100 Years of Student Service Clubs at Galesburg HS

 

Jen Robinson

Here is what I would like with Interact and Key Club…

1- What is an outline of things the group does to either serve the community or to serve GHS?

The goal of Interact is "to empower young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills and personal integrity while engaging in community and international service.  To that end, we do a variety of service and  We usually try to split our efforts between school, local, and international causes.  For example, at the school we have done things for teacher appreciation, custodian appreciation and have tried to encourage others to be kind or supportive of other students.   Locally, we have done "hands-on" service like working at Blessings in a Backpack, Loving Bottoms Diaper Bank, and FISH food pantry.  We have raised money for many local charities such as Safe Harbor, Habitat for Humanity, and the Rescue Mission.  Internationally we have done projects like buy mosquito nets, help with water projects, help refugees in the Ukraine, help fund cataract surgeries, purchase books for a library, send school and hygiene supplies overseas etc...  

2- Yearly about how many members are involved?  It varies but generally we have about 40 members.  Currently there are about 60 on my roster, but on any given meeting, there are about 30 members present.  

3- What is your connection with the Rotary ?  (In terms of their involvement with the students and the students involvement with the parent club.)

Rotary members are very supportive of us and invite us to 2 meals per month.  I send 2 students to each meal and they are able to share what we are doing and experience the world of Rotary.  The Rotarians provide the meals and transportation,.  The Rotary club has also been good about supporting us financially.  Some years they have matched our efforts for various projects and they donate when we do some fundraising.  Additionally, they send some of our students to leadership conferences and transport them to and from these conferences.  

4- Could you ask 2-3 students to email me at emass70@yahoo.com and simply give me 2-3 sentences describing how belonging has impacted them and the effect it has had on them. 

Yes - I will do so.  

As far as NHS…

1- What is the service requirement of NHS for selection and for being in the organization?

There is no specific amount of service required for selection, but the committee looks to make sure that it is an area in which the students have participated.  Once they are in, they are expected to do 5 hours of service in the spring and then 20 hours per semester during their senior year.  

2- What are examples of things students do for service?

They do tutoring at the school and volunteer with kids programs and sports camp.  Some volunteer at the humane society or at Loving Bottoms.   The City of Galesburg provides opportunities like helping with clean-up at the parks, helping with the fishing derby, and the Easter egg hunt.  The students volunteer their time at the school through blood drives and other activities that they do with student council, Interact and Key Club.  One requirement is that at least half of their service hours come from somewhere outside the school.  We want them to see what service they can be to the larger community as well.  

3- Could you ask 3-4 students to email me at emass70@yahoo.com and give me a paragraph on what they have done for service and how this has impacted them and how they think it will effect them going forward. 

Hayleigh Green

1. What is an outline of things the group does to either serve the community or to serve GHS?

GHS Key Club focuses on both school and community service throughout the year. One of our largest ongoing projects is our Dress Closet, where we collect donated formalwear and provide dresses, suits, shoes, and accessories to GHS students for events like Homecoming and Prom at no cost.

Our members also volunteer at a variety of school and community events throughout the year. We partner with Student Council for our school blood drives, participate in community service projects such as park cleanups with our local Kiwanis Club, and help with other local events when organizations reach out needing student volunteers.

We also hold fundraisers such as Boo Pops and Crush for a Crush. While these are fun activities for the student body, the money raised helps support Key Club membership dues and allows us to continue providing service opportunities for our students and school community.

2. Yearly, about how many members are involved?

Our membership varies somewhat from year to year, but we typically have around 25–40 students involved in Key Club. This year, we have welcomed record numbers of new students and currently have over 80 members!

3. What is your connection with Kiwanis? (In terms of their involvement with the students and the students’ involvement with the parent club.)

Key Club is the high school-level service organization associated with Kiwanis International, so our local Kiwanis club serves as an important community connection for us. We try to create opportunities for our students to work alongside Kiwanis members on service projects and community events rather than operating as completely separate organizations.  We volunteer at their annual Pancake Day, Child Shopping Day, and more!

Our relationship also gives students an opportunity to see what lifelong community service can look like. Key Club introduces students to service and leadership while they are in high school, and Kiwanis provides an example of how that involvement can continue into adulthood. I myself am a great example of this as I served on the GHS Key Club Board 3 out of my 4 years in high school, then later served on the Kiwanis Club of Galesburg's board before becoming a teacher.  We are continuing to look for ways to strengthen that partnership and give our students more opportunities to work directly with our local Kiwanis members.

Morgan Thomas- Interact

My name is Morgan Thomas, and I am an officer of the Interact Club here at GJSHS! I love being a part of Interact because we get to do a lot of good for our school, the Galesburg community, and around the world! We raise money by fundraising to support our club, and we even have connections with another Interact Club in Brazil that we learn about life there from. If you ever have any questions about our impact, you can always email me!

Ellie Johnson- Interact

Hello Coach Massey! This is Ellie Johnson. I am part of the Interact club at GHS. Being in Interact has really brought me closer to the community. Although I am involved in sports, clubs like Interact put my name out for people to know me, along with more opportunities to raise money for different projects and help all over the world. Not only that but everyone in Interact has fun knowing they are making a difference! If you have any further questions feel free to reach out!

Damanjot Kaur

My name is Damanjot Kaur, and I’m a senior at Galesburg High School. Mrs. Robinson contacted me about giving you a paragraph about what I have done for NHS service and how it will impact me going forward.

For me, service has always been a duty, as it is a part of my religion. I was taught since childhood to be selfless in helping others, as you never know what other people may be going through. Last year, I got involved in tutoring students at GHS. I didn’t know what to expect going in. However, by talking to other students and helping them with school work, I began to learn how different students’ lives were. It made me realize how privileged and fortunate I am, as my only stress comes from school. Students have many other responsibilities apart from school, so they often need extra help with school work. When other students would learn from me, I would learn from them as well. Going forward, this perspective will help me to be more gentle and patient while helping others succeed.