Key Club 101
Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students, funded by nominal dues paid by every member. What makes Key Club so successful is the fact that it is a student-led organization that teaches leadership through serving others. As members of the Kiwanis International family, Key Club members build themselves as they build their schools and communities. Today, Key Club exists on more than 5,000 high school campuses, primarily in the United States and Canada. Growth efforts, however, have taken the Key Club experience internationally to the Caribbean nations, Central and South America, and most recently to Asia and Australia.
Structure
Because Key Club is so large and is led by students, there is a solid structure that allows it to function. Most likely, there's a Key Club at your school made up of officers, like the president, vice president, secretary, etc. There are a couple schools in each division with a Lieutenant Governor (Lt. G) in charge of each. The Lt. G creates a monthly newsletter to inform the clubs of what's been going on. About twenty divisions make up a district. The District Board is made up of a governor, secretary, treasurer, bulletin editor, tech chair, project chair, convention chair, and the Lt. G's. These people are either appointed by the governor or elected at the annual District Convention (or simply called DCON). The international level is made up of the districts. There's the international president, vice president, and the trustees. Every year, the International Convention (often abbreviated as ICON) takes place where thousands of Key Clubbers across the world come together to elect the international officers, review accomplishments of the past year and set policies for the coming year. |
History
How did Key Club get its name?
In 1925, California State Commissioner of Schools Albert C. Olney and vocational education teacher Frank C. Vincent worked to establish the first Key Club. This club was comprised of the key boys in the school, willing to serve the school in an way possible and to create better school spirit, thus, the club being named Key Club.
Where and when did Key Club begin?
The first Key Club met at Sacramento High School in California in 1925.
So what is Kiwanis?
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Our members help shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, mentor the disadvantaged and care for the sick. We develop youth as leaders, build playgrounds, raise funds for pediatric research and more. Working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone.