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District Convention Recap Get Ready for SST!
Circle K International (CKI) developes college and university students into a global network of responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commitment to service
Table of Contents Cover Photo: The Cheetah Sisters win the talent show at DCON!
Governor's Address
Eliminate Update
Goals Dashboard
Club/Member Spotlight
DCON Recap
Division Updates
Why go to COLT/ DOTC
Get Ready for SST!
CKIx Promotion
Greetings Georgia Circle K! With midterms approaching for most of us, I’d like to take the time to express my gratitude to all of you. Thank you for all of the service that you provide to your campuses and surrounding communities. The District is thriving because all of the work your individual clubs are doing this year. Our year is quickly approaching its end, but we still have several more weeks to wrap up our lose ends. If your club has not paid dues, please do so immediately and contact Treasurer Kylie Wilson with any questions at treasurer@georgiacirclek.org. We are over 100 members from meeting our goal for the year and by your club paying dues or updating the Membership Update Center to reflect new members since dues have been paid, I know that we can meet and surpass this goal. If your club has not turned in any Club Monthly Report forms, please do so immediately and contact Secretary Emma Hunnewell at secretary@georgiacirlcek.org. We are only 600 hours shy of our goal. I know that there are plenty of active clubs doing wonderful service in your communities. Please share that information with us! Last but not least, please make sure that your club has elected the new officers for the coming year. The transition of club officers is crucial and should be done properly. If you have any questions please contact me at governor@georgiacirclek.org. I look forward to serving with you all during this last month. We have accomplished so much this year and I anticipate that we will once again have a dynamite finish to our year. Yours in Service and in Friendship,
Rey DelToro
As my time serving as the Georgia District as Service and MNT Chair comes to an end here are the last Eliminate Project updates. As of February 16, 2015, The Eliminate Project has raised $75,595,052.08. Circle K’s fundraising total as of 3/1/15 is $274,535.32. Through Pie in the Face, most commonly referred to as PIF, we were able to raise $1,460 for the Eliminate Project. It is with much happiness and I can say that the Georgia District has once again exceeded its goal for the Eliminate Project. We were at $2,000, as of my last calculation, which is past our $1,800 goal. We still have to time to keep fundraising and give it a final push before the Eliminate Project ends at ICON 2015. Let us Celebrate as we continue our effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. Thank you to all the clubs that have helped us exceed our goal. Every cent counts!
Goals Update Current Goals: 1. The Georgia District will have 425 members by March 31, 2015. 2. The Georgia District will have 8 Circle K clubs represented at the Fall Membership Retreat and 10 Circle K clubs represented at the District Convention 3. The Georgia District will have 4 reactivated and/or chartered clubs by March 31, 2015. 4. The Georgia District will have 4500 service hours by March 31, 2015. 5. The Georgia District will raise $1800 for the Eliminate Project by March 31, 2015.
Club Spotlight: University of Georgia By:Teeda Niemann
Our first year re-chartered at UGA has been incredibly successful. Circle K at UGA has several service projects occurring at least once a week. We serve the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, Talmage Terrace Retirement Home, Athens Humane Society, Athens Homeless Shelter, Bigger Visions Community Shelter, Oasis Católico Santa Rafaela Afterschool Tutoring Program, and Habitat for Humanity. Our most recent service project that we volunteer for weekly was the Athens Humane Society. Circle K’ers played with puppies to get them adjusted to unfamiliar people. These puppies were rescued by animal control or taken in because they were unable to be supported by original caretakers. We always enjoy playing with these puppies; it is an awesome, rewarding stress relief from college. Our goal for the Athens Humane Society is to donate necessary items to care for these animals through grants and our fundraising efforts. Another recent service project we put together was the Valentine’s Day Dance at Talmage Terrace Retirement Home. Many Circle K’ers volunteered on Valentine’s Day to give the residents a special day to remember. Food was provided, and most of the Circle K’ers socialized with the residents since they do not have many visitors throughout the year. We also collaborated with another service organization from UGA for the Valentine’s Day Dance. Some of the boys danced with the residents as well! Everyone that participated had an amazing time at the dance. Aside from this dance, we also volunteer at Talmage Terrace Retirement Home every 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month and put together a game night for the residents! The residents play card games, such as UNO or Go Fish, dominoes, and board games with Circle K’ers during these nights. They enjoy our visits and love it when we socialize them because most of their family members cannot visit as often. Circle K at UGA has had a tremendous first year returning to the Athens community. Each of these members enjoy serving weekly and often as possible. They are the epitome of living to serve, and loving to serve.
