2022: A Service Year in Review

SPRING 2022 IN REVIEW MY GA DISTRICT BOARD TRAINING AND HOW I FOUND MY PURPOSE Written By: Armin Sedghi Through training and having a role on the district board, I realized the importance of having a desire to learn and having mentors who are willing to teach.

Training for anything requires patience, determination, and commitment. But I believe one thing more important than any of these factors is a desire to learn. Although I missed the original training retreat due to my late appointment to the board, I was blessed to receive my training through both virtual sessions and the opportunity to attend ICON.

I was privileged to be trained by my district administrator, Heather Brindle, and my governor, Jessica Shin. During virtual sessions, I learned the ins and outs of my job as a lieutenant governor. From newsletters and due collections to divisional council meetings and club visitations, I found out why lieutenant governors were vital members of the Key Club family. I also learned of my role in district committees and how they helped accomplish Key Club's goal.

The second half of my training occurred at ICON. I attended workshops, participated in the house of delegates, and listened to incredible guest speakers such as Sal Khan and Bill Nelson. I met representatives from other districts and made many new friends. I learned about the roots of Key Club, its message, and how it has changed the lives of thousands of people. I discovered what it meant to be a Key Clubber.

As we approach the end of the 2021-2022 school year, I will leave you with the wise words of Confucius. "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." In other words, the best way to learn is not through memorization, but through discovery.

SPRING 2022 IN REVIEW HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY END THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR KEY CLUB Written By: Abigail Morris With the end of the school year, make sure to finish with a memorable service project and recognize all of the hard work of your Key Clubbers!

SUMMER 2022 IN REVIEW ICON 2022 IN WASHINGTON D.C. Written By: Mahika Patel and Taylor Hancock The 77th Annual Key Club International Convention was the best week of my life, and I encourage everyone to attend ICON next year!

Mahika Patel -

Being in a room filled with hundreds of members who share an evenly matched passion for key club as you. That is how I would describe the 77th Annual Key Club International Convention in Washington, D.C. I would maybe even say that it might have been the best week of my life. From being fortunate enough to connect and bond with members worldwide to creating memories that will last me a lifetime. At the conference, there were several motivational speakers including Dexter Darden, Lex Gillette, Sal Khan, and Bill Nelson. In addition, there were awards, talent shows, and rousing workshops to choose from. Caucusing and electing the international board for 2022-2023 was a riveting experience. From the Georgia district we had Taylor Petrofski running for international trustee. It was fascinating watching Taylor prepare for events leading to the election. One of my favorite memories would probably be when we saw Taylor’s name pop up on the screen and the immediate cheering that came right after. Since I mentioned favorite memories, pin trading is included in that. I didn’t have high expectations going into pin trading, however it was the best way to connect and meet members. Going on tours and having the bitterly cold A.C. water falling on Olivia and I, Armin getting banned from MailChimp, going on late night ice cream treats and screaming and crying on the pirate ship with Julianna were also some of the core memories. I cannot forget Heather dancing to Wobble Baby. ICON thank you for introducing me to so many wonderful people, and I cannot wait to experience it all again at the 78th Annual Key Club International Convention in California. Taylor Hancock - As Key clubbers, we’re used to serving our normal school community and spending time with our home clubs. ICON is such an indescribable experience because you meet people from Key Clubs all over the world. I genuinely met people from Arizona, Bahamas, Jamaica, South Dakota, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, anywhere you can think of. At ICON you spend time with people who share similar passions and interests as you and learn about the different ways Key Club takes place across different places. Besides the social side, ICON really teaches you amazing things to take back to your home clubs. I attended daily workshops with so many different topics, such as College 101, How to Successfully Plan Events, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Social Media and Membership Development, and even How to Get A Date. These workshops were super helpful in giving advice for helping out my home club and provide as a great resource to have help directly from International. There were also some amazing speakers that gave such inspirational speeches like Sal Khan (founder of Khan Academy), Lex Gillette, and Bill Nelson. You should attend ICON next year because it’s such a fun experience and… It’s in California!! But seriously, if you truly have a love and passion for service, ICON is so rewarding to see the real change that your local community is making and to meet the International leaders that are providing your district with so much. And when you attend ICON you get to meet and hang out with the Georgia District and come home with more friends than you left with! Don’t miss out, hope to see you in Disneyland 2023!

