California-Nevada-Hawaii District Key Club International

The California-Nevada-Hawaii District Key Club International, Cali-Nev-Ha, or simply CNH is a governing body of Key Club International, a youth sponsored community service organization of Kiwanis International, local Kiwanis clubs and school districts across the state.

The CNH District is the largest District in Key Club International, with over 36,000 members.Fact|date=June 2008 It was in Sacramento, California where Key Club was first founded in 1925.

The CNH mascot is the "Bee".

Currently, it consists of 60 Divisions spread throughout the three states.

History of CNH

In 1924, Sacramento High School in Sacramento, California was in trouble. Destructive clubs and fraternities, although outlawed, moved underground and continued to exercise a negative influence on the student population. Educators and community leaders feared these detrimental effects and sought some means of replacing the clubs with wholesome youth activities. The principal and a faculty member thought that what the school needed was an organization of students that discouraged delinquency by its example. Mr. Vincent asked the local Kiwanis Club for help and, together, they decided to pattern the new group after Kiwanis. The idea of a junior service club similar to Kiwanis was presented to the school in 1924, but it was not put into practice until eleven students signed a petition on March 25, 1925 which was sent to the Kiwanis International office with a request to be chartered as a Junior Kiwanis Club. By the time the charter was granted and the club held its first meeting, the membership had grown to twenty-five members. Through this group, Kiwanis hoped to provide vocational guidance to the students of the entire school.

The club became known as the Key Club because of the positive influence of these key students who held luncheon meetings each week to which Kiwanians came as guest speakers. Key Club members also attended Kiwanis meetings, thus bringing these young men into constant contact with the business and professional men of the community.

As the experience of the Key Club grew, the club became a complete service organization open to the whole school. A social program was offered to balance its service activities. Over the following years, Key Club went through at period of expansion by word-of-mouth. Other communities throughout the United States started Key Clubs patterned after the one in Sacramento High School. By 1939, about fifty Key Clubs were chartered, many of them in the Southern United States.

The first five clubs officially chartered by Key Club International were those of Sacramento, Monterrey, Oakland Technical, Hemet, and Stockton (now Edison) High Schools. Since Key Club was growing in the area of its birth, and a few clubs existed in neighboring Nevada, by 1947 it was decided that a district should be formed. The first step was to hold a conference in San Diego in October to which all the California Key Clubs and Kiwanis Clubs were invited. A full slate of officers was elected and a set of District Bylaws and a Constitution were adopted. John Cooper of Oakland Technical High School was the first District Governor of the Cali-Nev District. The first official District Convention was held in Oakland in March 1948; it was attended by eighty members representing the 23 recognized district Key Clubs. With the chartering of the McKinley High School Key Club in 1952, the district became Cali-Nev-Ha. The first edition of the Cali-Nev-Ha KEY appeared on May 1, 1954.

The advent of the new millennium saw the Cali-Nev-Ha Key Club District grow to over 500 clubs with nearly 29,000 members. It continues to grow. As of August, 2003, membership exceeded 33,000!

Current District Officers

* District Governor: Jennifer Zhu

* District Secretary: Jenelle Yee

* District Treasurer: Spencer Wong

* District Technology Editor: Joseph Lam

Responsibility and Roles of California-Nevada-Hawaii District Board

Lieutenant Governor

A Lieutenant Governor represents each of the sixty divisions in the Cali-Nev-Ha District. The Lieutenant Governor serves as a liaison between the clubs in their division and the District Key Club Board. The Lieutenant Governor is required to attend three district board meetings, the District Convention, the Fall Rally, and the Regional Training Conference in their region.

They must publish at least ten newsletters for their clubs, file monthly and board reports, hold Officers Training Conferences until all officers are trained, publish a divisional roster, and serve on state committees as needed. They must also stay in constant contact with their clubs, the executive board, and the Kiwanis Board. The Lieutenant Governor is expected to organize divisional service projects, hold Divisional Council Meetings, and visit each club in their division. The duties are many and the time commitment is large, but the amazing leadership experience obtained is even greater.

District Member Recognition Committee Chair

The Member Recognition Committee Chair chairs a committee of Lieutenant Governors responsible for all awards, contests, and scholarships offered/hosted by the CNH District. The officeholder is chosen by the District Governor.

District Convention Committee Chair

The Convention Committee chairs a committee of Lieutenant Governors responsible for the planning and hosting of the annual District Convention. This includes arranging a convention center, meals, hotel accommodations, programs, special guests, and more.

Cali-Nev-Ha District District Rap

From the east to the west,you know we are the best!We're the District with the sting,And that's why we sing;We're the bees, buzz, buzz!We're the bees, buzz, buzz!It's all about the party-hardy CNH Bees!

Fall Rallies for Cali-Nev-Ha District

Due to the District's massive size, two Fall Rallies are held each year; one in Northern California at Discovery Kingdom, one in Southern California at Six Flags. Thousands of members gather at each of the two theme parks on their selected day, one in October, one in November. At Fall Rally North, LTGs and Executive officers are "auctioned" off to Divisions; the winning Division is able to then spend a designated period of time with the "purchased" officer. In the South, funds are collected through a pillowcase drive, in which Divisions compete to fill pillowcases with money. Funds and ticket sales for both events go towards Pediatric Trauma Prevention and Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

CNH District Convention

The CNH District Convention (or known as "DCON" for short) is held each year in April. Over 3,000 Key Club members, advisors, Kiwanis members, and guests annually attend. A convention center has been required to host all members for general sessions. Activities consist of: rounds of workshops facilitated by Lieutenant Governors and sponsoring adults alike, an awards ceremony, the Governor's Ball, and a keynote speaker. Caucuses are also held to elect the new District Executive Officers for the upcoming service year.

Recent Locations

* 2009: Anaheim, CA
* 2008: Sacramento, CA

* 2007: Long Beach, CA

* 2006: San Jose, CA

* 2005: Long Beach, CA

External links

* [http://www.cnhkeyclub.org Cali-Nev-Ha District Key Club International Official Site]
* [http://www.keyclub.org Key Club International Official Site]