BRINGING IT FULL CIRCLE [K] Monmouth University Circle K Newsletter Fall 2015
Treasurer Maria Losito
President Christian Blanco
We are Monmouth University Circle K! Secretary Chelsea Byrne
Editor Amanda Kontor
Vice Presidents Zachary Bruno and Pruthvi Pediredla
Insight This year, a number of Monmouth University Circle K’ers attended the annual Insight trip at Camp Mason. President Christian Blanco, Vice President Zachary Bruno, Treasurer Maria Losito, Editor Amanda Kontor, Felicity Baker, and Jake Wong all joined other members from the New Jersey District for a weekend of service, bonding, and all-around fun! This year’s theme centered around Halloween, so attendees were classified as mummies, vampires, ghosts, and cats, among other spooky creatures. The groups spent the weekend together doing similarly scary activities, like a scavenger hunt that involved wrapping up mummies with toilet paper and three-legged racing. It might sound like all fun and games, but one of the best parts of Insight was contributing service! There were a variety of projects to complete around the camp. Some chose to rake leaves from the wooded area by the camp’s obstacle course, while others painted benches. Later, attendees raised extra money for the Eliminate Project by sliming the NJ District Board! Felicity Baker was one of the Monmouth Circle K’ers to attend INSIGHT this year. Keep reading to find out more about her experience.
Circle K Spotlight Hi, I’m Felicity Baker. After joining the Monmouth University chapter of Circle K, I was told about “Insight” and the various activities offered at this event. In mid-November, I attended my first Insight at Camp Mason in Hardwick, NJ. I had heard a lot about Insight and I was excited to attend this event for the first time. There were many fun activities to participate in during my time at insight, which included star gazing, trust exercises, ropes course, service projects, and a Halloween dance. I enjoyed my experience at Insight because I was able to not only get away from the stresses of college and create new friendships, but also build on the old ones I already had. In addition, I loved how Insight incorporated service projects on top of the busy schedule. It gave us an opportunity to have fun while giving back to the community. I hope more people consider joining Circle K to experience this event and other service projects that Circle K has to offer and I look forward to attending Insight next year.
Urban Coast Institute Campus Rain Garden Monmouth University Circle K is environmentally friendly, too! Throughout the fall semester, MU CK teamed up with Monmouth University’s Environmental Club to help out at the campus rain garden. Tucked away near the athletic offices, the rain garden is a small green space meant to filter out pollutants from the soil, significantly decrease puddles and sediment, and prevent the parking lot and surrounding areas from flooding. MU CK met for a few hours every week to remove dead plants and clear the area of any weeds that might stun growth in the garden.
Circle K Volleyball Tournament Monmouth University Circle K showed some awesome teamwork during the volleyball tournament fundraiser that was held at Brookdale Community College! Six teams included members from MU Circle K, members from Brookdale Circle K, Brookdale Campus Ministry, and other friends. They competed in an eliminationstyle tournament to see who could win the best out of three games. MU CK emerged victorious in the end! The trophy was a basket of candy, and the knowledge that it was all for a good cause! All of the proceeds from the event went toward the Eliminate Project.
Who We Are Monmouth University Circle K
Circle K Spotlight Hi, my name is Jake Wei Hung Wong. I was born and raised on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. I did my undergraduate at San Diego State University. Here, my Circle K story began as a lonely freshman being approached by some over-excited Circle K’er. The rest is history. Within two months, I had joined the Board of Officers as their first Member & Development Chair. For four years, I never missed the weekly meetings on Thursday nights, service and socials every Saturday and Sunday, or board meetings every Monday night. It may sound like a lot, but I stuck to it because it made me happy. They were never meetings, but chances for me to catch up with 70 of the closest people. I found out the best sides of me in CKI, and figured out the person I wanted to be. When I came to New Jersey for graduate school, I left everything and everyone behind for another fresh start. And again, it was lonely, but Circle K was there for me again. I've found some pretty incredible people an entire country away, despite this hostile Jersey attitude (jokes, please don't hurt me). I found my family in Circle K, where fellowship was infectious, leadership was a way to give back, and service was more than an aspiration to give back. What's your Circle K story? If you don't have one, it's never too late to build one.
SEE YOU NEXT SEMESTER!