North Idaho youth leads 12,000 others as Pacific Northwest Key Club district governor

Local youth leads 12,000 others as Pacific Northwest Key Club district governor

A North Idaho born-and-raised youth is making quite the splash with her service organization, and she's not even a senior in high school yet.

Callia Thornton, 17, was elected to the position of district governor for the Pacific Northwest District of Key Club International during a virtual election at the end of March. Hers was one of the first online elections in Key Club history and set the stage for other districts to make the transition to virtual life during coronavirus lockdowns.

Callia will serve as PNW district governor through March of next year. She is a leader for 12,000 Key Club members in northern California, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Alaska and the Idaho Panhandle.

"I really wanted to be a part of a service organization," Callia said Monday. "After doing some research, I realized Key Club is not just any service organization, but an organization where I could make lasting connections and help others outside of my local community,"

Callia has been involved with Key Club since her freshman year at Coeur d'Alene High. She said she ran for district governor because she wanted to take her leadership and experience to the next level. As district governor, she also serves as the CEO of the Pacific Northwest Key Club.

"In coordination with my executive committee, we lead a district board composed of over 30 lieutenant governors," she explained. "We are responsible for training officers, providing resources on club growth and planning district events such as Key Club Days and district convention."

Callia attended Atlas Elementary and Canfield Middle schools and is going into her senior year. She's applying to the University of Pennsylvania to study business management. She is also involved in a University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business pre-college summer program known as Future in the Business World, an online course that provides a dynamic learning experience for exceptional high school students from around the world. It's designed to introduce students to areas of research by the Wharton faculty and engage them as the next generation of global business leaders.

Callia participates on the speech and debate team, and she volunteers at Kootenai Health every week and throughout the summer.

But her heart is in the Thirst Project, which she brought to CHS her first year with Key Club. The Thirst Project ignites middle, high school and college students to fight the global water crisis by fundraising and building wells in developing countries.

"I'm really passionate about the Thirst Project," she said. "I started off as Thirst Project committee chair for Coeur d'Alene High School. Since then, CHS alone has fundraised $10,578.71 to build one sustainable well in the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). Last year, I was the district project committee chair for Pacific Northwest Key Club where I oversaw fundraising, resources and campaigns for the Thirst Project all around the region that fundraised a total of $35,045.57 for three wells during the year."

She said she loves how the Thirst Project activates young people to do good in their communities and around the world.

"When it comes to water, water is a basic human right," she said.

At the same time, Callia served as the lieutenant governor of the PNW Key Club, where she led and assisted clubs in the North Idaho. Callia also chartered a Key Club at Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy during her time with the organization.

"I knew they didn't have a Key Club and wanted to give them that opportunity to have one,” she said.

Key Club International, which formed in 1925, is the oldest and largest student-led service program for high-schoolers. With thousands of clubs in nearly 40 countries, it provides members with opportunities to serve, build character and develop leadership skills. It is a program of Kiwanis International, a global service club dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time.

When she's not busy in her role as a Key Club leader, Callia likes to explore Coeur d'Alene, visit coffee shops and take in the natural beauty of her home state.

But she's rarely not busy. Changing the world and inspiring others along the way is a full-time job.

"Especially with high school students, it's hard for us to see what we can do and how we can have a positive impact,” Callia said. "Finding an organization, I think people can find a place where they can belong and do something good, especially as young people.”