CON CON C H R O N I C L E S

The Official Newsletter of the Conferences and Convention Committee

of the New York District of Circle K International

dlssp

ny speaking

rtcs

dcon

membership

con con

CON CON C H R O N I C L E S

August 2014

[4] Meet the Con Con

Committee

[7] District Large Scale Service

Project

[8] Regional Training Confer-

ences

[9] NY Speaking

[10] District Convention

[12] Membership Recognition

Award

[13] Apply for Committees

table of contents

table of contents

Meet the Con Con Committee

Richard Kim, Con Con Committee Chair

richard.kim@nycirclek.org

St. John’s University, Graduate Student Major: Criminal Justice Leadership

Favorite thing about attending district events: I enjoy attending events because I am able to meet the amazing do-gooders and participate in different activities to balance Service, Leadership, and Fellowship. Why I joined CKI: I joined CKI because a high school friend told me I should enjoy when he asked me if there was a CKI club at SUNY New Paltz. I “was” a Key Club member for 2 weeks!

Renee Girard, District Governor renee.girard@nycirclek.org Cornell University, 2015

Major: Hospitality Management

Favorite thing about attending district events: Seeing all of my CKI friends!

Why I joined CKI: I joined Circle K because I was in Key Club in high school, and I

wanted to continue with the K-Family.

Jeanie Huang, Awards and Workshops Chair jeanie.huang@nycirclek.org SUNY Buffalo, 2016

Major: Psychology

Favorite thing about attending district events: My favorite thing about attending district

events is meeting new people.

Why I joined CKI: I joined CKI because I have a passion for helping others.

Sean Coyle, Regional Training Conferences Chair sean.coyle@nycirclek.org SUNY New Palyz, 2016

Major: International Business

Favorite thing about attending district events: Seeing all my friends.

Why I joined CKI: I joined Circle K because my friends wanted to go to a GI meeting,

and I fell in love with CKI at the meeting. I haven’t missed a meeting since.

Susan Xiong, New York Speaking Chair susan.xiong@nycirclek.org Columbia, 2015

Major: Information Science

Favorite thing about attending district events: I love meeting friendly people from all

over the state.

Why I joined CKI: I joined because there was free pizza at the first meeting. I stayed because I fell in love with the people and their work.

Alyssa Famolari, District Convention Chair alyssa.famolari@nycirclek.org Binghamton University, 2015

Favorite thing about attending district events: My favorite thing about attending district

events is probably meeting new people. I know, I'm supposed to say it's doing service projects and volunteering, but Circle K is more than that. It gives us so many opportu-

nities to get to know other members from our district!

Why I joined CKI: Truthfully, I'm a sucker for volunteering. If I helped another person or cause, I don't think I could be any happier. It just feels nice giving.

Carlos Morales, DLSSP Chair carlos.morales@nycirclek.org Queens College, 2016

Majors: Psychology and Philosophy

Favorite thing about attending district events: Getting a mini vacation away from home

life to enjoy a reunion with seldom seen friends while doing service or activities.

Why I joined CKI: Because Key Club was everything to me when i went to Bayside high school and the people I've met through the Kiwanis family have had the greatest

impact on my life.

Becky Hopkins, Southern Tier LTG & Gen Con-Con Member becky.hopkins@nycirclek.org Cornell University, 2016

Favorite thing about attending district events: The chance to meet Circle K-ers from all

over the state and hear about the events different clubs are working on!

Why I joined CKI: I’ve been in the Kiwanis family since Builders Club, and when I saw Circle K at my school’s club fair I knew I wanted to join! The members of CUCKI were

extremely welcoming and immediately became not only my family but also my home way from home.

Stephanie Iacona, LI LTG & Registration Sub Chair stephanie.iacona@nycirclek.org Long Island University, Post Graduate Student

Major: Business Administration (Marketing Concentration)

Favorite thing about attending district events: Participating in all the great activities

and events and to see the friends I made throughout the district.

Why I joined CKI: I joined Circle K because I really enjoy the service projects and fellowship my home club promoted.

Amy Boglarski, Spirit and Sunshine Sub Chair aboglar1i@binghamton.edu Binghamton University, 2015

Major: History

Favorite thing about attending district events: Getting to meet and work with new

people from different schools.

Why I joined CKI: Community service and helping others have always been important to me, and Circle K is a great way to help out while meeting other people sharing my

interests.

Cecilia Kang, Liberty LTG & Publicity Sub Chair cecilia.kang@nycirclek.org Fordham University, 2017

Majors: Finance and Information Systems

Favorite thing about attending district events: Meeting amazing people who live to

serve and love to serve.

