The Fundraising Road to the National Keystone Conference

The National Keystone Conference is an annual event in which teens from across the country who participate in their Clubs’ community service groups can travel, get further leadership opportunities, and meet Club teens from all over.

Over the past five months, teens at the Wallingford and Ballard Clubs have been fundraising so they can attend the July conference in Orlando. With the conference around the corner, the Clubs tally up up their raised funds at $25,000! With that money, 15 teens and 3 staff members will get to attend this extraordinary event.

“A lot of hard work has gone into fundraising this past year, and it’s been a great learning experience,” said Tre, Wallingford’s Teen Director.

As the school year was winding down, the teens looked back on some fundraising highlights over the past year. Read about some favorite events below:

• Pancake Breakfast: At this annual event, Keystone kids set up tables, cook breakfast (eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc.), plate tables, serve food, clean up, and ensure the event runs smoothly.

“It was delicious and fun to be with everyone.” -Jacob

“It was a small space, crowded, and we had to work together. I think it turned out pretty well!” -Yeana

• Halloween Hoopla Concession Stand: Teens sell snacks and drinks at this festive Club event in late October.

“Halloween Hoopla is one of the bigger events our Club hosts; it was really impressive. I felt proud to be a part of it.” -Henry

• Keystone Korner: Snack shack in Ballard gym kitchen that runs from 4:30 to 6:00 daily. Keystone kids volunteer to run the café every day.

“Keystone Korner is cool. We’d never done something like that before.” -Katrin

“Opening Keystone Korner is how we raised most of our money!” -Ivan

• Ice Cream Sales: Thanks to a donation of ice cream from Frankie & Jo’s, Keystone Korner teens raised $130 in the first two hours!

“Kids were really excited when we scooped them big scoops!” -Piper (2019 King County Youth of the Year)

“We sold a ton, and it felt good. It was a big boost and made it more of a possibility that we could raise enough to go to the conference.” -Maddie

Other fundraising activities the Keystone teens ran this year include:

• Wallingford Annual Celebration: Teens performed talents, gave speeches, and asked community members for donations at this year-end Club party.
• Multiple Parents’ Nights Out: Teens run after-hours activities for the younger kids.
• Café Mox “Magic: the Gathering” Tournament: Through a partnership with Café Mox, Card Kingdom, Wizards of the Coast, and Cassius Marsh of the Seattle Seahawks, proceeds from a Twitch-streamed Magic: the Gathering tournament went directly to Keystone teens, and Magic-playing Club members got to participate for free!
• Chinook Books Donations: Community members picked up books donated by Chinook Books, and in return, made an optional donation to the Club.
• Wallingford Café: Teens sell snacks and drinks to other Club members.
• Coin Drive: Two classrooms of kids compete over two weeks to see who can bring in the most spare change. As a prize, the winner gets an ice cream party!
• Restaurant Fundraisers: Keystone kids promote and spread the word about food drives with MOD Pizza, Habit Burger, and Chipotle.
• Rotary Grants: Teen Director Katie Hancock received an “express grant” from Ballard Rotary by presenting on the Club and the Keystone Conference.
• Parent Donations

These impressive teens aren’t stopping there! The teens are planning to raise even more for next year in order to help Keystone Club members from around Greater Seattle attend the conference too.

Congratulations to the Keystone teens for hitting their goal, and stay tuned for a youth-written article about the conference in a few weeks!