02
MARCH 2013
table of contents
2012-2013 District Totals
Before we go into anything at all, here are the final totals for Cal-Nev-Ha!
Total Service Hours: 125,422.21 Total Leadership Hours: 88,383.99 Total Fellowship Hours: 116,008.76 Total Kiwanis Family Events: 1962 Total Interclub Events: 2161 TOTAL MEMBERS: 2584
District Fu ndraising Initiative Totals Pediatric Trauma Program: 28,111.68 The ELIMINATE Project: 20,726.44 Not For Sale: 15,557.77 TOTAL: 64,395.89
Way to break records, CNH! Congrats on such an amazing year! Good luck in 2013-2014!
04 opening messages 06 dlssp 08 senior shout-outs 16 sunny’s spotlights 18 lssp & icon information 19 contact Stay Socially Connected! Official Website: http://cnhcirclek.org International Website: http://circlek.org jCloud: http://www.cnhcirclek.org/JCloud/index.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cnhcki Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnhcki YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/cnhSUNBOX
pledge of circle k international I pledge to uphold the objects of Circle K International, to foster compassion and goodwill toward others through service and leadership, to develop my abilities and the abilities of all people, and to dedicate myself to the realization of mankind’s potential.
03
calendar: april Sunday
Monday
31
Tuesday
1 Start of New CKI Term
Wednesday
2
• STC Workshop Host App Deadline
3
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
4
5
• Kiwanis One Day
6
CKI Service Week: March 31-April 5 7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
• Early Registration Deadline for LSSP/ ICON
Spring Training Conference South May 11 at OCC LIVE LONG and SERVE
Mailing Lists & Sunburst Submissions Subscribe to our Member Bi-Monthly Mailing List: http://bit.ly/mbmml Sunburst Submissions: http://bit.ly/sunburstform Stay connected with one another through these Mailing Lists! Presidents: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/cnhcki-presidents1213 Vice Presidents: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/cnhcki-vicepresidents1213 Secretaries: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/cnhcki-secretaries1213 Treasurers: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/ cnhcki-treasurers1213
04
MARCH 2013
opening messages
Governor's Blurb Hey Cal-Nev-Ha!
It’s time. The ending of the 2012-2013 Circle K administrative year has finally arrived. This has been an amazing year for our District and I hope you saw that at our 2013 CNH Circle K District Convention in San Diego, CA! Our district has so much to celebrate about and you should be proud of all of your hard work and accomplishments from this past year. Congratulations again to every single member, officer, Faculty Advisor, Kiwanis Advisor, Kiwanis member, and anyone else who contributed into making the 2012-2013 year the best one ever for CNH Circle K. 125,000+ service hours, $60,000+ funds raised for District Fundraising Initiatives, and 2,500+ members… We blew past records instantly and all of the clubs in our District is doing fantastic! As we close one year, another year opens! Congratulations to those who were elected and appointed for the 2013-2014 year. We are all excited for you to take on the task of nurturing our clubs of our District and taking it to even greater heights for the upcoming year. It has been so long time since we’ve been together since our convention and interacted with one another as a District, but we have much to look forward to within the District! District Appointed Board Applications are out. District Committees will take form right after. Spring Training Conference North and Spring Training Conference South are coming up in May. Large Scale Service Project and International Convention are coming up in June. Don’t forget about club banquets in between! There is so much happening in the next few months that I hope you are all ready for a wonderful experience and sign-off to the year. Again, it has been a pleasure serving you as District Governor for this past year. Thank you to all of the friends who let me stay at their place and welcomed me to their divisions. Thank you to everyone who came out to our District events. Thank you for doing everything that you can in the name of service. I hope that you have enjoyed reading these beautiful publications from our District Publications Chair, Jennifer Lai because this is her last issue! Props to her for a great year worth of capturing our memories in these newsletters and I hope that you enjoy reading it! :D Jonathan Cao-Nguyen “J-Cao” District Governor 2012-2013
Regional Advisors' Contact
Division
Name
Capital
Dan Germain
dan.germain@yahoo.com
Central Coast
Patrick Ballecer
patrickcki@gmail.com
Desert Oasis
Linda Marx
lmpgh54@yahoo.com
Foothill
Camille Goulet
administrator@cnhcirclek.org
Golden Gate
Phuoc Khong
advisor.phuoc@gmail.com
Magic Kingdom
Armando Velazquez
mondo80@gmail.com
Metro
Tom Ramirez
tramireztom@aol.com
Paradise
Boyd Sauter
boydsauter@hotmail.com
Sunset
Phuoc Khong
advisor.phuoc@gmail.com
editor's parting words
05
AHHHHHH IT’S MY LAST SUNBURST EVER! Just as J-Cao stated in his message, the end is here! Can you believe it?! I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, even after
