LOBSTERLOBSTER TALESTALES

NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2015 WEBSITE: nedcki.org FACEBOOK: New England District of Developing college and univer- Circle K International sity students into a global net- work of responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commit- ment to service. TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover Photo by Ratan Manohar 1 KPTI info 4 District Board Messages 4 CKI Service Partner: STUFH 9 Club Building 10 Member Spotlight 11 Club Spotlight 12 Fall Conference Recap 13 Upcoming District Events 17

CONTACT INFO Governor Karl: [email protected] District Secretary/Treasurer Kyle: [email protected] District Editor Emily: [email protected] Happy Family Month! Greater Lieutenant Governer Bryant: [email protected] Atlantic Division Lieutenant Governor Scott: [email protected] Check the back cover of this edition of Lobster Sunrise Division Lieutenant Governor Deric: [email protected] Tales for ideas on how to celebrate! Events Chair Trumane Trotman: [email protected] Kiwanis Family Relations Chair Erin Iverson: [email protected] District Administrator Kristin: [email protected] 2 3 to reach out to your local March of Dimes Chapters and see how DISTRICT GOVERNOR: you can best serve them. Most March of Dimes Chapters will accept no-sew blankets as donations for Tummy-Time or Coloring KARL UZCATEGUI Books for the siblings of those who come through the NICU. Please let me know if you need any help in this regard. For more information on your local March of Dimes Chapter please follow the link provided: http://www.marchofdimes.org/chapter_view_ all.asp Greetings from the Capital City of Rhode Island: Thank you for your continued efforts in your homes, schools, and It is my pleasure to cordially invite you all to the Kiwanis Pediatric Trau- community. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you should ever ma Institute, KPTI OPEN HOUSE happening December 5th, 2015 need anything. from 10AM – 2PM in the Wolff Auditorium at Tufts Medical Center in Downtown Boston. KPTI is one of our three District Projects. Since Yours in Service 1981, the New England District of Kiwanis and the Floating Hospital at Karl A. Uzcategui Tufts Medical Center, have worked together to provide the highest level Governor | New England District of CKI of expertise available to treat seriously injured children. KPTI is the first pediatric trauma center in the world to provide medical care for injured children, medical research on pediatric trauma, and injury prevention programs for children and families. Their Community Safety Programs reach more than 33,000 children and their families each year in New MESSAGE FROM THE England alone. If you plan to attend this year, please RSVP before Nov 20 by emailing [email protected] with the following information: DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR 1. The number of people in your party. 2. The name, address, phone number and email address of a contact person for your party (Usually the Club President or Designate) Hello New England Circle K’ers my name is to the organization that gave so much to me in a. Please place KPTI Open House in the subject line of your email Kristin Sampiere, and I am your new District high school. b. Or you can fax the information to 617-636-8321 Administrator. I am taking over for Tim Daly who is retiring this fall after many years of When I am not involved in Kiwanis and Circle We hope to see you there! service to the New England District of Circle K activities you can find me spending time with K. I look forward to working with each and my fiancée, our daughter and seven month old everyone one of you and the District Board. lab puppy. I also love hiking, running, baking, November is Kiwanis Family Relations Month: Please remember to reach out to your sponsoring Kiwanis reading, photography, traveling and spending Clubs to find out ways you can collaborate. For additional resources click here. A little about me! I started in the Kiwanis time with my family and friends. Family in Meriden, CT as a Builders Club Just because November is Kiwanis Family Relations Month doesn’t mean you should be limiting your member at Washington Middle School and interactions within the branches. Each month clubs are reporting the number of Kiwanis Family Rela- then joined Key Club at Maloney High School tions, KFR they are performing. Let November be your first step in connecting with your Kiwanis family where I was a two-term Lt. Governor. There members. If you haven’t already, and even if you have I ask that you attempt to perform a KRF during the was a brief hiatus in my Kiwanis Family mem- month of November. It is through personal interactions that we are able to create meaningful relationships bership while I attended college since there and lasting changes with those in our communities. was no Circle K at my school. I have been a proud member of Kiwanis since 2009. During For my Governor’s Project this year my focus is on “infant development/research and quality care”. my tenure in Kiwanis I have founded a Build- Through this initiative there will be emphasis placed on our International Preferred Charities; March of ers Club and served as SLP Chairperson in my Dimes and the ELIMINATE Project. As a premature infant and 1st generation college student, these proj- home club and served as Financial Counselor ect truly hit close to home. for the New England District of Circle K. Part As November 1st also marks the beginning of Prematurity Awareness Month I hope you will take the time of the reason I joined Kiwanis was to give back 4 5 DISTRICT EDITOR: DISTRICT SECRETARY/TREASURER EMILY MUI KYLE PARKS-DAMON Hi all! clubs’ service projects and events. cerns about Lobster Tales at emui. DUES I hope you all are having a won- [email protected]. See you all soon! A Message to Club Secretaries and Treasurers: derful semester. I know I’ve en- For those of you who were not joyed meeting Circle K members able to attend any district events Emily Mui Dues can now be submitted through the Membership Update Center (MUC) at CircleK.org! The link to from all over the New England yet, don’t worry! This edition of District Bulletin Editor the MUC is in the top right corner of any page on the Circle K International website. District at our Divisional Train- Lobster Tales consists of messages ers as well as at our annual Fall Login using the username and password specific to your club. If you do not have the login credentials, from District Board members as talk to last year’s officers or your club advisor. On the left-hand side is a toolbar- click on the link, which Conference. I hope to see many well as members from all over the says “Membership Update Cntr”. From this page, the Dashboard, club officers can be updated. On the familiar faces (and new faces too!) district; these include fun service top of the page should be three links. To update your membership, go to the Members tab. Add any at KPTI Day in December! It’s projects that are coming up, more new dues-paying members and be sure to remove anybody no longer in the club! Once finished, go to the been really great getting to know information about KPTI Day, a Finances tab. From here, one can pay for the club’s per-member all of you guys; especially at Fall member spotlight on a pretty cool dues and international club fee either by credit card or mail. If Conference, I’ve found that it’s paying by mail, the address to send the check to is on the invoice. kid from Northeastern Circle K, always really refreshing and ener- and recaps of our divisional train- The Early Bird Deadline for submitting dues is November 1st. gizing to talk to other Circle K’ers ers and Fall Conference. The absolute Deadline is December 1st. Clubs who have not about why we joined this organiza- submitted dues by April 1st will be deemed inactive. tion and why we all love to serve. Please email me if you have any It’s inspiring to hear about other comments, questions, or con- District per-member dues go to pay for insurance if anybody were to be injured at service event. They also help the District to pro- vide training materials to club officers and to run events like Fall Conference, KPTI Day, and District Convention! KIWANIS FAMILY CHAIR: If any questions about dues arise, please do not hesitate to con- ERIN IVERSON tact me at [email protected]

