The Kalani Key Club is back in action with in-person volunteer events this year.

“We’re planning to do a campus beautification this weekend,” Ms.Takayesu, the teacher advisor for the club, says. “We’re also going to do beach clean-ups and [a clean-up at] Hanauma Bay, and we have some other at-home projects as well.”

They’ve done activities like helping out at funfairs, campus beautification, and volunteering at the humane society in past years. Ms. Takayesu says that due to the pandemic last year, they had to switch at home and virtual events, some of which they will continue to do.

“Some of the at-home events that we did last year were writing letters to healthcare workers, dog toys making for an animal shelter, Christmas Decoration Making for Palolo Home, UNICEF Math Challenge, and Health/Safety PSA making,” Mana Iketani, the current club president, says.

“We enjoyed continuing to serve the community during the pandemic.”

The Kalani Key Club is under Key Club International, meaning they focus on community service and volunteering. According to their website, Key Club International’s mission is to give members “opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership.”

Iketani explains that the club works under this mission and is passionate about supplying opportunities for members to serve the community and learn and develop themselves.

Kalani’s club still accepts members, but they usually have about 70 students join. The one condition to becoming an official Key Club member is to participate in one of their volunteer events first to see if you’re going to be committed or not.

“I think others should join Key Club because the club is a place where you can gain a lot of experience and meet new people,” President Mana Iketani says. “I have volunteered at the Honolulu marathon, Magic Island beach clean-up, Honolulu Zoo Children’s Discovery Forest, and many other places. Every time I got a chance to speak with new people, which can be one of the members from Kalani, other schools, or even adults who are working at that site, I was able to improve on my communication skills and relationship-building skills through the experience.”