Excel Club

EXCEL Today • Succeed Tomorrow

Congratulations Polson Excel Club for being first in Connecticut!

Got questions? Contact excel@madisonexchange.org

Dear Parent and Student,

We are excited about your interest in an Exchange Excel Club! The Excel Club will improve the educational and social outcomes of all individuals involved with the club. This is a model program that impacts the recruitment of quality Excel members, increases public service and encourages community support.

We also wholeheartedly welcome parents to join the Exchange Club and to work side by side with your children and other Excel youth. Click on About Us to learn more about the Exchange Club.

Club activities and member involvement influence lives and change perceptions. In an age where support and involvement in our community and with our youth is critical, discovering the personal fulfillment one can receive from volunteering to help make one’s community a better place to live improves the school environment for all.

As more schools require community service for graduation, Excel provides these opportunities and expands horizons. Students involved with peer programs improve their grades as they work with others and share experiences which will influence their future careers and interests.

Organizing an Excel Club can accomplish many goals. It will take extra work, but there are many rewards. The energy you spend putting the club together enhances the image and reputation of Excel, your community and the students. Review the information below. Dream a little, and then take the first step. Everybody needs a hero to follow — encourage a few students to follow in your footsteps.

Sincerely,

The Exchange Club of Madison

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Excel?

EXCEL Clubs are groups of students dedicated to improving their schools, communities and country through volunteerism

Why Join Excel?

• • Learn leadership skills

  • Learn how to make decisions in a group

  • Volunteer for a cause

  • Qualify for scholarships

  • Connect with your hometown of Madison

  • Support America and our troops overseas

  • Interact Face to Face NOT on Face Book

  • Enhance your college application

What does Excel do?

Excel members share their time and talents to organize school and community projects such as collecting food for a food pantry, handing out American flags, helping out at a charity fundraiser, or donating teddy bears to police and fire departments. Its members are free to choose projects best suited to their capabilities and the communities needs.

Is there a short video about Excel?

Click here to watch a two minute description on YouTube

Return to Top

When does Excel meet?

6th, 7th and 8th grade Excel meets Thursdays during lunch period. Exchange Club advisors are Carol-Ann Totte, Pam Mckinnon and Sean Heenan. Faculty advisors are Jenny Coniff and Art Robbins.

Daniel Hand Excel meets at 2:05 in Room 309 on Monday. Contact them directly for the meeting schedule.

Return to Top

What does Excel cost?

Polson Excel membership is $20, cash or check. Please make checks to the Exchange Club of Madison.

Daniel Hand Excel Club membership is handled independently by the students.

Return to Top

How do I join Excel?

Bring membership fee and completed membership form (download form below) to any Excel meeting.

Return to Top

What is Exchange?

Celebrating 100 years of service in 2011, the National Exchange Club is the oldest exclusively American service club organization. Being strictly national, it is purely American in its aims and objectives, promoting greater appreciation of citizenship and making our nation a better place in which to live.

Simply put, Exchange is concerned Americans meeting regularly for the purpose of serving others. Exchange Clubs are located in progressive cities and towns throughout the nation. They are composed of leading business and professional men and women who take an active interest in local, state and national affairs and who meet and work together to serve the community. The Exchange Club also provides a medium for the exchange of ideas, methods and information. Speakers on various topics of both local and national interest present their views. The National Exchange Club does not plan or direct the particular work which a local Exchange Club might undertake. The members at a local club level best know the most pressing needs of their communities. However, National Headquarters continuously furnishes clubs with ideas and suggestions regarding community service projects and other areas of club operation. The members of the local club determine the area from which their membership shall be drawn; the day, hour, frequency and place of local meetings; the amount of dues to be charged; and the membership joining fee. From its modest beginning, Exchange has grown to more than 800 clubs

The Covenant of Service

• • Accepting the divine privilege of single and collective responsibility as life’s noblest gift, I covenant with my fellow Exchangites:

  • To consecrate my best energies to the uplifting of Social, Religious, Political and Business ideals;

  • To discharge the debt I owe to those of high and low estate who have served and sacrificed that the heritage of American citizenship might be mine;

  • To honor and respect law, to serve my fellowmen, and to uphold the ideals and institutions of my Country;

  • To implant the life-giving, society-building spirit of Service and Comradeship in my social and business relationships;

  • To serve in Unity with those seeking better conditions, better understandings, and greater opportunities for all.

