I’ve blogged about Key Club International before, the largest high school service organization in the world and its incredible support of UNICEF’s programs. Earlier this year, I accompanied four Key Club representatives to Uruguay to learn more about the program. The hope is that they motivate their peers to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF this Halloween. Watch the video to see how Jared, one of the four, is spreading the word.

This weekend I attended the California-Nevada-Hawaii (Cal-Nev-Ha) District Convention of Key Club International. More than 2,900 high-school aged young people and their advisors had traveled to Anaheim, California for their yearly gathering to elect new student leadership, celebrate a year of service, learn new skills and about new programs, and have a lot of fun. Key Club International, the largest high school service organization in the world, has been supporting UNICEF for more than 15 years, raising funds first for iodine deficiency, and then HIV and AIDS programs in Africa, and next year they will be raising funds for health and education centers for teens in Uruguay.

I attended a service fair, where I got to interact with hundreds of passionate young people who enjoy community service and giving back, I gave a workshop where over one hundred people learned about Operation Uruguay: Protecting the Rights of Children, and I spoke to the entire group during one of their plenary sessions All of the students asked great questions and know a great deal about UNICEF, some more than I do.

We’ll be visiting more district conventions throughout the spring, then a group of four young people and I will travel to Uruguay in June to learn firsthand how the programs work. You’ll see more posts from me, and them, on this topic in the coming months. In the meantime, if you come across a Key Club member, and it is likely you will, thank them for the great work and passion they exhibit for UNICEF.