Your Secretary/Treasurer, I hope you all have had a won- The Kiwanis Family Relations Kyle Parks-Damon derful start to your school and Committee is always looking service year! With December for new ideas for socials, service MONTHLY REPORT FORMS quickly approaching, it is time to projects, or other events to bring start thinking about KPTI Day. the K-Family together. If you A Message to Club Officers: The open house is one of my have an idea, please feel free to For Secretaries, be sure to include all service favorite Kiwanis Family events email me at eiverson.cki@gmail. hours performed by club members. These hours of the year, as it allows you to com, and I will gladly accept your I hope you’ve all been submitting your Monthly do not have to be logged in reference to Circle K Report Forms! Between the first and fifth of each specific events. If you do service in-club, count see the impact of your service suggestions. Want a better idea month, Presidents, Secretaries, and Treasurers these hours! If you travel to a service event, and fundraising, and it allows of what the committee is up to? should be submitting reports at nedcki.org. Each of you to meet other people who We would love to have you at- these reports contains information specific to each include travel time! If you travel to an event position. They help us determine the needs of your which is partly service but has other purposes, love KPTI just as much as you. tend one of our online meetings! club, as well as how to address them. include the travel time for one direction. The The tours are wonderful, and This would be a wonderful time formula is essentially (members x service time) + the speakers are eye opening, so for you to pitch any K-Family re- travel = Service Hours. For Treasurers, the money raised includes all funds I highly recommend you attend lations ideas you may have, so if which will be disbursed to charitable organizations. and bring a friend, even f you you are interested, again, please The funds themselves can go directly to the organi- Please remember to submit Monthly Report Erin Iverson Forms at nedcki.org and do not hesitate to have been there before. Who feel free to contact me! Kiwanis Family Relations Chair zation and do not have to be processed by Circle K email me at [email protected] with any ques- International or the District. knows, there may even be some [email protected] tions you may (or may not) have! fun, new things this year! 6 7 GREATER BOSTON LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: ATLANTIC DIVISION LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: BRYANT SOOHOO SCOTT COX