the craziest District Convention to date. Did you have a good time at DCON? Big shout-out to Stefanie Chow and her awesome committee for puting on such a great event! YOU, WAY TO GO YOU! CNH definitely reached new heights and broke records at DCON, and I’m confident you will go above and beyond in the next term! This message is having its own page and is significantly longer than my previous blurbs, simply because it’s, well, my last CKI publication... ever. And I’ve been designing for what, two years? Yep. I’m surprised I’m not totally burned out, even after being a part of CKI and holding a board position for the last three years. My story? I went from UCLA CKI’s Publicity Chair and Pillow Fight Event Co-Chair to UCLA CKI’s Publications Editor to where I am today. I never ever ever expected venture down this path, especially since I was THIS close to leaving the organization soon after joining. She may never read this, and I’ve reiterated this many times, but I owe it all to my UCLA CKI momma Kathy Nguyen for being so persistent and getting me to stay. Yes, my story isn’t special, nor is it dissimilar to what you’ve heard before, but it all comes down to the point I want to make. I’ve told many in the past that when it comes to designing anything, I hold content on a slightly higher level than design. If you’ve noticed, there’s something distinct about a select number of articles which I had selected and placed into these issues, especially the district-scale events. I chose these articles because they express how and why members stayed in this organization and what has sparked their passion to perform better and serve harder than ever before with CKI. My point is: CKI is what you make of it, and sometimes, you just gotta let things happen and unravel. You never know what you’ll get from it, and based on my experience and these articles, I can guarantee that it’s something you will not regret. TL;DR - I owe CKI my life, and I’m glad I gave it another chance. It’s been a true honor to serve you, Cal-Nev-Ha Circle K, and I will rooting for you from beyond. Thank you for the unforgettable memories, the plethora of friends made across the district, the support and encouragement received from many that kept me going through tough times, and so much more. Thank you to 2012-2013 CNH District Board for a term full of sideshurting laughter, buckets of tears, struggles of all sorts, sleepless nights, and wildly inappropriate jokes. Y’all made my term that much more bearable, and it’s a true blessing to work with such an amazing group of individuals. :’) Thank you to the District Public Relations Committee and the best co I could ask for Truongster Pham for PaRtying so hard all year long. You guys make me so proud :’D Love you DPR babies!! Co, sorry that you had to put up with me. Between us, you are the better half :> Thank you also to the man on the right - My advisor, Peter Yu! YUUUU are the BEST! Thanks for all the support! :) And of course, thank you to ALL writers, photographers, providers of important information, and so many others for contributing to this publication. It would not be possible without you <3 Thank you Metro Division for never ever failing to bring the sass and fab factor - Y’all better keep it up once I graduate! :P And last, but certainly not least, thank you to Circle K at UCLA for you were the foundation upon which I built my college career. You are all freakin’ amazing, and have made my CKI and college life so so so worthwhile. Thank you. Best of luck to the 2013-2014 District Board, especially my successor, whoever you may be! Stay awesome, CNH - I’ll cheering from somewhere around the world :) Love you all! L-O-V-E, I LOVE YOU, CNH!
Signing out one last time, Jennifer Lai 2012-2013 Publications Editor Circle K International California-Nevada-Hawaii District Metro Division University of California, Los Angeles
06
MARCH 2013
district events
Nam Hoang UN Reno
District
District Large Scale Service Project - North is an event where all Circle K members from the Northern half of California and Nevada come to Stockton, California to perform a full day of service. We began the day by meeting up at the University of the Pacific for breakfast, and at the same time, we split up into several different teams with random Circle K-ers so everybody could get to know each other. After that, Luke Tanaka, who was the chair of this event gave us directions on where to go and what to do. We arrived at the bank of Calaveras River and started off by playing an ice breaker with the team we were with. Once the ice breaker was done, we proceed to walk along the river bank and cleaned up all the trash. With so many of us, the river bank was spotless in just a few hours. Once the event was over, we all went back to University of the Pacific to have our well deserve lunch and break. Lunch was provided by the District and immediately after that, Circle K-ers headed out for another service project at the Boggs Tract Community Farm. Teams were assigned into different tasks like; Planting trees, leveling dirt, moving hays and cleaning up weeds. At the end of the day, we planted over 20 trees, clean up the whole farm, and reorganizing almost a thousand pounds of hay. I just want to give thanks to Service Committee for helping out organizing event, Luke Tanaka for chairing the event, and our amazing District Service Chair, Leonne Chung. It was a full day of service, fellowship, and leadership and I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have ask for anything better! L-O-V-E WE LOVE OUR D-S-C!
