of the races were close, and some swimmers struggled to finish. Near the end of the day, the coaches, who were high school students on swim teams, joined the athletes in the pool and participated in relay races. Although this was the qualifier to go to the state, we could clearly see that it was not about who was the fastest swimmer. Instead, it was about camaraderie and having fun. Neither the athletes nor their families were concerned about their times; they were just happy to be there.

Become Inspired

A letter from the:

Elections Committee

With all of the legends of service all around us it is time to learn from the best. Get inspired at the Service Hall of Fame and bring ideas back to your home club.Hello Everybody!  I just wanted to remind everyone that in addition to District Convention being an awesome place for learning and meeting new friends, it is also the time that we elect our new Executive Board.  If you are interested in running for District Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, or International Trustee, you need to submit all of your paperwork as soon as possible.  All individuals running for office will receive a call from the Elections and Credentials Committee to remind them of what they can and can’t do while running for office.  The district is also looking for a District Webmaster and a new District Editor, so let us know if you are interested.  Please contact Division18@floridakeyclub.com with any questions.Sincerely,The Elections Committee

Party Like A Star

Walk-A-Thon:

General Overview:

Registration Process:

Donations:

Learn the Ins and Outs of the Business

Throw on those heels and put on that tie, it’s time to learn the business of Key Club. With plenty of workshops and our general sessions you’ll be sure to learn everything you need to know about Key Club International.

So as you might now that Spring Rallies are now from January till February. If you want to find out when is your Zone Rally, go to the Calendar page and find your Zone or just contact your LTG.

Thanks,

Michael Murgado

District Webmaster 2009-10

Our web hosting provider was having some issues today December 7th, 2009. We apologize if you were trying to reach the website and ended up with a blank screen or an error. We are constantly working on improving our up time. Thanks!

District Webmaster
Michael Murgado

The website is back up and operational. We are really sorry for any inconveniences this might have caused you.

Thanks,
Michael Murgado
District Webmaster 2009-10

Welcome to the new website! Make sure to check out the new pages including:

• Video Gallery
• Photo Gallery
• Service Committee
• Build a Club
• and the Sunshine Source Blog

-Michael Murgado, District Webmaster 2009-10

Zone 7 has recently added a new member to its extensive family. However, this new addition is no ordinary Key Clubber. The member does not attend a school, does not live in Florida, nor does she eat anything but sweet, delicious grass. The obvious question to follow such an introduction would be, “Who on God’s green earth is this member?”. Her name is Lola, and she is a llama. The entire idea for Lola started the Sunday morning of DCON at the first official Board Meeting of the 2009-2010 District Board where the idea was raised to bring a mascot to Zone 7, to represent the zone’s values, ideals, and principles upon which to conduct Key Club affairs. Numerous animals were thrown out to take the incredibly difficult job of symbolizing Zone 7, but none truly embodied the spirit of the zone like that of the llama. So, it was decided that Zone 7 would find a way to donate a llama, and adapt that animal as their representing character. The llama at first may appear grotesque, smelly, and disheveled; upon closer inspection, however, one finds an animal that completely surrounds itself in a life of service. By passing a collection hat around at three DCM’s, Lola was donated to a family in the Andes Mountains through an organization called the Heifer Project. This is not your ordinary gift. The family, upon receiving the gift, immediately became one of the richest families in the village, being able to use Lola’s fur and milk as a prized trading commodity in the local market. And when Lola has children, those beautiful baby llamas will be donated to other poor families in the surrounding area. It is easy to see why Zone 7 chose such a commonly passed over animal. Lola’s very life revolved around serving her owners: giving her fur, milk, and acting as a pack animal whenever needed. Such a life based around service through dedication and hard work summed up the true ideals of Zone 7, and she serves today as their proud representative. Through one simple donation to the Heifer Project, Zone 7 was able to make this world just a little bit better, and in the process got an amazingly awesome mascot.

Chair: Chris Hernandez

Get ready for the 2010 Florida Key Club District Convention. We are bringing all of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to Orlando, Florida. Critics say it’s going to be “CRAZZY!!” and “You will be enjoying a five star experience.” The Florida District expects the best so you will be staying at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, hotel to the stars. Make sure to pack your most stylish clothes and get ready for a weekend of excitement, the 72nd Annual Florida Key Club District Convention is here! Mark your calendar: April 15th-18th,  2010.

See page 11 for more details.

