The first week of November is Key Club Week, and members of the Hamilton Heights High School’s Key Club Chapter are taking this opportunity to share the many benefits of the service-oriented club. This year’s theme is “Caring as a Way of Life.”
Key Club is an international, student-led high school organization. Its members make the world a better place through service-oriented projects. In doing so, members grow as individuals and as leaders by answering the call to lead, summoning the courage to engage and develop the heart to serve. It is the largest high school service organization in the world and is a member of the Kiwanis International family.
Today, there are over 250,000 high school students involved in Key Clubs in 40 countries. Hamilton Heights Key Club was founded in 2007. It is under the leadership of Lillian Morris and Elisa Garcia and has 40 members. It is sponsored by the Cicero Kiwanis Club.
While this season of coronavirus has required a pause on some traditional projects, club members continue to forge ahead with a focus on what they can do instead of what they can’t.
An important part of Key Club Week is creating awareness about the club, utilizing this opportunity to highlight projects, promote the club, and show the community what Key Club is all about – service.
“This is a good week to highlight the club, student members, and work in the community,” said Morris, just into her first year as the club faculty advisor. “However, we work on service projects throughout the year. As members, students have the opportunity to give back to the school and community in many ways.”
Morris may be biased, but she says there are so many benefits to being a part of a service-oriented club. The opportunity to develop servant leadership skills while benefiting others is a powerful motivator.
“Our members are learning amazing life skills while helping others along the way,” Morris noted.
Morris recommends students get involved as freshmen to help build connections, philanthropy, and servant leadership throughout their high school years.
“Colleges and employers really take note of four-year members in this internationally-known organization,” Morris said. “I encourage members to be involved in everything they find interest in and can fit in their schedule – even if it’s only a 30-minute event, it’s still benefiting others.”
Brian Zachary
Brian Zachary is the president of Key Club this year. A senior, Zachary is a four-year member.
“I joined Key Club because I wanted to help people in my community and serve as a person that can help when needed,” Zachary explained. “I was not in K-Kids or Builders Club because I was at a different school at that time. I think it’s important to have a Key Club Chapter at Hamilton Heights because it helps the community and the people that serve in the chapter get a lot of satisfaction out of all the work and goodness that is achieved through serving the community. It also helps the kids at the high school become better people and feel empathy about the people that are not doing well in life situations. As the president, I want to accomplish more branching out to other students and clubs. For example, I am a vice president for Honors Society, and I want to bring what I do at the meetings there to this club. I want to help the community to the best of my ability and show the younger generation that it is great to be a helpful hand.”
Edward Morris
Junior Edward Morris, who is serving as Vice President of Heights Key Club, is into his third year of membership.
“I joined Key Club because it seemed like it would be a fun experience and a great way to help my community,” Edward Morris said. “Like Brian, I was not a member of K-Kids or Builders Club before Key Club but wish that I had known about those clubs then. Key Club helps bring more awareness of the needs in our community. It is my hope that through my involvement I can encourage others to give of their time. I hope to get more people involved with Key Club. With more people, more things can be done.”
Morris’ twin brother, Joseph, agrees. A third-year member of Hamilton Heights Key Club, he too is serving as an officer (Secretary/Treasurer).
Joseph Morris
“Through Key Club, I can help others and it makes me feel good to work in my community to help others,” Joseph Morris said. “I think it’s important to have a Key Club Chapter so that students can have the opportunity to help in their community. It helps us know where the needs are and how we can help. I feel like students want to help others but are not sure of how to do that. Key Club lets them know how to help and lets them be a part of their community in a positive way.”