User:Pinkytheflamingo/Pennsylvania District of Key Club International

Pennsylvania District of Key Club International

The Pennsylvania District of Key Club International, or PAKC is a governing body of Key Club International, a student-led community service organization of Kiwanis International. PAKC is composed of 172 individual clubs and over 12,000 members.

PAKC consists of 20 divisions, each led by a student Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governors compose the majority of a board of 23 members, led by an executive board consisting of a Communications Coordinator, Secretary-Treasurer, and Governor.

PAKC's mascot is Pinky the Flamingo, and its symbol is the keystone.

History
The first Key Club was established in May 1925 in Sacramento, California, as a way of connecting "key" boys in the school with guidance and leadership from the sponsoring Sacramento Kiwanis Club. Through contact with the Sacramento Key Club and Kiwanis Club, other Kiwanis groups across the country soon became interested in the activity and sponsored similar organizations in their own communities. Practically all Key Club expansion which took place during the next fifteen years was accomplished in this way. By that time fifty clubs were functioning in Pennsylvania as well as six other states including California, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Washington. As the Key Club name became more established, districts began to form. The first Key Club District was Florida, organized in 1939 and formally established as the first district in 1946, when the Key Club International bylaws were first adopted. The Pennsylvania District was soon formed in 1947.

Key Club International first officially allowed females in the club in 1977; these young women quickly took leadership positions at many levels. The first female Governor of the Pennsylvania district was Carmen Bannon 1978-79, and since the entrance of females in the organization, 50% of the Pennsylvania District Governors from 1977-present have been women.

District Governance
The standard District Board is composed of 20 Lieutenant Governors and 3 executive officers: Communications Coordinator, Secretary-Treasurer, and Governor. Several adult advisers assist the board, although it is primarily student-led.

Lieutenant Governors
One Lieutenant Governor (Lt. Governor or LTG) is elected to lead and represent each of the 20 divisions in the Pennsylvania District, although in the absence of an elected Lt. Governor in a division, one or two other elected LTGs may act as unofficial liaisons for the clubs in a division. The Lt. Governor is responsible for oversight of, on average, 4-12 high school Key Clubs, though the largest division in Pennsylvania, northwestern Division 1/2, is composed of 20 clubs. One or several divisions in the same geographic area are clumped into a Zone, which is advised by a Kiwanian called a Zone Administrator. Lieutenant Governors may coordinate cross-divisional or zone-wide events, and it is not uncommon for members of a Key Club in one division to attend another division's training.


 * Kaitlynne Schulze, Division 1/2
 * Medha Sharma, Division 3
 * Alexandra Raso, Division 4/5
 * Alexis Puz, Division 6
 * Drew Cooper, Division 8/10
 * Vacant, Division 11 - Covered by Jessi Solley and Meghan Pontz
 * Jessi Solley, Division 12N
 * Meghan Pontz, Division 12S
 * Ethan Wayda, Division 13N
 * Rachel Mills, Division 13S
 * Alyssa Talacka, Division 15N
 * Trevor Ahouse, Division 15S
 * Cassandra Whitmoyer, Division 16N
 * Becca Amsbaugh, Division 16S
 * Kerry McCord, Division 17/18N
 * Sarah Dougherty, Division 18S
 * Aerin McHugh, Division 19C
 * Jessica Swanson, Division 19N
 * Andrew Van Buren, Division 21
 * Michelle Li, Division 22

The Lt. Governor serves as a liaison between clubs in his or her division and the district board. Tasks of an LTG include: visiting each of his or her clubs, publishing a monthly divisional newsletter, holding regular Officer Council Meetings, and keeping in contact their with clubs, District Executive Board. In addition, a Lt. Governor may initiate division-wide service projects. One important duty each Lt. Governor has is to plan an election to determine his or her successor near the end of his or her term, at which a 2/3 quorum of the clubs must be present for the election to be valid.

On the District Board, the role of the Lt. Governor is to to act as a representative of his or her governed division in board meetings and policymaking. Each Lt. Governor is assigned to committees as determined by the Governor, and each Lt. Governor contributes to the planning and execution of the District Convention/Leadership Conference.

Executive Board
The Executive Board is composed of three officers, elected by popular vote at the District Convention/Leadership Conference after several rounds of speeches and question/answer sessions. The current Executive Board of PAKC is:
 * Governor Stephen Wheadon
 * Secretary-Treasurer Medha Sharma
 * Communications Coordinator Helen Wang

The Communications Coordinator position is similar to a combined editor/webmaster, and is unique to the Pennsylvania District. He or she is in charge of updating the district website and creating the district publication, called the Keystonian. Depending on how the Governor constructs district committees, the Communications Coordinator also usually has the responsibility of heading a district Technology Committee.