2022 ICON Recap Vlog

SUMMER 2022 IN REVIEW NEW KEY CLUB PARTNER - STAY STRONG: ZAMBIA Written By: Jessica Shin At ICON 2022, Key Club International announced that they were now partnering with UNICEF for a new project called Start Strong: Zambia.

SUMMER 2022 IN REVIEW SUMMER BOARD/PRE GLTC MEETING AND GA KIWANIS DCON Written By: Olivia Shim At our summer board meeting, we bonded as a board while preparing for GLTC and had the honor of attending the Georgia Kiwanis DCON.

SUMMER 2022 IN REVIEW GLTC 2022 AT SIX FLAGS Written By: Jaehun Baek The Georgia Leadership Training Conference was a thrilling experience that brought Key Clubbers from all over Georgia together to celebrate our love for service and Key Club!

FALL/WINTER 2022 IN REVIEW HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Written By: Jackson Thomas and Chris Kim Thankful for Key Club!! Key Club has presented so many opportunities in my life, and I could not be more grateful.

Jackson Thomas -

Over 17 years and 17 Thanksgivings spent with family and friends you sometimes forget what you are truly thankful for. As the oldest of 8 in my family the responsibility of being a good role model and leader is a burden always on my shoulders. But within that, I’ve found other people to help lead with. Key Club has given me the opportunity of a lifetime to not only go on business trips to visit clubs but also given me the opportunity to meet people who I’m 100% sure will go on to make our world a much better place. The opportunity I have as a Lieutenant Governor is one that I would have never expected I would be doing but is a responsibility that I take pride in and enjoy.

This year I’m thankful for Key Club. An organization that not only gives light to people in need but also gives light to the member who participates. I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made through it, through the District Board, and through my home club. I’m thankful for the memories that have been made and the person I’ve become because of this amazing group of people. And lastly, I’m thankful for the view that it has given me that in reality there will always be people in the world willing to make changes and help where and when needed.

Chris Kim -

I am thankful for Key Club because of the unique and special opportunity it gave me to practice my efforts to speak in front of people, make new friends, and of course, gain experience in a professional work setting. My favorite experience from Key Club was the smores get-together with all my other teammates. I learned so much about the other Key Clubbers, and they even helped me fit into my job as a lieutenant governor. I remember one Governor I met during the smores meet-up was that he learned mandarin all by himself. He not only knows how to speak mandarin, but he can also write and even write poems with them. He watches Chinese dramas, and often writes his notes in Mandarin. He inspired me to start learning Chinese, and I have been practicing ever since.

Key Club has taught me a lot about responsibility and time management. I have created an extensive calendar to tell me all the due dates and assignments. This new skill has also helped me plan other projects of my own like my ROBLOX game coding, and other coding projects I like to attend to in my free time. This has greatly helped me efficiently make my games faster and with better quality.

FALL/WINTER 2022 IN REVIEW GIVING TUESDAY: NOVEMBER 29TH Written By: Charlee Reynolds and Shashvati Patil Giving Tuesday is a national holiday dedicated to community-centered generosity, where everyone works together to prioritize giving back and celebrate the impact of service, and Key Clubbers were more than happy to take part in Giving Tuesday.

FALL/WINTER 2022 IN REVIEW GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT RALLY 2022 Written By: Mahika Patel Key Club International held their 3rd Annual Global Engagement Rally over Zoom, and Key Clubbers from all around the world gathered to celebrate and learn about service.

FALL/WINTER 2022 IN REVIEW WINTER BOARD MEETING Written By: Olivia Shim In preparation for our SLC, the GA District Board had a board meeting at the location of our SLC, Decatur, GA. We were busy coming up with ideas to make SLC unforgettable and ways to increase our SLC Attendance.