Key Club President Kent Holmes conducts a bi-weekly meeting with members. The club has an active membership of nearly 50 students and has grown steadily over the past four years. The GHS Key Club is sponsored by Greenville Kiwanis. Photos on the recent KCI Fall Rally follow this article.
Service, Leadership the goal of student-led organization
By Bob Robinson
“2010-11 GHS Key Club achieves milestone 1,000 hours of community service”
GREENVILLE – “Hard work and dedication.”
“Commitment.”
“Responsibility.”
These are just a few of the comments of Greenville High School Key Club officers regarding their roles and responsibilities in the organization.
Not counting regular meetings, the club has held over 20 community service events since summer. Ten or 15 more will likely be held by year’s end.
The club’s first ever goal of 1,000 community service hours was recently reached. Several officers are on track for individual milestones of 75 hours, a goal attained only once in the past four years. Another 20-30 members will likely reach 50- and 25-hour marks.
The Key Club has been growing for four years.
According to long-time Kiwanian Roy Haines, this hasn’t always been the case.
He joined Greenville Kiwanis in 1969 and remembers the Key Club as being more about the school’s athletes than a community service organization.
He recalled that the club was disbanded in the late 70s by the school administration for having alcohol at a party.
“It was gone for a number of years,” Haines said. “It started again a few years later, floundered, and disbanded again.”
Haines said that a new attempt was made several years ago but almost went away due to lack of student interest. That was when Bob Robinson offered to try.
Haines said, “Your involvement in the club has been a God send,” adding that they had the benefit of advice and support from someone with the time to provide it.
“You guided them,” he said.
Robinson acknowledged that while he made a considerable time investment as the club’s Kiwanis advisor, he was fortunate to have strong student leaders at the reins.
Chas Corbett was the club’s president in the 2007-08 school year. Leadership was then passed to Kirsten Keller in 2008-09, Danielle Bankson in 2009-10, and this year to Kent Holmes.
While growth has been steady since 2007, interest skyrocketed this year. Nearly 90 students have attended meetings, with more than half of them completing their membership requirements and participating in club community service activities.
The club has recently added a faculty advisor, GHS Principal Chris Mortensen.
“The growth of student leadership connected to making the community a better place is excellent,” Mortensen said. “Our leadership is strong and they have chosen to take a direction that will help their peers become more involved, develop a mindset of service to others while leading the way for a great future.
“I am proud of their direction and accomplishments and look for great things to happen,” he added.
Student involvement is likely to double from previous years.
One example is the club’s participation in Key Club International, Ohio District’s recent annual Fall Rally.
More than 500 Key Club members from across the state descended on COSI in Columbus. Among them were 10 GHS Key Club members.
In 2009, three Key Clubbers attended the Rally, only to discover that GHS had not been involved in years and Greenville’s region, Division 3, had no student leadership. Sophomore Mariah Reitz became the first Division Lt. Governor from Greenville in decades.
While students have dozens of clubs, activities and organizations involved in positive objectives, the Key Club is unique in that it is entirely student-led, and dedicated solely to Community Service, Leadership and Character Building.
“Key Club International is the largest high school community service organization in the world,” Reitz said. “We’re in 32 countries. We actually have more members and clubs than Kiwanis International.”
She added that when she thinks of the Greenville club she feels a sense of pride at “how much we’ve improved and become more organized.”
Many of the club’s activities include working with Kiwanis at Fair Gate 5, Bell Ringing and its annual Pancake Breakfast. The club has its own traditional Trick or Treat for FISH and Rake and Run. Key Club has also involved other groups, such as NJROTC and GHS Student Council in some of its activities.
In 2008, Greenville Township Trustee Mike Stegall approached Kiwanis about adopting a cemetery. Robinson suggested he try the Key Club. Stegall made a presentation to the students.
The club adopted the project and has since worked with Sexton Doyle Delk, putting more than 300 hours work into the cemeteries. The Township now boasts the best kept cemeteries in the county.
This year’s officers are Kent Holmes, president, Angela Borgerding, vice president, Prital Mehta, secretary, Claire Sherman, treasurer and Jennilee Braun, newsletter editor.
“This is a great way to reach out to the community,” said Braun. Reitz noted that the club is a way to meet great people and help those in need. Borgerding said she enjoyed meeting different members of the community through the weekly Kiwanis meetings.
Last year’s president, Danielle Bankson, said she appreciated the opportunity to take on a leadership role and, at the same time, serve as a member of the club.
“Being president was sometimes stressful,” she said, “but it made me feel wonderful that people looked up to me and I could work well with a group.”
Greenville High School Key Club… Community, Character, Leadership. The leaders of tomorrow.
Bob Robinson is Editor Emeritus of The Daily Advocate. He can be contacted for regular notices of his postings at: opinionsbybob@gmail.com. Christina Chalmers, Managing Editor of The Daily Advocate, contributed to this article. She can be reached at cchalmers@dailyadvocate.com.
Key Club International Fall Rally at COSI in Columbus, Nov. 7, 2010
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