Official Newsletter of the Ohio District of CKI Volume 31 Issue 2 September 2010
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PPAACCEE SSeetttteerr Official Newsletter of the Ohio District of CKI Volume 31 Issue 2 September 2010 What’s Where? Welcome………………………….……1 Hello Friends! How to be a Strong Kiwanis Advisor…2 CKI & K-Kids and Calendar of Events…3 As we all head back to our college campuses this CKI & Key Club………………….……4 semester, I have a challenge for each of you. Bring a friend, CKI & Builders Club……………..…….5 classmate, freshman, transfer student, or commuter to a Report of House of Delegates…………6 service project. Tell them why you joined, and invite them to How to Bid for a District Event………7 do the same. If each of our current 557 members did this, Member Retainment & Fall Rally…….…8 we could have 557 NEW members this year! It is a simple gesture than not only helps build our organization, but also Service Projects……………………..…9 allows you DCON 2011………………………..…10 There are a lot of potential new clubs in the Ohio Importance of Club Goals………..……11 District. This year, I will be working around the state to Subregion E Report………………...…12 hopefully charter new clubs at Youngstown State University, Club Fee & ICON Awards……………13 Ashland University, Miami Middletown, E-Clubs Owens Final Word from the 09-10 CKI and Brown Mackie community colleges, Denison, Xavier, President……………………………14 Otterbein, and Urbana. If you have friends attending any of Introduction of the 10-11 CKI these universities who you think might be willing to be a part President………………………………15 of the chartering process, send them my way! ODCKI Want-Ads………………...….16 I hope to see all of you at Baldwin-Wallace College for Fall Rally on October 23-24, and take home new ideas, knowledge, and energy to your home clubs. In Service, Courtney Winterberger Governor, Ohio District Circle K International Phone: (724) 815 3283 Email: [email protected] Page 1 HHooww ttoo bbee aa SSttrroonngg KKiiwwaanniiss AAddvviissoorr ffoorr CCKKII This Fall I will start my 20th year as the Kiwanis Advisor for the Circle K Club of The University of Akron. As I reflect over the years on the clubs success, there are many tangibles that I think make a good Kiwanis Advisor. The first thing that is important is for the Advisor to know that his or her Kiwanis club fully supports the Circle K Club. The consistency of the financial and inter-club support is very important. The Akron Downtown Kiwanis club gives two scholarships a year. Once the students know that their Kiwanis club is behind them it makes the job of the Advisor a lot easier. What is it that we, as an Advisor are being asked to do? I believe a good advisor has to have a spirit of enthusiasm around the students at all times. Nothing phony. Look for those moments when you can share your own excitement about the accomplishments of the club. These are young adults who know how to run a club. Let them. You are behind them as one of their biggest cheerleaders and at the same time you are there for them as a coach. It takes a serious commitment by attending weekly meetings and activities. Sometimes it’s being there with them that counts the most. There are times when I take the lead as a Team Builder-- - -especially with our Board. I will have a dinner at my home and afterwards we will have an honest discussion as to where the club is. We will do team building exercises as needed to improve ourselves. One exercise we have done is taking Team Buildings Quotes and after breaking into small groups, we establish out of a list of quotes, what applies to our group. One of our favorite quotes says "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." With these type of exercises discussed, we then try and put them into practice. Another important area for the Advisor is to know and understand that these students come from families. Taking the opportunity to meet their parents, whether it is at the start of a school year or the end- of- the- year banquet, enables the Advisor to solidify his or her relationship with the Circle Ker's by sharing in the praises of one’s son or daughter. It is the Advisor who needs to make a genuine commitment to time. It is very important to be consistent with your ability to guide and support Circle K with a spirit of enthusiasm. Invite fellow Kiwanians to Circle K activities. Have the students not only come to Kiwanis meetings but allow them to get on the agenda and share with Kiwanis what they have been doing The best time to invite them is right after Circle K District Convention. This is a time when the club is really enthusiastic and wants to share their stories and awards with Kiwanians. Finally, the Advisors task is one of dedication, teaching leadership skills and constant support. This