Galena Key Club making a difference in the community

As the year began, many students had the mindset that Key Club would not offer students as many opportunities to work service hours as they have in the past. With masks and social distancing, it was difficult to start planning how the year would go by trying to get volunteer activities in the calendar, but the club has been very successful despite the circumstances. There has been a good amount of volunteer jobs offered to students who would like to get involved. Some of those jobs include: fence painting, trash clean-up, and shopping for families in need. 

This year Key Club added a volunteer activity that they have not done before, they painted fences in the town. The city administrator has been helping the school’s Key Club by giving them opportunities to get hours in. Mackenzie Knautz ‘21 says, “I believe that the fence painting went really well and everybody who helped did a very good job. We listened to music and were catching up with each other; it was a much needed break from the stressful school week. It was an activity that I would one-hundred percent do again!” Knautz shows just how much enjoyment the opportunity brought. There were two fence painting activities, and each were around two hours long. “I was very happy when I was able to participate in such an easy and fun activity, yet I was still able to get a good amount of hours in,” says Grace Wilhelm ‘21. Around this time of the year before COVID-19, students weren’t used to getting Key Club hours so early in the school year. So knowing that they were helping the community, and were able to take part in the club made a difference in students’ attitude. 

Key Club has also given students the opportunity of picking up trash around town. “I really appreciated this activity, it was a fun way to get service hours,” said Sydney Benson ‘21. “I liked the satisfaction of picking up trash and cleaning up the area, I definitely felt as if I was doing something for the community.” 

In the beginning of the year, students sold the Northwest Illinois Daily Drawing tickets and raised $4,000 dollars to help out in town. Shopping for families in need was an activity that has helped with donating that money around town. On October 16, students had the chance to shop for those who were in need of winter clothing, laundry detergent, bed sheets, pillows, toiletries, and many other things. This shopping event was so positive that students are going again on Monday, October 26 to purchase items for school district families, Safe Haven Animal Shelter, the Dubuque Humane Society, Galena Stauss Nursing Home and the Galena based group Women and Friends Making a Difference.

It is a privilege to help those in need and by joining Key Club, students have the advantage to make a contribution to society. These activities have given students a great mentality about the rest of the year and the benefits they will give to others.