Even as a child, I loved to help others that were in need, so this year as a sophomore I decided to join Key Club. I thought it would be a great place to find friends who have the same interest in serving as I do. Whenever the year started off, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t finish the required 25 hours of service per semester, but as I volunteered more and more I realized that it wasn’t hard at all. I now look forward to the Tuesday afternoon meetings in AY-317 with awkward ice breakers and Ms. Burkett’s laughter.
Most of my service hours came from helping my church, so I started to feel bad that I never showed up to any club events. I decided to change that around the end of March when elections were held. In becoming Secretary, I hope to attend more events.
Because Key CLub is a global organization, states are broken up into regions and then divided up into divisions. Therefore as Key Club Secretary for Division 39 South, I was required to go to the Texas-Oklahoma District Convention, or TODCON. On the way to the hotel, I was getting anxious because for the most part I didn’t know anyone that was going on the trip. Once everyone arrived Thursday evening, we attended a service fair where ideas for service projects were shared. On Friday, I attended the Secretary, stress, President/Vice President and the Eliminate Project forums throughout the day. The forums were almost like lectures and were lead by Lieutenant Governors and other board members of the Texas-Oklahoma districts. The impromptu essay writing contest I competed in gave me an idea of how UIL writing would be like for journalism.
I sat in on one forum where I learned about the Eliminate Project. I never realized how big of an impact individuals can make when they all come together. Just substituting two dollars a day could save up to three lives. It hit me hard. For the rest of the convention, I wondered what I could do to help our community. The thought of running for a higher position even popped into my head.
By the end of the trip, I was a transformed person. Relationships of our club were made stronger, and my dedication and love for Key Club grew. I made the right decision of putting myself out there and joining a club where I belonged. My hopes for this coming year have been set very high and I know as a family we can expand and achieve whatever comes our way.