Member Spotlight: Zipporah Smith By: Drew Kelley
First of all, I need to say that it is such an honor to be writing this spotlight for someone who has been one of my CKI mentors since I joined. Chris-tine let me know she wanted to spotlight this leader because her passion for this organization was obviously radiant, but she didn't know anything about Zipporah except how awesome she is. This member spotlight goes out to someone who has just that effect on everyone she meets. Zipporah Smith and I applied to serve as club chairs my freshman year. She was Public Relations chair and I was Service. Working alongside her that year and seeing how far her reach goes was inspiring in it-self. I was extremely excited when she was elected as our club president, and rightfully so as she was a powerhouse of incredible communication, delegation, & leadership skills. I have never seen someone adequately balance so much, so smoothly and so consistently. When Zipporah was nominated for District Secretary, my jaw dropped in pure giddiness. I have never been as excited as I am to work alongside a leader. When someone makes this kind of an impact on someone, you know what they can bring to the table is amazing. For all of this and so much more the Georgia District would like to spotlight Junior Psychology Major from the University of West Georgia, Zipporah Smith for her outstanding efforts for our beloved organization!
DISTRICT CONV
On February 27-March 1, 2015 80 Circle K Members, Key Clubbers, and Kiwanians joined together in Macon, GA for the 56th Annual Georgia District Convention. On Friday attendees were transported to “A Whole New World of Service” during the opening session, which was filled with fun and laughter through club roll call cheers. Later Friday night members took part in playing life sized board games. Saturday started with a fun Kiwanis Family breakfast. In divisional caucusing, candidates for office campaigned and answered questions from their constituents. Circle K’ers also went to several workshops that helped them learn things like reverse mentoring CKI to Kiwanis, how to bring officers and members closer together, and some self-leadership through true colors and conflict management. Later in the afternoon attendees gathered for a service project followed by the president’s banquet, the election of the new district board, and the ever popular pie in the face fundraiser. Sunday morning was more somber with the farewell breakfast, the retirement of the old district board and the instillation of the new district board. Congratulations to those of you who went home with awards! Overall, District Convention was a huge success and the new district board looks forward to an even more successful event next year.
VENTION 2015
This year at Circle K District Convention there were three amazing workshops. The first workshops allowed people to understand more of who they are and how knowing this information could be very helpful when working on a team in both an academic and a professional setting. It is a good thing if you understand yourself more and was able to truly push through different obstacles by doing so. It was a very simple and fun workshop called, “Colors and Animals: What and who am I?” Knowing this type of information can positively help each person to work through any types of problems. The second was a workshop that worked on social events that could really help out with bringing officers and members together as a family. For social events can help inspire members to build friendships and network with other members of the club. Which meant the more social events you have the more the relationships between them become better and can push for those inactive officers and members to do more. It truly was enjoyable and exciting that could really bring club members together. The workshop was called, “How to Bring Officers and Members Together as a Family” and it was a great if you got to go to it. The finally workshop that in my opinion was the most important, was one that could helped out the Circle K clubs and their Kiwanis be more communicated with each other. It allowed a reverse mentoring for the youth of Circle K to teach the Kiwanis new things about technology or information that most college students learned that pertain to our generation. It also allow for Circle K clubs to learn what they can do for their sponsoring Kiwanis club, how to creatively say “Thank You” for their sponsorship, how become a more a “professor” for Kiwanians, and how to teach adults to understand college students. In the workshop, it we were able to set down and talk to Kiwanis and really get down to what could be helpful for them and what can be helpful to us. It was a positive moment hearing all things that Kiwanians giving us feedbacks about everything we can do for them and what they love about us.
