K-Fam Konnection

K-Fam Konnection Words from our DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR....

Brent Leslie Georgia District Administrator Georgia District of Kiwanis

administrator@georgiacirclek.org

As we close out this administrative year, I thought I would pass on some thoughts for those of you that are graduating. It seems like every year I get the same questions about how do I stay involved or when do I make the jump to Kiwanis? To that end, I thought I would give you my perspective about how to evaluate those next steps and when to take them.

First and foremost, upon graduation figure your own life out first. Though some of you are fortunate to have a job set up right out of college; for others of you it may take a while. It took me over 6 months to find the job I have now. No matter your situation, you are not going to do yourself, or your future Kiwanis club any good unless you have your own life together. Get settled, know where you’re going to be living for a while, and enjoy life for a bit.

Let’s say you have your life figured out, and you are ready to join Kiwanis. Which club is for you? Hopefully as Circle K members you have visited your Kiwanis club once or twice and done some projects with them. Every Kiwanis club is different; in Georgia, we have Kiwanis clubs that meet during the day, clubs that meet at night, and we even have a Kiwanis club that meets online. Take your time to visit several Kiwanis clubs and find the club that is right for you. Don’t just visit on a meeting day but help them out with a project. Get to know the club members outside of a meeting setting. Take your time figuring out the club. This way if you decide to join that club you will know that it’s the right fit for you.

Some would ask why go through all of that? Why not just join the club that is in my area that I can make the meetings? One of the reasons is that as a past Circle K member you carry a power member benefit with you when you join Kiwanis. Especially if you join a club in GA, you get 2 years both International and District Dues free. You do not want to waste that discount on a bad Kiwanis experience!

Lastly, do not let one bad Kiwanis experience ruin your time in organization. I have Circle K friends that refuse to set foot in a club to this day. Unfortunately, their experience with individual Kiwanians in clubs was so bad they tainted their entire view of the organization. Don’t let one bad experience determine your future with the organization!