MORRISON – On a warm summer Saturday morning in Morrison, the smell of grilled pork chops and hot dogs drifts across the intersection of Lincolnway and Cherry Street.

Cars slow. Windows roll down. Someone asks, “What are you raising money for today?” Behind the grill, a Morrison High School student smiles, takes an order, and hands over a sandwich. But this sandwich is more than just a bite to eat — it’s a key that helps unlock lessons learned through volunteerism and partnerships.

The sandwich sellers are members of Morrison High School’s Key Club, and their cookout has become an eagerly awaited tradition in town — a sure sign that summer’s just around the corner, and that good food is on the corner.

The Key Club plays an active role in serving the local community year-round, and it’s widely recognized for working with the Morrison Kiwanis Club during its Sandwich Sale fundraisers at the busy intersection from May through September. Proceeds from the Sandwich Sales help fund up to four scholarships annually for graduating seniors and support numerous community organizations, including April House, therapeutic rides at White Oaks Therapeutic Equestrian Center, United Way’s LIFE Program, Odell Public Library, Morrison Day Care, youth sports, scout programs, the Morrison Food Pantry, and the Morrison Historical Society.

Behind the tables and coolers are students like Leah Young, a Morrison High School junior who has found meaning in the simple act of showing up.

“I like helping out the community, and I love seeing people’s smiles on their faces when they see a young person that’s willing to help in the community,” Leah said. “It is rewarding when you see that you’re making others happy. When you’re helping other people, it’s rewarding to see that you were a part of that.”

Beyond fundraising, Key Club members also volunteer during monthly Bingo at Odell Public Library, assist the Food Pantry’s Turkey Trot, help with the Christmas Walk, support blood drives, honor veterans and raise funds for UNICEF, among many other efforts.

For Leah, some of the most memorable moments from being in Key Club come during events such as Paint the Town, where she’s helped work concessions selling pork chops, brats and other crowd favorites.

“Key Club is all about helping people all around the community, being a good leader to the community and volunteering your time whenever you have the chance,” Leah said.

For Leah and her fellow students, community connections are are a big part of what keeps them coming back, she said, but they also get to learn skills that don’t always show up on a report card.

“It definitely helps you with your social skills, like learning how to talk with people, learning to shake someone’s hand, and learning how to look people in the eye,” Leah said. “Those are very important skills to learn, and by volunteering and talking to the people in the Morrison community, you get to learn those skills. They’re all very welcoming and kind.”

Leah’s younger sister, Faith Young, joined Key Club as a freshman, initially following in her sister’s footsteps, and then finding her own reasons to stay.

“I like volunteering because I think it makes people feel better when we help them,” Faith said. “I joined because my sister was in it, and I also like the people who are in Key Club. It gives you a good sense of community, and it makes you feel good helping other people.”

One of Faith’s favorite experiences came while volunteering concessions at the annual Custom-Pak company picnic in Clinton. “There were a lot of other kids there instead of just adults, and we got to help with kids as well,” she said.

Abigail Weston, a senior, serves as this year’s Key Club president. One of her favorite memories came around Valentine’s Day, when members made chocolate-covered strawberries for every teacher in the building. It was a show of appreciation that resonated throughout the school, she said.

“What I really enjoy about Key Club is the chance it gives us, alongside our friends, to brighten people’s day, knowing that even a small act of kindness or lending a helping hand can make a huge difference,” Weston said. “Key Club is important to the Morrison community because it connects younger kids through service projects that help them grow into responsible adults.”

At the center of the program is adviser Brian Bartoz, who co-advises Key Club alongside Annie Knie. Bartoz, a Morrison High social studies and driver education teacher, has been involved with the club since 2018 after taking over from former adviser Gwenn Rickertsen.

Today, the club has nearly 40 members and has been active in Morrison for roughly 30 years. It also serves as the high school counterpart to the local Kiwanis Club, assisting with events such as the community Easter Egg Hunt, where students help place nearly 1,000 eggs at Kiwanis Park for children to collect the week before Easter.

Sandwich sales remain its biggest undertaking. Typically held seven to eight times per year from May through October, the sales feature brats, hot dogs, rib-eyes and pork chops — with pork chops and hot dogs emerging as the top sellers, Bartoz said.

“That’s a major revenue event for us,” Bartoz said. “We work closely with the Morrison Kiwanis Club to have volunteers from the great kids at Key Club to make sandwiches and pour beverages, and it’s quite a team effort.”

Key Club teams up with ImpactLife to host two or three blood drives a year. Members also are encouraged to host their own blood drives throughout the year, and two of them will co-host a drive on March 16 at the high school.

“It’s awesome to see our Key Club members serve their community, connect with community members, and step into leadership roles,” Knie said. “It’s also great that we have community members who are willing to support us and show up for our blood drives. Typically 20 units of blood are collected at each event, which can save up to 60 lives.”

Bartoz said responsibility and dedication are key traits for students who want to succeed in the club. Students make a difference by being involved, and doing their best to see events through to a successful completion. It’s a club that anyone can be involved in.

“We try to recruit kids into Key Club who may be less involved in anything,” Bartoz said. “Maybe they’re not part of student council, or part of the sports teams at the high school. They have the potential to do great things to help others. There’ve been a few kids who have been active in the sandwich sales and with Paint the Town who might not necessarily have been official leaders in those, but have done a wonderful job. They can rise to a level of achievement outside of the traditional avenues of student council or being captain of a sports team.”

Key Club is part of the larger Key Club International organization, the oldest and largest student-led service organization for high school students. Founded in 1925, it includes more than 250,000 members across over 5,000 clubs worldwide, emphasizing leadership, inclusiveness and character through hands-on service. Its guiding focus, “Children: Their Future, Our Focus,” connects local efforts to broader youth-focused causes.

Students can also benefit from Key Club in other ways, with their involvement in the club’s activities helping them qualify for college tuition credit through the Impact Program at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon. The program allows in-district students to earn up to three years of tuition and mandatory fees by completing 100 hours of community service before graduation and meeting other eligibility requirements.

The joy of watching students grow confident in leadership and comfortable in their community service is a never-ending one for Bartoz.

“I just like seeing the kids prosper in different ways,” Bartoz said. “I like knowing that we have all of these different programs in the community that we volunteer for. There’s a lot of community groups doing a lot, and I think it’s really important for young people in Morrison to lend a hand to the groups who have really volunteered their time to make this community a better place. We can hopefully develop the leadership skills of those young people through these volunteer opportunities, both at the high school and the broader community.”

Opportunities to boost members’ confidence, teach responsibility and engender a sense belonging are what Key Club is all about.

“It can give you a great many skills, being involved in Key Club,” Bartoz said. “Planning events for the high school, communicating through email and personal communication, doing fun work with blood drives, winter cheer events — we like to have the kids involved.”

Find Morrison Community Unit School District #6 on Facebook to learn more about Morrison High School’s Key Club projects and events.