The 2008-2009 Florida District Convention was a convention that will forever be in the hearts of the attendees. The attendees were very well-behaved and a great group to get to know. A big thanks to the District Board and especially the Convention Committee for their excellent planning; the entire event ran very smoothly. Kudos to: Mr. and Mrs. Parton for their great leadership in organizing the weekend, Mrs. Sloane for the awesome decorations, and Circle K for helping us MC the event.

The first big item on the weekend’s agenda was Keynote Speaker Rick Goings, Tupperware CEO. He gave a valuable insight on how to handle stress in everyday situations. The next morning, everyone headed off to a variety of exciting workshops, proudly displaying their ribbon-covered nametags.  The new and appealing workshops kept up the Key Clubber’s motivation. The Operation Smile Walk-a-Thon was a huge success and raised $5,137.  Thank you to everyone that participated. The Zone Caucuses were a hoot! Share your favorite moments with us on the blog! WOW! Is all I can say about those amazing talent acts. I must admit, I was side-splitting laughing when the hosts, LTG Trent Morse and LTG Bobby Nudel reenacted Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” dance. The Oratory contest finalists were amazing. Who was your favorite?  The SAK improv group was hilarious! What were your favorite moments? Do you have any good video clips? Share them with us! Did you stop by the service fair and see those outstanding projects? Who was your favorite booth at Service Fair?

From Kodak picture moments to chilling at the pool, the 2009 DCON was a 100% Success. Literally, service never slept…

Dear Advisors,

The purpose of this monthly email is to alert Faculty and Kiwanis Advisors of timely information that will help you carry out your Advisor responsibilities.  It is also intended to educate Kiwanis Club leaders about their club’s responsibilities to their Key Club(s).

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN THIS MONTH . . .

Dues, Dues, Dues

By now, every Key Club should have received its password from Key Club International that will allow the club secretary or treasurer to log into the membership update center, record the club membership, and print an invoice.  The password was sent to the Faculty Advisor.  If you have not received this password, contact your Assistant Administrator or me and we will give it to you.

Please be sure your club has collected dues from every member and has paid its dues to Key Club International.  Clubs who pay their dues by October 31 will receive a banner patch award for early submission.  Regardless, dues must be paid by November 30th for the club to be in good standing.  The dues amount is stated in the club Bylaws.  The board of the club does not determine the dues, the club members do and to change them requires a Bylaws change.  Please be sure you are following your Bylaws.

First 2009-2010 Issue of Sunshine Source

Be on the lookout for the first issue of the Sunshine Source which is being mailed to all club Faculty Advisors and should be received by the end of next week (October 16th).  You will receive two copies.  This publication is also online at FloridaKeyClub.org.

Key Club Kickoff Conferences (KCKC)

KCKC’s have now been completed for all divisions.  The Florida District had one of its best years yet for attendance at this annual training event.  I hope your conference went well and I hope all advisors attended it.  I attended several and learned a great deal in the advisor sessions.  Thank you for all who attended and participated.  You gave me a lot of great ideas to consider implementing over the next few months.

New Key Club District Website

By next week you should see a new look when you log into the Florida District of Key Club website (FloridaKeyClub.com).  Soon after that, 2010 District Convention information will be on the site.  District Webmaster, Michael Murgado, has been busy working to update the website.  If you have any feedback for him, feel free to write him at Webmaster@FloridaKeyClub.com.  I don’t mind if you copy me.

Featured Kiwanis Responsibility to Your Key Club . . .

#5 Ensure that dues are paid for every member of the club.

Although it is each Key Club member’s responsibility to pay dues to their Key Club, it is the responsibility of the sponsoring Kiwanis Club to make sure that members are paying dues and that these dues are in turn paid to Key Club International (KCI).  Out of the $11 paid to KCI, $5.50 is for International and $4.50 is for the Florida District.  Of the $4.50 for the Florida District, $1.00 of that amount goes into the Florida Opportunity Fund (FLOF) where clubs may apply for matching grants to fund projects.  The remaining $3.50 funds all the work of the Florida District Key Club Board.

Key Club’s may hold fundraising projects to raise funds for dues, however, if they chose to do this, they must not imply that that these funds are going towards a charitable cause.  Also, it is not recommended that the Kiwanis club pay the dues of Key Club members.  Instead, Kiwanis should set aside funds to offset the cost of members attending the District Convention.