The Secretary-Treasurer is endowed with all the duties and responsibilities of the District Secretary and District Treasurer, such as keeping all records and bylaw amendments of the District Convention/Leadership Conference and all meetings of the District Board of Trustees, collecting and tracking monthly club officer reports, and monitoring dues collection. Depending on how the Governor constructs district committees, the Secretary-Treasurer also usually leads the District Operations Committee.

The Governor is the presiding executive officer of the district, and is in charge of ensuring the district board's productivity. Duties include distributing information to Lieutenant Governors about district events and tasks that must be completed within their divisions, creating district committees and assigning directives to them throughout the year, and planning the five meetings of the district board. He or she presides at all of these meetings, and over all conventions of the Pennsylvania District. Throughout the Governor's term he or she acts as the public face of the organization, representing the district at meetings and conventions of Key Club members and officers and of adult Kiwanis Club members. Additionally, the Governor conferences weekly, usually by phone, with an adult District Administrator to discuss questions, concerns, and upcoming tasks that he or she must complete. The first Governor of PA Key Club was B. Anthony Schreyer in 1947-48.


 * 1970-71: Horace Melton, Allentown
 * 1971-72: William Erwin, Bethel Park
 * 1972-73: Gregory S. Kaupp, Allentown
 * 1973-74: Douglas Marcello, Carlisle
 * 1974-75: George Arbuntina, Quaker Valley
 * 1975-76: Douglas Keller, Penn Manor
 * 1976-77: Greg Strawn, Cedar Cliff
 * 1977-78: Brooks Gearhart, Bethel Park
 * 1978-79: Carmen Bannon, Upper Moreland
 * 1979-80: Karen Popvich, Bethel Park
 * 1980-81: Richard Bradley, Penn Hills
 * 1981-82: Mark Buchek, Cedar Cliff
 * 1982-83: Brian Dolan, William Allen
 * 1983-84: Mark Hutchison, Altoona
 * 1984-85: Mark Lazarus, Quaker Valley
 * 1985-86: Charles Regan, Bethlehem Catholic
 * 1986-87: Steven Speak, Quaker Valley
 * 1987-88: Michael Pieck, James M. Coughlin
 * 1988-89: Paul Beswick, Quaker Valley
 * 1989-90: Rob Kubasko, Wyoming Valley
 * 1990-91: Jonathan VanDyke, Red Land
 * 1991-92: Julie Whyte, Riverview
 * 1992-93: Michael Harmanos, Wyoming Area
 * 1993-94: Amy Ruth, Upper Moreland
 * 1994-95: Heather Taylor, Mifflinburg
 * 1995-96: Megan Richard, Lewistown
 * 1996-97: Katie Thyren, Wyoming Valley
 * 1997-98: Rich Fisher, Notre Dame
 * 1998-99: DeAnn Snider, Gateway
 * 1999-00: Sarah Bond, Conrad Weiser
 * 2000-01: Michelle “Missi” Boyd, Pottsgrove
 * 2001-02: Mark Seaman, Loyalsock Township
 * 2002-03: Kimberly Lechien, Lewistown
 * 2003-04: James Masotti, Owen J. Roberts
 * 2004-05: Amanda Badali, Riverview
 * 2005-06: Samantha Stahl, Conestoga
 * 2006-07: Joseph Pettinato, Bradford Area
 * 2007-08: Danielle Cozza, Loyalsock Township
 * 2008-09: Andrew Fishell, North Allegheny Senior High
 * 2009-10: Julia Defabo, Greater Latrobe
 * 2010-11: Katie Auwaerter, Governor Mifflin
 * 2011-12: Helen Liu, Bayard Rustin
 * 2012-13: Tessa Rhinehart, Bradford Area

District Committees
Every year, the Board of Trustees authorizes standing and special committees, as recommended by the Governor. The Governor also assigns board members to committees. In 2012-2013, The District Board has 7 standing committees, including Contests, Awards, Recognitions, and Scholarships Review and Promotion (CARS); Membership and Club Development; Theme and Design; Youth Serving Youth (YSY) Project; District Operations; Technology; and the executive board's Executive Committee. There are also four special convention committees which plan the events of the District Convention/Leadership Conference, including Leadership Breakouts, Meet and Greet, Service Fair, and Workshops.

Club Level
Club officers are determined by the club, but the standard club executive board includes a club President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, and sometimes Webmaster.

