The Helping Hand A Michigan District of Circle K International Publication

By: Kathleen Hurley: District Bulletin Editor

Volume 58 Issue 4

November/December 2014

In This Issue

Governor’s Update………......2

Review: Snowpia…………….3

Review: Interclubs!…………..4-5

Club Updates…………………6-7

Lovepit…………….…………...8

DCON 2015……………………9

Running for District Office….10

District Goal Updates ………11

Calendar of Events…….…...12

Contact Us…………………...13

Governor’s Update!

November/December Page 2

Hello Michigan District of Circle K,

This January marks an important milestone in Kiwanis history. Ki-

wanis International, founded right here in Detroit, is celebrating their

100th anniversary! Being a part of the Michigan District is a special thing,

because we are the birthplace of Kiwanis—without which we would not

be able to be here as Circle K members. Make sure to thank a Kiwanian

the next time you see them. Not just for all that they do for children and

the world, but all that they do for Circle K International.

My term as District Governor is just a few short months away from coming

to a close, but I plan to make these last months just as impactful as ever.

Since the last Governor’s Update in the Helping Hand, I have had the

pleasure of attending Key Club Fall Rally, along with many of our Circle K

club’s induction ceremonies. One of my favorite parts of being gover-

nor is being present for the induction of so many new members—these

new members are the future of our organization and it is exciting seeing

them join our Kiwanis Family and reflecting back to that time when I my-

self was inducted as a new member. Over the last few months I have

also been hard at work with Circle K at University of Michigan and the

District Board planning for District Convention and helping our district

leadership team to set and complete goals that they have set for the

year before our terms end in April.

I encourage anyone who has the slightest bit of interest in a district or international officer position to

contact me or any of the other board members for more information. Candidate paperwork has just

been released and can be found in my last biweekly At Your Service e-mail, or by contacting your club

president or contacting me by e-mail at emilyabagwell@gmail.com. Candidate bios for the convention

program will be due by February 27. Taking on a district executive board role has taught me so much

about myself, others, and working as a team; I have gained valuable skills that will help me after I gradu-

ate and interview for jobs, and I have also had so much fun while doing it. I hope you will all attend our

last two district events of the year—Lovepit (only $10!) on February 7 and District Convention ($185 for the

weekend) from March 20-22. The host clubs (Ferris State and University of Michigan) have some great

things planned for our district.

Some other upcoming events that I would like to promote to the district are the following: Ferris State’s

Toboggan Race on January 24, the Michigan District of Key Club’s Eliminate Ball on January 31, Eastern

Michigan’s 30th Birthday Party on February 1, Lovepit on February 7, and District Convention from March

20-22.

I am so excited to see what everyone has planned for this upcoming semester. Keep on serving!

Yours in service,

Emily Bagwell

Snowpia Recap

By: Nathan Wright, Bulletin Editor at Oakland University

On November 8th 2014 Northwood University hosted the district event “Snowpia”.This event was

a great opportunity to make new friendships through an all day service event. There were several ser-

vice projects but my team was assigned to the resale shop where there was a variety of tasks to be

done to help out the good people of Midland. I took it upon myself to clean the whole shop, this

meant putting clothes from the dressing room to the sale racks throughout the store and from there I

cleaned the dressing rooms and from there I swept the store and mopped and cleaned the store toi-

lets. After volunteering at the resale shop we headed back to the meeting point and we had dinner.

There was also the annual Circle K’s annual Mascot Auction where our club bought both Grand Val-

ley’s mascot and Emily Bagwell’s Bell. From this Emily and members of Grand Valley’s Circle K must

come visit our club to retrieve their items.

It was an overall great weekend and we hope to see you all next year!

November/December Page 3

Interclub Recap! This year our wonderful K-fam Chair Stacey Tyburski has implemented a Interclub system that has

been doing great so far! Every month, one or two clubs holds an event that is designated interclub,

so that hopefully everyone will be able to visit each club at least once, or have more chances too!

Here is the review of the November event and because December was short there wasn’t an offi-

cial event, but several other interclubs that occurred. I hope everyone has much fun as I did!

Circle K Service Day was held by the University of Michigan Circle K on November 15th to 16th 2014 at the

Ginsberg Center. This year Circle K Service Day saw its largest and most successful year during our 10th anni-

versary of the event. Our club was able to host over 570 participants to complete 24 hours of continuous vol-

unteer work. We were so happy to see all of our hard work come together to produce such an impact on the

community and our participants.

The Kiwanis Family made multiple appearances on Service Day this year. K-kids helped with a blanket making

project and members from Kiwanis clubs around Michigan came to show their support. Key clubbers from the

local high schools also volunteered with us. Members from Circle K s around Michigan and even some mem-

bers from out of state came to serve. A majority of our visitors even stayed for the entire 24 hours of the event.