Large Scale
Service
Project N+S
Karen Truong UC Irvine Every year, Circle Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from all over Southern California come together to make a difference in a community for the District Large Scale Service Project. This year, our 2013 DLSSP South Chair, Kathy Dong, brought 400 Circle K members to help, MEND Poverty and Youth Speak Collective. MEND assists low-income families to create a pathway of self-reliance through providing basic human needs and services while Youth Speak Collective focuses on youth and empowerment. After a mini brunch of bagels, we were broken up into groups to be sent out around the community to help at 6 other locations where Circle K members made blankets, boo-boo bunnies and aprons; planted trees, packaged food at the food bank, had a college day with teens, and hosted a health fair for the community kids at MEND with a book and hygienic items drive to be donated to the teens and children of MEND and Youth Speak Collective. I was stationed at the Food Bank of MEND Poverty for the day. Along with my group members, we went through 3-4 crates filled with canned foods and imperishable goods to find unexpired and edible foods. Once we found a good can or box of food, we would place in its specific box. On the shelves of the food bank, there were certain boxes with specific types of food. This system helps MEND be more organized for their customers and staff to find specific items more efficiently. After a good 6 hours of service, the community was thrilled with how much we had accomplished and for me personally, regardless of all the hard work, seeing the smiles from the Circle K members and the coordinators, was worth it because I was able to make a good impact and make a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day. Hope you are ready next year to impact another community with our services!
07
08
MARCH 2013
senior shout-outs
With the graduation coming up in a matter of months, I decided to create the Senior Shout-out form, with which people can send shout-outs to their graduating seniors or seniors can send their parting words to their friends. Here are all the submissions I received and promised to place in this final issue - They’re so terribly heartwarming. Read on. Connie Lam UC Los Angeles
JENNLAI! Thank you for being the most amazing Aunt ever. You bring sunshine and lulz into every room and you are one of the main reasons I stayed in Circle K. I am so, so sad you are graduating this year because UCLA Circle K will not be the same without you! Words cannot express how much I love and respect you. Forever failing at studying, together :) <3 Connie
My four years in Circle K really have made my college experience all the better. Shout out to Magic Kingdom Division for always being so magical and being not only an amazing Division, but also being amazing individuals. I love you all! <3
Vanesa Duong UC Santa Barbara
Circle K International has really changed my life! :) I’m going to miss all the friends and memories that I’ve made during the time that I’ve been in the club. Thanks to everyone I’ve met for making my experience unforgettable.
STACEY MA AND JESSICA PHANTASTIC RUBEN RUIZ AND STEFANIE CHOW AND JENNIFER LAIIIIIIIIII AND KEVIN GOBLE AND BRANDON “BLACK HOLE” THOMAS AND STEPHANIE, MY MOM, MY LTG, MY LOVE, AND LISA WATSON ARE YOU GRADUATING and just all these people I love are leaving me. I’m so glad to have gotten to spend time with you all and good luck in life after college, THE REAL WORLD. Stay crazy!
Heren Wei Cal Poly Pomona
Stephanie Nguyen UC Irvine
Michelle Nation UC Irvine
STEPHANIE LAU & MARIO DE LABRA. The two graduating seniors of CPP! We really will miss you a lot, so please stay around in Spring Quarter and hang out with us in the summer! <3
09 There are a number of ways this club has contributed to my growth as a person but I found greatest inspiration from these seniors that consistently proved themselves not just as members but just amazing examples of humanity. Fanny: My OG CKI mom. A better one does not exist. Creepy Fiends, an award-winning family, will always be special to me and she is an overwhelmingly part of that. This girl seriously cares, to this day, about the well-being of all her cubbies. Having her and Papa Richard as parents made the biggest positive impact on my life at UCLA, no contest. She is half my size but has more strength that anyone I know, surviving every single obstacle life has thrown at her over these past 4 years.The compassion, generosity, and love that pours out of her heart is incredible and my only regret is not telling her how much I respect and value her as often as she deserves to hear it. JennLai: Fanny’s inseparable counterpart. An extraordinary person that is so vibrant in character and has such tenacity for life. Someone that brightens every room she enters. Unmatched in her devotion to her duties and responsibilities while caring for everyone around her more than she does for herself. She infects everyone with her spirit and warmth and if you’ve ever felt at home in this club people like her are the reason