The K'municator

A couple weekends ago, Sue Li, Alex Novo, Jonathan Pevarnek, and I ventured to the Wisconsin Dells for the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District’s event Spring Fling. Spring Fling is kind of like our district’s Fall Rally, meant to get members excited for a new CKI year, full of service and fun! There were too many fun times at Spring Fling, including the scavenger hunt we did on the first night (completely circus-themed of course), the hay ride where we decided to have a huge sing-a-long, and of course, what CKI event is complete without a late-night restaurant trip? At the event, WUM also hosted the Mrs. WUM pageant, in which district members participated in a competition to see who best represented their district, determined through a talent and question/answer portion. It was a ton of fun! Be looking forward to a similar event in our district this year. I know you all can bring it!

What I thought was especially meaningful was where the event took place, at Camp Wawbeek, a camp for people with disabilities. Their Circle K and Kiwanis districts host various events at the camp and for being able to use the facilities they give back to the camp in any way they can, through raising money for it or doing service projects there, like cleaning the dining hall or picking up the grounds. You can definitely tell how important Kiwanis Family is to them!

All in all, going to WUM for Spring Fling was an awesome experience. So this year, I challenge you to not only do service or attend events within your home clubs or at the district level but rather to go above and beyond. Attend events in our subregion (we are aiming to visit the other four districts in our subregion before the end of the CKI year!). Go to Large Scale Service Project or International Convention. Our organization has so much to offer so take every opportunity!

- Megan

This picture is from after their the mascot auction, when our district had the highest bid and "bought" WUM governor Morgan! She has to come visit us now, which is really exciting.

Hello All You Lovely Circle K People!!

It’s Tiffany, the new bulletin editor for the awesome Michigan district! I am so glad that I got this position and I hope I do just as good of a job as the awesome bulletin editors in the past. One thing I wanted to let all you know is a little bit about me, why I love being a part of Circle K, and what I plan on doing with this position this upcoming year.

First off, I will let you all know just a little bit about me. I am currently a junior at Northwood University and am a management major, economics minor. I was bulletin editor the last Circle K year for Northwood University and received the Outstanding Editor Award at DCON. I love color and experimenting with color whether it be with bulletins, painting, dying my hair, in my clothing… really in anything.  I love being creative in general which is why I am sure I am going to absolutely love this position.

One more thing I absolutely love is Circle K of course! I was in Key Club in high school starting my sophomore year and could not get over how awesome everyone who was involved was and I just instantly realized how fun and amazing it was to do so many different things  to help so many different people. Now being apart of Circle K it is just so much better because you have so much more freedom about where you go and who you help. My favorite part is seeing the difference, like how we get to know where all the packaging is going for Kids Against Hunger. It’s just an amazing feeling to know one person, and a large group of awesome dedicated people, can really make a difference in this world.

What I plan on doing with this position of bulletin editor this upcoming year is simply keep people in the know and involved. I really want to get our attendance for district event up. It is so much more of an experience meeting so many different people from all over Michigan with the same passion for helping as you. More people= more fun! I also want to keep the bulletin editors connected and be a support system for them if they have any questions at all. I started a facebook group for us all to keep connected so I am sure that will help. I also want to have maybe a large brainstorming session for creative ideas to incorporate into the bulletin or fun topics for articles. I can already tell this year is just going to be an awesome CKI year and I am excited to see how everything pans out with time and all that we ALL can accomplish when we work together.

“You can gain more friends by being yourself than you can by putting up a front. You can gain more friends by building people up than you can by tearing them down. And you can gain more friends by taking a few minutes from each day to do something kind for someone, whether it be a friend or a complete stranger. What a difference one person can make!” -Sasha Azevedo

<3  :)  (K)  ,

Tiffany Biro

Hi everyone,

I hope all of you are doing well and finishing up the end of this semester and CKI year on a high note.  To echo Incoming District Secretary Sue Li in her blog post, I just want to tell all of you how excited I am for this coming year.  When I joined Circle K my freshman year at the University of Michigan, I never would have seen myself where I am today.  At the beginning of college, I was really overwhelmed by everything and was not sure how much spare time I would have after classes.  But I stuck with Circle K and it was seriously one of the best decisions I have ever made.  In the past three years that I have been in the organization, I have met some of the greatest people ever from not only my own club but clubs throughout our state and throughout Circle K International.  I have loved going to district and international events and seeing tons of friends and being able to laugh and do crazy things, like rolling on the floor at district events, for example. Circle K has really been a defining part of my college experience and I do not know what I would have done without it.

