Sunday, August 31, 2008

Six Cents CAN Save a Life!

Dear Friends:

In order to stay healthy, it is important to drink 1.5 to 2 liters of clean water every day. We may think clean water is readily available, but not everyone enjoys such conveniences. More than 1 billion people do not have access to clean water. More than 2.6 billion people around the globe lack even the most basic sanitation facilities. That means one and five children in developing countries are susceptible to diseases caused by bacteria that grow in unsafe waters--and 5,000 die every day.

But there is hope!

As a Circle K member, I have joined CKI and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's Six Cents
Initiative. This initiative is designed to help children get the rehydrating salts they need to survive dehydration spells and to help UNICEF provide long-term solutions to achieve their goal to educate safe water and hygiene practices, and to provide supplies to produce safe water supplies for communities.

With contributions to UNICEF, CKI can help provide:

Click here to visit my personal page.


Click here to view the team page for 08-09 Circle K International Board.



--Kristen

Thursday, August 28, 2008

2008-2009 CKI Chat Schedule

Greetings Everyone!

Below you will see a promotional video highlighting our CKI Online Chat Schedule! Be sure to check it out and join us every first Wednesday of the month at 10pm EST.

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen



Saturday, August 23, 2008

Hop on Board! International Committee Applications Available!

Greetings CKI!

Below you will find the applications for the 2008-2009 CKI International Committees and an educational piece to demonstrate for you new changes. If you have questions regarding the application process, structure or committees - please contact Vice-President Ricardo Torres at vp@circlek.org or President Kristen Reed at president@circlek.org.

INTERESTED? Interested members are encouraged to apply for these important committees by submitting an application. To be considered, members must be dues paid and from a club in good standing. Please note deadlines, as they will be strictly enforced.

Applications are due by Monday, September 1, 2008 at 11:59pm EST.
Late applications will not be considered.


Members may apply for more than one committee; however they will only be selected to serve on one. Depending on the quantity of applicants there may be a phone interview process on September 2nd and 3rd. All Committee member appointments will be announced over the business reflector on September 4th, 2008.

Applications must be sent to both vp@circlek.org and president@circlek.org.
For logistical purposes, please clearly note in the subject of your email the name of the committee you are applying for.

READ FIRST:
Click Here for the 08-09 Committee Ed Piece

APPLICATIONS:

The Membership Development and Benefits Committee shall focus on membership development and education, member benefits, awards, club building, and leadership development. Click Here for Application

The Marketing and Kiwanis Family Relations Committee shall focus on the Kiwanis family and the marketing presence and public relations issues related to Circle K International. Click Here for Application

The Service Committee shall focus on the Service Initiative of Circle K International, the Large Scale Service Project, the Tomorrow Fund, and partnerships with outside service programs. Click Here for Application

The Large Scale Service Project Ad-Hoc Committee will promote, plan, and execute a successful annual service project close to the date of CKI Convention that gives all members an opportunity to serve together that will provide a significant impact to the community that is served. Click Here for Application

Good Luck to all applicants!

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Membership Round-Up, YeeeeHaw!









In the pictures above you will see CKI Sub-region F International Representative Eric Hotchkiss, myself, Kiwanis International President Dave Curry, Key Club International President Kia-Albertson-Rogers, and Key Club International Trustee Jessica Morris. Also, the next picture to the right is me with one of my many sets of NY Kiwanis "parents" Joanne and Justin Underwood. Click photos to enlarge.

This past week I had the distinct honor to attend the NYD Kiwanis Membership Round-Up in Syracuse, New York. The Kiwanians of the Ontario division pulled out quite the red carpet for President Dave, myself, and President Kia. The dinner hall was completely decorated with cowboy decorations, western boots, and everyone in attendance was wearing their best bandannas, cowboy hats, and spurs!

President Kia and I were both given the opportunity to address the dinner with messages from our respective organizations. For those of you who don't know, I have known Kia for 5 years having had his brother Wren serve as my District Editor my year as KC Governor and his mom serves on the Kiwanis Committee for Key Club. When Kia gave his speech I couldn't have been prouder! To know Kia for so long and watch him grow up, give a remarkable speech, and have such a charming/warming presence in the room there it's no wonder why KCI selected him to be their president this year. Kia's greetings also included presenting President Dave with the first ever Anthony J. Palangi Memorial Service Recognition award for Dave's commitment to serving the children of the world. When it was my time to speak I asked all the Kiwanians in the room what their favorite past time was when they weren't busy serving others and if anyone liked baseball? After a few roots and cheers from my fellow NY Yankees fans I read my favorite quote to everyone -- "I've learned you should not go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands, you need to be able to throw a few things back!" This is a quote that many of
you may have heard me say in caucus and in my address to the Kiwanians I promised that Circle K would be working very hard to throw some things back to Kiwanis and work with them this year to better Kiwanis Family Relations. I also presented President Dave with a CKI Survival Kit! The kit included a plastic red CKI megaphone, CKI navy drawstring bag, DVD on Kamp Kiwanis, Six Cents Initiative pin, and the 08-09 NYCKI pin. Dave was a huge fan of our CKI Megaphone and used in numerous times through the evening!

