Doing Service During the Summer

Being members of CKI, we are all addicted to service. We can all see that by the thousands of hours of service that we all put in every year. With the school year coming to a close, we all have two words on our minds: SUMMER VACATION. For many of us, that involves being hundreds or even thousands of miles away from our campus where we do service. Even though we are away from the place we know and love to do service, that does not mean that we have to stop doing service. Here are some great ways to stay involved during the summer.

One way that will work for the first part of the summer is to find a CKI club where you are during the summer and do service with them. This will only work if that school is not out for the year. It would be amazing if this happened, and it would allow CKIers from different schools to meet!

You can also find a local Kiwanis club and attend some of their service projects. Kiwanians always love to hear about CKI, and there is no better way than to do service with them. In fact, I am going to be helping out a local Kiwanis club this summer with their fireworks stand they put on every year.

A third option if you are near your school is to organize a summer project and let all of your members know. There may still be members around campus during the summer, and this would be a great way to interact during the summer.

Don't forget, there is LSSP and the blood drive before ICON to get that little dose of service. Yes this is a plug, but a worthy one none the less.

No matter where you are this summer, find some people and do some service. I just gave you a few ideas on how to go about this, but there are obviously many more ideas you can take advantage of to do service this summer. Just remember one word over the summer: SERVICE.

Written By: Cale Middleton

If Only I Knew: Key to College

I have several days left till my graduation from college. I would have to say that this as been one of the best times in my life. Not only did I receive a higher education but I also learned about new studying habits, management, budgeting, and cultural diversity. Luckily, I have an older sister who taught me most of this so I didn’t have to worry too much about my transition from high school to college. However, not many newly high school grads have that same resource as I did and would most of the time have to experience it the hard way: actually being IN college. And I’m sure you have experienced that sometime of your college life, thinking…man, I wish I knew about this before. Making the lives of future college freshmen easier and more knowledgeable, Circle K International has designed a program to help with the transition from high school to college called Key to College.
Key to College was created to help mentor and advice high schoolers about college. The program doesn’t just target high school seniors but also those students who are interested in going to college afterwards. Additionally, students don’t have to be part of Key Club to attend.
Through this program, Circle Kers give high school students an insight about college. We can tell them about a normal day in school and can advice them about how to time manage studying and fun. We can also provide tips such as what to expect living in a dorm, how to schedule for classes, and how to study. Not only is this program aimed to inform what is coming ahead but also to help get into college. Circle Kers can help explain the application process and provide hints to make a great application.
Overall, Key to College is a great program to help prepare high schoolers for college as well as encourage them to continue working hard to get in. Talk to your CKI club about setting one up in your area! On the international website, we have resources to help you out, which include a pre-made flier and Powerpoint presentation, but you are more than welcome to create the program your own way. So let’s help out those high schoolers get into college, and maybe…just maybe, tell them to join Circle K International as well ;).

Written By: Melissa Kong

Who Doesn’t Love Free Money?!

Of course everyone loves free money! Especially when the economy is so bad right now, we should all take up any offer that we can get our hands onto. Luckily for us, we have the Tomorrow Fund, which are grants that are given out every year exclusively for CKI clubs! With the help of the Kiwanis International Foundation, clubs can receive funding aid ranging from US $200 to $2,000 for service projects.
Applications have always been accepted till July 15th and awarded in August at International Convention. However, the International Board has decided to change this deadline. Now applications are due December 1st of each year. Thus this year, all applications are due on December 1, 2009.
Why are we changing the deadline, you may ask. Well, the Kiwanis Office every year has to rush through all these applications along with Key Club’s to ensure that everything is ready for International Convention. Relieving some of the stress, this new deadline will give more time for the Service Committee to thoroughly assess each application. Additionally, this gives many new club officers a chance to apply for the grant after commencing their new terms. Overall, this change will benefit both the Kiwanis Office AND individual CKI clubs.
So definitely use the extension to start brainstorming some great service project ideas and work together with your clubs to plan them out. Just remember, don’t forget the new deadline. You don’t want to miss your chance to win free money.