As the new CKI year is about to begin, the incoming district board and I have begun planning for next year.  We have held a couple of board meetings already over the phone and discussed communication and goal setting.  Next weekend we will be attending District Officer Training Conference in Jackson, Michigan, to do more brainstorming and figure out exactly where our district should be heading this year.  After that, in April, I will be heading off to Governor-Administrator Training Conference, or GATC, in Indianapolis to meet the rest of the governors from throughout international.  All of us district board members are really excited to get started!

There are tons of really great club events coming up here in the next few weeks and other awesome events coming up this summer (like ICON and LSSP!) so I encourage you to regularly check out the district website for upcoming events as well as this blog, which will be updated pretty frequently.  There will I look forward to working with all of you this coming year and showing everyone how awesome the Michigan District is!

CK love,
Megan

General duties of position:

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General duties:

In general, the goal of the KFam Committee is to increase interclubs in our district as a whole, and to increase communication between the different branches of Kiwanis.  Everyone on my committee has contacts that they e-mail to learn about upcoming events on the club levels, and my contacts are the KFam chairs of the different branches of Kiwanis.

The most important thing about being chair no matter what committee you may be thinking about applying for is to have ideas.  A large portion of my position includes coming up with different ideas for different activities to host at events.  I like having an open discussion during my committee meetings where the committee talks about our goals for the upcoming month and how we can obtain those goals.  I also like to have ideas ready so that I can pitch them to my committee to see what everyone thinks, and give my committee members an opportunity to make improvements or completely scrap ideas.

It is also important that as chair you are willing to travel around Michigan.  As KFam Chair you need to be seen around the district, and meet people from different clubs.  The goal of the position is to increase communication and strengthen Circle K which is accomplished by actually visiting different clubs and talking to members.

For the first semester, the main goals of my committee were to plan events for Fall Rally, and to participate in Key Club’s Fall Rally.  But for the second semester my committee is trying to focus more on our district and trying to track how many interclubs the district as a whole has completed.

Favorite aspect of position:

I love visiting different clubs!  I’m from New Jersey, and I really enjoy driving around visiting different parts of Michigan.  I also really like participating in international events like WUM’s Fall Rally, and Holiday Embrace.  I am really interested in participating in interclubs with other districts since I attended Leadership Academy which connected me to tons of Circle Kers across the US.  By attending international events I get to see my friends who probably would not come to Michigan.

Most difficult aspect of position:

Personally the most difficult aspect is how free this position is.  I really like going to international events, but I could have chosen to focus on increasing interclubs between Builder’s Club or K Kids or maybe encouraging clubs to charter other branches of Kiwanis.  It really depends what the individual chair likes which I found a little daunting in the beginning, but it is also nice to have the freedom to focus on what you like.

If you have any questions about being KFam chair you can contact me at ajnovo@umich.edu!

KFam Love,

Alex

With DCON coming up, it is the perfect time for you to consider a position on the CKI Michigan District Board. Incorporate all of the CKI pillars-leadership, fellowship and service by considering applying for a position on District Board. It will definitely be a rewarding experience! If you think you may be interested in the Service Committee, here is some information for you:

General duties:

The Michigan District Service Committee is primarily responsible for promoting service within the district. This may include helping specific chapters come up with ideas for service as well as methods to encourage members to be more active in service. This also includes promoting Michigan District’s Service partners: March of Dimes, UNICEF, Better World Books and Students Teaming Up to Fight Hunger. By communicating with District E-board and with local chapter representatives, I aim to encourage service by some general goals set up by Michigan District for the ever. In order to get the full effects of service, we try to emphasize reflection within the District with reflection ideas and projects for the club representatives.