The purpose for this dinner was to install 12 new Kiwanians of the Ontario Division and also to be the main call center for reporting new members from around the entire NY District. My Kiwanis Governor Don Herring asked each Lt. Governor in the district to hold a "Membership Round-Up" to recruit new members to join Kiwanis. Every "round-up" site called in to our dinner hall and reported throughout the night how many members they had recruited to join Kiwanis. The NY Kiwanis division of Long Island South Central called to report they had recruited 45 new members to join! 45 new members in one night! How incredible? To say I was impressed would be an understatement. The night wrapped up with President Dave installing the new Kiwanians and a very lengthy raffle of nifty prizes including gorgeous dream catchers and gift baskets. At the end of the evening the NY Kiwanis District had gained a grand total of 233 new Kiwanians. After all of the numbers reported were accumulated Governor Don announced that the small goal that was set for the evening was 100 new Kiwanians and the big goal for the district was 200 new members.

Congratulations to the NYD of Kiwanis for not only meeting their small goal but exceeding their big goal as well!

Being that this is the very beginning of our 2008-2009 Circle K year, Representative Eric and I were very lucky to have had the opportunity to spend some quality time with our fellow Kiwanis and Key Club International leaders! After speaking with President Dave on the state of Kiwanis and their fabulous convention in Orlando and talk to President about the new and exciting Key Club Web-site and initiatives in the works I have never been more excited for an excellent year of K-Family Relations!

For more information on the Membership Round-Up (super cool idea!) check out the NYD Kiwanis Web-site and in Kiwanis they always say -- One CAN Make a Difference! Well, it is exciting to know that this ONE event brought in 233 more Kiwanians to join our Kiwanis family to make a difference as well!

K-Love,

--Kristen








In the pictures above you will see Kia, Eric, Jessica, and I "monkeying" around our favorite ficus in the dinner hall. To the right, Kia and I check out each other's new International President's pins. Last but not least, me with Mrs. & Mr. Eppolito. Mr. & Mrs. E, as I like to affectionately call them, were my Key Club District Kiwanis Committee Representatives when I was a KCI Lt. Governor and Governor in High School! Click photos to enlarge.

10% off Textbooks for CKI members













Got textbooks? I sure do! As this semester begins remember to use your CKI discount code "CKI_2008" when you order books on BetterWorld.com.


This CKI member exclusive discount code will take 10% off your entire order!

Happy Textbook Shopping!

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Life Lesson: Don't let your Frisbee get stuck on a Roof!

When you were a child did your parents ever tell you not to touch fire because it was hot? Maybe you were more of a light socket enthusiast and your curiosity got you zapped. The funny thing about life is regardless of your age you are never too old or too young to learn a lesson here and there. My newest life lesson came when I least expected it but maybe at the perfect time as I begin this journey being your International President.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a complete dog lover. I have two dogs Bear and Buddy Lee. I treat my dogs like complete little princes. When holidays come around you bet you'll see Bear running around with jingly reindeer antlers or Buddy Lee with a red bow tie sewn to his collar on Valentine's Day. The two of them even have pairs of boots for the winter time so their paws don't get cold. So as you can imagine with classes quickly approaching and my time at home with them slowly winding down I have been spending an unusual amount of time playing ball, going for walks down by the river, and taking my dogs to the park. Most recently though instead of an evening walk I opted for a nice game of frisbee in the backyard. If you are a visual person I would also like to add that the frisbee was of clear blue color and had the KEYLEADER program printed on it.

As any of my Potsdam State friends will tell you I'm not the best frisbee player in the world. I can play a fun pick-up game for the most part but I steer clear of any Frisbee Club meetings or the intense games. Also, never invite me to play a game of frisbee by a body of water unless your a swimmer or don't mind rolling up your jeans to get your feet wet! In the middle of my evening frisbee game with my two pups I decided I was going to make them work jusssst a little bit harder and run farther for the frisbee. To prepare for my far throw I aimed once, I aimed twice, and I put all of my weight into my throw and released the frisbee. Being at the the time it was after supper and the sun was going down I had a beam of light get in my way at the very last second. I moved out of the ray of sun and looked around to see which one of my boys brought back the frisbee. When I opened my eyes I saw my dogs with their tails wagging staring up at the roof above my backyard patio. My thought pattern after that was literally "What? Huh? Oh man the frisbee is on the roof!"

After my realization that I, although in high school was a 1st place stellar discus thrower, still have failed to master frisbee throwing I began to think of ways in my head to get the frisbee off the roof. I glanced over to my garage and saw a large metal rake leaning against my fence. I grabbed the rake and reached up to the roof hoping to get the frisbee stuck in the gutter then flip it out. That idea ended up being completely bogus because I'm only 5ft 1inch tall and that rake could have been 10ft long and I still probably wouldn't have reached the frisbee. But you know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed...try and try again!" So being the genius I am I grabbed the next best tool leaning against my fence - AN ICE PICK! I thought it was absolutely genius because after all it was a lot longer then the rake. Nope - still no frisbee and just for the record swinging an ice pick above your head trying to hit a roof to get a frisbee really just does not look good when your neighbors peak over the fence. So after two tries I couldn't help but think that the third time would be the charm and then it hit me. GARDEN HOSE! I figured I would grab the garden hose and aim it up on that roof and with enough water pressure I could blast the frisbee down. Just my luck after I grabbed the garden hose I found myself enjoying a small summer shower because when I lifted the hose to shoot the water onto the roof the water pressure wasn't strong enough to push the frisbee down. This latest solution to my problem only resulted in me having a wet shirt and my dogs looking at me very strangely from afar terrified that I'm going to spray them. Although reluctant to do so because my dad had just come home from a busy day at work I finally bucked up and marched into the house to ask my dad for help. He, being much taller then me, grabbed the rake, scooped the frisbee into the gutter, and flipped it out in a matter of about 10 seconds.

So what's the life lesson from this story and how does it affect your CKI club? Well aside from breaking the age old myth that the third time is in fact the charm I now have a new appreciation in asking for help. Think about it for a second, had I asked my dad for help in the first place I probably would have saved myself a lot of embarrassment with my neighbors and a lot of time. In addition, my rake idea wasn't necessarily a bad one and in fact in the end worked I just needed help executing it properly. As the Fall 2008 semester begins and your club starts meeting remember to use all the resources you have around you and seek help in tasks from your fellow officers and members. You may have the world's greatest idea but may need just a little bit of help to help you execute it. Be sure to utilize your Kiwanis Club, Faculty/Kiwanis advisor, and use your friends too by inviting them to a meeting to check out CKI with you.

Good Luck this Fall 2008 semester and remember it's okay to ask for help! After all, you don't want your frisbee to be stuck on a roof now do you? :)

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Drumroll please.....introducing SHORT HAIR!

For those of you who were lucky enough to attend International Convention in Denver, CO you saw at the closing session a group of lovely ladies (and one gentlemen) cut our hair for Locks of Love.

Locks of Love is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that accepts hair donations to manufacture hair pieces for children (under the age of 18) suffering from medical related hair loss. For more information on Locks of Love click here to learn about their vision, mission, and how you can help.

In these pictures above you will see before and after photos of Kathleen Benson (2007-2008 International Representative to Sub-region C and the Queen of being a good best friend) and I with our new hair dos!

When the group of us departed from Denver I know we had some pretty funky, whacky, and choppy hair-dos so I figured I'd upload these pictures so you can see the real aftermath. I was nervous at ICON when Ronald cut my hair however I'm pretty happy with the way my hair turned out. I can make it fluffy, flat, straight, curly, flip it out, curl in it, and most importantly...I CAN STILL PULL IT BACK IN A PONY TAIL! Hallelujah!

For more before and after photos of the brave donors visit the "I cut my hair for Locks of Love at the 2008 CKI International Convention" Facebook Group.

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen

Friday, August 15, 2008

Getting to know you...

Hey there CKI!

Ricardo and I came up with a one page introduction of ourselves for everyone.

Click here to download the "Meet your International President & Vice President" sheet!

Feel free to share it with all of your CKI buddies. :) Happy Friday!

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen

Thursday, August 14, 2008

How does your sole feel today?