why. Carol: Hai sister. Confident, independent, fellow tea enthusiast, genuinely adorable. One of the most down-to-earth girls I know. The only person in this world that can give a hug with such meaning it drowns you in her adoration and kindness. She has such a giving heart and honestly I don’t think I can make another friend in the future quite like her. Vincent: If there is one thing I will remember about ‘college years’ it will be having a quintessential bro friendship with someone and his positive attitude 24/7 made that easier than it should have been. Seriously this guy never stops smiling or being optimistic about everything. I’m really proud of him, his dedication as a family head and to his future. Stacey: The first CKI member I met and the last one I would ever forget. I envy how selfless and loyal she can be to others and this club all while being generally awesome across the board as a person and friend. I haven’t met anyone with such character, vigor and passion for life. She’s a friend you can rely on time after time and expects nothing in return and without her I would not have been part of CKI. Truly an amazing individual. I have gained more happiness and wisdom through experiences with many of you in this club than I would have otherwise. I hope everyone remains incredible and continue making impacts like these on each others lives. Best, Sidney
Sidney Iriana UC Los Angeles
10
MARCH 2013
senior shout-outs
Heren Wei Cal Poly Pomona
Nam - you’re such an inspiration, in the most obnoxious way possible. I still wish you weren’t graduating, but I’m glad I’ve gotten to spend the last year with you as president! You made the club an enjoyable and open place to be, I’ll miss you! I try not to say nice things about you often, but you were actually a pretty good president. Good luck in life! <3
This is a shout-out to my amazing BIG, Alex Trinh, of UCR Circle K! Thank you for always being there for me and guiding Annamae Lagdaan UC Riverside my way through the path of Circle K. It’s really sad that you’ll be graduating, but I just want to say that I wish you luck on all your success and everything else to come in your beautiful and bright future. I’ll make you proud. I’m so grateful to have you as my BIG, friend, and mentor. Don’t forget about me and I love you, BIGGIE. Visit me and bring me food! Hahaha. - Your derp LITTLE Annamae
Dylan Sarnowski UC Los Angeles
Hey Mom. I just wanted to say, being in the Stunning Stegos was the best part of being at UCLA and joining CKI. You, Sally, and Alexis were the best parents anyone could ever have, and I have you to thank for so much, from DCON Talent, to some of my closest friendships, to all the love I get from CKI. Our family was something special, and it’s all cuz of you. I LOVE YOU MOM <3 Your cubbie, Dylan Sarnowski
Hey Garvey, I just wanted to say - hey, wait, you aren’t graduating?! GOSH DARN SU. YOU MAKE ME SU MAD. But that’s okay, because you were the best E-Board Buddy ever, and you’ll be great as District TreaSUrer. Knock em dead, Garvey. <3 Dylan
Dylan SarnowskiUC Los Angeles
Dylan Sarnowski UC Los Angeles
PR MOMMA. I had so much fun working with you on the District PaRtay Committee!!! I love hanging out with you and CKI will definitely be quieter next year without your crazy sass. I want to wish you the best on your next adventure, and don’t forget to come visit us (especially me, let’s be real). I LAIVE you! <3 - Dylan Sarnowski
I’m so old, my back.
Anonymous
TO MY MENTEE ALICE LIN <3 CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THUS FAR!
11 Theresa Phan UCLA Alum
It has truly been an honor and blessing for me to be your “”mentor”” (more like i’m your mentee at times teehee) i am SO SO proud of you of all you have done for UCLA Circle K! you are a talented mentee and i know you will go far in life! i LOVE LOVE you mentee and once more, congratulations!
TO MY OCC TRANSFERS! JCAO, VINCENT VU, RUBEN RUIZ and STEPHANIE NGUYEN CONGRATS! SO PROUD TO HAVE WATCHED YOU ALL GROWN INTO SUCH INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS <3 (:
Chris Tung UC Berkeley
I really want to thank Circle K in general for basically making my 4 years in college the best I could have imagined. Through this club, I’ve made some of my best friends. You have all changed my life for the better. I think joining this club was the best choice I’ve made in college, and I never regret it. I’ve made so many memories and so many friends. I love this club. And if you are new to the club, I hope you stay. Circle K can do amazing things for you. Just give it a chance. You won’t regret it!
Circle K has definitely been a big part of my college life. I joined Circle K during my Junior year and I was welcomed with open arms. This organization is special to me because it gives people the opportunity to become a leader, inspire others, and serve the community. There are many clubs and organizations on campus, but I consider Circle K as a family. I hope every Circle K member out there embraces their memories and experiences with Circle K because it is truly a memorable experience. I LOVE YOU UCSB CIRCLE K!