"To serve in Unity with those seeking better conditions, better understandings and greater opportunities for all.” Those noble and inspiring words, found at the conclusion of Exchange’s eloquent Covenant of Service, reflect the true purpose of Exchange — service to others. Throughout Exchange’s long and illustrious history, the ideal of unselfish service to others has been embraced by Exchange Clubs across America, as they have endeavored to aid and assist their communities, states and nation.

The Covenant of Service, eloquently expressing Exchange philosophy and ideals, was written in 1923 by Thomas L. Bailey, who later became governor of Mississippi and national president of Exchange. It first appeared in the July 1923 issue of The EXCHANGITE Magazine, but was not officially adopted until 1927. The Covenant appeared regularly in the magazine beginning with the December 1927 issue.

Mission Statement

Exchange, America’s Premier Service Club, working to make our communities better places to live.

Program of Service

The National Exchange Club’s Program of Service is the fountainhead for the Community Service, Americanism, Youth Projects and Child Abuse Prevention programs conducted by local Exchange Clubs. It is the most comprehensive program of its kind ever presented for the consideration of local clubs, their membership and the public by any American organization. It may be adapted for use, in whole or in part, by any Exchange Club.

Community service

Crime Prevention, one of the key programs in the Community Service area, has been a major avenue of Exchange service since the 1940s. Since its inception, Exchange’s Crime Prevention program has been endorsed by every president of the United States as well as by many of the nation’s leading law enforcement officials. Exchange Clubs participate in a wide array of related activities, including Child Identification/Fingerprinting and Junior Police Programs. The majority of clubs kick off their anti-crime campaigns during the October observance of National Crime Prevention Month, adopted in 1947.

Other projects in the Community Service category offer a variety of activities. Local clubs are free to choose those best suited to their capabilities and the community’s needs. Programs in this category include the Book of Golden Deeds Award, Service to Seniors and Fire Prevention.

Youth Projects

Exchange Clubs are perhaps more deeply involved in youth projects of various kinds than any other activity. The outstanding achievements of high school students are recognized in Youth of the Month and Year programs culminating in the selection of a National Youth of the Year by the National Exchange Club. Other awards are the Young Citizenship Award and the A.C.E. Award.

Americanism

The National Exchange Club is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating a spirit of patriotism among fellow Americans — pride in country, respect for this nation’s flag and appreciation of the untold sacrifices which others have made so we might enjoy the gift of freedom. These objectives—and the desire to heighten awareness of our rich religious heritage—led to the following Americanism programs: One Nation Under God, the Freedom Shrine, The Milestones of Freedom, Proudly We Hail and Project GiveAKidAFlagToWave.

Child Abuse Prevention

Child Abuse Prevention was adopted as Exchange’s national project in 1979. This rapidly expanding program, funded and administered through the National Exchange Club Foundation for the Prevention of Child Abuse, addresses the tragic reality of abuse in our society through a nationwide network of Exchange Club Centers for the Prevention of Child Abuse. The centers use professionally trained parent aides who work directly with abusing parents and their children in the family’s home.

In addition to working to establish Exchange Club Centers in their communities, clubs help prevent child abuse by sponsoring educational seminars, distributing informational pamphlets, posters and other materials. National Child Abuse Prevention Month is observed each year in April.

Return to Top

Membership Form

Problems with the PDF file below? Click here to download and print the Enrollment Form