Key Club
Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. Key Club International is the high school branch of the Kiwanis International family, classified as a Service Leadership Program and more specifically as a Kiwanis Youth Program. Many Key Clubs are sponsored by a local Kiwanis club.
The organization was started by California State Commissioner of Schools Albert C. Olney and vocational education teacher Frank C. Vincent, who worked together to establish the first Key Club at Sacramento High School in California on May 7, 1925. Female students were first admitted in 1977, ten years before women were admitted to the sponsoring organization, Kiwanis International.
Key Club International began a 100-day countdown celebration leading up to the 100th anniversary in 2025 with celebratory events throughout the country prior to the Key Club International Convention.
History
Origin
In 1924, the local Kiwanis Club decided to attempt to begin a service club at the Sacramento High School, and the school principal supported the idea and began searching for students willing to start the club. In May 1925, a group of boys at Sacramento High School held their first club meeting.Inclusivity
Female students were first allowed to join in 1977. This occurred ten years before adult women were permitted to join the parent organization, Kiwanis International.In 1980, the first females were elected to the Key Club International Board. Lisa Cross and Renee Wetstein were elected as Key Club International Trustees. In addition, the first African American was elected to serve on the International Board. Greg Broussard was elected as Key Club International vice-president. In 1996, Craig Melvin was elected as the first African-American president of Key Club International. The 2019 Key Club International Convention's House of Delegates voted to change all references of gender-specific pronouns to the neutral they/them/their pronoun set throughout all of the organization's bylaws. During the same session, the delegation passed a resolution to change the phrase "...my nation and God..." to "...my nation and world..." in the Key Club Pledge; the Kiwanis Youth Programs Board of Directors, directed by the International Guidebook to review any votes from the House of Delegates, approved the changes.
Present
Key Club International is composed of 32 organized Districts with an additional District in formation. Key Club International is currently in 38 countries. As of 2020, Key Club International includes 229,652 members and 4,841 paid clubs.Key Club International itself employs three full-time staff members and utilizes the services of nearly 120 additional specialists employed by Kiwanis International—all are employed at Kiwanis International headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Activities
Key Club offers a range of services to its members: leadership development, study-abroad opportunities, vocational guidance, college scholarships, a subscription to the Key Club magazine, and liability insurance.In 2002 Key Club officially adopted "caring, character building, inclusiveness, and leadership" as the core values of the organization.
The organization maintains partnerships with UNICEF, AYUSA Global Youth Exchange, the March of Dimes, and Children's Miracle Network Telethon. Through the partnership with UNICEF, a major initiative was launched in 1994 to address HIV/AIDS education and prevention in Kenya.
Theme of the Major Emphasis
At Key Club International's first convention in 1946, the organization began to branch out internationally."Children: Their Future, Our Focus" is Key Club International's Major Emphasis theme. Officially, any project conducted by members or clubs that serve needy children locally or globally is considered a project of the Major Emphasis. The three preferred charities of Key Club International are paramount to the organization's success in serving children. These are the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, March of Dimes, and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Key Clubs contribute to a global organizational total of more than 12 million hours of hands-on service and millions of dollars donated to the aforementioned partners and other programs.
Recently, the Kiwanis International has dedicated itself to eliminating the risk of Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus from the face of the earth. The disease plagues mothers and newborns in 40 countries worldwide, and while an effective vaccine has been developed, MNT claims nearly 100,000 lives each year. As part of the Kiwanis International mission to end MNT, Key Club International has pledged all proceeds from its members' Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF projects to the $110 million funding gap the Kiwanis International Foundation is working to correct.
Service Initiative
The Service Initiative is a program encouraging hands-on service to children aimed towards a common goal. It is changed every two years by the International Board of Trustees.The 2004–2006 Service Initiative was "Child Safety: Water, Bike and Car Safety", where Key Clubbers participated in different educational events to try to spread safe habits to prevent accidental deaths.
The 2006–2008 Service Initiative was "High Five for Health". It is aimed at reducing childhood obesity and fighting a rising trend that appears to increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
The 2008–2010 Service Initiative is "Live 2 Learn". It is focused on 5-to-9-year-old youth, with the main goals of promoting education and building literary skills.
In 2011, the Service Initiative concept was abolished by a vote of the Key Club International Board. It was decided that the freedom of selecting any project in keeping with the theme of "Children: Their Future, Our Focus" would allow for greater success for member clubs and their dedications to service.
Key Club Week
During the first full week of November, known as Kiwanis Family Month, Key Clubs worldwide celebrate Key Club Week. In seven days, Key Clubs are encouraged to grow and serve through themed days like "Show Your K in Every Way", "Konnect the Ks", "Kudos to the Key Players", and more. The week has been designed to become the organization's primary membership drive worldwide with the belief that more members will translate to more service and further goals of adolescent support worldwide.Colors
The official colors are blue, gold and white.- Blue means unwavering character
- Gold means service
- White means purity
Structure and governance
Key Club exists on more than 5,000 high school campuses, primarily in the United States and Canada. It has grown internationally to the Caribbean nations, Central and South America, and most recently to Asia and Australia. Clubs exist in Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, England, Germany, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Hungary, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Martinique, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, St. Lucia, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.
Key Club International is an organization of individual Key Clubs and is funded by nominal dues paid by every member. Offices/positions are most often elected and are held by high school students aged 14–18 years old.
International
Key Club International encompasses all clubs within the 33 organized Districts and in foreign countries that are not included in any specific District. Key Club International is led by the International Board of Trustees, which is typically composed of the International President, International Vice-President, and 11 International Trustees. Furthermore, the International Council is composed of the International Board, as well as the District Governor from each of the 33 organized Districts. International Board members are elected at the annual international convention, also known as ICON.The 2022-2023 International committees include the Executive committee, which focuses on bylaws and policies, proposals for the Kiwanis Youth Programs Board, International Competition, the Strategic Plan, and more; In addition, the global relations committee has a heavy focus on growth abroad, supporting international districts, and nondistricted/district-in-formation club communication.
Finally, the programs and partners committee aim to connect Key Club International with other branches of the K-family, bridge the gap between KCI and our service partners, and to shape annual programs.
District
A Key Club District is normally defined by state or nation and tends to match a similar Kiwanis District. Each District is chaired by a Governor, elected by delegates to an annual convention. The District is divided into Divisions which tend to, but do not necessarily match Kiwanis Divisions.Each District and District-in-Formation is led by a group of students comprising the District Board of Trustees. The Executive District Board commonly includes the Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor. Along with these positions, the Illinois Eastern Iowa District has a Statistical Secretary. Each District Board also includes one Lieutenant Governor per Division to serve the geographically smaller areas. Whereas one Governor may oversee the operations of an entire District, Lieutenant Governors oversee areas typically including 4–15 clubs. All officers are elected by the students they serve.