Key Club

Happy New Year fellow Kiwanians. While we have started the new year, 2014, we in Kiwanis are already 3 plus months into our administrative year. However, Key club's administrative year is almost over. The administrative year for Key Club starts in April right after the annual District Leadership Training Conference. This year the Leadership Training Conference (LTC) is being held March 28-30 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center and Albany.
I would like to remind you of the following. The Key Clubs should be holding their Club elections in February so the new officers can attend the LTC in March. The new officers usually shadow their predecessors through the end of the school year. They should then hold an officers planning meeting sometime in June, July or August. This will prepare them for a great start in September.
The Lt. Governor should be elected in January so he or she can be installed at the LTC in March. We also elect the District Governor, Secretary and Treasurer and endorse any candidates for International Office at the LTC. The first Key Club District Board meeting is held at the end of April.
How can you help? You, as Kiwanis Key Club Advisors, should work with your Key Club Advisor to make sure that the Club elections take place in February. Then you should be ask your Kiwanis Club to help finance the LTC attendance of your new Key Club Officers. This year the cost for a student to attend the LTC is $275. We recommend that the Kiwanis Club pay one-third for three to four officers. We also recommend that the Kiwanis Club pay the LTC registration for the Key Club Advisor. This year the Advisor registration is $300.
I also want to mention the Key Club International Convention in Anaheim, CA. The date for the New York District tour is June 30 through July 5. The cost will be approximately $1,400 and will include a tour of the City of San Francisco and the surrounding area and Yosemite National Park. We will need your financial assistance to help send the District Board to this great training event.   
Finally, I want to talk about the Youth Protection guidelines. Kiwanis International asked that all Kiwanis Advisors to our Service Leadership Programs have background checks. There are other guidelines but this is the most important and I encourage all Kiwanis Key Club Advisors to attend the Key Club workshop at the Mid-Winter Conference in February.

Column Posted on Web Site January 29, 2014