Is anyone else out there packing like crazy to go back to school? I know I am! Today as I was going through my closet deciding what to bring to school and what to leave at home I found myself making 2 piles of shoes in my hallway. One I named "Good Shoes" the other was called "Bad Shoes." After a while I started to think about the little mountains of shoes I was creating in my hallway -- were the shoes I was opting to leave at home really "bad shoes?" Grant it my purple Nikes from high school, double buckle Dr. Martens, and worn once Billabong green flip flops I bought one summer at the Jersey shore weren't my first choice to bring back to college with me that doesn't necessarily make them bad. I then remembered that the Nebraska-Iowa District has this really awesome service initiative called "Soles4Souls."

N-I Circle K'ers are working this year with the 501(c)(3) organization in collecting shoes for those in need. To make the deal even sweeter their goal is to collect 500 pairs of shoes by our 2009 CKI International Convention in Birmingham, Alabama. Why 500? Because it is 929 miles to Birmingham from the Nebraska-Iowa district and 500 pairs of shoes symbolizes one shoe for every mile traveled. Pretty cool, huh? That's not all! Within Nebraska-Iowa they are having a friendly competition to see which club can collect the most shoes. The winning club will receive "The Golden Shoe" at N-I's spring District Convention. I don't know about you guys but I think show casing a golden shoe award in your school's CKI office would be pretty rockin'!


To help out with this initiative I am proud to announce I will be donating 10 pairs of shoes to Soles4Souls in the name of the Wayne State College CKI Club (5 pairs) and University of Iowa CKI Club (5 pairs.) At the May 2008 CKI Leadership Academy I had the opportunity to meet and become really good friends with Lukas Rix, Tim McKenna, and Trey Weber from the N-I district and I am excited to donate my shoes to count towards the totals for their home clubs. Hey, what are good friends for? ;)

In closing, I am helping the Nebraska-Iowa District get 20 miles closer to Birmingham - won't you lend a "foot" too? Remember when you are cleaning out your closet to go back to college that those shoes you may put in the "bad shoe" pile could make a world of a difference to someone around the world who may not have shoes. If
your club is interested in doing a shoe drive the Soles4Souls organization will help you by providing collection bins, brochures, an informational DVD, and banner. For more information regarding Soles4Souls e-mail Nebraska-Iowa District Governor Lukas Rix or check out the Nebraska-Iowa CKI Web-site. Governor Rix can help you with information on where to send your donation and the N-I service initiative goals.

Your extra pair of shoes could be the first pair for someone in need. Don't miss this opportunity to make a world of a difference in someones life.

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Free Laundry!

Greetings from New York Circle K'ers!

First and foremost I wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone at International Convention & LSSP for making this past week such a memorable experience for me. Especially to those who helped me so much in preparing for running for president (it's not easy, trust me!) including Michelle Clemens, Eric Hotchkiss, and Sneha Bhat. I would've been lost without you three! You never really know just how much you miss CKI events until you come home and are like "wait?! why aren't you cheering?" and "where are my constant hugs and happy gram notes?!" I know I wouldn't mind checking a paper bag at the end of each day with a positive happy gram saying how cool I am -- haha!

For those who don't know me my name is Kristen Reed and I am your new Circle K International President for the 2008-2009 year. I can't tell you how excited I am to have been elected and now I am ready to get this show on the road of service for this year! Since International Convention I have been a busy bee with the flood of e-mails (mostly Facebook picture tags, ofcourse), getting things settled and ready for the International Board Trainer in September, and working with Governors on filling vacancies. On that note - if anyone has any questions on the job of Representative and your possibly interested in going for one of the vacant spots definitely let me know. I don't bite - I promise and I'd love to answer any questions you have! Aside from being President, I am SO super excited for my home club's booth at our student activities welcome weekend carnival. We are posting paper feet on the floor that say "This way to free laundry!" and when they arrive to our club booth they will get a raffle ticket to win a laundry basket filled with detergent, dryer sheets, quarters, hangers, and other fun laundry items. To make things even trickier in order to find out if you've won the basket you have to attend the first CKI meeting, haha! Pretty nifty, eh? Once my friend Eric and I create the basket I'll be sure to post pictures so that everyone can see what it looks like.

Well that's it for now everyone! I hope you enjoyed my first blog and I'm super excited to be able to share my experiences as International President with all of you this year!

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,


--Kristen



Pictures from LSSP and International Convention:






p.s. If you get the chance check out www.circlek.org - it's brand new and looks great!