Circle K clubs who participated include Northwood University, Oakland University, Central Michigan University,

Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State University and Virginia Tech. By reaching out to other student organi-

zations on campus, we were able to spread the word about our club. We worked with 45 organizations,

many of which are from our collaboration with Greek Service Day.

We were able to complete a total of 126 volunteer projects for our community partners over the 24-hour peri-

od. Just a few examples of project were: Tree Planting with Greening of Detroit, Raking with Chelsea Senior

Services, Painting at Burns Park Elementary, Meals on Wheels, Kiwanis Thrift Sale, Legacy Land Conservancy

Sewing Projects, Habitat for Humanity Build, Dresses for Africa, and Blanket Making for Mott Children s Hospi-

tal; as well as many many more.

Although we are still working on finalizing the total service hours completed for this year, we are estimating to

have completed 2,600+ hours. Total money raised for the ELIMINATE project, which aims to eradicate mater-

nal and neonatal tetanus from the world: $1,905.43. The Fundraising committee also raised funds through on-

site fundraisers that occurred throughout the day. They were able to fund two supply drives ($75 each) for our

community partners and raised an additional $182.81 for the Boys and Girls Club.

This year, we were able to make CKSD a Zero-Waste event, which means that the amount of trash being

thrown into landfills was reduced tremendously. The Student Sustainability Initiative provided us with com-

postable plates, cups, utensils and trash bags to reduce waste. Our Environment Committee posted signs to

educate participants on what items are compostable and recyclable to increase awareness.

This was an incredible event that U of M Circle K worked incredibly hard on and it turned out as a great event

as always. Thank you for everyone who participated and made it possible!

November: UofM Service Day By: Nicole Potchen

November/December Page 4

Photos from Circle K

Service Day 2014

MSU Inductions & EMU Thanksgiving Potluck By: Gabby Dudgeon, OU CKI Member

In late November, Oakland Circle K took a road trip to Michigan State and East-

ern Michigan! Our first stop was East Lansing for the MSU inductions of their new

Circle K members. We were welcomed into the Michigan State Stadium by their

Circle K president, members, and inductees. We were also greeted by several

members of Northwood’s Circle K; who had come for the inductions as well. They

gave us free pizza during the ceremony, which of course, is always a plus! The cer-

emony went very well and afterward we headed to Ypsilanti for Eastern Circle K’s

potluck! We arrived at a very fancy house with the address, 7 Normal Street. We

almost weren’t sure if we were at the right place, given the address was so

strange. We walked in and were greeted by a HUGE Great Dane named Beatrix. She was

a friendly dog, however, for whatever reason she was not fond of Nathan. We took a tour

of the mansion and it was amazing! The homeowners were very nice and the food was

delicious! After a very long day we headed back to Oakland with great memories and

full stomachs!

Club Updates!

University of Michigan– Dearborn

By Teia McGahey

Recent Events at Oakland University!

By: Nathan Wright

On December 19th Oakland University’s Circle K traveled to the American Lung Association Offices in

Madison Heights to pick up some delicious cookies the organization wanted to distribute to our local fire-

fighters in recognition of their hard work, dedication, and sacrifice in serving our communities. Six of our

members were there to show their dedication and their support: Katie and Kim were in one car delivering

to three of the seven fire stations and Stacey, Gabby, Mike, and myself were in the other car. The day was

going smooth until we arrived at our last stop on the list. This was by far the nicest fire station that we had

been to that day, but we now know that looks can be deceiving because once we rang the doorbell we

discovered that no one was “home” so, being the rebels that we are we went around to the back and

found an unlocked back door, I led the group in followed by Mike, Stacey, and Gabby taking up the rear.

All was quiet as we walked through the large garage looking at the large fire trucks parked next to us

then all of a sudden I hear this loud voice, I look around frantically to find who it was and it was the dis-

patch radio. After that scare we were hesitant about what we were doing yet we pushed forward deep-

er into the bowels of the station when we finally got to the front desk we set the cookies down and ran

out the front door. After all of that excitement we were hungry so we met up with the other car and had

a spot of lunch.

November/December Page 6

The University of Michigan- Dearborn's Circle K is hosting a wheelchair bas-

ketball game in their campus gym, the Field House, on January 23rd at

6pm. Also serving as a celebration of Dearborn Kiwanis's 100th anniversary,

students and community members will be playing the Detroit Diehards,

a wheelchair basketball team from the Rehabilitation Institute of Michi-

gan. RIM has many adapted sports programs open to anyone who is

experiencing complete or partial loss of function of any part of their

bodies. Sports include wheelchair basketball, adaptive bowling, adap-

tive snow skiing, hand cycling, and many more. 100% of the proceeds

will be going toward these programs so that these teams can continue

to compete and learn to feel comfortably awesome in their bodies. All

Circle K clubs are more than welcome to come watch, play, participate

in the half time activities, eat, take part in raffles, and anything else that

looks appealing! There will also be t-shirts and ample opportunity to have

fun! :)

UPCOMING!

