For Parents

What is Key Club?

Key Club International is the world’s largest student led organization. High school students in 33 districts around the world are all working together to better the world through community service. For the last few years, Key Clubbers have been raising money and awareness for the Eliminate Project to eliminate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus from countries all over the world. This club is not all about fundraising though. Key Clubbers are known for their service to their homes, schools, and communities. Each school in the district operates differently, each with their own service projects. Working at the food bank, cleaning up a local park, and tutoring students in elementary schools are common service projects that Key Clubbers take pride in. Some projects that are on a larger scale need the help of adults, such as building a new playground.

Who Works with Key Clubbers?

Key Club is a branch of the K-family, the parent organization being Kiwanis International. Kiwanis founded its first Key Club ins 1925 and since then has added hundreds of thousands of Key Clubbers to its family. Kiwanians are leaders who are over the age of 21 who support the younger clubs as well as do their own community service. The K-family has other branches for elementary kids (K-Kids), middle schoolers (Builder’s Club), college students (Circle K), and adults with disabilities (Aktion Club). Besides the K-family, organizations such as UNICEF, March of Dimes, The American Cancer Society, and local organizations all work with Key Clubbers to better the community.

How can you get Involved?

Although Key Club is solely for High School students, parents can also get involved as well. From chaperoning a service project to creating a Key Club in your child’s school, there are so many ways for you to get involved in the best high school service organization in the world.

Promotion

Key Clubs in every high school hold fundraising projects so that they may either donate the money to a charity or use the money fund a service project. These projects include candle sales, car washes, bake sales, and bagging at local supermarkets and are successful because parents just like you promote these fundraisers to friends and family. Especially for fundraisers where adults are the largest supporters, parents are key to the fundraiser’s success. Next time Key Club is holding candle sale, for example, you can encourage your coworkers to buy some in support of your child or a charity.

Start a Key Club

If your child’s high school does not have a Key Club but you want them to be involved in all the splendiferous service projects the Club has to offer, you can start a Key Club! With the help of the school principal and a teacher, you can initiate the chartering process and bring one of the largest high school service organizations to your local high school. To get the chartering kit, visit: http://keyclub.org/.

Join a Kiwanis Club

Does the passion for community service run in the family? Do you want to help make the world a better place, too? Then you can join Kiwanis! Kiwanis is the parent organization of Key Club, and is specifically for adults who want give back to their community. For more information on where to find your local Kiwanis Club, visit: http://www.kiwanis.org/kiwanis/about-kiwanis/join.