Georgia District
Schedule a Visit! You can have any member of the district board visit your club! To request a visit: Click the “Visit Request Form� button on the home page of the district website!
Division Updates: Coastal Division The end of the 2014-15 term is now winding down to close. We have seen many great things come out of the Coastal Divi-sion this year, especially towards the end of the year at events like District Convention (DCON). While this year’s goal was for three clubs to attend DCON, two of our great clubs, Georgia College & State University and Georgia Southern University, attended this year’s event. I was extremely pleased with the poise and excitement both clubs brought to the table. During the Pie in the Face auction, both clubs raised $600 for the Eliminate Project. GCSU and Georgia Southern brought home many awards to their respected clubs, including Most Spirited for Georgia Southern and Most Improved Club for Georgia College.
Keri Spetzer will be taking on the role of Lieutenant Governor and I will be serving in the role of Georgia District Gov-ernor. Coming up later in March is the Spring Social Tour (SST) where clubs from around the Georgia District will team to do a fantastic service project during the Spring Break time frame. This year’s SST will be held from March 27-29 in States-boro, Ga. I encourage each club within the Coastal Division to attend the event. I hope everyone finishes out the year strong and has a great month of March! Thank you for all the hard work you put in to make the Coastal Division one of the best within the Georgia District! Your friend in service,
James Braswell, Coastal Division LTG “Live to Serve, Love to Serve”
Division Updates: Metro Division Greetings from the Georgia District! Metro Division clubs have been busy during the past couple of months with a variety of service projects. Each club has diligently been continuing to participate in their respective regular projects, such as GT Circle K going to Boys and Girls Club, Georgia State and their initiatives on feeding the homeless at Café 458, or West Georgia helping out their Kiwanis Club with their Pancake Breakfast. To further enrich the communities which they serve, Metro Division clubs have also participated in larger events that don’t occur frequently. GT Circle K participated at the annual Hot Chocolate 5K run by volunteering and sorting medals for runners. They also warmly hosted the Kiwanis International President during his visit to Atlanta by spending time with him eating at the Georgia Tech North Avenue Dining Hall, and accompanying him during the groundbreaking of a new playground at the Boys and Girls Club. GT Circle K volunteers sort the hundreds of medals for the Hot Chocolate 5K Georgia State has come up with creative ways to raise funds for the Eliminate Project, such setting up a Polaroid “selfie” sale where there were props to take fun pictures. They have also volunteered at a local nursing home and assisted with the organization of their Valentine’s dance. Some Circle K’ers even danced with some of the seniors!
Georgia State Circle K’ers take the dance floor with the seniors during a nursing home’s Valentine’s dance.
West Georgia also came up with some unique ways to collect MNT donations, such as hand painting mason jars to be planted around “mom and pop” stores around Carrollton. They also promoted education for youth by volunteered at the Ruffing Reading Bowl, a local reading competition from Elementary to High School.
UWG President Zipporah Smith chilling with some of the lovely contestants of the Ruffing Reading Bowl
Members from Metro Division clubs Georgia Tech and West Georgia enjoy the Macon Museum with students from Georgia College and State during free time at DCON It’s been quite a year so far, and the Metro Division has accomplished many things. Yet as classes are getting tougher and the college work is piling up, the Metro Division is planning on finishing strong this semester.
Division Updates: Plains Division I hope everyone had an amazing time at District Convention and if you were not in attendance I want to update you guys on some great things Plains did this year and how well it turned out for us at DCON! This year, Plains gave a warm welcome to the Circle K Club of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, sponsored by Tifton Kiwanis. The Plains Division was represented at District Convention by ABAC President and District Service and Eliminate Chair – Reynaldo Del Toro Guevara, ABAC Vice President – Dale Spicer, and ABAC Secretary – Kaylee Snyder. Even though they are a new club, that did not keep ABAC from appearing for many awards! Rey represented ABAC well by being awarded the Dia Stokes Kelly Outstanding Committee Chair Award for his work on the 2014-15 District Board. ABAC also received the Outstanding New Reactivated Club award, and won 3rd Place in the district-wide club T-Shirt Contest!
