Community

Being Neighborly | High school clubs are Key to serving the community

More than 40 teens have been working through Key Club at Peninsula and Gig Harbor high schools to help keep the community thriving. They’ve been helping with seasonal events and tutoring younger students one-on-one through Communities in Schools. They’ve been dedicated to helping where they see a need, while learning about their community, as well as the qualities of leadership.

Community Sponsor

Community stories are made possible in part by Peninsula Light Co, a proud sponsor of Gig Harbor Now.

Kiwanis sponsors Key Club, and each school has adult Key Club advisors. But students lead the work club members do. 

Peninsula’s club has 27 members. Those students spent the first months of the school year serving many organizations in the Gig Harbor community. The club’s motto is: “Caring — Our Way of Life.”

Former Seattle Seahawk Marcus Trufant showed support for Peninsula High School Key Club members Samaria Parr and Remi Higbee as they raised funds for Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank last year. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Becnel

As the students worked to serve others, their advisors said they demonstrated the message of teamwork.

PHS Key Club advisor Rebecca Becnel said that the club is a powerhouse of student leadership and service. Students find out first-hand what the needs are in Gig Harbor and come up with ways to help. Key Club helps develop students’ leadership skills while building empathy, she said. 

Club members also help provide festive fun for the community. They volunteer at events like PenMet Parks’ Trick or Trail, the YMCA’s Jack O’Lantern events, the Kiwanis’ Jingle Bell Breakfast and the Lighted Car Parade. Along the way, PHS members helped raise more than $1,100 to support Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank.

Becnel said they also worked in small ways. For instance, PHS Key Club members raised funds to purchase a book for every second grader at Purdy Elementary School. 

The club’s next big project is support for the Ronald McDonald House, which assists families with children experiencing medical crises. Club members will start collecting donations soon, Becnel said.

Gig Harbor High School Key Club members (from left) Henry Edgar, Vice President Amber Nelson and President Ryan Dietrich at the of Hops N Drops restaurant on Point Fosdick Drive during a fundraiser event. Photo courtesy of Andi Mitchell

Gig Harbor High’s Key Club has the same focus on community. Its 23 members also support FISH, work with Communities in Schools at Discovery Elementary and help with local events. 

GHHS Key Club advisor Andi Mitchell said Gig Harbor can seem like a wealthy community, but Key Club members see a different reality.

“Being in Key Club highlights for them the needs in the community,” Mitchell said. “They have the opportunity to come to Kiwanis and see how the Kiwanis community is finding ways to help people in need.”