from their division, as well as time, and I’m ecstatic that I gain a deeper understanding got to meet so many wonder- Happy November! I’m hoping that everyone had a fun Halloween (and collected money for about our organization. ful and interesting people at Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF as well)! For those of you who attended Fall Conference a couple of the conference! weeks ago, it was great to meet everyone and learn about your experiences in CKI. I can’t wait to New England Circle K also see everyone again at KPTI day on December 5th! held its 2015 Fall Confer- I was new to being a Lieu- ence this past weekend, from tenant Governor when I first October 16th to 18th. At this applied for the position in event, members reflected on April, but I’ve been really their past experiences and enjoying meeting all of the CIRCLE K actions, both in their personal club members and officers in INTERNATIONAL Hello Circle K’ers of New lives and as members of Circle my division, as well as those England District! This is Bryant, K. We also had a delicious that have attended our Dis- SERVICE PARTNER: your Greater Boston LTG, and dinner courtesy of Lawrence trict Events throughout this I hope everyone is doing well! Kiwanis, who generously semester. We’re a little past STUFH Divisional Trainer season is spent their day cooking so the halfway point through now over, and I want to thank that we could have a tasty our Circle K year, so here’s to all the attendees and fellow Dis- meal on Saturday evening. another awesome 5 months! For those of you who don’t in 1999, STUFH has reported trict Board members that made Several members from Law- See you at the next event! know, STUFH (Students Team over five million pounds of the trainers such a great success. rence Kiwanis also stopped by Up to Fight against Hunger) is food raised by colleges through- Those who attended had the our conference site to spend Bryant Soohoo one of our preferred service orga- out the nation through various opportunity to meet with other time with us and play some [email protected] nizations. They are a non-profit food drives. If you would like Circle K members and officers games! Overall it was a great organization devoted to assisting to get involved with STUFH and inspiring food drives at col- in your local club, feel free to send me an email at scox.cki@ leges and universities across the Scott Cox country. Their mission is to help gmail.com or by phone at (203) 448-6112. Thanks for reading, Atlantic Lieutenant Governor SUNRISE DIVISION LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: feed the hungry while raising [email protected] awareness among college stu- and see you soon! DERIC IRISH dents about hunger in their local communities. Since its founding I would like to thank everyone came out to there. While I was there, we helped to close down the the divisional trainers. I would like to make camp for the year. This means that we moved all of the a shoutout to the University of Maine, the food out of the food pantry in the kitchen to the staff University of Southern Maine, and the Uni- house, moved all the benches, and did other fun stuff. I really enjoyed it, and I got to meet a lot of new friends and “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a versity of New Hampshire Circle K’s. I have see old friends. seen pictures all the service events. Keep up little less than his share of the credit.” - Arnold H. Glasow all the good work; you are all great. One of One last thing is that No- my goals this year is to have a Sunrise divi- vember is Kiwanis Family sional service project. I think this would be month and the Interna- tional Kiwanis Family great because you would get to see members Interested in getting more involved in Circle K? of other clubs in an informal setting. If you committee is putting out have any ideas or thoughts, please email me webinars on how to inter- Want to work on the district board with Circle K members act with the other branch- from all over New England? at [email protected]. es of Kiwanis. I will share them as they come out. One of the things I got to do in the last It might be nice to watch The Lieutenant Governor position for the Western Division month was attend the New York District these in your meetings. is still vacant! If you would like to learn more about this of CKI District Large Scale Service Project position, please contact Governor Karl at kuzcategui.cki@ (DLSSP) at Camp Kiwanis in upstate New Deric Irish gmail.com. York. I had an amazing time while I was [email protected] 8 9 CLUB BUILDING DIVISIONAL TRAINERS: RECAP

Club building has been a focal point this The Circle K Divisional Trainer, held at Simmons College, was a great chance to learn more about semester at the University of New Hamp- the New England District and meet a few other Circle K members from other colleges. Karl Uzcate- shire chapter of Circle K International. We gui, the New England District Circle K Governor, made a passionate presentation about CKI’s ties kicked off the year by representing CKI at to Kiwanis International and about the Kiwanis Family’s service mission. The Divisional Trainer Jukebox, a fun event for freshmen known to also included leadership training for Circle K officers, including member interaction and retention showcase campus organizations. At Juke- tips. Finally, the Circle K’ers enjoyed a chance to bond over a service project for Families in Transi- box, we asked students to make placemats tion: decorating cookies! The Divisional Trainer helped members meet with other Circle K leaders which we donated to the Portsmouth Soup and discuss service projects, club logistics, and make friends. Kitchen. UNH Circle K also had a show- ing at University Day and the Service Fair, two other recruitment events hosted by the By Trace Sakima university.