Recent Events at Oakland University!

By: Beth Kuczborski

On December 20th, two members from Ferris State University Circle K,

one member from University of Michigan Circle K and seven mem-

bers from Oakland Circle K including myself did service at Gleaners

Food Bank. When we arrived at Gleaners we first folded bags that

would be distributed to people for them to fill with donated food.

Once everyone arrived we were separated into two different

groups. One group sorted the donated food and one group pack-

aged the donated food into boxes to be distributed to families. I was

in the group that packaged the donated food into boxes with

Stacey, Nathan, Emma and Mike. Nathan, Emma, Mike and I put the

donated food into the boxes that had to weigh fifteen pounds.

Stacey was in charge of weighting the boxes, labeling and taping

the boxes. We packaged over three thousand pounds of food! It was

a great service project to do right before Christmas and I hope we

will be volunteering more at Gleaners in the future.

Circle K at the University of Michigan is pleased to present its annual

formal for 2015 with the theme: Circle K—Lost in Space. This year’s for-

mal will be held on Friday, January 16th at 8 pm at the Trotter Multicul-

tural Center on the U of M Campus. The event is one of the largest so-

cial events for The University of Michigan’s Circle K with 80 in attend-

ance for previous years. At the formal, there will be performances from

the University of Michigan Arabian Dance Ensemble as well as the A

Capella group Angels on Call. Attendees will be able to snack on

sandwiches, pita roll-ups, pizza, and much more. Profits from the formal

will go to the Eliminate Project and to a local food pantry. If you would

like to attend please contact David Li at lidavid@umich.edu.

Circle K Formal at U of M!

By: Steven McCarty

Does your club have an upcoming event?

Do you have something you want to share with the district?

Send in an article for next time to mickieditor@gmail.com

Lovepit is the third district event of the year! This year Lovepit will be hosted by

Ferris State University in Big Rapids on February 7th starting at 11:30am. The theme will

be marvel superheroes. So superheroes your first mission is to register by visiting the

Facebook page or contact Andrew Zwerlein at zwerlea@ferris.edu. Your second mis-

sion is to attend Lovepit and use your superpowers for good and serve the people of

the Big Rapids area! Your third and final mission is to have fun and meet Circle K’ers

from all over the Michigan District! S.H.I.E.L.D. awaits you! There will also be a cos-

tume contest so don't forget to dress as your favorite Marvel character and you may

just win a prize!

November/December Page 8

Are you ready to shake, rattle, and serve? Join us in Ann Arbor for the 60th an-

nual 2015 Circle K District Convention. The game area will take place in the Wynd-

ham Gardens Hotel in Ann Arbor Michigan, from March 20-22, 2015. Make sure you

are registered to play the game! Go to micirclek.org/district-convention to register

before March 2, 2015. The registration fee for playing is $185, which includes two

nights at the hotel, Saturday’s meals, and Sunday brunch. At the convention, you

will work on honing your game playing skills through fun-filled workshops and be-

coming an important game changer within your community. Awards will be given to

those officers and members in the district who have played the game well this past

Circle K year. Do you have what it takes to win? Be prepared to shake it on the

dance floor, rattle the die, and serve your community in the process!

November/December Page 10

Running for District

Office!

Do you love Circle K? Are you looking to help and further this wonderful organization?

Then running for a district position is your chance to serve a larger capacity , serving clubs

through the district! You chance to run is coming up at DCON 2015. If you have com-

ments or questions about running you can contact Emily or our district administrator Lori, as

well was the person who currently holds the position you are interested in!

Governor: The district governor is the leader of the district and the head of

the district board of officers. It is the job of the governor to oversee the work

of the district officers and ensure the tasks and duties are being carried out.

The governor does a great amount and a variety of work during his/her

term, please see the service agreement for further detail.

Current: Emily Bagwell, emilyabagwell@gmail.com

Secretary: The district secretary has one of the most distinctive roles on the

Circle K district board. The secretary performs a wide variety of duties that

require a broad range of skills: being organized; the ability to write suc-

cinctly while including pertinent details; a well founded understanding of

Circle K International; as well as many other abilities needed to accom-

plish the tasks of district secretary. The main tasks include taking district

meeting minutes, creating the district directory, and collect MRFs.

Current: Chiara Kalogjeras-Sackellares, chiaraks@umich.edu

Treasurer: The district treasurer has a critical role within a Circle K district. A

district treasurer is responsible for budgeting, collecting, and disbursing

the district’s money. The treasurer also plays a vital role in the dues pro-

cess and is in charge of making sure all clubs submit their dues, which will

require close contact with each individual club treasurer.