Why I joined CKI: I joined Circle K because I absolutely loved my time in Key Club, and I cannot get enough of the incredible Kiwanis Family.

Hey Everyone,

Everything that Circle K is about can be found at our District Large Scale Service Project or DLSSP. One of our weekends away, this annual event that takes place in September focuses on the core of our organization, ser-vice! Have a great time, get to know new people and spend the weekend doing service projects that are fun for all. Calling members from all across the state, you will have an opportunity to meet people from every region of the district while participating in great projects that make a positive impact on the local area. Easily the most affordable of our district events, it makes a great introduction to our family and shows new members the type of work we do. Every person I know who has attended DLSSP in the past have, without fail, loved the weekend and looked forward to next one. Mix and mingle with an assortment of characters, both brand new and veteran members who you will share experiences with.

Here’s the breakdown, we get together and get to know one an-other during our initial meet up Friday afternoon. After a good night’s sleep (or stay up with your new friends), it’s time to get up bright and early for a whole day out volunteering. What will you get the chance to do? Maybe work with animals on a farm or shelter, help out a local community garden, cook a meal for the needy, or clean up a park? Sunday we wrap things up with a final meal before we part ways and say our goodbyes. Hopefully not before you’ve had a chance to exchange contact info with the people you’ll want to stay in touch with.

Those are the basics, but once you register for the event, you’ll re-ceive a confirmation packet with vital information and a packing list. It may be right at the beginning of the new school year, but we all know that after a week back in class, we’re ready for another vacation.

Friends, fun and service! It's everything you love about Circle K in one amazing bundle, but hurry! This is a limited time offer and it'll be gone before you know it. Yours in Service, Carlos DLSSP Committee Chairperson

dlssp

Don’t fret! We will be hosting Regional Training Conferences

(RTCs)!

These conferences will happen across the state based on the Club Building Chairs.

All the different clubs in that area will be invited to a school which we will find and

reserve space at using the LTGs in the area. Once they come to the event they will

experience a Training conference atmosphere that will work to help any club offi-

cers do their jobs better and any general members understand the organization

more. Each event will be slightly different but will emphasize the same basic points.

The events will teach all the members about the organization and will help clubs to

meet each other and become closer as a district. I believe that this new idea that

we have had will make our whole district more educated and help us all serve our

communities more efficiently.

Presidents’ Summit canceled?

Article by Regional Training Conferences Chair, Sean Coyle

rtcs

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While the school year may seem far from now, don't get caught off your guard! Our fall conference, New York Speaking is in less than four months, which means that planning for the conference is already underway. Every district event is backed by a solid planning committee as well as a passionate host club. And this is where you come in! As the New York Speaking Chair, I invite you and your Circle K club to consider applying as host club of New York Speaking this fall. After the conference theme is decided at Summer Board in August, the host club will work with the NYS Com-mittee to make the event a smooth success. Members of the host club will bring the theme to life by creating and setting up decorations in the main event room. Dur-ing the weekend, the host club will help with registration, lifeline delivery, and ac-tivity set up. Each host club requires a host club chair, who will act as the point of contact and the leader. This chair will ideally have attended a NY District event in the past. In addition to the chair, the host club will have at least three more members who are able to arrive earlier on the first day to set up. If the occasion arises and two clubs are both qualified to host, there is a possibility of having two co-host clubs. This conference could not happen without a wonderful host. Help the Con-Con make New York Speaking the best experience possible! Written by NY Speaking Chair, Susan Xiong

ny speaking

Host New York Speaking!

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dcon

For the past 52 years, New York’s Circle K Interna-tional District has put on a little convention at the end of each service year. It’s known as the District Convention, or DCON, – some of you might have heard of it. This is the convention to attend if you want to be a “cool kid” or a part of the District Board. That’s right, if you were thinking of running for a District position, DCON is the place to caucus and get elected. It’s a jam-packed weekend full of help-ful workshops, exciting fellowship activities, and inspiring service projects. You can’t forget the booty-shaking dance on Saturday night! The 52nd Annual DCON had a lovely NYCKtendo theme that made the weekend even more fun. While going through the registration process, you had to randomly select which team you were on for the convention. Personally, I was a part of the best group of them all – Yoshi. Everyone knows that tiny green dinosaur is the character to fight over when playing Mario Kart. After registration, you ripped

open your envelope, read through the information, and were faced with the task of becoming a Poké-master by running around the hotel and “capturing” District Board members. Friday is the relaxing and fellowship day. It’s there

so everyone can get to know each other and have a great night. Clark-son University’s Annina Quarantello not only attended DCON, but she was also a part of the DCON Com-mittee. She said, “One thing that I loved about DCON was all of the

amazing people that I meet, from Circle K clubs all over New York, who were ambitious and excited about service and leadership! As part of the DCON planning committee I got to see first hand how much effort goes into preparing for a big event like that, and I got to do my part to make it a success!” Now, how amazing would it be to come to DCON and have the chance to brag to everyone that you helped make this happen? (cont’d on next page)