We’ve also worked hard this year to build MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: fellowship- an essential element of member- ship retention. In the first month, we held a social at a frozen yogurt shop right in down- The Wonderful Trace Sakima town Durham. This proved to be a great service. At each weekly meeting, we do opportunity for people to meet each other Trace Sakima has been an outstanding member of North- a small in-club project before presenting within the club (and for us to make a small eastern University Circle K the past month. He is currently profit). We held another social more recent- upcoming service opportunities. So far, we attending Northeastern University as a second year industrial ly at Freedom Café’s Open Mic Night. have volunteered at a number of events, including: the Alzheimer’s Walk, Chili engineering major. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, he has Besides our socials, a lot of our club build- Fest, DeMerritt Farm Haunted Overload, truly made an impact in the Northeastern and greater Boston ing has progressed through our community the AIRwalk, and the Newmarket Hallow- community. een Haunt. We’ve had a service project practically every weekend! A club favorite Trace has attended all three general meetings: creating no- seemed to be helping out at the DeMerritt slip socks for Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute, decorating Farm Haunted Overload where we ar- cookies for Families in Transition at the YMCA, and making happy cards for Send a Smile 4 Kids. ranged decorations and got to take a tour. After volunteering, we went apple picking Not only does he attend our biweekly meetings, he signs up for every event he can possibly attend, and bought apple cider donuts together. donating his time for the greater good of the community. We are always enjoying his participation This event was a great way to serve our com- and sense of humor! munity and to build camaraderie. Overall, Circle K at UNH has greatly bene- Trace has gone above and beyond just attending community service events and even joined the fited from membership involvement in all leadership team at the Greater Boston Divisional Trainer at our neighboring Simmons College. its forms. There, he learned more about the role of being a member of a chapter of Circle K International. He has shown strong initiative in learning more about leadership and the Kiwanis service organiza- By Viti Phann tion as a whole. We are extremely happy to have Trace Sakima as our member and look forward to seeing the impact he makes on campus and in the surrounding Boston community.

10 11 CLUB SPOTLIGHT: FALL CONFERENCE: WESTFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY RECAP We here at Westfield State are gearing up once again for our annual “Breakfast with Santa” event. This is one of our biggest events and fundraisers and also a favorite among the community and Circle K members alike. We plan to trans- “Fall Conference is a wonderful opportunity for Circle K clubs throughout the district to come together form our banquet hall into a winter wonderland filled with and share in their common interests. It provides a warm, safe environment for people to talk freely about delicious food and arts and crafts for the kids. There will be their thoughts and feelings, and it also allows members of different clubs to learn about one another. raffle prizes as well as goodie bags. We are even expecting a Northeastern Circle K looks forward to attending Fall Conference in the years to come, as it is always an visit from Santa and a few of his helpers! We had a record of enjoyable, fulfilling experience.” – Jenn Rigby, Northeastern University two sold out seatings last year and plan for high attendance this year as well. The event will take place Saturday Decem- ber 5th and the first seating will begin at 8:30AM. As always, we welcome volunteers from other Circle K clubs across New As many of you know, New England Circle K recently held its annual Fall Conference on England who might be interested in helping out at the event. the weekend of October 16th. For those who may not know, this wonderful event serves to If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about bring fellow Circle K members together for a weekend retreat where they can learn about Breakfast With Santa, please contact club president Morgan- the organization and get to know one another. We had members from across the district Leake at [email protected]. attending, all the way from Maine up north down to Connecticut in the south! Participants were able to bond through an assortment of activities, icebreakers, and, of course, food! Like us on Facebook “Westfield State Circle K” to stay updated about Breakfast with Santa and the Our conference began on Friday, October 16th, when we listened to some TED talks by other fun activities we participate in! people sharing experiences that helped to shape their lives. Saturday morning marked By Anna Campetti the beginning of an eventful day of activities and discussions that encouraged conference attendees to reflect upon their own life experiences and how they connect with their experi- ences in Circle K. We also participated in some team-based games and exercises throughout the day, which tested our creativity and communication skills (and also our balance and flexibility, but that’s a completely different story). Everyone was also able to have dinner with the Greater Lawrence Kiwanis chapter, who were kind enough to not only to visit our conference, but also to cook dinner for us! It was great meeting them all! After dinner we gathered around a bonfire, an event during which I discovered the wonders of Reese’s peanut butter cup s’mores.

I had a really great time at my first Fall Conference, and I would like to thank all of the peo- ple who attended and made it such a fun weekend. For all the awesome people I met at the conference as well as those that weren’t able to make it, I hope to see you at Fall Conference 2016!