Jonathan Cao-Nguyen UC San Diego
Billy Chan UC Santa Barbara
Shout-Out to all of the seniors in this District! Congratulations on making it out of college alive and thank you so much for all that you have done for CNH Circle K! We wouldn’t be where we are unless it was for our Seniors! :D
12
MARCH 2013
senior shout-outs
4 years in college goes by so quickly! Experience as much as you can on campus and through Circle K! Don’t let anyone or Karen Truong anything bring you down. When one door closes, many others UC Irvine will be opening awaiting for you. Also, when do you achieve a position either as a board member, a job, intern or a volunteer, be the best one there and make that experience worth your time and efforts! The quote I live by everyday: “”Learn it, Live it, Love it”” --Michelle Tang and Nhi Nguyen, my high school, JV Swimming Captains <3 you all and if you ever need a friend, don’t hesitate to contact me =D
Linda Hoang CSU Fullerton
Ariana Spero, thank you for being there for me! You have been an amazing leader, and I know I can always count on you, whether it’s for advice or driving lessons :) You’re amazing, and this term has been so successful through your leadership. I hope I can make you proud! Love you Ari!
CHRIS TUNG I WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!! You’re such a wonderful person to have around, I’m gonna Teresa Datar miss you at events. I know you will be successful and have Los Medanos College so many more amazing things ahead of you to conquer and experience. GG FOREVER <333
Michael Tung UC Irvine
Although I was unable to be in Circle K due to studying abroad in Japan in my final year, I just wanted to say that this organization has proudly been a huge part of my college life. I don’t know what I would think about college without it since it’s left me with lifelong friends that show how much they care from a continent away, an amazing girlfriend and memories and leadership experiences I will never forget about for the rest of my life. To the incredible Magic Kingdom division, thank you for everything that you have done for me and it was an absolute honor to serve you as your 2011-2012 Magic Kingdom Lieutenant Governor. BuildA-Board it was a pleasure to serve among some of the most talented individuals in our district. CNH, current members and future members: The only thing I can ask of you is please to never let your learning and spirit die. There’s so much fun, so much knowledge and so many traditions to be passed down through the decades in this incredible organization. Circle K up to this point in my life, you’ve given me the greatest gifts I could ever possibly have. I would like to thank each and everyone of you that I have met for the memories you have given me and I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors in Circle K, your education and life! Thank you again, it’s been an amazing ride.
Words cannot express how thankful and appreciative I am to have met both Junie Vuong and Ariana Spero. These two girls have given me much inspiration and have challenged me in ways no other people have. I love them to death and I wish them the best of luck out there in the real world. :) <3
13 Ashley Valdez CSU Fullerton
Kasey Cole! I love you girl, you’re like the big sister I wish I had. Thank you for taking care of me and always keeping an eye out for my best wishes. Please, kick butt with your super amazing anthropological talents. Love you! <3 Marc, you’ve been a great pleasure to have a friend. I am forever thankful for you. You were my first president, you never let me down and you’re always there for me when my car breaks down. Go go go go, rock yo talent on stage. <3 P.S. My car still breaks down...I might just call you again for last time’s sake.
Gracie Francisco UC Santa Cruz
This is for all of our graduating seniors! I just want to say what an honor and a privilege it has been working with all of you. Each and every one of you has brought something special to our club and we wouldn’t be where we are today without YOU! Whether you served as a board member, worked on a committee or just came to meetings every week, we are so grateful for all of your hard work and dedication to our club. We love you Senior Slugs!!!!
This shout out goes to all of the graduating seniors from the UC Irvine Circle K family. I can’t believe you all are graduating soon! Thanks for all the memories, laughter, tears, jokes, advice, and support that you have given to all youngsters in Circle K. I probably didn’t get the opportunity to get to know all of you, but hearing about all the things each of you did during your time with Circle K was amazing. Good luck with all of your future endeavors and I hope to randomly run into you in the future. You will forever be legends of UCI Circle K :D “Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Michelle Ha UC Irvine
14
MARCH 2013
senior shout-outs
Christine Bonuel UN Reno
Dear Michael, you once asked me, if I could describe you in one word, what would it be? I thought about it and decided: your word is “inspirational”. To start off, your list of accomplishments is outstanding. UCI’s co-spirit/social chair sophomore year. Magic Kingdom LtG junior year - and winning the Distinguished LtG Award 2011-2012! Double majoring in Japanese and International Relations. Studying abroad in Japan, immersing yourself in the culture, and even taking up a teaching job there. But your accomplishments have very little to do with why you are inspirational... the degrees and awards you have obtained, in my opinion, say nothing about who you are. You are kind, caring, and selfless. You’re the kind of guy every person wants as their friend. Your humor and spirit is contagious! You just give off a certain energy that makes people bond, have fun, and aspire to be the best version of themselves. You are a leader- a leader, leader, leader! Michael, you have been (and will continue to be) an inspiration to anyone who has had the honor of getting to know you. After college and after Circle K, I have no doubt in my mind that success and happiness will follow you, just because of who you are. P.S. Always remember that you are the most amazing and wonderful person I will ever meet...and that you are MY inspiration. Love, Christine
Emily Chirk! Puppy loves you! You are such a great friend, and even though we’ve had some pretty rough times, our faith in each other keeps us together in the end! :D (I rarely get to hear about your feelings so I dunno if this is a one-way street or not, but Puppy assumes we like each other equally xD haha) :3 yep. Just wanted to say congratulations on your accomplishments and 2012-2013 wouldn’t have been anything without you!
