Gator K-Munication: March 2023 (Vol. 14, Issue 8)

Hello friends :D It is with great sadness, but also overwhelming joy, that I say that this will be my last newsletter. Very sad, yes I know... HOWEVER, the lovely Nicole will take you on a journey of the most mind blowing newsletters you've ever read, I promise. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to make these newsletters documenting this year, and I hope you guys enjoyed them as well. So without further ado, enjoy the March newsletters love you guysssss :D

Members of the Month

Yeleeya Li - New Member of the Month

Year: First

Major(s): Biology

Minor(s): English and Chemistry

Favorite Tenet: Fellowship

Why did you join CKI?

I've had quite a bit of experience with superficial clubs, where people just do The Club Thing once a week while making awkward small talk and then go on with the rest of their lives. But

CKI wasn't like that at all The second time I went to a GBM, people actually remembered my name, which was meaningful for me because my name is usually harder to remember and pronounce Seeing the amount of thoughtfulness and kindness CKI members had made me stay because these people are the people I want to be like and be surrounded by.

Favorite CKI Memory: Amogus Egg

Did you do Key Club in high school?

Haha L bozo

What do you expect (to gain) from your time in CKI?

I want to get to better know the needs and people of the Gainesville community through community service

What are you most excited for this year?

Da formal !!!

Fast Facts

Favorite movie: DESPICABLE ME 2 !!!

Favorite Food/Cuisine: In my sketchy authentic Chinese food era rn

John Podojil - Returning Member of the Month

Year: Fourth

Major(s): Chemistry

Minor(s): Food Science

Favorite Tenet: Fellowship

Why do you love CKI?

I joined this club because I wanted to join a family of people who truly cared about bettering those around them. Over the past four years I got to watch every one of those people be the better person in the community Not just that, I got to see them grow into the better version of themselves CKI has changed so much about me and the people around me that I just could not let it go.

Favorite CKI Memory: I just remember my first lock-in (Fall 2019) was absolutely delirious. There's nothing like being stuffed in a church with a bunch of friends doing service. And nothing can replicate the energy of those same people collectively sharing one brain cell at 6 in the morning while also making PB&Js. What are you most excited for this year?

I'm ready to graduate and take the next big steps in my life! It's been a long time coming and I'm ready to face it also i am ready for the legend of zelda tears of the kingdom to release babeyy wooOOOO

Do you have any reflections you'd like to share about your time in the club?

I'll never forget all of the wonderful events I got to attend by being in the club Those experiences are one-of-a-kind :)

Fast Facts

Favorite TV show: Jujutsu Kaisen is really good go watch

Favorite movie: Castle in the Sky

Favorite song/artist: based on vibes right now it's Float Play by inabakumori

Favorite Food/Cuisine: Asian cuisine remains undefeated

Hobbies: Gaming, editing, drawing

Anything else you'd like to share: ඞ

March Recap

Here's a recap of all the fun events, socials, service opportunities and more that we had during March :)

March 1 -

Organization Fair

We participated in the student organization fair in Plaza of the Americas and had themed trivia with out prize wheel!

March 2 -

QR Code Day

We spent the day on campus with QR codes on our bags. When scanned, they led to our GroupMe :D

March 2Child Advocacy Center Wild Game Feast

We volunteered with the Child Advocacy Center to help create an evening filled with fun, food and fellowship as we raise funds for park projects to benefit the youth and elderly of our community

March 3Literacy Packets

We made literacy packets to be sent to young kids to improve their reading skills!

March 2Spring Lock-In

Our philanthropy chairs, Jeana and Sammie, planned a super fun spring lock in to raise funds for Relay for Life!

March

4 -

UF Big Event

We participated in UF Big Event, a campus-wide service project where many organizations at UF work together on campus projects for a day!

March 5Strawberry Picking Social

We explored the Amber Brooke Farm and picked our very own strawberries!

March 5Adopt-a-Street

As always, we picked up trash along our adopted street!

March 6Encouragement Cards

Inspiring My Generation is a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce suicide rates through awareness, conversation, education, and support We made encouragement cards for individuals hospitalized in psych wards with the goal that those receiving the card find some comfort and motivation through their recovery.

March 21 -

UF Native Plant Nursery

The UF Native Plant Nursery is dedicated to teaching, extension, and research concerning native plant materials They produce native plant materials year-round for restoration and ecological enhancement work on UF-owned lands. We helped pot plants and fill pots with soil media

March 8 -

Burrito Famous Social

After our general board meeting, we went to Burrito famous for some delicious burritos (and also enjoyed some sick darts) :D

March 22 -

E-Board Elections and Yogurtology Social

We elected our new e-board into office and went to Yogurtology after our meeting to celebrate. Huge congratulations to Rachel, Julia, CJ, Kristen, and Nicole!