As committee chair, I am responsible for leading my committee chairs. With meetings and emailing, I try to encourage them to generate ideas for District. I am also responsible for maintaining communication with Michigan District E-board on a regular basis as well as completing a monthly report form documenting what I have been working on. I had an active role in Fall Rally, promoting Service as well as fundraising for the Eliminate project through various workshops. Finally, as the year ends, I am responsible for holding a District Service event-one that aims to promote awareness for the Eliminate project.

Favorite aspect of position:

My favorite aspect of my position has been being involved on a District level. Having this position gave me access to meeting so many wonderful and passionate CKI’ers, with an inspiring love for service! Before this year, I did not know much about the District level or about other local chapters, but now I definitely feel like a Michigan CKI’er! I think Executive Board has done a wonderful job with District this year and it is a perfect time to get more involved!

Most difficult aspect of position:

Even though Service Committee has been working towards promoting service with local chapters this year, sometimes it is difficult to get responses or feedback from local chapters. Since local chapters are so busy with their activities as well as their personal academic lives, communication takes a bit longer which slows the process of our planning. Since Michigan District Service Committee is here to help local chapters, it is difficult to gauge what exactly each chapter requires from us on a local and/or district level.  Despite these minor setbacks, we are still able to accomplish our goals!

I have loved my position as Michigan District Service Chair. If you have a love for service and want access to dedicated and passionate service oriented individuals, this is a great position to get involved in. Remember, there is power in numbers! This is definitely an eye-opening experience that made me more aware about CKI on a district level! If you have any questions about the Service Committee, please email me at saira.t.khan@gmail.com! I would love to hear from you!

Best,
Saira

You may have seen me around and wondered what the secret to being so happy and awesome might be…and if you guessed that it is because I am Michigan District Secretary, you are correct! District Convention is quickly approaching (find the exact number of days HERE), and for those sticking around next year, don’t rule out any of the district positions! I will go through a few of the main responsibilities as district secretary. If you want to find out more, feel free to call or shoot me an email at clchau@umich.edu.

General Responsibilities

Meeting Minutes

It is my job to take meeting minutes at all of the official district board meetings, which happens five times during the year (summer, Fall Rally, Snowpia, Lovepit, and DCON). The meetings tend to last about three hours, so it takes just about that long to edit them after meetings before sending them out to everyone. I also take notes during all executive board and leadership team meetings.

MRFs

Making sure club secretaries fill out MRFs (monthly report forms) is another one of my duties. This information is used to report to individuals at the international level.

District Directories

I also work with club secretaries and presidents to get contact information for the district directories that are sent out twice a year. This is important in order for clubs to get in contact with one another.

Favorite aspect as secretary

I love meeting people, and MICKI district members are DA BESTEST! District events always leave me wishing they lasted forever. I also have had the pleasure of working with all of the fabulous club secretaries, who have been so responsive, which makes my job much easier!

Most difficult aspect as secretary

Juggling all of the responsibilities with my academic life and outside job is definitely one of the biggest challenges as secretary. I quickly found out how time consuming it is to collect and create directories, edit three-hour long board meeting minutes, keep track of all club MRF information, as well as perform general e-board duties like help plan and promote Fall Rally. It takes a lot of organization and time management. I always have to-do lists on “sticky notes” on my laptop, and that helps so much!

Through all of the good and all of the not-so-smooth times thus far, I have absolutely enjoyed every minute of being a part of the Michigan District and having a role in shaping it. As much as I enjoyed being involved at the club level, putting a focus on the district felt like a breath of fresh air. It gave me a completely new perspective of CKI that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten and has brought my Circle K experience full circle. It is honor to have been elected for this wonderful opportunity, and I highly encourage you to ask more questions and consider running if you’re even the least bit interested!

Much CKI <3,
Cindy

District Convention is coming up soon, so now is the time to ask yourself – do you want to be on district board next year? With the variety of positions district board has to offer, you will most definitely be able to find a position you are truly passionate about! If you have been thinking about the District Club Building Chair, here is some information about it.