Lisa Jung UC Irvine
Anonymous
Dear Mamy (Amy Hoang), You will always be my first Circle K mama, and I’m so glad that we had this year to bond and get close! Thanks for all the car talk and dinner dates, as well as just being an amazing mother and friend to lend an ear and feel welcomed all the time. I’m going to miss you so much when you graduate and I know that you are going to be amazing in everything that you do BECAUSE YOU’RE SO AMAZING. <3 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MAMY <3”
Seniors, you will be missed - CKI would not be the same without you! Good luck in your future endeavors, and come visit whenever you get the chance. Thank you for everything!
“Wow I can’t believe that my time with Circle K is coming to an end. It has been a wonder 4 years being apart of this organization. I remember going to my first meeting at OCC Circle K with JonJon Junpradub as my President and now I will be ending it at UC Berkeley with Kay Kim as my President. This whole journey has been a wonderful one that I am so thankful for. I never would have thought that I would be able to be on District Board let alone being on it for two years. I want to say thank you to all of those who have made being apart of Circle K one of the best things in my life! I would like to thank OCC and UC Berkeley for being my amazing two homes for this journey. Thank you to: *Jonathan Cao-Nguyen – Thank you for convincing me to join and for being my amazing governor and best friend! I love you too much to write here but you know that. * FTC Committee 2012-2013 – I couldn’t have asked for a better committee! FOREVER FIERCE! * Kay Kim and Tina Nguyen – for always being there for me! I love you two so much! *Awards Committee 2011-2012 – My first babies! Helped me learn how to be a better leader! “Someone like you.” *Stephanie Nguyen and Patrick Huie – for being the best execs ever! * Steph, my wife – Gosh I love you so much! I hope you will always be in my life. * Ryan Pham, Andrew Tom, Tony Wang and all my children – You guys are the best kids anyone could have asked for. * Cat Tran and Vincent Vu – E-BOARD! You guys are the best and I know I will always be friends with you two. * Diana Tran, Florence Lee, and Karen Chen – Thanks for being my big sisters in Berkeley. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. I love you guys with the bottom of my heart. * Brett Anthony Butler – Thank you so much for giving me a chance to be on your board. I tried my best in being your Awards Chair. I think you think I did a good job! You are my favorite old man! * Build-A-Board – GOSH I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! I had an amazing time working with you all I love each and every single one of you so much! I don’t have to list you guys! * Virginia Mac – My (evil) twin sister! Love you so much and I miss you! * Crista Cabahug – I am so lucky to have a friend like you! “bah ba dah dah oh” * Ally Bogan – I LOVE YOU GIRL! OMG! * Jack and Steph Rivera – Las quero mucho mis hermanas centro americanas! * Disney Board – It has been a pleasuring working with you all. So different from last year but it has been a good journey! * Jen Lai – MA GIRL, MA LOVE! You are a sassy mofo queen bee! My life with out you would be so sad. Thanks for being an amazing friend and lover! Haha * My boyfriend Hans Meimban – I love you so much there are no words to describe it! You can have me whenever you like! * David Limjoco – You are so cute and I LOVE your laugh! Sorry for always turning everything in late and asking for extensions! Thanks for letting it slide! I love you boy! I think you are the cutest! * Sean Dylan Nguyen – YOU TROLL! I love you! * Ashley Valdez and Truong Pham – Wow I never thought that I would be on District Board with you too! It has been such an honor! You two are so dedicated and passionate for what you too! Can’t believe to see how we are all so different from our time at Loara High. * Lauren “Kimchi” Kim – Girl you have always been my friend no mater what even when you go MIA! I still love you! You are the original food beezy! KIMCHI BEEOTCH! * Stef Chow – It has been good getting to know you these last few years! You are so much fun and I like having my late night chats with you! * Mikael, Fiona, Kevin Gordy – YOU RATCHETS! I LOVE YOU ALL! 50 Shades!!! * Chloe Shih – YOU ARE SOOO CUTE! I love you so much! You are the best! * Kevin Goble -You are so wise and I love you for everything that you do. Thank you! * Leonne Chung – Girl you are so cray about your Mickey Mouse! It has been good working with you and YOU DA BEST! Even though my committee is better than YOURS!
