Key Club members / Photographer: Anneke Ivans
One act of kindness can change the world. Key Club has been one of the most active clubs in the school for a number of years as it jumps into every volunteer opportunity that comes its way. As the 2015/2016 President of OHS Key Club, Lilly Miller looks for volunteer opportunities that interest the students in the club. Each member has a unique personality and is interested in different volunteer activities. As a whole, the group of about 15 members really enjoys baking. Because of this, they have been able to successfully make over $750 during two bake sales that they ran during the holidays. All profits went to UNICEF and the Orcas Island Food Bank. The volunteers had a great time baking with one another and selling the goods to the local community. Key Club has also organized, in collaboration with Environmental Club, a beach cleanup that resulted in two full trash bags of garbage and a clean Crescent Beach. Miller has always believed that “volunteering isn’t fun unless you make it fun,” and Key Club works hard to make each event enjoyable for all participants.
Recently, Key Club started teaming up with Matthew Chasanoff’s Kindergarten Class every first Wednesday of the month to read to the kindergartners. The members of the club really enjoy doing it, and it’s a fun way to meet the 52 hours of required volunteer work by the end of the year. Miller explains that the most rewarding and most difficult volunteer projects that Key Club organized “involved us using our own Key Club funds to buy supplies for filling boxes full of goodies to send to our troops. During the event, we wrote personal letters and sent them off in the boxes to our American Troops.”
No matter where you go in life, volunteering is always a way to give back to a community and help someone out. Whether the act is small or large, everything helps. Key Club is for anyone who has a passion to do good in their community and wants to make a difference. The club meets every Wednesday in Mr. Austin’s room at 12:55 p.m. Feel free to stop by and club members can help you find a volunteer opportunity that interests you. It’s never too late to join the club.