General duties:

The biggest part of club building is, as the name implies, to help build clubs within the district. This may mean helping a new club get set up and running or helping an existing club improve in some manner. I communicate with the district board to make sure all of our district goals for the year are being met. I also maintain communications with all of the club representatives to see how district can better serve them. I make sure to integrate district goals along with the club representatives’ needs in order to plan and carry out ideas/events. I also try to get clubs to interact more with each other, as I believe that in order to have a strong district, the clubs within the district should communicate with each other. As a committee chair I also have the responsibility of leading my committee members. We have meetings where we discuss what can be done to improve the district, then we try to put these ideas into action.

Some of my typical duties include filling out a monthly report form to update the District Executive Board on my progress each month. I also helped organize and carry out workshops during Fall Rally this year. My biggest responsibility, though, was helping out with recruitment at the club level during August-September. My committee worked hard on creating recruitment ideas that could be used by clubs of all different sizes across the state of Michigan. District really wants to see the clubs reach their membership goals this year, so our committee invested a lot of time in reaching out to clubs to make sure they were getting the members they wanted.

Favorite aspect of position:

My favorite aspect by far has to be seeing all of the improvement made within our district. Before I became a a district chair, I did not know much about the other clubs across the state. After this year, though, I’m happy to say that both my Circle K experience and knowledge are much more complete. I have met many new people this year, and I have been lucky enough to view Circle K from the broader eyes of the district.

Most difficult aspect of position:

As much as I love helping out the individual clubs, at times it gets difficult to get in touch with some of the club representatives. This is only natural though, as we all are busy with school and other activities in our lives. There are times when I end up playing phone tag for a week with a person I am trying to get in contact with. However, everything always ends up working out, granted things may take a bit longer than I originally plan for them to take.

Overall, I have been very happy with my position as District Club Building Chair! It is definitely a wonderful and rewarding opportunity, given that you have the time to dedicate to it. If you have any further questions about this position or want to know more about how to run for this position, please send me an e-mail at swatibajpayee@gmail.com. I would be more than happy to help you!

Swati

Hello MI CKI’ers!  DCON will be here faster than you know it, so it’s a good idea to start thinking about positions for next year.  I know there are tons of qualified members in the Michigan District that can take over for their club boards and the district board.  So, if you’re interesting in the District Bulletin Editor position, here is some information on it.

General Duties:
The biggest part of the editor position is creating and editing the issues of The Helping Hand.  Visit the Michigan District site here to preview the past issues.  I spend about a month preparing each issue of the bulletin.  This includes emailing all the club editors about what I’d like them to include in the issues, designing a template for the publication, contacting the district board members and chairs for things to include in the issue, and writing articles.  This part can be a lot of work and a bit time consuming, but it is a lot of fun and totally worth the time.

Aside from the district bulletin, this position involves a lot of communication with the club editors.  You are their key resource when they are working on their own publication.  I also try to give feedback and suggestions when I get sent the club bulletins.  I also pass on the club bulletins to the rest of the members of the district board and sometimes other CKI representatives.  It’s important to share the bulletins because it helps let everyone know what is going throughout the district.

Finally, another general part of the position is keeping in contact with the rest of the members of the district board.  Since we only meet in person 5 times a year, we have plenty of phone chats to keep in contact with what everyone is doing and to make plans for events, visits to clubs, etc.

Favorite Part:
What I like best about my position is reading each clubs bulletins.  It’s so great to see what all the clubs are doing and the editors are so creative with their publications that it so much fun to read them.  It’s also great to get to know the editors during the year. They’ve all been creative and great with getting me articles that I’ve really been lucky to work with them this year.

Difficulties:
What I’ve found hard about this position is making a creative template and organizing the issues.  The past district editors have done such a good job with their publications that I wanted to do something fun like theirs, but kind of different.  This has been a bit of a challenge and in all honesty, I’m still trying to make it perfect.  But as long as you take the time to plan it out and work on it, The Helping Hand will come out great!
I hope this gives you a bit of an idea on what I do as the Michigan District Editor.  If you have any questions about what I do or anything else about the position feel free to email me at mel.ckieditor@gmail.com.  I’m always happy to help!

Love & Service,
Muffy