From helping at food banks to running events in the Belmont-Redwood Shores community, Carlmont’s Key Club does it all.
Key Club International is a global organization that promotes volunteering, service, leadership, and character-building in high school students. It has over 260,000 members in 38 countries.
September and October are busy months for Carlmont Key Club members. Many organizations and schools in the community heavily request their service to help run the many events during this time.
“With the number of people and requests coming in for our service, I think we have the obligation to make their moments with Key Club right,” said Rosie Jimenez, the club advisor. “If they need volunteers, they can count on us.”
Jimenez spends a large portion of her time on the club. She helps the leaders gather people to work at events, participates in board meetings, and overall tries to support the members as best as she can. For example, she was the one who organized the volunteers needed for the annual Save the Music Festival.
Save the Music is a SchoolForce event in Twin Pines Park that raises funds for local school music programs. Seventeen members of the club volunteered throughout the day and ran games for the children there.
“If it weren’t for the Carlmont students, we would not be able to run this festival,” said Martha Johnson, the volunteer coordinator for the event.
Although this event may have appeared to have only a small Key Club presence, many people acknowledged the work and effort they demonstrated to earn money for SchoolForce’s cause.
“I think what Key Club is doing is really important for our community and what’s going on here at this festival. I think the music program is important for people to express themselves, and any work from the Key Clubbers really supports that,” said Sean Shitamoto, a junior.
While the main goal of Key Club is to serve those in surrounding areas, other students also believe in the personal experience aspect. Jimenez explained that lots of students come into the club shy, but leave being able to talk with others and grow from their experiences.
Ashwin Singh is a sophomore who was recently voted Member of the Month for his vast amount of volunteer hours. He believes it’s important for teenagers to join this club for that reason.
“The things we do might be little, but it’s still great knowing you are doing something that is greater than yourself,” Singh said.
Millie Ku, a sophomore, is one of the vice presidents of the club. She, like Jimenez, puts in a lot of work each day as many people rely on her to keep the club running.
“I’m always motivated to work hard because I know I’m impacting others in our community,” Ku said. “Although we mostly do minor things to support the community, even the little things count in the end.”
