Key Club in Kitchener: The 2016 District Convention

This year Key Club’s 69th Annual District Convention was held in Kitchener, Ontario at the Crown Plaza Hotel. From 1 to 3 April, Key Clubbers from all across Eastern Canada gathered together to celebrate another successful year of service. This year, Key Club has collected more than $13.5 million. This value includes the packaging of meals at the event that will be received by a local food bank in Kitchener and sent to Malawi.

On the first day, there was registration, and a meet and great was from 12 – 5 pm. There was also a dinner and talent show. The next day consisted of contests and workshops. These workshops varied in topic—from public speaking to swing dancing, students got to experience a different atmosphere than regularly found in their own club meetings. The dinner introduced newly elected Board members. One of them is Garneau student Adam Yu, taking over position of District Webmaster. The evening ended with a a dance.

MGCI also participated in many contest and awards. This included a first place award in the non-digital poster contest (Kevin Hu), second place in the t-shirt design contest (Kevin Hu), third place in the traditional scrapbook contest (Saima Riswan, Akansha Nagar, Sivingari Yogeswaran), and 1st place in the Trick or Treat for UNICEF campaign. Marc Garneau raised $250 through this coin drive.

Mona Adib, a Marc Garneau student, and the District Governor and President of MGCI Key Club’s Eastern Canada division said, “The Eastern Canada District Convention is a weekend long event where 200-300 Key Clubbers from Eastern Canada come together to celebrate a successful year of service. This year, Key Clubbers attended educational workshops, elected the next District Board of Trustees, participated in a variety of contests and awards, and even packaged 22000 meals for Kids Against Hunger. I remember that my first District Convention in grade nine was the turning point in my Key Club journey. At Convention, I realized what makes Key Club so different from other service organizations, and it’s Key Club’s focus on camaraderie. Through Key Club Conventions, I have been inspired by so many individuals from all over the world. I have shared ideas with them about new service projects and about strengthening the membership in clubs. I have celebrated with them the fact that the Key Clubs in Eastern Canada have raised more than $36000 in one year. And most importantly, I have made unforgettable memories and lasting friendships.”

Sophia Song, a Marc Garneau Student and the Lieutenant Governor of Division 5 said “DCON was an experience that I will honestly never forget. The best part about it was that you had the opportunity to meet people from all over Eastern Canada, from Sarnia to Quebec to Halifax, and bond over everything—from your obsession with KPOP to your love for service! These aren’t just temporary friendships, but ones that last for a lifetime.”