comes from my firm belief in our students and their ability to develop into solid human beings through service, friendship and leadership development. --Mike Coudriet, Kiwanis Advisor for The University of Akron CKI, Downtown Akron Kiwanis Page 2 CCKKII && KKiiwwaanniiss KKiiddss BByy FFaaiitthh CCooookk,, DDiissttrriicctt KK--KKiiddss CChhaaiirr There are several ways for CKI clubs to become role models, interact and share their experiences with the Kiwanis Kids Programs. One program, and the most familiar, is the K-Kids for children 6-12 years of age. Circle K Clubs can co-sponsor with the Kiwanis Club a K-Kids Club in an elementary school or, if co-sponsorship is not an option, offer their time, talents, interests and assistance to a K-Kids Club. Collaborating with the Kiwanis and Faculty Advisors, they can help the K-Kids Club members plan, organize and complete service projects that are suitable to their age group. Examples may include: organizing a book drive with books donated to a local shelter; coaching students who are entering one of the K-Kids contests; planning an event to raise funds for ELIMINATE, the International Service Project. The Circle K can train and mentor the K-Kids’ officers to help develop potential leadership. Two other Kiwanis Kids programs for elementary school students are Bring Up Grades (B.U.G.) and TERRIFIC KIDS which are organized in elementary schools or community based clubs for young people. Circle K clubs can sponsor these programs or make a commitment to help with programs already in effect. Circle K members can tutor, encourage, mentor and organize recognition programs for students who bring up their grades in the B.U.G. Program or students who meet their self determined personal social skills and behaviors in the TERRIFIC KIDS Program. Whether Circle K and Kiwanis Kids are working on service projects, bringing up grades or achieving personal growth skills, it is an exciting and rewarding experience for all involved. Information about the Kiwanis Kids Programs and ways to interact with them can be found at www.kiwaniskids.org. Service Initiative Bulletins at www.circlek.org provide pamphlets to help plan and implement service projects and ways to become involved with children’s education. Calendar of Events: What’s Going On In & Out of ODCKI North Central Division Rally: September 25th, Kenyon College PSUCK 12 Hours of Service: October 2nd, Penn State University Ohio District Fall Rally: October 23-24th, Baldwin-Wallace College Kiwanis Family Conference: November 5-7th, Carolinas District Erie Division Rally: November 6th, Bowling Green State University The University of Akron CKI Panty Party: November 13th, The University of Akron Holiday Embrace: January 8th, Illinois-Eastern Iowa District Y’all Conference: January 14-16th, Alabama District Ohio District Convention: February 25-27th, Toledo, OH Circle K International Convention: June 22-26th, Virginia Beach, Virginia Page 3 CCKKII && KKeeyy CClluubb BByy MMiicchhaaeell MMuurrrraayy,, KKeeyy CClluubb GGoovveerrnnoorr As we move towards the end of the summer, a magical transition is happening. High school graduates are moving into college and now more than ever, they could use a friend. Far away from Mommy and Daddy, this is the perfect opportunity for the K-Family to be a wonderful placebo. So I ask the returning members of Circle K to widen those smiles and open those welcoming arms to these huddled, confused masses. The K-Family is like an assembly line which turns out caring, compassionate, and competent leaders. However, the main difficulty is coaxing former Key Club members into taking that next step into Circle K: - Be a friend first. Never approach someone about joining an organization in your first conversation. As conniving and underhanded as this does sound; you all know how it felt to be a college freshmen. - Appeal to their personal values. This is a diverse organization that has many things to offer. Be it service, leadership, fellowship, inclusiveness, or character building, everyone takes something different away from the K- Family experience. - Make your club visible. This can be as simple as wearing a Circle K shirt around the uninformed. Anything that causes them to ask questions about Circle K is a good thing. - Explain your Circle K experience. Be prepared to show off your first year in Circle K and how you either made the transition, or started for the first time in the K-Family. This is not to say that I am in anyway an expert on recruiting people to Circle K. Heck, I’m still working on getting my sister (Margaret Murray, Otterbein, all help is appreciated) to join! But, by focusing on the underclassmen that already know the benefits of the K-Family, we can ensure a healthy future for our organization.