Current: Alysia Rollins, rollinsa@northwood.edu

Bulletin Editor: The main responsibility with which each editor is charged is pub-

lishing the district bulletin according to the timeline that is set by the district by-

laws or policy code. Your job is also to provide information and resources to

clubs and the board about graphic standards . You also provide support with

publication and promotion of district events and announcements.

Current: Kathleen Hurley, kchurley@umich.edu

Goals Update! Congratulations Michigan District! We’ve all made excellent progress towards our goals

that we set earlier this year. As we continue on into the new school year, please keep

these goals in mind as you plan out your upcoming events.

As of December 31st, 2014

Service Hours Completed: 13,532.6 Goal: 18,500

Inner Clubs Completed: 83 Goal: 70

K-Fam Events Completed: 150 Goal: 180

Members: 389 reported Goal:550 (Keep Updating Members!)

ELMINIATE Raised: $2,740.79 Goal: $4000

Club Building: U of M Dearborn is up and running, Northwestern Michigan and

Kellogg Community College are in the works. Goal: Charter 1 new club and rebuild

declined clubs

Keep up the good work! More updates on the way!

November/December Page 11

An MRF is a Monthly Report Form. CKI uses them to get an update from all the Circle Ks about what they have been

doing the community. MRFs include information about service events, membership numbers, interclubs, kfam events,

meetings, and anything else significant the club has been working on. An interclub is when one Circle K does a social,

service event, or attends a meeting of another Circle K and at least 2 members are present from each club. A Kfam

event is when a Circle K does a social, service event, or attends a meeting of another branch of Kiwanis that isn't Circle

K and at least 2 members are present from each club. Overall MRFs are a great way to stay up to date on all the great

community service everyone in Circle K International is doing. This year, the Michigan District of Circle K is using a new

form which can be found at mrf.micirclek.org. MRFs are due on the 5th of every month. If you have any questions

about submitting your club's MRF, please contact Chiara at chiaraks@umich.edu

MRF Reminder:

Don’t forget the numbers

for these goals are based

on MRF reports, so make

sure you report everything

your club does!

District Events!

November/December Page 12

JANUARY:

-1/16 U of M Formal

-1/17 Sub C Holiday Embrace

-1/18 OU Interclub Ice Skating

-1/18 Kiwanis Family Red Wings Game

-1/23 UMD Wheelchair Basketball

-1/24 Ferris State Toboggan Race

-1/24 Kiwanis 100th Birthday Party

-1/31 Key Club Eliminate Ball

DISTRICT EVENTS:

-LOVEPIT 2/7/15

-DCON 2015 March 2015

-ICON 2015 June 2015

Be on the lookout for more upcoming district and

club events, using the Michigan District of

Circle K Facebook Page!

You can still pay dues for new members during winter semester! We have not quite reached our membership

goal yet, so make sure to pay those last minute dues and don’t forget the importance of winter recruitment. If

anyone has any questions about paying dues you can email me at rollinsa@northwood.edu. Hope everyone

is having a great school year so far and I hope to see you all at Lovepit" - Alysia Rollins

DUES DUES DUES DUES DUES!

FEBUARY:

-2/1 EMU 30th Birthday Party

-2/7 Lovepit

- 2/14 U of M LeadCon

-2/21 U of M Serve-a-thon

DEADLINES:

-LOVEPIT Registration 2/1/15

-DCON 2015 Registration 3/2/15

-ICON 2015 Registration April 2015

Contact Us! We are here to serve you!

Governor Emily Bagwell emilyabagwell@gmail.com (248) 982-3376

Secretary

Chiara Kalogjeras-

Sackellares chiaraks@umich.edu (352) 231-3197

Treasurer Alysia Rollins rollinsa@northwood.edu (586) 770-4479

Bulletin Editor Kathleen Hurley kchurley@umich.edu (734) 604-3466

Club Building Chair Amanda Beauchamp beaucha4@ferris.edu (586)932-75113

Kiwanis Family Chair Stacey Tyburski setyburs@oakland.edu (586) 506-0442

Service Chair Zachery Gizicki zgizicki@umich.edu (734) 546-3631

Technology Chair Chris Seeman seemanch@umich.edu (734) 904-8763

Fall Rally Chair Jesse DeGrendel jrdegren@oakland.edu (248) 842-9825

Administrator Lori Stillwell lori2547@yahoo.com 1-586-295-7957

Assistant Administra-

tor Caitlyn Kienitz ckienitz@gmail.com 1-989-323-0136

Thanks for Reading! Does your club have an upcoming event?

Do you have something you want to share with the district?

Send in an article for next time to mickieditor@gmail.com

November/December Page 13

Life’s most persistent and urgent

question is: What are you doing for others. —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.