By Hope Roundcount, Key Club International trustee
Every year, Key Club International hosts its convention so that club members worldwide can learn new skills, meet other leaders, elect their international leaders and hear from inspiring speakers. This year, the convention will be July 5-9 in Anaheim, California, U.S. It’s a fun and educational experience that turns high school students into strong and confident leaders.
You can attend the convention with your Key Club district tour. You’ll need to provide your registration details (your contact information and your club ID) to your district in the next few months.
What if you can’t afford the trip?
The good news is that you can find funding from many different sources. For example, you should reach out to your sponsoring Kiwanis club to ask if they can provide any financial support for your trip. Your club or district may provide some support as well, especially if you hold a leadership position.
If you need help thinking of ideas, use the sponsorship toolkit to reach out to your local community. And evaluate what has worked for your club in the past. Have you partnered with businesses in your area to sell their product and take a commission from each sale? Have you tried hosting an event at a local movie theater, bowling alley or restaurant and asking that business to sponsor you? Have you tried selling pins, bracelets or desserts? There are plenty of ways to raise money, so get creative!
In addition, members in good standing can apply for the Key Club International Convention Scholarship, which could provide partial funding. If you’re unsure whether you will attend the convention, you should still apply; if you’re granted a scholarship but your plans change, just let us know, so the money can be passed to another applicant.
Applications for convention scholarships are accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET, February 24. Recipients will be announced on March 10.
The Key Club International convention is going to be a blast! We are going to have so much fun meeting other student leaders and learning about community service. I hope to see you there!