That’s it for now.  Feel free to contact me or your Assistant Administrator for your zone if you have any questions.  Have a great month!

David

David McCampbell
District Administrator
Florida District of Key Club International
431 NW 197 Avenue
Pembroke Pines, FL 33029
954.436.3830 (Work/Fax))
954.562.0014 (Cell)
AdminDavid@FloridaKeyClub.com

Key Club is an international, student-led organization which provides its members with opportunities to perform service, build character, and develop leadership.

- Leadership – Character Building – Caring – Inclusiveness -

The purpose of this monthly email is to alert Faculty and Kiwanis Advisors of timely information that will help you carry out your Advisor responsibilities. It is also intended to educate Kiwanis Club leaders about their club’s responsibilities to their Key Club(s).

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN THIS MONTH . . .

Member Recruitment, Project Planning, Dues, OIS Forms, Monthly Reports, Kiwanis Budget, District Convention Planning

Needless to say, the first full month of school is a busy time for Key Club. Here is your checklist:

___ Club should be fully engaged in new member recruiting this month. Please make sure this is happening.

___ Clubs should have a calendar of service projects planned this month for the next several months. New members will want to see that the club is active and has something to offer them. As advisors, give guidance to the club leadership on the importance of planning.

___ Dues are collected from returning members and new members. Key Club International will be sending out to the Faculty Advisor at the school address the club’s password to access the Member Update Center to input members and produce the dues invoice. If you do not receive this by the end of September, contact your Key Club Lt. Governor. Do NOT produce this invoice before October 1 or it will appear that you are paying dues for last year. DO pay your dues by November 1 so that the club receives a banner patch for early dues submission. Deadline is November 30th.

___ Officer Information Sheet (OIS) is still missing or incomplete for a large number of our clubs. Every club’s secretary should log onto the OIS update site on the District website (floridakeyclub.com <http://floridakeyclub.com/> ) and fill out this form completely, listing ALL information for ALL officers and BOTH advisors. This is our only source of contact information. Otherwise, the wrong faculty member may be getting mail or emails or the Kiwanis Advisor may be getting nothing.

___ Monthly reports (“Pride Reports”) of your club’s activities are due at the end of the month and past due after the 10th of the next month. The months of June, July, and August are combined into one report due the end of August. Even if there was no activity during the summer, the report should be completed and filed. Be sure to click “save” as well as “send” when completing this report or it will not be submitted.

___ By now, each Kiwanis Club should have prepared its budget for the new year that begins Oct. 1. There should be a line in the budget for Key Club, particularly to assist in the cost of District Convention (April 15-18) for NEXT year’s (2010-2011) officers who will be elected in February. District convention will cost only $200 per member for a quad room this year. Don’t forget to budget for the Faculty Advisor ($325 for double room). Most attendees will also have a cost for transportation.

___ It is not too early to plan to raise money needed to attend District Convention. Cost information is above. Remember the rule of thumb:  member pays for 1/3, the Key Club pays for 1/3 (funds from fundraising), and Kiwanis pays for 1/3. One-third is about $70. Don’t forget about any transportation costs that may be required. And, again, Kiwanis, don’t forget to budget for the Faculty Advisor to attend.

What is a Service Hour and Ethical Reporting of Hours

This is an area fraught with controversy and confusion. Let’s see if we can clear this up a bit. Here are the rules:

Key Club International defines a service hour as “any hour of service performed by an individual Key Club member with the approval of his/her club’s Board of Directors.  The time expended in planning a project will not be counted as a reported service hour.” The Board of Trustees of the Florida District of Key Club International has adopted the following guidelines to help you determine those hours which may be counted as service for monthly Pride Reporting purposes.

What counts as a Service Hour?
 

• Projects that are pre-approved or organized by the individual Key Club
• Any project that contributes to the overall betterment of the community. Book drives, food drives, or any other drive benefiting others. The service is the time a member actually works to collect, count, package or delver the objects of the drive.
• Serving as a host club at the District Convention (actual time worked, not time attending the convention)

What Does Not Count as a Key Club Hour?

• Attendance at Divisional Council Meetings, Officer Training Conferences or Regional RalliesClub, Board, or planning meetings
• Socials or church services (attending worship services, etc)
• Anything that is considered a chore that is supposed to be done
• Fundraisers for Key Club’s own use
• Attendance at the District or International Conventions
• Providing transportation or time spent going to and from a service project

Please Note:  For the purposes of its own records or as an incentive for members, the Key Club may award hours for any of the above, but these should not be reported to the District as a part of the Key Club’s total service hours.

Time away from home overnight while sleeping, traveling to a project, planning a project, attending meetings, etc. are not examples of time spent in service, according to the rules above. The above guidelines are not “suggestions” open to interpretation based on whether we agree with them or not; they are rules that must be followed so that there is consistency and fairness in reporting.

Character development is one of the core values of Key Club. As adults, it is our role to encourage ethical behavior, such as that involved in reporting service hours. The goals of the Key Club experience do not include winning awards at any cost, including the costs of cheating/lying. Let us not communicate the wrong message to our young leaders by allowing our Key Club members to “pad” their hours or report time that does not follow the Key Club rules for service hours. Be sure that club leaders and members know the rules AND follow them. Have them go back and correct the Pride Reports filed since April and monitor future reporting. Following the rules and behaving with honesty is part of the Key Club experience.

Featured Kiwanis Responsibility to Your Key Club . . .

#1 through #10: Defining the Common Theme in Kiwanis Responsibility

Instead of addressing a particular responsibility this month, I want to step back to address the larger picture. Did you know that the existence of a Key Club is based on a signed contract between two parties who have agreed to respective responsibilities? In other words, a Key Club is a partnership between a high school principal and sponsoring Kiwanis Club’s board of directors. Kiwanians, are you treating your Key Club like it is a partnership between you and the principal? Do your share with the Faculty Advisor the adult oversight required to have a Key Club? If not, you unfortunately are not alone. But doing so would solve about 99% of all the challenges we face with our Key Clubs.

Here is what the Kiwanis Club agreed to (from the charter petition that you signed when you started your club):

The Kiwanis club agrees to annually support the following Requirements of Sponsorship for the Key Club:Appoint a Kiwanis advisor to the club and ensure he/she receives adequate orientation.

1. Ensure Kiwanis members attend every meeting.
2. Maintain an expense line item in the Kiwanis club’s service account to support the activities of the club.
3. Meet with the school principal before the beginning of the school year.
4. Ensure that dues are paid for every member of the club.
5. Ensure club officers receive proper training following election.
6. Hold a planning session involving the leadership of both clubs.
7. Host or participate in two joint activities involving the membership of both clubs.
8. Invite two members to attend every regular Kiwanis meeting.
9. Ensure members attend conventions and conferences.

In addition, the Kiwanis club agrees to appoint an active committee of members to support the Key Club and designate one member as the Kiwanis Advisor to the Key Club

Are you fulfilling your agreement?

Here is what the principal agreed to:
The school agrees to provide the following terms of sponsorship to support the Key Club:

1. Provide a faculty advisor (print below), designated by the school administration, to advise and counsel the Key Club, attend all meetings of the club, and ensure the club abides by the regulations of the school and all other local, state/provincial, and/or federal laws.
2. Ensure the Key Club conducts service-related projects and activities within the school and community.
3. Confirm the Key Club pays International and district dues annually.
4. Encourage the Key Club to send representatives to district and International conventions and conferences.
5. Encourage parents of members to be included in active participation with Key Club activities.

Is the principal fulfilling his or her agreement
(generally through the Faculty Advisor)

Many Kiwanis Clubs feel they have no rights or obligations with respect to their Key Club, that the club is a “school responsibility” for which the Kiwanis Club has no input. I hope you now understand that not only do you have a contractual right to be involved in your Key Club, but you have an obligation as well. And this includes the obligation to uphold your end of the agreement. This might be a good time for your 2009-2010 Kiwanis Club president and Kiwanis Advisor to fulfill point #4 above and renew your relationship with your partner. See my June issue of this Key Club Information email series for more on #4 (attached).

As always, we thank you for all you do for Key Club and our youth.  Feel free to contact me or your Assistant Administrator for your zone if you have any questions. Have a great month!
David McCampbell
District Administrator
Florida District of Key Club
431 NW 197 Avenue
Pembroke Pines, FL 33029
954.436.3830 (W & F)
954-436-4698 (H)
954-562-0014 (M)
DistrictAdministrator@FloridaKeyClub.com

Key Club is an international, student-led organization which provides its members with opportunities to perform service, build character, and develop leadership.

- Leadership – Character Building – Caring – Inclusiveness –