March 24

Frozen 2 Social

We journeyed into the unknown and watched Frozen 2! :D

March 23Nicoya Farm

We volunteered to help with some tasks at Nicoya Farm!

March 25 -

Shoes4Smiles Shoe Cleaning

Shoes 4 Smiles is an organization that takes shoe donations for those in need and cleans the donated pairs of shoes.

March 24 -

GSA TOPSoccer

The Gainesville Soccer Alliance

TOPSoccer Program is a free soccer league for players with special needs. We volunteered as coaches to help players work on skills, games, and being social with the other players.

March 26Bob Ross Painting Fundraiser

Our lovely fundraising committee gave the people what we wanted and held another Bob Ross painting fundraiser where we showcased our glorious painting skills

March 25 -

Swampcon

SwampCon is a free, multigenre convention hosted by Gator Anime, a student organization at the University of Florida. As volunteers, we helped give out wristbands, at the help desk, and helped ensure that the convention ran smoothly :D

March 26 -

A Reason to Give (ARTG)

A reason to give is an on campus organization who makes sandwiches for our local Grace marketplace to help those in our community.

March 28 -

Pizookie Social

We returned once more to BJ's for some glorious pizookies!

March 27 -

Spreading Kindness

To promote mental health, we gave free hugs, fist bumps, high fives, compliments, and words of encouragement in Turlington Plaza!

March 31 - April 2

DCON

We had a lovely weekend at the Florida District Convention participating in service projects and celebrating the leadership of our club members over the last year

Thank you so much for coming out to our March events! <3

Shout Outs

Shout outs are a way to show your appreciation for literally anything inside or outside of CKI! Send in your shout outs to ufcki org!

Shout Nicole for doing such a great job on creating the schedule of the upcoming events each week on the slides! - Ryan M

Shout for Kristen for winning Board member of the month! - Ryan M

Shout Destyni for doing such a great job to step up and get those awards done! - Ryan M

Shout Jenny for creating a great Brochure for recruitment! - Ryan M

Shout Nicole for helping me get all the stuff for the recruitment Org fair event - Ryan

Shout out to the real troopers Jenny, Nicole and Kyle for trooping it out in the sun for tabling, handing out silly Bandz and doing trivia!

Shout out Sammie for listening to my rantsRyan

Shout Out Sammie and Jeana for doing so much to prepare for Lock In

Shout Out Annabella for doing such a great job with the infographics lately and hosting so many scrapbooking sessions! - Ryan M

Shout out Devanshu to being so dedicated to service and being such a genuinely friendly person to be around. Your dedication doesn't go unnoticed! - Ryan M

Shout Out Elise for getting so involved lately I love seeing the dedication! - Ryan M

Shout out Chloe, Kyle and Imani. You constantly find unique and interesting opportunities. Service sets the bar so high and an example for others to follow. We wouldn't be what we are without all our service events! - Ryan M

Shout out to Ryan Millman for sending so many shout outs - Emily

Shout out to dirt gang - Chloe Seifert

Shout out to the other Bubba

big thanks and congratulations to the philanthropy chairs for a great lock-in! Can't wait for Relay for Life.

Shoutout to Emily for their last newsletter!

I'm sure it'll be just as amazing as all the previous ones - Cj

Shout out to CJ for the sweetest shout out ever. I'm so excited to see what you do as treasurer next year <3 - Emily

Shout out to Ryan K. for giving me the strawberries he picked during the strawberry social! - Edward

Shoutout to Sam for helping out with the lights during my lip sync performance! :)Annabella D

shoutout to Rachel, Julia, CJ, Kristen, and Nicole! You guys are gonna be awesome next year! - Amelia

s/o to olivia, rachel, des, and em for being the best during a tough time. i love you guys -

Amelia

s/o to the baking social group for making really cute cupcakes!

shout out to the beautiful people of our eboard 2022-2023, yall have done amazing things this year i love you all and will miss you guys -

Kristen

shoutout to kyle's pearl necklace in all it's glory - Amelia

shoutout to socials presenting yall always make me laugh

Shout out to Rachel, Julia, CJ, Kristen and Nicole, so so excited to see how amazing y'all will be as the new eboard and so incredibly proud of y'all - Emily

shoutout to meera for stopping what she was doing to let me use her phone to make flacki dance

shout out to brooke for not missing a beat during the APRIL and MAY birthdays that was a lot - Kristen

Great job to tally and Adrian for braving the weather and standing up to mother nature, the CKI Olympics needed you guys, But fr you guys did a great job planning it - Kristen

Shout out to the outgoing e-board! You are all incredible, lovely people!! Slayyy

Shoutout to Olivia for being a true bestie!