By Bryant Soohoo

1212 13 Why they should attend next year? .... No year will ever be the same! You may meet people from the previous years but even they themselves evolved since the last time you spoke. As did and will the curriculum for each Fall Con. Remember, Fall Con is not position training session but weekend filled with fellowship and leadership building activities. – Trumane Trotman, Johnson and Wales University

My favorite thing about FallCon, this year and in general, is all the different kinds of people you get to meet and the new friends you get to make. Sometimes even lifelong friends! It is great to feel a sense of family and connectedness from all the Kiwanians and people that contribute to the weekend. I know that even when I graduate college, there will always be a place for me in the Kiwanis family. People should I loved how the weekend prompted me to definitely attend FallCon because you really get a better understand of what Circle K and Kiwanis are all take some time to reflect and think about about, and it inspires you to become more involved. – Bridget Goerke, Bridgewater State University what I actually care about and value. – Fall Conference was a great opportunity to meet other Connor Watts, Brown University Circle K members, learn more about yourself, and have fun. Highly recommended. – Challis Regan

FallCon was an amazing experience because I got to learn more about myself, as well as more about working with a group. It has defi- nitely helped me to be a better leader for my club! – Sara Tepper, Northeastern University

My favorite part of FallCon was getting to share ideas and have everyone share parts of themselves with other Circle K members from all over the area. FallCon is a unique opportunity to learn from other clubs and have fun in the process! – Holly Menna, Fall Conference will always have a special place in my heart. It is such a great way to meet fellow Circle Kers from all around the New England district, and allows everyone to reflect on larger issues as a team. This year’s theme was “self reflection” which was a fantastic topic My favorite part was getting to interact with other Circle K members to talk about with all our newfound friends. I met so many thoughtful and kind people this and the Kiwanians, and talk about ways to improve ourselves and past year, and I can’t wait to meet more wonderful Circle Kers at next year’s Fall Confer- our organizations on campus. I definitely would recommend it to ence! - Anja Gibbs, Simmons College people who want to learn more and grow, or those that are simply interested in a fun weekend with new friends! – Christina Colman, Bridgewater State University

Fall conference is a place where you cast aside your role as a student, or leadership positions, or whatever that you carry into a conference in which one would find important. From my experience, FallCon is a conference for self-development and the development of peer relationships which gives Circle K’ers the opportunity to breathe because as much as we love saving the world, a little bit of self-care is crucial. That’s FallCon is a perfect place for new and returning members to attend. – Jia Xing, Boston College

15 SUGGESTED SERVICE PROJECT: MESSAGE FROM SIMMONS

Are you interested in working thon is also nothing like the on many different and exciting The Service-a-thon is a lot like hunger games, since no one service projects? Do you want the hunger games, since there will go hungry! There will HEARTS AND HORSES to meet more fellow Circle will be new service projects be plenty of snacks provided K’ers from the Boston District? running every hour during the throughout the day! Service Come to the 12 Hour Service- 12 hour event! The Service-a- events include knitting scarves a-Thon hosted by Simmons for the Women’s Lunch Place, Circle K! This service mara- making felt boards for Hori- By Aaron Olson, USM Circle K club thon will take place between zons for Homeless Children, 10am and 10pm on November making animal beds for the Hearts and Horses, located in Buxton, ME is 7th in Alumnae Hall on the MSPCA, and many more! We a therapeutic riding center, located just a mere Simmons Residence Campus hope to see you there, and eight minutes from the USM Gorham cam- (321 Brookline Ave, Boston may the odds ever be in your pus. There are many horses, animals and other MA 02215). Volunteers are wel- favor! wildlife on the premises, but what makes me come to come anytime during continue to go on a weekly basis is the feeling the twelve hours of service By Anja Gibbs that I am making a difference when it may seem events, and may stay for as long that I am not. as they want!

Some of the tasks that the USM Circle K volunteers complete while at Hearts and Horses include the daily routines of cleaning the inside and outside stalls, sweeping the barn, and for a select few, brushing the hors- UPCOMING DISTRICT EVENTS es. These tasks seem to be never-ending; however, I believe that by giving our time to benefit the horses that provide therapeutic riding to others, we are helping the less fortunate. This is what makes me want to help at this riding center more often. The rewards of helping out include seeing four dogs and three cats; these November Board Meeting: furry creatures make working at the riding center more enjoyable and more comfortable. To conclude, Kiwanis Fall Conference, November 21st Hearts and Horses is a great volunteer opportunity. KPTI Day and K-Family After Social: December 5th (Tufts Medical Center)

January Board Meeting: TBA

CKI District Convention (DCON): February or March 2016

Key Club District Educational Conference (DeCON): April 8th-10th 2016

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