15 Ruben Ruiz UC Berkeley
16
FEBRUARY 2013
sunny's spotlights
Service Spotlight: what is the March of Dimes “service spotlight”? The Service Spotlight is a bimonthly display of information on a certain service organization that the district has chosen to highlight to help promote and educate members about its cause.
March of Dimes is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. It also provides educational resources and support to mothers, pregnant women, and future mothers concerning pregnancy and infant health problems.
You and your awesome club can help by educating your community in a variety of ways, volunteer at the organization’s events - the most famous one being March for Babies walk - help in a local Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), make awareness Ribbons and cards, and much more! Did you also know March of
Dimes is Circle K International’s Service Partners?! It’s just another reason to help out with this amazing organization because it can even get you recognized at ICON!!! Check out the following websites for more info: - Circle K International Service Partner: March of Dimes - March for Babies
Spotlight on the D.Gov’s Little Brother In this segment, Johnny Cao-Nguyen shares his experience at his very first Circle K District Convention. Stay tuned for the first issue of the next term for full DCON 2013 coverage!
Johnny Cao-Nguyen CSU Long Beach After four consecutive years of attending Key Club DCON, it was time for me to move up in the Kiwanis family and attend my first ever Circle K DCON. When I first registered for DCON, I knew I should have been excited, but in all honesty, I wasn’t that excited. Having gone through so many District Conventions in the past and having seen what it takes to plan one, I thought I knew everything there was to know about a District Convention. Little did I know, however, I was completely wrong. As the weekend drew near, I had very little expectations about the event because I had no idea what District Convention was going to be like. I didn’t know if I was going to enjoy it or if I was going to hate it for causing me to lose even more sleep than I normally would have on the weekend. I went in with a fresh perspective and I was willing to experience everything that it had to offer me. After surviving through the weekend with little to no sleep, I was happy to see that I had thoroughly enjoyed
my very first Circle K District Convention. I was able to meet up with so many of my old friends from the past and I was also able to make so many new friends as well. I also learned so much about Circle K and the entire Kiwanis family through the workshops that I attended. Everything about this weekend showed me what Circle K was about and it motivated me to want to do more in my club and become an even more active club member. By the end of the weekend, I thought that District Convention had accomplished its main goal: to bring the CNH Circle K family even closer together than ever before. Not only did I feel more connected to my club and to Metro division, but I felt a stronger connection to the entire district as well. Seeing all of us come together on one weekend to celebrate all of our accomplishments and achievements over the past year made me want to do so much more to impact Circle K and make an even bigger difference in my community. As a first-time attendee of Circle K District Convention, I have to say that I enjoyed it more than I ever thought possible. If financial situations permit, I will definitely look forward to attending again next year.
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what is “sunny’s spotlights”?
Sunny’s Spotlights is a corner where CNH recognizes the clubs and/or individuals that stand out and go above and beyond in the areas of service and fundraising. Stay tuned for the next issue to see if your school is featured!
Serv ic e: Hig he st Nu m b er of H ou rs The following individuals racked up the greatest number of service hours over the course of this 2012-2013 term. Can you say double or even triple Platinum standing!? YOU, WAY TO GO YOU!