Youth-Serving-Youth Project


The Youth-Serving-Youth (YSY) Project, instituted in 2006, is unique in Key Club International. Most districts have a Governor's or District Project, in which the upper leadership of the district selects an organization that all Key Clubs of that district should aim to serve in the upcoming year. The YSY Project has different criteria and a specialized selection process, which was recently amended at the November Meeting of the District Board of Trustees.
 * 1) The District Board's Youth-Serving-Youth Committee, in charge of publicizing the current YSY Project, begins researching several possible organizations at the beginning of the Key Club year. Organizations must meet the following criteria:
 * 2) Serves children, teens, and young adults
 * 3) Is based in Pennsylvania, or be especially accessible in Pennsylvania
 * 4) Provides opportunities for both service and fundraising
 * 5) The YSY Committee recommends 3-5 of these organizations to the District Board, which reviews the merits of each of the organizations and selects two to present to the general membership.
 * 6) Information about each of the organizations is mailed to all of the clubs, along with two ballots. Clubs may research the organizations further, and choose by popular vote or executive decision which organization to vote for.
 * 7) Ballots are sent to the district office in Harrisburg to be tallied.
 * 8) The selected organization is announced at the District Convention/Leadership Conference in March, and becomes the district YSY Project for the upcoming year.

Notable past YSY Projects include Ronald McDonald House Charities and Caitlin's Smiles, both of which were selected two years in a row.

Major Emphasis Organizations
Hollidaysburg Key Club was recognized at Key Club International Convention in 2012 for raising the largest amount of money in Key Club International for March of Dimes.

District Convention/Leadership Conference
Pennsylvania's District Convention/Leadership Conference (DC/LC) is traditionally held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday one weekend in March. The convention's purposes are wide: to educate its attendees about service and leadership, to celebrate a year of success and share ideas with other members from around the state, and to ring in a new Key Club year. DC/LC is assigned a theme by the district board; some past themes have included "A Scoop of Service, A Sprinkle of Leadership," and "Spark the Flame."

The convention includes a variety of events focused on different aspects of the Key Club experience.
 * A keynote speaker is featured every year to speak about various topics of leadership and community service. Speakers vary widely. Some past speakers include Kevin Touhey and Scott Backovich; the 2012 speaker is Patrick Maurer, a former Key Club Governor of the California-Nevada Hawaii District.
 * Workshops are presentations on a variety of topics, often including Major Emphasis organizations/the Eliminate Project, ideas for creative service projects and fundraisers, information about Key Club on the international and district levels, and leadership skills such as public speaking.
 * Leadership Breakouts give the convention its "Leadership Conference" name. These breakouts are small-group activities led by adult facilitators, including the keynote speaker, who also works with the district board to develop the content of the breakouts. Leadership Breakouts often involve reflections on leadership and teamwork.
 * The Service Fair is an event held on Saturday of the convention that allows Key Clubbers and advisers alike to browse and share service opportunities. Booths are set up at the fair by individual Key Clubs, outside service organizations, and Kiwanis Family branches such as Circle K.
 * Social events at the convention include a dance and the Meet and Serve, an activity which is designed to allow members from different clubs to interact through games and service projects.

Sessions
One session is held each day of the convention. At the Opening Session on Friday, the Governor officially calls the convention to order, and the past year's district officers are introduced, and the keynote speaker presents his or her speech. On Saturday, an Awards Session is held, honoring various clubs, individual Key Club members, and sometimes adult advisers. Occasionally, special recognition is given during awards night. Lastly, on Sunday, the Closing Session occurs, during which the new Lieutenant Governors, elected before convention, are installed, and the new Executive Board, elected during convention, are announced and installed. Various other remembrances are usually given, such as an end of the year slideshow, and a "Governor's Farewell" speech.

Announcements are given by the current Secretary-Treasurer at the end of each session.

Culture and Spirit
Pennsylvania is known for its energetic representation at Key Club International Conventions where, though it is not often the most-represented districts in numbers, it is often one of the more outspoken and daring districts - for example, at ICON 2012, the District Secretary/Treasurer wore a flamingo costume to several events. PA takes particular pride in its chants.



Lingo
Many districts use a specialized "identifier" adjective, such as "The Mighty Texas-Oklahoma District." Pennsylvania prefers majestic, i.e. "The Majestic Pennsylvania District."

Pinky the Flamingo
Despite Pennsylvania's northern latitude, its mascot is a flamingo named Pinky. This mascot originates from Pennsylvania's spirited presence at the Orlando, Florida Key Club International Convention in 2000. The convention attendees realized that their district was without a mascot, but still wanted to show their district pride. Inspired by the flamingos they saw when first touring Orlando, they collected dozens of flamingo items and named their unofficial mascot "Pinky."

Their loud chants and bold entrance into sessions permanently associated these prominently displayed flamingo items with the district. Pinky has remained Pennsylvania's mascot ever since, with several incarnations including a five-foot-tall inflatable flamingo, and most recently, a flamingo costume, in celebration of International Convention 2012's location in Orlando, the place of Pinky's birth.