Key Chapter Winner Highlight: California State University, Los Angeles

The Key Chapter Award is an annual honor that is given to chapters who exemplify outstanding achievement and/or contributions in the areas of the three pillars: academics, leadership and service. One of the winning chapters, California State University, Los Angeles, participated in over twenty service events during the 2012-2013 academic year that ranged from a beach cleanup and planting new trees to wrapping donated gifts for children.
Of the long list of service events that the chapter participated in, one of the more notable ones involved planning a field trip for disabled veterans to visit the USS Iowa last September. In order to raise the funds to partake in such an event, the Golden Key chapter spent several weeks seeking help from local businesses. The service initiative was a huge success! The veterans had an incredible time, especially considering how infrequently they have the opportunity to attend such events. The chapter had lunch set up next to the dock for the veterans and themselves, and they sat and listened as the veterans shared their stories. It became immediately clear to the chapter members that the veterans felt as though they had been forgotten upon the completion of their service in the military, which made the outing even more special knowing that the veterans felt appreciated again. This was even more special to the chapter president considering that her father was a disabled Vietnam veteran.
The chapter at California State University, Los Angeles also collaborated with the Anna Bing Arnold Child Care Center, which primarily serves as a daycare to student parents who attend California State University, Los Angeles.
The majority of the children who attend the daycare come from low-income, single working parent households. One of the events, which took place on Valentine’s Day, involved hosting a Friendship Day Celebration at the center; the chapter brought snacks for the children and spent the afternoon making cards and reading books with them, all of which was to promote the value of friendship. The other event was a book fair for the center that was held to ensure that the children could take home new reading material.
Congratulations to the California State University, Los Angeles chapter on your successful service initiatives, as well as being named a 2013 Key Chapter!