Key Club Gives Back to Community

No, members of Key Club don’t wield keys.

One of Alliance High’s many extracurricular organizations, Key Club is “a locally based organization that allows high schoolers to do service projects, give back to the community, and promote their leadership skills for future endeavors,” according to Rachel DePriest, Language Arts teacher and the club’s advisor.

Key Club partners with the Alliance chapter of Kiwanis Club of Alliance and with UNICEF, an international organization that provides medical supplies, immunizations, and educational options to children in more than 190 countries around the world.

Key Club members volunteer at multiple events throughout the year, including the Kiwanis Pancake Jamboree; the Alliance Community Pantry food drive; Scarf Bombing, when donated winter clothing is dispersed in care packages throughout Alliance; Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, and selling cotton candy at Days in the Park during the Carnation Festival.

The Pancake Jamboree, which will be Saturday, Nov. 3, in the high school cafeteria, is a full breakfast offered to anyone in the community for $6. It’s a great example of the many volunteer opportunities offered by Key Club.

“If you don’t want to talk to anyone and just want to make pancakes, you can make pancakes, said DePriest, laughing. “If you want to socialize, you can run around and clean tables and talk to people. There’s a job for everyone.”

This is DePriest’s first year as the advisor of Key Club. Mr. Chris Schillig, the long-time advisor, “passed the pancake spatula” to Mrs. DePriest, who shadowed him for a year to learn the ropes.

“Key Club is an excellent way for students to become involved in giving back to their local community and to have fun at the same time,” Mr. Schillig said. “I am always impressed by how many Alliance High School students give so unselfishly of their time to help others, and I know this year will be no exception.”

DePriest agreed, saying she is excited that Key Club membership has increased to more than 60 this year.

To join Key Club, students are supposed to pay a $10 membership fee, but “as long as students are willing to show up and participate, we’ll take you,” DePriest said. “The community supports the schools by paying taxes, so it’s nice to create that community involvement for the students.”

Anna Zumbar, a senior and four-year member of Key Club, concurred, saying: “It’s a great opportunity for kids to give back to the community.”

Key Club offers two scholarships to senior Key Club members with the funds raised throughout the year: the Clark Kennedy Award and the David Webster Award, both named after former AHS Key Club members who died during or soon after high school. Each is given to a student who shows exemplary citizenship, responsibility, and leadership.