I am excited to announce that upon being reelected as a Lieutenant Governor for the upcoming CKI year, I was given a new opportunity to serve as the Club Development Lieutenant Governor to work with building new clubs over the district. As I finish my term with Plains I am laying down some ground work to start the process of rebuilding Valdosta State in the Plains Division, and I look forward to working with Plains Lieutenant Governor-Elect, Kylie Wilson, to make this happen! Thanks for a great year!
Drew Kelley
& Each spring the District holds Club Officer Leadership Training (COLT) for all newly elected club officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer). COLT training covers all areas of being a club officer by providing specific training for each board position. This training will allow each club board the chance to begin working together as a team by examining the current position of each club, setting club goals for the coming year, and defining Committee Chair positions. COLT also offers officers a first-hand look at the expectations and strengths of their fellow board members, and each club board has the opportunity to meet and share ideas with officers of other clubs, as well as members of the District Board and club meetings, prepare an agenda, and work with Lieutenant Governors. This year it is
April 18th at the Spring Hill Suites in Macon, GA.
There is no charge to attend, but we do ask that you feel out a registration form so that we can prepare enough materials. http://www.georgiacirclek.org/colt.html COLT is also held in conjunction with the District Officer Training Conference (DOTC). This whole weekend is one of learning and fellowshipping to prepare for the new Circle K year. If you have any questions, please contact District Governor Virginia Byrd at governor@georgiacirclek.org
Howdy folks! This is your SST Chair, Drew Kelley, and I’m here to tell y’all about GACKI’s upcoming Spring SST! The reason I applied to be the Service Social Tour Chair was because of the impact my first SST had on me. It was my first GACKI event, and just as my club promised, it got me hooked on Circle K. SST is unique in that it focuses equally on the Service and Fellowship tenants of CKI. You will be given awesome opportunities to perform service alongside some familiar and brand new Circle K faces, and participate in many icebreakers and other social activities to become better acquainted with members from clubs all over our mighty district. SST was the beginning of many lasting friendships I have today! I hope you will join us March 27-29 as Georgia Circle K takes over Statesboro for our Spring 2015 Service Social Tour! I hope you guys take advantage of the low registration price and guarantee of fun and meet me in Statesboro at the end of the month! If you have any question please don’t hesitate to email me at plainsltg@georgiacircle.org
Location: Kiwanis Ogeechee Fairground, 16942 Georgia 67, Statesboro, GA Time: Friday at 8:00 pm Registration Cost: $15 for basic registration to include service supplies, 3 meals, a roof over your head, an event t-shirt, and a guaranteed great time OR $28 for upgraded registration to include basic registration PLUS 1 game of bowling with shoe rental included and 1 game of mini golf at the Clubhouse in Statesboro for Saturday night’s optional social activity! Service Project: Assisting the Heart of Dixie Equine Rescue Farm Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 11, 2015 Register here! http://www.georgiacirclek.org/sst.html
60TH ANNUAL CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION The 60th Annual Circle K Convention and Large Scale Service Project will be combined together to create the ultimate Circle K experience this summer. Join us June 24th-27th in Indianapolis, IN as we celebrate Kiwanis’ 100th Birthday. Some reasons why you should attend convention are to elect the new International Board, meet and greet with not only Circle K members, but Kiwanians, Key Clubbers, and Aktion Club members from all across the globe, and of course participate in service, leadership, and fellowship. For more information visit: http://www.circlek.org/Leadership/Conventions/ InternationalConvention/CKIx15.aspx Some Key Dates to note: April 17, 2015: Last day to register for the CKIx at the Early Bird Registration rate of US$225 April 18, 2015: CKIx Registration rate increases to US$325 May 15, 2015: Last day to register for CKIx at the US$325 rate Final day to report voting delegates and alternates May 16, 2015: CKIx registration rate increases to US$425 June 1, 2015: Postmark required for club awards (if no club members are attending CKIx)
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