Most students at Wauwatosa West know about the Trojan Way, which calls for them to “be responsible, respectful, and connected and engaged.” Of course, these rules apply to all the people at West, but the members of Key Club go above and beyond what the Trojan Way asks of students.
Those in Key Club volunteer and get involved in the community by doing all sorts of things. They help with school events such as homecoming, volunteer at pancake breakfasts, and even raise money for cancer research. “Key Club not only gets you involved at West, but it helps get you involved in the community too,” says Barb Lauenstein, the club’s advisor. She’s right. Kids in this club try to reach their goal of forty “points,” or roughly twenty hours of community service each year. These students try to continue this volunteer work for each of their four years of high school. “It really is not that difficult because we offer so many different types of service that it should be easy,” says Mandy Holmer—Key Club’s Treasurer.
As treasurer, Holmer must handle all the money involved in Key Club. This important position gives her a sense of pride and she says that she likes the feeling of being “in charge” in the club. All of the people on the Key Club board meet Tuesday mornings to decide which service hours would be best for the club. All members meet every other Wednesday, and on Wednesday meetings, everyone of Key Club comes and discusses upcoming service opportunities.
Katie Adams, the student president of Key Club, loves helping out with her friends in the group. She’s really proud of the Key Club members because they really “strive to help the community.” She and Holmer both spoke of many different service hours such as ushering at West’s theater, and their favorite, respite day. This day consists of parents dropping off their special needs kids at West. This allows the parents to take a well-deserved break while the kids have a day of fun playing games with members of Key Club. These activities surely keep the average 150-200 students involved in Key Club busy each year.
Barb Lauenstein really sums up all the help Key Club gives by saying, “We need to be able to help other people in need as we hope others help us.” The organization is always looking for new ways to help out. As Barb Lauenstein told West Side Stories, “If you know of anyone in the community or school community, let us know so we can help.”
Anyone still interested in joining Key Club should see Barb Lauenstein in the Career Center.
