COVID-19 has made 2020 a tough time for many families, including mine.

This is a time for us to stick together and help each other out, which is the main goal of our Key Club. Even though we weren’t able to do the fun, interactive volunteering we had planned for this year, through the letters we wrote as a team we found a way to be supportive of those in need.

Especially during the holidays, money was an issue for a ton of people around the world along with the whole ̈holiday spirit ̈ due to the dark cloud over our heads because of the pandemic. I, personally, don’t celebrate Christmas which is the main focus in December, but I found it crucial to donate to helping organizations that I found online as a way for me to give back and show my gratitude for others. I could imagine the change my donation made even though it was never a lot, but in this situation, a little bit goes a long way.

I was happy enough with the fact that my donation would be put to great use, better than just me wasting it on useless things I don’t need.

Key Club acted as a getaway for many students in our community, especially our high school as we all played games online and chatted through zoom meetings. It was a way for many students to find a friend, which could have been the greatest gift overall.

This year, being in quarantine, my friends and I were not able to play Secret Santa which we looked forward to every year, but that did not stop us from video calling each other Christmas morning and show our gifts. I think that materialistic things, especially during this tough time, should not matter more than effort and time, which is why none of us asked for anything for Christmas.

Key Club will be doing many more volunteering activities next semester that will help out many people which is exactly what we need. Everyone in this club is so dedicated to being a better person and making Earth a better place to live in allowing us to stay positive.

Being there for someone to talk to was my main goal this year, whether it be through volunteering or being a PAL for the elementary/middle school students, and I was able to be a part of the change that will assist people towards positivity.

I was told about Key Club about a year or two ago through Key Club members and after looking through the information they provided along with other online resources, it just seemed like the right move to make. Many aspects of Key Club align with my own values and beliefs which made me “fall” in love.

Despite the current global pandemic, Key Club still has the goal of helping the community through these difficult times and through this club, I’ve learned that everyone in it has been building themselves up and inspiring others to help each other. The people I’ve met so far through this club have made me feel so welcomed have all helped me stay positive throughout the pandemic.

With quarantine and the increase in school work, Key Club has created virtual socials like playing games such as Among Us and posting it through media to get more people involved in the club, as well as just getting to know each other, which in general, was very comforting. Knowing that there are people who are trying different ways to help each other during these hard times is amazing and currently, Key Club is trying to figure out more events to help the community and push through.

Another reason I’ve come to love about Key Club is how inclusive the club is. They don’t require your GPA to be at a certain score nor do you need money or anything truly, just the passion to help others. This club has made me realize that a lot of the people who are a part of it, are being truly selfless and are always willing to offer their time and energy to continue building up the community and help everyone.

I’ve mentioned a lot of the word “community” throughout the article, but let’s take some time to acknowledge the rewards the people who are a part of Key Club can receive at Birdville High School. Since this is an official Birdville Club, students have the opportunity to get a letter jacket, patches, cords for graduation and it makes a senior’s application for college more interesting.

Such reasonings for “falling” in love with Key Club may sound childish, but this club has truly made many people happy, knowing that we can make a difference in the community and then hopefully impact everywhere else.

:)

As we all know, these past couple of months have been difficult for many of us, from school stress to socially distancing from our friends.

This is mostly true for adults (and those of us who work) since some are required to work from home. These challenging times have caused a bump in many organizations and clubs including ours. However, these are challenges, not impossibilities, so we have modified and changed the way we are managing the club this year, and we are excited to see how it all plays out.

With major changes come different ideas and perspectives that we wouldn’t have thought of before. As we communicate through zoom meetings and group chats, the officers of the Birdville High School Key Club have had to change the way we help improve our community while following social distancing norms. The different ways we are running things will open up new events and opportunities to volunteer in our communities. One of the many things we are looking forward to this year is being able to help and provide services in our community in a different way in order to ensure the safety of both sides.

One way things are changing in our club is that we are now providing more emotional support to people that are alone or in difficult times due to the effects of COVID-19. We are excited to try to provide emotional support to the elderly in retirement homes close to our school. As the elderly are one of the vulnerable groups, their safety is a top priority so we will be creating handmade letters and then emailing a picture for each individual citizen of the two retirement homes. We are excited as well because it’s a way of connecting with our community while keeping each other safe, and it’s something new for everyone so we are sure that both parties involved are enjoying it.

Another possibility that is still open and being discussed is building packages for the homeless in our community this winter. As beautiful winter is, it can be a very difficult time for the people that don’t have homes when temperatures drop. These packages will be done with extreme precautions (using masks and gloves in sanitized areas) and will hopefully be given to a homeless shelter. These packages will include hygiene products, jackets, blankets, food, and other necessities that will hopefully aid these people that are going through a difficult time.

It’s the creativity that we will have to put into our community service projects that is exciting because it’s making us think outside the box. During these unprecedented times many people out there are going through a bad time with their workplaces being shut down, not being able to pay rent, or feed their families. As part of a larger organization, we will do everything in our reach to enable our community to help each other and we are excited to see how this will bring our community closer and maybe meet new people, while maintaining social distancing or course.

We are excited to see our communities bond during the challenges we face everyday, it even seems that we are more together when we're divided.