Stephanie Yu UC Berkeley 670 hours
Kevin Wong UC San Diego 712 hours
Vincent Ng UC Riverside 725 hours
Fu n d ra is in g: UC B erk eley Michael Zhou UC Berkeley The day had finally arrived… The day of the Kiwanis poker tournament. A day for Circle K’ers and Kiwanians to come together and raise money for a wonderful cause. As we filed in to Frank Bliss, a local Kiwanian’s, house to set up for the tournament the wonderful smells of Roberta’s home cooking filled the air and made our taste buds salivate. She had prepared deviled eggs, pumpkin soup, crab quesadillas, and so much other stuff! Before we had a go at all that food we set-up for the long awaited competition. Admission to this poker battle of the ages was only 25$ for a chance to win a kindle for first place, 50$ gift card for second, and a choice of 4 DVDs for third(Do I hear blue-ray anyone?). In the end a total of eight brave Kiwanian’s entered the tournament. Obviously the tensions were high for such amazing prizes. They quickly entered the poker room and began the multiple hour elimination game. While this was going on we had skilled and trained Circle K poker dealers helping facilitate and run the games. The silliness of our poker game easily contrasted the seriousness of the Kiwanians in their tournament. As the night progressed, the initial awkward barrier
between College student’s and adults or Circle K’ers and Kiwanians broke down. We began to converse, talk about life, laugh together and even share life experiences. Halfway throughout the night our lovely K-Family Chair, Arjun Gupta, had prepared a wonderful show featuring our very own Gordon Lau on piano and accordion! It was an experience of a lifetime to hear Lord of the Rings to be played on the accordion… MARVELOUS. After the performance, we auctioned off some desserts and baked goods. Of course the reception of the desserts went well and everything sold quickly! After the auction, the remaining kiwanians returned to their room to finish off the game. We quickly hustled to the room to watch the ending of an epic poker tournament. Three turned into two and the room permeated so much seriousness I was frozen in anticipation for the game. It came down to one hand. ALL IN… Both parties seemed confident in their gamble. They showed their cards and they both had an Ace and a Seven... We were all shocked to see they had the same hand, but as the dealer presented the river card an upset had occurred. With that last card one of the Kiwanians had obtained a flush of diamonds. The room went crazy as Phuoc Khong was declared winner of the Kiwanis Poker tournament. As a gesture of kindness he even donated the kindle to our club. Overall the night was wonderful with all the Kiwanis/ Circle K Interaction, free food and entertainment, and best of all, we raised $441 for our lovely DFI’s.
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MARCH 2013
lssp & icon
Large Scale Service Project & International Convention Went to District Convention and still can’t enough? Look no further - LSSP and ICON is finally here!
When is it?
Where is it?
LSSP takes place before ICON!
Get your passports ready ‘cause LSSP/ICON 2013 takes place in VANCOUVER, CANADA! Be sure to renew as necessary!
LSSP: June 23rd - June 26th ICON: June 26th - June 30th
How do I register? The following are the dates and prices for LSSP Registration: Early Bird ($100.00): due April 15th Regular Registration ($140.00): due April 16th - May 15th Late / On-Site ($185.00): due after May 15th The following are the dates and prices for ICON Registration: Early Bird ($185.00): due by April 15th Regular Registration ($225.00): due by April 16th - May 15th Late / On-Site Registration ($250.00): due after May 16th
Awards! Don’t forget to apply for Internatinal Awards as well! If you remember, CNH swept the awards last year, and I know we can do it again!
Where can I get more information? LSSP: http://www.circlek.org/Leadership/Conventions/InternationalConvention/LSSP.aspx ICON: http://www.circlek.org/Leadership/Conventions/InternationalConvention.aspx If you have any other information, feel free to contact any of our International Board, or Kevin Goble (Desert Oasis LTG for the 2012-2013 term!), our LSSP Chair! See you all in Vancouver!
Camille Goulet
contact
District Administrator administrator@cnhirclek.org
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Executive Board Jonathan Cao-Nguyen District Governor governor@cnhcirclek.org
David Limjoco
District Secretary secretary@cnhcirclek.org
Hans Meimban
District Treasurer treasurer@cnhcirclek.org
Lieutenant Governors Fiona Cheng
Kevin Gordy
Capital capital@cnhcirclek.org
Central Coast centralcoast@cnhcirclek.org
Kevin Goble
Chloe Shih
Mikael Miller
Stephanie Nguyen
Sean Nguyen
Azhar Deen
Tony Wang
Foothill foothill@cnhcirclek.org
Metro metro@cnhcirclek.org
Golden Gate goldengate@cnhcirclek.org
Paradise paradise@cnhcirclek.org
Desert Oasis desertoasis@cnhcirclek.org
Magic Kingdom magickingdom@cnhcirclek.org
Sunset sunset@cnhcirclek.org
District Chairs Ashley Valdez
Stefanie Chow
Ruben Ruiz
Andrew Tom
Lauren Kim
Brett Butler
Jennifer Lai
Leonne Chung
Truong Pham
Awards awards@cnhcirclek.org
Kiwanis Family kfamily@cnhcirclek.org
Publications Editor editor@cnhcirclek.org
District Convention dcon@cnhcirclek.org
Membership Development & Education mde@cnhcirclek.org
Service service@cnhcirclek.org
Fall Training Conference ftc@cnhcirclek.org
On To International Convention icon@cnhcirclek.org
Technology technology@cnhcirclek.org
a Kiwanis-family member www.circlek.org
8360 RED OAK STREET, SUITE 201, RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91730 USA