The Island Coast High School Key Club volunteers at the Gulf Coast Village memory unit. PROVIDED

A Cape Coral high school received a great honor this year after filling out a very lengthy application for the first time.

Island Coast High School Key Club was selected as the Best Key Club of the Year for Florida.

“It means the absolute world to me,” Island Coast High School Social Studies teacher, and faculty advisor, Casey Brown-Barker, said about the recognition. “I have been faculty advisor since 2015 and was kind of thrown into the role by my then principal and had zero idea what I was doing, but because of the wonderful support of several amazing Kiwanis members and other Key Club faculty advisors, I was able to learn very quickly and fall in love with this organization.”

With the club documenting all of its events, meetings, and service projects on Keymmunity, it provided accurate information for the 22-page application.

“I told my officers that my goal was to fill it out — all 22 pages and they looked at me like I was a little crazy. I said if we all do four pages, we can get it done and we did. Because of it we won Best Key Club of the Year,” she said.

Brown-Barker said every year is a learning experience — with the goal of leading and watching her students fall in love with helping other people.

When Key Club first began at Island Coast High School, Brown-Barker said they were looked at by other schools in the district rather poorly.

“Then seeing us now and how far we come, also shows the students that if you work hard enough and you want something bad enough, good things do come your way,” she said.

The Key Club was chartered at the high school on Feb. 22, 2008, and was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral.

The motto for the Key Club is “Caring: Our Way of Life.” With ICHS the only title one high school in the West Zone, the Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral felt it was necessary to get students involved in helping their home, school, and community.

The Key Club has 25 active members. Students can become involved in the club by attending weekly meetings, which take place every Thursday from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m.

“There are dues they have to pay, but if they work 10 hours at the Kiwanis Thrift Store, then Kiwanis will cover their dues,” she said.

In September, the Key Club Kick Off Conference was held, which brings their entire zone — Cape Coral, Fort Myers, LaBell and Naples Key Clubs together — something that is done twice a year to provide educational workshops and connections.

The club is very active throughout the year with many projects, as well as creating posters to hang around the school.

In September Suicide Awareness Posters were hung and October featured Mental Health posters.

The club has built a little library and is seeking book donations, and they are painting the little library and donating it to Golisano Children’s Hospital.

“We make monthly visits to the memory unit at Palmview at Gulf Coast Village where we play bingo with the residents, make root beer floats, sing and dance with them and mostly just keep them company,” she said.

Other volunteer jobs include the KidsFest, running the train, face painting and giving away books and stuffed animals at Festival of Lights and Touch-A-Truck.

The Key Club also helps at the food pantry the last Thursday of the month.

Brown-Barker said they have begun partnering with Cape Coral Parks and Recreation to host events at the new Gator Trails Park and the Yellow Creek Preserve Park.