HOISINGTON — Thirteen Hoisington Middle School and eight Hoisington High School Kansas Association for Youth members recently attended a KAY Unit Conference on last week at Lincoln. Accompanying the group was their sponsor, Susan Lowry.

Kansas Association for Youth Conferences bring neighboring KAY clubs together in a non-competitive environment, providing the opportunity to share service project and program ideas. The Unit Conference is designed to focus on club leadership at the local level in addition to developing teamwork as everyone participates in a conference service project. The selected service project for this conference was making blankets for the Red Cross.

The Kansas Association for Youth is a character-building, leadership training program directed by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. This nationally acclaimed organization provides students an opportunity to learn to assume their citizenship responsibilities and to enrich their personalities through well-organized programs. These programs emphasize four areas of service: school, community, nation and world.

Throughout the 2010-11 school year, the Hoisington Middle School and Hoisington High School KAY Clubs have been actively involved in the following service projects:

•Picking up trash in the community

•Displaying posters for Veteran’s Day

•Purchasing gifts for the Angel Tree

•Decorating the school for the holidays

•Providing a celebration for State Assessment Results

•Red Ribbon Week Activities

•Hosting a dance for students

•Providing cookies for the teacher in-service

•Raising money for charities over-seas

•Celebrating Kansas Day

•Collecting canned goods for the food pantry.