Written: Melissa Kong

The Tried and True Benefit of Circle K International: A Service Centered Heart

In my last five years in Circle K International, I have held my own against other volunteer organizations at service fairs, involvement fests and recruitment events. I have quite literally been labeled the walking Circle K bulletin board for the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Circle K club and could recite at the drop of a dime all of the benefits of Circle K International. Many question why they should join Circle K; even more question the necessity of joining any volunteer organization. Yes, one of the many advantages of being a Circle K member are the benefits that flood in with this membership from immense resume builders to membership pins and unbelievable networking. Truly, the list is seemingly and amazingly never-ending. Throughout these last five years, however, I have also begun to ponder why other members and myself first list these material benefits when at the core and center of this organization lies the tried and true benefit of Circle K International: a service centered heart.

When Gandhi stated that “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” he was unaware of the potential future existence of Circle K International. His intuitive wisdom, however, is not lost upon the current legions of volunteers who clamber to lend helping hands. These volunteers, Circle K’ers included, may not completely understand all of the benefits they are receiving while serving others. Through the years, though, each and every volunteer is slowly creating a strong and perceptive sense of self and a heart that yearns for a better world for not only itself but for all of the world’s children. It is hard to not render any sense out of this: yet again, service IS the benefit to Circle K.

This may not be the clearest benefit received. It is surely not quantitative and there is no direct way to measure whether or not it was received. Can we pinpoint if it was a success or not a success? No. Because a service centered heart resides within and resonates out through immeasurable means likes smiles, encouragement, support, and inner excellence. True, I can count the pins and name badges I have. I can hang on my walls the awards I have received. I can also list off the Kiwanis contacts I have in various cities and write on my resume the number of service hours I have completed this last year. When I go to OfficeMax, I can also receive the (measurable) contract pricing for the sole reason that I am a part of the Kiwanis family. And yes, these quantitative benefits do tie the ribbon on the present of Circle K quite nicely but this is merely the ribbon, the accessory. It is the qualitative benefit that we can no longer fail to mention, it is the gift itself: the service centered heart.

With that being said, I urge the reader and, in general, the volunteer to further examine this benefit and realize the inner reaping of their good deeds. What personal gains have you felt in your heart through your service to others? Emily Dickinson famously writes, “If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the aching, I shall not live in vain. Or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.” A heart in which the focus is easing the aches of the world is immeasurably one of the latent treasures of the world. One in which you, the volunteer, can behold. And so I ask, have you yet realized the tried and true benefit of Circle K International? Written By: Bree Boettcher

CKI Happenings

Hello CKI,

Many MDB Committee Members thought it would be a good idea to update you on what has been going on at the international level of CKI. First of all let me direct you to three different websites that can keep you up-to-date with all of the international happenings. http://www.circlek.org/ is the official CKI website and you can access all sorts of resources there for your club and for yourself. It is updated often so check back on at least a weekly base. The next website I want to direct yourself too is the International Presidents blog. Kristen does a great job keeping her blog up to date with all sorts of helpful hints and everything that CKI is up to, the website for her blog is http://ckiprezsayz.blogspot.com/. Finally the last website I want to point you too is the International Vice Presidents blog, again like Kristen Rico does a wonderful job keeping his blog up to date and full of resources, you can find his blog at this address, http://ckivp.blogspot.com/.

The three main things that have been taking place is at the international level is the change in the alcohol policy, the change in the Tomorrow Fund Grants and recently the change in international awards. Please check the out the CKI Insider editions that have been sent out on the alcohol policy and the Tomorrow Fund Grants regarding the changes that were made. International awards have just been sent out and published. We have discovered errors in them and we are planning on fixing them ASAP for that. Please keep checking the CKI website and the International Presidents Blog for more details when they become avalible.
Written By: Eric Hotchkiss

What is the Membership, Development and Benefits Committee?

Many times Circle K International (CKI) has all of these committees available to members and many times members do not even know what each of these committees do throughout the year. The Membership, Development and Benefits Committee or MDB as it as known is in charge of any information that can help develop Circle K International (CKI) members. This can include producing articles about various CKI topics, create resources for the CKI website, inform CKI members of special benefits they receive as CKI members and much more.

Currently we are working on many different directives such as researching perks that can be given away to International Convention attendees in Birmingham, AL, creating information for international student benefits, filling out and applying for a Tomorrow Fund Grant and publication of CKI in a Minute 3x5 cards.

If you have any ideas for the MDB Committee to be working on please feel free to contact the MDB Chair Eric Hotchkiss at subregionf@circlek.org.