KMU Course Selection: Events and Program Planning

The following is a blog post highlighting a specific department that will be offered at KeyMan University this summer. Today's post is written by "Dad" P.J. Shuey, who will be of the Department Chairman for the Events and Program Planning Department. 

So you’ve decided that you are going to attend the PA DeMolay Keyman Conference this year, but you need to decide which department to spend the week with. You might wonder what a week with the Events and Program Planning department might look like. Well I’m here to tell you that it is packed with learning, experience, and fun.

By the end of the first day you will have learned everything you need to know about planning a first class event.  On day two you will be putting those new skills into practice. Throughout the week, the Events and Program Planning department is responsible for organizing a number of activities and events for other campers. For example, we will be organizing Jacques Heroes which is a morning exercise activity for anyone who would like to come. We also have the opportunity to plan events during free time. You will have total control over what these activities would be and how to carry them out, and the staff from the department will help you with anything you will need. 

One of my favorite things that the Events and Program Planning department gets to do is plan the end of the week event. This event is usually a charitable activity or presentation. The EPP department is responsible for planning, promoting, and executing this event for the whole conference. It is an authentic experience for working in your chapter and planning an important event. It is one of the most rewarding projects at Keyman. If you spend the week with Events and Program Planning, you will go home with confidence and actual experience in planning exceptional events. 

To sign up for KeyMan University, visit the website at keyman.pademolay.org. 

KeyMan University

For the 32nd year, Pennsylvania DeMolay will host the annual KeyMan Conference, known for the last 4 years as KeyMan University. The week long DeMolay experience will take place at the Masonic Conference Center - Patton Campus in Elizabethtown, PA on August 6th to 12th, 2017. Members and sweethearts are encouraged to join us for what is known throughout DeMolay International as a premier DeMolay leadership program. So why should you attend? Here are several reasons why you will want to be in Elizabethtown in August.

10. The Directors of KMU, "Dad" Dan Loughin and "Dad" Matt Blaisdell, have put together a stellar staff roster to help teach members and sweethearts everything they need to know during the week.

9. Participants will enjoy a week long stay at Patton Campus. For those who have never been to the campus, the facility consists of several meeting size rooms, dorm room style accommodations, a state of the art Multimedia Center, a cafeteria, and plenty of outdoor space to play all kinds of games and sports.  

8. Patton Campus has a half Olympic size pool that participants will have opportunities to enjoy. Assigned time frames for the pool will be reflected on the schedule.  

7. For the sports fanatics, there will be assigned time to let off some steam, with sports such as dodgeball, flag football, kickball, volleyball and basketball. Not a fan of sports? Not to worry, there are plenty of other things to do on campus, including a closet full of board games and a few chess tables in the atrium. 

6. One of the things that makes KMU special is the emphasis on service through our various service projects that will be built into the week. More details on this will come in a later post. 

5. Each participant will be placed into a department, which will be the emphasis for their learning experience through the week. New members will be placed in the DeMolay Education department. Other departments include Ritual and Performance, Chapter Leadership and Operations, Communications and Media, Events and Program Planning, Brotherhood and Membership, and Interpersonal Development.

4. There will be opportunities to work on LCC's throughout the week. Participants can also start working on their Representative DeMolay Award. 

3. FOOD!  

2. Participants will get to meet other members and sweethearts from their Jurisdiction as well as others. KMU is a DeMolay International known program, with participants traveling from Virginia, Maryland, New York, Canada and others to participate in our program. 

1. The week long fun that will be had at KMU will surely provide stories and memories that can be shared for years to come. It will also provide lessons that can, and should, be taken back to your home chapter.   

I hope this motivates members and sweethearts to join us for what is guaranteed to be a great DeMolay experience. Registration is open now, so go to keyman.pademolay.org to register now.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin