The T-O Today - Issue 1

The Official T-O District Newsletter Back to School Edition

Texas-Oklahoma CKI Summer Adventures

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Introductions Governor’s Greetings…………………………4 Subregion D Trustee’s Letter………………...5

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Trick-or-Treat boxes are now available through the Kiwanis Family Store. CKI clubs can order up to 8 packages of 25 boxes (200 boxes total) through the store. If you need more boxes due to a specific circumstance, please contact: campaign@TheElimianteProject.org.

Meet the 2014-2015 District Board District Staff & LTGS…………………………….6 Committee Chairs & Administrator....……...7 Divisional Updates Southeast Texas Gulf Coast…………………8 Hill Country……………………………………..9 Red River – Metro……………………………..9 Oklahoma Panhandle……………………….9 District News District’s Project……………………………….10 Governor’s Project………………………...…11 Secretary’s Update…………………………..12 Supporting/Sponsoring A CKI………………13 CKIx Recap……………………………………14 Tequila Talks……………………………………15

2014-2015 T-O DISTRICT GOALS

13,500SERVICE HOURS 350MEMBERS 300INTER-CHAPTERS $5,000FOR ELIMINATE 2BOOK DRIVES PER CHAPTER 90K-FAM EVENTS PARTICIPATE IN 4 LITERACY PROJECTS PER CHAPTER 85 3CHARTERS & 3REACTIVATIONS 125 FALL RETREAT ATTEENDEES DCON ATTENDEES

Greetings from Governor Marcelo Hello mighty members of the Texas-Oklahoma District!

My name is Marcelo Urieta-Bravo, and I have the great honor of serving you as your 2014-2015 District Governor.

Even though the Texas-Oklahoma District is a large district, I have always been impressed by the dedication of its members!

Throughout the summer, the Texas-Oklahoma District Board has been hard at work. We have a lot of great things in store for the members of this magnificent district. We have been working to increase our membership, in fact, thanks to the hard work of the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast Lieutenant Governor and our District Administrator, Lamar University will be rechartering this fall.

As we get close to the deadline set by Kiwanis International and UNICEF (to raise US$110 million by 2015 to eliminate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus from the Earth), we have challenged each division to raise $1,000 for the ELIMINTE Project. I want our district to be part of the beginning of a new healthy life for the families that are currently affected by this disease. For my governor’s project – Better World Books, I want every chapter in our district to host at least 2 book drives and participate in at least 4 projects that have to do with promoting literacy. By making Better World Books my Governor’s Project, I hope to share my passion for this service partner with everyone in our district.

Lastly, as we get ready to start another successful academic year, I want to thank you for your efforts in staying in touch with the Texas-Oklahoma District of Circle K International, by simply reading and subscribing to this newsletter. You are truly making the effort to know the latest information that our district and Circle K International as a whole have to offer. I hope you find this issue, as well as future issues helpful and enjoyable to read.

I hope you and your chapter are ready to rock this school year! Let’s continue building long lasting friendships, serving our communities, and empowering each other. T-Ogether we carry on the legacy that has been set by the members of our district through hard work and dedication.

Get excited Texas-Oklahoma District, because we are better than ever!

Live to Serve, Love to Serve Marcelo Urieta Bravo |District Governor| governor@txokcki.org |(512) 945-1166

Subregion D Trustee Heidi Brooks Hey, T-O! I’m Heidi Brooks and I will be serving you all as the 2014-2015 Subregion D Trustee. What this means is that I will act as your liaison to international and will keep you all in the loop with what’s happening in the other districts of Sub D. Subregion D is comprised of five districts. Texas-Oklahoma (that’s you!), Kansas, Louisiana-Mississippi-West Tennessee, Nebraska- Iowa, and Missouri-Arkansas.

Subregion D has been very active this summer with a great representation at CKIx and a total of thirteen members in attendance at Leadership Academy 2014! One of my main goals as Sub D trustee is to create more unity among our subregion. This can be accomplished in several ways, but I’d really like for us to get a theme established for this year! If you have any ideas on what you’d like that to be, please shoot me a quick email, text message, or whatever with a heads up! The governors of Sub D will be choosing that soon, so be on the lookout for that!

As your trustee I really want to keep everyone up to date on what is happening on the international level. One way that I’d like to do this is through creating a newsletter for Subregion D. The first issue will (hopefully) be coming out this September!

As some of you might know, I had the opportunity to serve this past year as your Oklahoma/Panhandle LTG (Holla’!) and I’m beyond excited to step into this new position. I think first and foremost though, I need to get to know you all on a more personal level, so here are some things you may not have known about me: I am currently studying English at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas and am working at a public library while I do so. If you ever want to talk books, I got you. This will be my fourth year as a part of the Kiwanis Family, though I’m sure I’ll continue on long after I graduate.

I’m also a huge fan of One Direction. I really love them. All of their songs are super on point, just saying. My favorite show to watch is Grey’s Anatomy and if you bring it up to me I will either have a quick crazy fan moment with you or will do my best to convince you it’s worth watching. Because, really, it is.

I would love to get to know each of you personally and I’m looking forward to serving with each and every one of you in the Texas-Oklahoma District! <3 I’m always here to talk if you ever need anything! <3

Heidi Brooks | Subregion D Trustee | hcbrooks.cki@gmail.com | (806) 930-9294

Get to know your District Board!

Governor, Secretary, Treasurer & LTGS Marcelo Urieta Bravo District Governor Austin Community College My favorite CKI tenant has to be Service! It amazes me to see how a moment of my

Gracelyn Deland Southeast Texas Gulf Coast LTG Texas A&M University A dream I have for myself in the future is to build a perfect family and give my children a better childhood than I had.

time can really mean the world to someone else.

By being involved in CKI and doing service, I discovered my true passion for serving others.

Nancy Uriegas

If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life it would have to be Pluckers! I am obsessed with their boneless wings and holly mac&cheese.

The University of Texas at Austin

My favorite song playing on the radio right now has to be “Cool Kids” by Echosmith!

Hill Country LTG My favorite quote is "Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love" by Mother Teresa

DeMarkus Rhule Red River – Metro LTG Southwestern Christian College

Andrew Liguez District Secretary Texas A&M - Corpus Christi My special talent is that I'm ambidextrous.

When I ‘m not doing schoolwork or CKI stuff, I enjoy listening to music and reading a book.

Tori Gadney Oklahoma Panhandle LTG Texas Tech University

Jennifer Tuggle District Treasurer Texas A&M University My favorite CKI tenant is leadership because it allows me the opportunity to empower others and therefore make a longer lasting impact.

I joined CKI because I loved what it encompasses, I stayed in CKI because I fell in love with the people and the service we did.

Paola Herebia South Texas LTG The University of Texas at Brownsville My favorite song playing on the radio right now has to be Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay.

Get to know your District Board!

Committee Chairs & Administrator Lina Ungar Membership Development & Education Chair Austin Community College

Megan Nations Fall Retreat Chair The University of Texas at Austin A dream that I have for myself in the future is to become an Audiologist, marry a musician, and live on an island.

Brian O’Hara District Convention Chair Texas A&M University If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be pizza.

Hello Texas-Oklahoma!

I am so happy to have the opportunity to serve as the 2014-2015 District Administrator for the Texas Oklahoma District of CKI. Hopefully, having a long history with Circle K span-ning back to my college days at Sam Houston State will allow me some in-sight to improving the operations of the district.

Your district board has been hard at work preparing for a fantastic year with exciting events for our members. They have also been assisting with new club growth and support for struggling clubs. Should you need our help, know that we are here for you!

As members of the Kiwanis Family, “We Build” the leaders of tomorrow today! We help shape the minds and hearts of our members to serve their fellow man. Circle K is counting on you to spread the word on campus that CKI is about Service, Leadership, and Fellowship. This shouldn’t be a treasure we savor and horde for ourselves… we are called to share these ideas with others. So this fall as you return to campus and meet that new roommate or person next to you in class… take time to invite them to Circle K. Bring a new friend to every meeting or service project… grab a buddy and say you’re coming with me to Fall Retreat…. And at the end of the year let them know, “Your coming with me to District Convention in Irving for a celebration of service like no other!

This is your year to shine! Make it the greatest. I am looking forward to working with each of you and to us putting Texas Oklahoma back on top where the "Maverick" District belongs.

Hunter Faubion|District Administrator|adminhunter@txokcki.org|(409) 365-5993

Divisional Updates From your Favorite LTGS Southeast Texas Gulf Coast The Southeast Texas-Gulf Coast Division currently has 4 active chapters! These chapters are as follows: Texas A&M University  President: Shuang Lin Texas A&M University-Galveston  President: Emily Innes The University of Houston  President: Mariel Balboa Lamar University  President: Imelda Tristan

As mentioned earlier, our Southeast Texas Gulf Coast divisional Fall Rally is coming up and we need your help to make this a successful one! I highly encourage all CKI members in my division to attend because it will be fun and you will meet some amazing people from each chapter! Our Fall Rally is on Saturday, October 25, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the University of Houston. At the beginning of the day we will have presentations, icebreakers, and just have fun together. We will then eat lunch together and head over to our service project for the evening. We will be volunteering at the Houston Food Bank in order to benefit STUFH (Students Team Up To Fight Hunger). It will be an amazing experience and fun-filled day, so don’t forget to mark your calendars now! I will be providing more information about the Fall Rally soon!

As summer is starting to wrap up, the chapter officers have started planning out amazing service projects and fundraisers for the start of the new school year! Texas A&M University’s chapter is waiting for the start of the school year to begin serving their community again.

They are working to recruit Key Clubbers who graduated this year into their chapter. The Texas A&M University Galveston chapter is currently working on reactivating their club in October. The officers have been attending Kiwanis meetings and officer meetings this summer. They have planned out their first month of service projects and even started planning a fundraiser to benefit the ELIMINATE project! The University of Houston chapter is planning to recruit members as soon as the school year starts. They are also brainstorming fundraiser ideas and service projects to benefit both our District and Governor’s projects. Also, a big thank you to president Mariel Balboa for agreeing to host our division’s Fall Rally on University of Houston’s campus!

Lamar University’s chapter has been working very hard this summer. This July, Lamar held their first meeting and had officer elections. They have been meeting weekly over the summer and have already had multiple successful service projects. They have participated in multiple membership recruiting events and have a strong group of members going already. So give Lamar University a big round of applause on their road to reactivation!

Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to my chapter presidents, Shuang Lin, Emily Innes, Mariel Balboa, and Imelda Tristan for all of their hard work and planning this summer. Also, a big thanks to my chapter officers too! Every single officer and member in my division is amazing and I can’t wait to work with the most amazing division this year!

Gracelyn Deland |Southeast Texas-Gulf Coast LTG| southeasttexasltg@txokcki.org | (409) 658-5712

Hill Country Greetings from Austin, TX! As the summer nears its end I can’t help but think back to our District Convention and I am so grateful to be where I am at now. It is a true pleasure to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of the Hill Country Division. The summer is ending but a new semester begins and with that comes SERVICE, LEADERSHIP and FELLOWSHIP. I could not be more excited to reunite with my CKI family, which I am blessed to say is growing! To keep everyone in the loop of where the Hill Country Division stands, I’d like to do a brief update and inform all of you of upcoming events.

Currently our division has three active chapters, The University of Texas, Austin Community College and Southwestern University. During the 2013-2014 year these three chapters had a total of 81 members, roughly 24% of the district membership. This is great, however our 2014 - 2015 membership goal has increased! The Hill Country Division has several goals set out, one being the reactivation of the Baylor CKI Chapter, with that said our membership goal increases to 100 members. The district and myself are currently working on setting Baylor back on its feet, but we also need each current active chapter to help by recruiting and retaining all their members!

Red River – Metro There are currently 3 active chapters in the Red River Metro Division:   

Southwestern Christian College Southern Methodist University University of Texas Dallas.

Each club is working diligently to make this year a great year for T-O! There are also a couple of chapters wanting to get started here in our division and I can't wait to get them into our family. Also, our Fall Rally is still in the planning stages at the moment, however, I already know its going to be an awesome time. The day has been set for Saturday, October 18, 2014.

DeMarkus Rhule |Red River - Metro LTG| redriverltg@txokcki.org| (786) 307-0159

Tori Gadney |Oklahoma Panhandle LTG| oklahomaltg@txokcki.org| (915) 443-3868

Moreover, get your calendars out! The Hill Country Fall Rally is upon us, the date is set for September 27th in Round Rock, TX. We will be having some workshops and of course SERVICE!! An agenda and more details will be sent out soon!

I truly hope everyone enjoys the last of the summer and that this upcoming semester is a successful one!

Nancy Uriegas |Hill Country LTG| hillcountryltg@txokcki.org | (956) 459-8524

Oklahoma Panhandle It’s Oklahoma-Panhandle Division here, and I just want to let you all know how we are doing. Currently, we have 6 active, paid, chapters within Ok-Pan, and we are all excited for the new school year to start! Our chapters include, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma University, West Texas A&M University, and Texas Tech University. All of our chapters have been working diligently this summer to recruit new members for CKI, and I am hopeful we will be having an increase in membership this year. The majority of our chapter officers are back home or travelling this summer, but all are excited to go back to their prospective Universities and starting the fall with a bang! Come this semester, we will be having our Fall Rally in Edmond, Oklahoma (home to University of Central Oklahoma’s Circle K chapter) in Hafer Park, only a few minutes drive from the UCO campus! Fall Rally will be on September 18th, starting at 11:00am and ending just shy of 5:00pm, enough time for all of our chapters to get there, and back home, comfortably in one piece! We will start off our Fall Rally with a Book Drive, so if you’re planning to be in attendance, make sure to bring any books you would like to donate for Better World Books, this year’s Governor’s Project! After, we will be having a picnic for lunch! Of course we will be going over District Events and Updates, and a more tentative schedule for Ok-Pan’s Fall Rally will be available by the start of September. Here in Oklahoma-Panhandle, we are looking forward to serving our community in every way possible!

District’s Project: ELIMINATE By: Jennifer Tuggle, District Treasurer Every nine minutes, one baby dies from tetanus.

The effects of this disease are heart breaking--- tiny newborns suffer recurrent, painful convulsions and extreme sensitivity to light and touch. The saddest thing is that for just $1.80, we can provide the three doses of this life-saving vaccine to protect a mother and her children from this preventable disease. The Kiwanis International family and UNICEF have joined forces to raise the 110 million dollars necessary to eliminate this deadly disease that steals the lives of nearly 60,000 innocent babies and a significant number of women each year.

The 2014-2015 Texas-Oklahoma CKI District Project aims to protect the connection between mother and child by encouraging chapters to fundraise and support The Eliminate Project. District wide, we have set a goal to raise at least $5,000 to save or protect more than 2777 mothers and their future children. Each chapter is required to host or participate in a fundraiser to help this worthy cause. I challenge our district to go above and beyond and surpass this goal.

Outside of all the usual fundraising ideas: profit shares, benefit concerts, merchandise sells, and more, Trick or Treat for UNICEF is a great way to raise funds for the project this Fall. Leading up to Halloween (September is ideal), you can go to the Kiwanis International store and purchase boxes for you and your club members. On Halloween day, you dress up in your funniest costumes and go door-to-door, explaining the cause and taking donations. It’s a great way to bond with your club and make a tangible impact.

The fundraising possibilities are endless, but the most important thing is that clubs remember to send in their funds!

This has been a huge problem in the past for our district. I will be creating a tutorial video within the upcoming weeks about how to do this, but essentially all you have to do is download and fill out this form: http://sites.kiwanis.org/Kiwanis/Libraries/SLP_Section__Resources_page/Kiwanis_family_giving_form.sflb.ashx?dow nload=true

T-Ogether Let’s Save Babies

Ultimately, The Eliminate Project is a cause that we, as Circle K members, can all stand behind.

It’s a way for us to not only make a difference, but to be able to know exactly the extent of our impact. What an empowering feeling! During the final year, I encourage each of you to really rally together and make an impact. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to contact me!

Jennifer Tuggle |District Treasurer| treasurer@txokcki.org | (713) 412-6241

Governor’s Project: Better World Books By: Marcelo Urieta Bravo, District Governor “Have you ever read a book that changed your life? If one book can change one life, millions of books can change the world. Make your campus a part of a global literacy initiative this school year.

Together, America can rescue millions of unused books.” - BWB I have always been a big supporter of promoting literacy in our communities. By making Better World Books (BWB) my Governor’s Project, I hope to share my passion for this service partner with everyone in our district. There are also many perks of getting involved in this program; for every book drive sponsored by a chapter, BWB will donate money towards the ELIMINATE project. How awesome is that? We can also reach out to local literacy organizations, schools, libraries, etc. and volunteer!

Better World Books is an online reseller of used books. Every time you purchase a book from their website (betterworldbooks.com), a book is donated to someone in need. Operating as a social enterprise, Better World Books rewards nonprofit partners for books collected through books drives.

Visit the Better World Books Book Drive Resource Center (http://www.betterworldbooks.com/go/bookdrive) to sign up and learn how to run a super successful book drive on your campus! The Book Drive Resource Center is a new tool dedicated to help your chapter have a smooth book drive. You will find email and social media templates, step-by-step schedules to work from, tips to maximize the benefits of collecting books on campus, acceptance guidelines, and promotional materials for your campus.

Once you sign up to run a book drive via the Book Drive Resource Center you will be contacted by a Better World Books Account Executive. They will provide the necessary information to help you and your chapter host an effective book drive.

BWB can help you fundraise for The ELIMINATE Project!

By participating in Book Drives, your chapter can earn monies that vary with the quantity and quality of books collected and accepted into the BWB inventory. You can donate the book drive money to The ELIMINATE Project. Please designate The Eliminate Project as your chapter’s charity of choice when you register your book drive and make a difference in the world!

Marcelo Urieta Bravo |District Governor| governor@txokcki.org |(512) 945-1166

Secretary’s Update By: Andrew Liguez, District Secretary

Hey T-O! This is Andrew your 2014-2015 District Secretary. With a fine and mighty summer behind us it’s that time of year again were we are getting ready to head back to school. As we prepare for the school year it’s also time to get ready to dive back into the world of CKI. This year your District Board has made goals for the chapters in the district to follow. We have many different goals ranging from membership to a money goal for the Eliminate project.

As of now this our goal progress: 350 Membership: 337 Members (96%) 300 Interchapters: 0 (0%) 2 book drives/4 literacy projects: (0%) 3 Charters: 0 (0%)

12,500 Service Hours: 665 Hours (5%) 90 K-Fam Events: 18 K-Fam Events (20%) $5,000 for ELIMINATE: $21.17 raised (0.42%) 3 Reactivations: 1 (33%)

These numbers are coming from each of the clubs SRMFs. If anyone feels that the does not reflect the work of their clubs then please check with your secretary to see what is being reported.

This goal update is from the first quarter (April-June) and does not reflect past years goals. This is only from the 2014-2015 year.

I am excited for the upcoming year and even more excited to bring these goals up! Can’t wait to start the best year yet!

Andrew Liguez |District Secretary| secretary@txokcki.org |(512) 608-3808

Supporting & Sponsoring a CKI Live to serve, love to serve. That is the motto of Circle K International, the largest collegiate community service organization, dedicated to serving the world through its tenants of service, leadership and fellowship. It is one of Kiwanis International’s sponsored youth programs, and without Kiwanis, we cannot grow and develop as a community. Still need convincing? Here are some reasons why you should help sponsor a CKI or support a nearby CKI. Circle K International is a home for college students, to allow them to discover their full potential as a student and a leader. Helping support a CKI will allow you to reach an audience of educated, young adults who are already dedicating their lives to the community around them.

As an international organization, we have the support of thousands of Circle K members from around the world. At the same time, however, we are also a close community. Each chapter is able to have a focus on each individual member, so that everyone’s leadership potential can be developed.

CKI’ers are energetic, motivated and are willing to undergo long hours to help those in need, even if it’s 2AM. This dedication and spirit is transferred into everything they do, which will allow you to bring constantly new and fresh ideas to your own Kiwanis clubs and communities.

