Key Club raising money for dog park
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
The East Troy High School Key Club is in the process of building a dog park by East Troy Village Hall and is asking the community for help in raising funds for the project.
With the support of the East Troy Village Board, the club is moving forward with fundraisers and plan on constructing the dog park this summer.
The park will cost about $15,000 and the club is about one-third of the way to its goal with the help of a $2,000 Key Club International Youth Opportunities Fund grant and a fundraiser they held at Gus’s Drive-In last fall.
“We’ve been selling candy bars, too. Once we sell all of them, we’ll be over one-third,” Key Club Advisor Tricia Harris said.
The idea for the park came from discussions with the Key Club’s officers and what type of “legacy” they would leave behind their senior year.
“It was a collective effort from the officers,” club President Erin Rice said.
“We started talking to the Parks and Recreation Department and then we went before the Village Board several times,” club Treasurer Logan Fitch added.
There was a bit of a debate over what type of fencing the dog park should have, with the village’s Department of Public Works Director Jason Equitz favoring a chain-link fence over the wood post and horse wire fence the club proposed, but the Village Board last month approved the Key Club’s original proposal and gave them the go ahead.
The Key Club members have been visiting local businesses to solicit donations and sponsorship. They are offering several levels of sponsorship, which will include having the name of the business, organization or individual on a sign at the park.
Level 1 is $2,500, Level 2 is $1,000, Level 3 is $500 and Level 4 is $250. The size of the name on the sign corresponds with the amount of the donation.
The club will also be holding fundraisers this spring, including its annual Key Club Walk in May to help fund the dog park.
Community members are also encouraged to donate at whatever level they wish.
“This is for the community and we want the community involved at all levels,” club Secretary Maggie Donegan said.
“Any type of support or anyone who wants to volunteer is welcome,” Rice added.
Other groups at the high school are also supporting the dog park, with the FFA, FBLA and Woods Club offering volunteer hours to do things like build benches for the park or help out in other ways.
“There’s a lot of excitement at school and in the community about this,” Rice said. “Our hope is that it benefits the community in a positive way, that’s really what we’re trying to do.”
About the Key Club
Key Club is the oldest and largest community service program for high school students. The student-led organization teaches leadership skills through service to others.
For more information, visit www.keyclub.org.
East Troy High School has more than 30 members in its Key Club. Harris co-advises the club with high school English teacher Shannon Venegas.
For more information about the dog park, how to help and/or the East Troy Key Club, call Harris at 262-642-6760, ext. 5200.
Donations may be sent to East Troy High School, c/o East Troy Key Club Dog Park, 3128 Graydon Ave., East Troy, WI 53120.
