Former president of the United States Bill Clinton, actor Tom Cruise, actor Brad Pitt and the “King of Rock & Roll” Elvis Presley all have one thing in common — they are all alumni. Yes, I'm talking about that club, the club that everyone in this school joined or heard of at least once in the span of their high school careers — KEY CLUB. Some say we are “overrated,” but nothing is overrated about community service, and the fact that Key Club helps develop such successful and famous individuals further proves that this organization is more than just your average volunteer club.

As current Lieutenant Governor (Lt.G) of Division 34 North (sounds fancy, doesn't it?), I serve as a liaison between one of Key Club’s 33 districts, California-Nevada-Hawaii, and the clubs therein. So far, my position has given me the opportunity to play a round of twister on a giant 20 ft. by 20 ft. twister board with teens from the Caribbean Islands, and ride a mechanical bull — I will never again underestimate the strength needed to stay on those vicious machines. Most importantly, I realized that the only way to lose substantial weight is by traveling to the Phoenix, Arizona desert valley, and spend a week feeding off of instant kimchi noodles every night and walking — in heels — approximately two miles around a convention center from dawn until midnight.

You would think that coming from San Francisco, I’d be accustomed to anything unique that isthrown myway, but the people I have met have far exceeded my ideals of an all-around nice and high-achieving person. We call ourselves the MVBees — Most Valuable Bees, because our district mascot is the bee. These 75 Lt.Gs, executive officers and committee chairs are the funniest bunch of people I’ve ever met. While on a food run at Albertsons during the international convention, a fellow Lt.G reached for a jug of water on the top shelf, but haphazardly caused the jug stacked above it to free fall onto her exposed skull. The jug not only had a dent in the shape of her skull, but could not stand up properly on the shelf due to the dent. It was a “you-had-to-be-there” moment because her shocked expression cannot be imitated.

We confide and rant to each other because only board members would understand the workload we have to tackle, what with the monthly submission of tedious report forms and committee assignments. “We’re all one big Ohana,” our District Governor would say, and I agree — the MVBees have become my second family.

Once I really delved into the work as Lt.G, I started to appreciate other events I attended. If you’ve never chaired or helped organize an event, then you won’t understand how much time and effort is invested into any single event, even if it is something simple, like a carwash. Recently, other Lt.Gs and I held a region training conference with a Harry Potter theme for Key Club members from the Bay Area and Napa Valley. We collectively spent months planning and making sure that every last workshop down to the most minute activity, like “wand making,” was covered. Of course, the planning sessions of the conference in San Leandro did not come without difficulties and disagreements that elongated meetings from two to two and a half hours. On the day of the event, more than 300 rowdy Key Clubbers arrived at Camp Jones Gulch, a YMCA summer camp in La Honda, ready to spend their weekend learning about the Kiwanis Family and an array of potential service projects.

My stamina was tested as I presented a workshop on “How to Keep an Audience’s Attention” ten times throughout the afternoon, then prepared my group for the highly anticipated campfire skit, where we showcased the benefits of March of Dimes, a charity dedicated to prevention of premature mortality rate in babies. Ending with bonding games the next morning, the conference turned out to be a magical weekend.

The best part of Key Club is getting to know the Kiwanis, the adult division of Key Club and the ones who started it all. Our leaders have become homies; Jack, Lowell’s Kiwanis advisor, competes in swim meets around the world, recently winning nine medals in the senior Olympics, “I beat Michael Phelps,” he would jokingly say. A neighboring Mills High School Kiwanis advisor, Martin “Moneymaker”, is an epitome of a hip adult. A car fanatic, he amazes me with his stories of his four blown engines and thirty speeding tickets. He also voluntarily goes above and beyond to help out Key Clubbers from other schools in the division, which ultimately scores him a cool point in my book. Kiwanis Governor Richard Olmstead always has a bounce in his step and openly pokes fun at his rather small stature. Kiwanis may be an adult society, but Kiwanians prove daily that you can still be a kid on the inside — sometimes I feel like they’re more of a kid than I am. Kiwanians dedicate their time and money to service projects and organizations, while maintaining their careers and supporting a family; they are exactly what I hope to grow into as I grow up — successful and caring.

A version of this article first appeared in the Nov. 4, 2011 print edition of The Lowell.

Illustration by Hoi Leung.