Circle K International is part of the Kiwanis family. That means we support each other, provide service opportunities for each other and help each other at local events. Not only do Circle K members provide Kiwanis Clubs with service opportunities, but Circle K members love participating in a variety of service programs and fundraisers that are organized by their sponsoring Kiwanis Club (or those nearby).

Circle K members are the future of Kiwanis!

Being from a background of service and having already worked within the K-Family, Circle K members are ideal future Kiwanians who often graduate and join their local Kiwanis club or a nearby Young Professionals Club. Sometimes, they even go on to chartering their own club!

Circle K needs your help. Each Circle K Chapter is sponsored by a local Kiwanis club, and without the support of our Kiwanis clubs, we would not be the passionate organization that we are today.

Circle K International has the most service hours per member of any branch of the Kiwanis organization.

Make a difference. Sponsor a Circle K club today.

CKIx Recap: Nashville, TN By: Allison Prisco, Immediate Past District Governor

Howdy, T-O! This year, the Large Scale Service Project (LSSP) and International Convention (ICON) were merged together to create CKIx, the ultimate 6-day experience for CKI members to attend!

I’m here to give a little recap of what happened in Nashville at CKIx, and I hope this article, as well as first hand stories from those members you know that attended this year, will get you excited and ready to attend next year’s CKIx event!

The LSSP portion of CKIx is when CKI members go out to different service projects and give back to the host city. This year in Nashville, attendees participated in a variety of projects! Members went to the Nashville zoo, Children’s hospital, Centennial Park, several rivers in the area and the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens to volunteer. LSSP was also a great time to bond with members all across CKI with a line dancing lesson, dinners at local Nashville restaurants and team building exercises. There was also a contest to raise money for The ELIMINATE Project. The number of service hours we performed and the amount of money raised to help eliminate MNT was tremendous!

All members who attended and participated deserve a huge pat on the back for a job well done!

For the ICON portion of CKIx, CKI members heard from a representative of CKI’s new service partner, Up with People. An etiquette luncheon helped members to learn how to properly butter their bread and eat in the fashion of “American ZigZag.” Members attended educational workshops and forums to take information back to their chapters. Delegates from all across CKI voiced their opinions on several bylaw amendments and the voting of our new international board.

Our very own Heidi Brooks, a member of the West Texas A&M University chapter, was elected to serve as our Subregion D Trustee. Cortney Ferris, Marcelo Urieta-Bravo and I were all awarded with Distinguished District Board Member awards. Southwestern University was also recognized for their incredible increase in chapter membership. Congratulations to all!

The week gave us a chance to bond as districts and members, including special district dinners, walking around the Vanderbilt campus, several late-night hangouts and time to enjoy the nightlife of Nashville...not to mention searching for a midnight snack or two. Overall, the attendees at LSSP and ICON this year had an amazing time enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of Nashville!

Allison Prisco |Immediate Past Governor | allison.prisco@okstate.edu | (580) 678-9846

With the excitement of CKIx behind us, CKI is well on its way to having an amazing and spectacular year! I hope to see you all next year in Indianapolis, IN for the 60th Annual International Convention and the 15th Annual Large Scale Service Project! Not only is this a milestone for Circle K International; Kiwanis International will be celebrating their 100th Anniversary of serving the children of the world! It’s going to be an exciting event that you won’t want to miss! I hope to see many of you next year in Indianapolis! Until then, I leave you all with warm wishes for a successful CKI year full of service, leadership, and fellowship!

“Rumor has it, District Admin has a Tinder Account… Scandalous!”

“Rumor has it, a board member serenaded a fellow club member…”

“Rumor has it, Subregion D Trustee, Heidi Brooks is the Executive Director of Kiwanis, Stan Soderstrom’s niece.”

“Rumor has it, brown haired board member has hidden piercings” “Rumor has it, the District Treasurer only dates Asian guys!”

“Rumor has it, some CKI’ers who graduated in May are planning on enrolling at a community college just so they can continue to be in CKI”

Our District's Mascot Tequila is giving members the opportunity to participate in the "Tequila Talks" column that will appear on every issue of the T-O Today.

If you want to submit a rumor you’ve heard, do it here: http://bit.ly/TequilaTalks

Put a little T-O in your day!

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