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On Dec. 23, the last full shopping day before Christmas, during that last-minute shopping rush to be sure that everything was in place for the magical day, commissary shoppers were met by Vogelweh Keystone teens who were bagging their groceries. These 10 teens bagged for 12 hours to raise funds for their National Keystone Conference, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., in March.
This one day event was a reminder to members of KMC how important it is to invest in today’s youth, not only during this wonderful season of giving, but every day of the year.
The Keystone Club is a leadership and community service group that operates under the umbrella of the Vogelweh Youth Programs Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The focus of this club is to instill leadership values in young adults that will catapult them toward a successful future.
The teens are often faced with difficult situations that they must learn to overcome by using the values taught in Keystone. Such tools include teamwork, delegation, negotiation and, the most popular, social networking.
“These teens are our future leaders, but most importantly are a great group of teens with awesome potential,” said Kaureen Whittaker, Vogelweh Teen Center director.
Items came off the belt extremely fast to the teens who were first-time baggers, as they struggled to place them all quickly into paper, plastic or recyclable bags.
“It was kinda stressful at first because the only time I had bagged before was in the self-checkout line when my mom made me,” said executive secretary Shadonna Gordon.
But to the cheerful group of teens who had not expected so much traffic, this was only half the task.
Next, the groceries needed to be safely transported through the parking lot and into the back of the shopper’s vehicle. During this journey, Shadonna said, “I had to educate them on what (Keystone) stood for in a way that would let them know how to help us reach our goal.”
The select teens were not just there to scrape up a couple of bucks for themselves. They were also there to raise money together as a cohesive unit for the greater good.
“I felt better when I did it for Keystone because the money is going to a good cause other than me,” said Gary Swanson, a regular bagger at the commissary. “It made me feel good to know that I was doing something right.”
Gary joined Keystone three months ago because “it seemed fun,” and is a place where he can help contribute to the community. Keystone has aided in his future planning, and he has found a true confidant in his adviser, Ms. Whittaker.
“(She) is off the hook, and has helped me through a lot,” he said.
Each month, the teens do projects and activities in the community to gain volunteer hours and funds to attend the invite-only National Conference in Orlando. Halfway through the day, this goal seemed so far away, so Ms. Whittaker added a bit of an incentive.
“We decided to get the momentum rolling by telling them whoever could bring in the single largest tip would receive 86th Force Support Squadron bucks,” she said.
As a result of the great work by the teens and the generosity of the Vogelweh Commissary shoppers, the Keystone Club was able to raise more than $1,000.
“My kids worked extremely hard for 12 hours straight selling their cause to people, and it just made me really proud,” Ms. Whittaker said. “They would like to thank all who supported them in their endeavors to meet up with Mickey Mouse in March.”
When asked to describe Keystone, the way the teens work for Keystone and their character that day, in one word Ms. Whittaker said, “Inspiring.”
