***Jayden Magnussen is a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Fund.
In Springfield, Illinois, the annual I-I District Convention & Leadership Conference (DCLC) was held Feb. 20-22. This was the 75th DCLC convention, and the theme was Deep Sea Service. Key Club Members from all over Illinois-Eastern Iowa were able to attend if their key club remained in good standing.
Key Club is a student-led organization focused on community service, leadership development and character development. Kiwanis International, a global service organization, sponsors this organization. Key Club members participate in a variety of different volunteer activities, organizing fundraisers and supporting charitable causes and the club encourages young people to make positive impacts throughout the world and to grow as leaders.
At this year’s DCLC, Key Clubbers sat in on many different workshops, where they learned new information to take home to their key clubs. They also experienced an entertainment lesson by Joe Fingerhut, learned about The Thirst Project, a non-profit organization focused on providing safe drinking water to communities around the world, got the chance to win awards and even witnessed the installment of the new 2026-2027 district board and adult committee.
As Key Clubbers arrived at the event, they had the chance to play games and participate in a wide range of activities with each other. Soon after, they listened to candidate presentations and learned the “How Can I?” mindset. Before the first night had ended, they participated in two workshops where their options ranged from “How to: Connect with K-Family”, “Club Success Stories”, to “Just Dance” and “Yoga”.
On Saturday morning, Key Clubbers dug into an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and then got to hear the rest of the candidate presentations. Right after, they learned about the Thirst Project and how they could help as a club.
During lunch, club members learned about KNRF and how their impact can help change the lives of many people and how to help fundraise and support neuroscience research. Later, Key Clubbers got to participate in a very energetic hospitality dance while also bringing in canned good donations and helping pack the cans.
Finally, on Sunday morning, many awards were handed out, such as Charter Champions, Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lt. Governor Finalists, and many more. Then Key Clubbers witnessed the retirement of the current district board and adult committee, while ending the convention with the installation of the 2026-2027 new members.
The following attendees shared their experience from this weekend:
Adriana Garcia, Wethersfield Key Club Advisor, said, “DCLC is pure, contagious energy: fun and entertaining, packed with purpose and honestly fulfilling. Watching students lead, you realize everyone, even the adults, ends up learning from them. Between the philanthropy and the vibes, it felt like being a part of something bigger.”
Renee Crabtree, Kiwanis Advisor, Kewanee Kiwanis President, said, “It was an honor to travel with this group of students. They represented their school and community in a way that makes me proud. Even during long conference days, they stayed engaged in every session and gave their all to each service project led by the district board. I look forward to seeing how they use what they learned to strengthen their club in the year ahead.”