Shoutout to Amelia for giving me a golf ball seed at my senior social!

s/o to emily for being the most amazing editor cki has ever seen, for all of their dedication to this club over the years, for all of the outstanding work they did on eboard, for each and every fantabulous newsletter they have created, and for being an incredible friend <3 - Amelia

Shoutout to Johnny and Julia for helping plan my senior social! Both of you rock! - Edward

Shoutout to Destyni for driving us to DCON! You are fabulous! - Edward

Shoutout to Adrian for taking us to Disney Springs! You are a beast! - Edward

Dear Selin,

'Twas a normal night on the eve of the 22nd of March -- or so I thought All was hunky dory as the general populace of the club feasted on frozen yogurt in merriment and glee It was a fundraiser of the ages -- yogurt was frozen, funds were raised, spirits were lifted, until I, the paragon of fellowship and fun, inimically and needlessly tore your universe apart with reckless abandon. In the pursuit of making sure every member got their due credit for being in attendance, you attempted to hand me the phone, innocently inquiring as to if I had signed my name in already.

The demons took over

In an unprecedented display of sheer iniquity, I, having indeed already placed my name on the sheet, snapped at you "yeah how about you pay attention (angry emoji) " The night went silent. Immediately, I knew what I had done. Yet I did not know why. As I watched the happiness fade from your eyes, and heard the shattering echoes of your quondam joy, I felt alone, though surrounded by people. After all, who was I to associate with them? Someone who just met a remark intended to be friendly and helpful with such critical invective.

It is all I can do to apologize. While I would love to preach that the moment doesn't define me, that it isn't who I am, that just serves to reassign blame to some external monster, when the monster very much exists within me I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of camaraderie , and I can only hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, assuming it has mended after I ripped it out, tore it to shreds, set fire to those shreds, and stomped on the ashes

Ironic I told you to pay attention, yet it was I who has paid the ultimate price. The club trusted me. The state of Tennessee trusted me. The United States of America trusted me

You trusted me.

And I will do whatever it takes to be worthy of that trust again - Johnny

Shout out to bestie Olivia, iF yOu tOlD me a yEar aGo that we would become as close of friends as we have, I wouldn't have believed you And yet, we ended up stranded on the side of I-75 for 4 hours together and I couldn't be happier about it. You are such a wonderful friend you absolutely slayed as our President this year. Thank you for laughing at Adrian with me and making the most insufferable jokes. Love you bestie - Emily <3

Shout out to Miss Madame new president Rachel Eloy. You are literally my idol and it was such a pleasure to work with you on the eboard this year You are so incredibly dedicated to this club and I'm so so excited to see what you do as president Love you bestie<3 Emily

Shout out to Destyniiii, it was so lovely to get closer to you this year. Your kindness and thoughtfulness are truly infectious and I'm so grateful to call you my friend Thank you for always being there Des, love youuuu - Emily <3

Shout out to Amelia for genuinely just being the realest. I never would've expected that we would get close this year but I am so glad we did. You have such a kind and giving heart and I'm truly honored to call you my friend Thank you for always being there, love you always my friend - Emily <3

Shout out to Aidan I guess Thanks for always being there for me, kid. So proud of what you've accomplished and very excited to see what the future holds for you - Emily <3

Shout out to Johnny for always providing an endless supply of shenanigans There is truly never a dull moment with you. Here's to seeing many more concerts together in the future

Dear everybody, if I could, I would write an individual shout out to every single one of you Every single person in this club has made a wonderful impact on my life and I am so so grateful to have you all in my life Each of you inspires me every day to be a kinder person and to live the best life that I can. I am so happy to call you all my friends <3 Emily

Picture of the Month

I ain't even gonna say anything. Your picture of the month for March, ladies and gents

BeReal of the Month

RIP old eboard

Dearestnewsletterreaders, Youhavemadeittotheend.Icannotexpressto youhowmuchit'smeanttometomakethese newslettersoverthelastfewmonths.Thisclubhas beensuchanimportantpartofmylifeandhas givenmesomanylifelongfriends.I'mgratefulto eachandeveryCKImemberforallthejoythat thiscommunityhasgivenme.Ileaveyouinthe capablehandsoflovelyNicoleandlookforwardto readingthenewslettersforyearstocome.Love youall.Livetoserve,lovetoserve.

Emily<3