“...who were ambi-

tious and excited

about service and

leadership!”

district convention

Written by District Convention Chair, Alyssa Famolari

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dcon Once the sun rises, Saturday is the day for learning through workshops. There’s a huge amount of workshops that cater to all aspects of Circle K and successfully running a club. Do you want to know how to become a better leader? There’s a workshop for that. Are you communication skills a bit off? There’s defi-nitely a workshop for that. Is it your last year with Circle K and you just want to reflect on your amazing time with the organization? You guessed it, there’s a workshop for that. On Sunday, the final day, awards are given out to the clubs and members who have exceeded expectations and dedicated so much of their lives to Circle K. Binghamton University’s Krishna Tejani said, “DCON was an amazing experience where I really got to see the Kiwanis family come together and celebrate their achievements. It was nice spending a weekend to honor and recognize those who have worked hard and helped make a difference for the com-munity. “ Krishna was also recognized for her hard work when she won Distinguished Com-mittee Chair for her Eliminate Scavenger Hunt. DCON is a weekend that mixes the three words Circle K lives by: leadership, service, and fellow-ship. It’s three days spent with fellow members from all over New York who have the same pas-sion as you. It’s going to be hard to top Jose-phine Lukito because she is essentially Super-woman, but I hope to fill her shoes to the best of my ability for the 53rd Annual District Con-vention! I highly encourage you to attend DCON, apply for awards, run for a District po-sition, and have the time of your life! Just think to yourself, “What would Kanye West do?” I can assure to you if he weren’t on tour, he would come to DCON, run for District Gover-nor, and break it down on the dance floor.

Who was elected at District Convention 2014?

Renee Girard District Governor

Brian Kenny District Secretary

Walaa Ahmed District Treasurer

Holy Cheung District Editor

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membership Are you interested in the

Membership Recognition Program?

The Membership Recognition Program helps the New York District of Circle K International recognize Distinguished members. In order to obtain recognition, one must meet the require-ments set forth by the District Board. The re-quirements to obtain recognition for the year of 2014-2015 can be found in the MRP Excel file created by Renee Girard. Renee, New York Dis-trict Circle K Governor, have created an easy and accessible Excel file for Circle K members to keep track of their hours and participation. To help keep track of your hard earned service, please save the Excel file to your desktop as MRP_YourFullName_YourSchool. There are two labels in the Excel file, “MRP Input” and “MRP Results”. You can record the amount of service that you have completed in the white input section to the right of the blue require-ment, found in the “MRP Input” label. The “MRP Results” label helps keep track of how close you are to reaching the Distinguished status. The awards will be given in three tiers: Bronze, Silver, or Gold Distinguished. The Bronze tier will be awarded to members that

have accomplished 25-50 service hours. The Sil-ver tier will be awarded to members that have accomplished 50-75 service hours. And the Gold Tier will be awarded to members that have accomplished 75 or more service hours. Another thing to keep in mind while complet-ing your service hours is, awards can only be awarded to dues-paying members, although dues-paying is only a small part of your experi-ence with Circle K. The Membership Recogni-tion Program will be awarded to every member that qualifies for the award, hence, there will be no competition for this award. For your hard volunteered work, I would like you to be recog-nized for your service. The MRP is a new pro-gram that is created within Circle K to recog-nize prestigious individuals for their hard work. Do you want to be the first within Circle K to be awarded with the MRP award? Well now you can because hard work shouldn’t go unnoticed. The awards MUST be submitted by 2015, Feb-ruary 7th. Good luck as you endeavor on a won-derful journey of service to your community.

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Article written by Awards and Workshops Chair, Jeanie Huang, and

District Governor, Renee Girard

con con Like what you see? Apply to be a part of the Con-Con committee!

Apply to be a part of the Conferences

and Convention committee of the New

York District! To fill out the application, just

click on our District’s Mascot Nyck, and

you’ll be directed to the application.

Good luck, and we hope to have you at

our next meeting!