Official Newsletter of the Capital District of CKI

BACK TO SCHOOL EDITION!!

VOLUME 51 ISSUE 3 September 2012

The Capital Courier

Fall Membership Rally is right around the corner!

ICON/LSSP Recaps!!

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In This Issue…..

Continued

Sections

Message from the

Governor……..3

Kiwanis Family

Relations…….12

Message from the

Kiwanis

Governor…….12

Member Spotlight…16

DCKI Contact

Info………17

International Updates…………………………..4-5

ICON LSSP Recap………………………………..6-7

Spotlight on ELIMINATE: Governor’s Project….10

Fall Membership Rally………………………….…11

Dues Update……………………………………….14

Upcoming Events and Calendar………….14-15

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Capital ICON Attendees Masquerade!!

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Greetings Capital!

Can you believe the school year has

already started?!? It’s hard to believe

that in less than three weeks, fall se-

mester will be here. The end of sum-

mer and the beginning of the school

year can be a bittersweet time for

us—while the stresses of schoolwork

return, we are once again reunited

with our friends. Between new clas-

ses, new professors, and new room-

mates, it is also a time of great excite-

ment and uncertainty. Everything

seems windswept and falls into place

at the velocity of a leaf floating to

the ground.

During this hectic time of the year,

remember your Circle K family. Your

fellow club members shouldn’t be just

fellow club members—they are your

friends and partners in service. Don’t

get so caught up in the hustle and

bustle of everyday life that you forget

your camaraderie with your friends

and the service that unites you.

Throughout my college career, I have

found that oftentimes, attending a

CKI club meeting or participating in a

Saturday morning service project has

relieved me of situational stress; after-

wards, I am generally able to address

whatever the issue is with more clarity

and soundness of mind. This is one of

the unsung ways in which CKI mem-

bership can be mutually beneficial

for club, member, and community.

As another school year com-

mences, seize the day in bal-

ance. Take advantage of the

opportunities your club will pro-

vide you to serve, make friends,

earn scholarships, and develop

your leadership abilities, but do

not overwhelm yourself with so

many responsibilities that you

lose efficiency in your priorities.

Welcome new members into the

Circle K family and help them

become friends with other mem-

bers. Suggest service projects

and social events to help make

your club what you want it to be.

Openly share your CKI passion

with others—it is infectious. Most

importantly, remember to keep

calm and ELIMINATE. Enjoy read-

ing!

I

n Service, Leadership, and Fel-

lowship,

Mikail Clark

Capital District CKI Governor

Message from the Governor

Email:

goveror@cdcki.org

Click the picture for a

link to Mikail’s personal

video message!

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International Updates!

Hello! My name is Josephine Lukito and I am hon-

ored to be serving you this year as your Circle K

International President. I have been a proud mem-

ber of CKI for four years, serving as a Lieutenant

Governor and, later, as the Immediate Past District

Governor to New York.

In Circle K International, the 2012-

2013 year brings a lot of new ex-

citing opportunities and ideas. As

an International Board, we hope to

continue the success of the 2011-

2012 and find new opportunities

to serve you. Our revived Ad-Hoc

SPICE Committee will find “hot”

ways to “spice” up your meetings,

while our CKI TV youtube channel

will provide your club with new

videos to promote CKI.

We hope to also strengthen the

leadership development of every level in CKI by

creating an all new Resource Library,,

Greetings from INTL Trustee

Rob Acerra Greetings Capital Crabs!

I am so excited, humbled, and honored to intro-

duce myself to you (once again, but now) as your

2012 – 2013 International Trustee to Subregion F.

For those of you that I have not had the honor of

meeting yet, I would like to give you a little back-

ground on me. I will be a Senior (Part Two) at Mon-

mouth University in West Long Branch, NJ in the

fall. I am a Social Work Major with a minor in Infor-

mation Technology. I will also be beginning my ninth

year in the Kiwanis Family in the fall. My previous

involvement in the Kiwanis Family includes serving

as the District Governor, District Treasurer, and

Convention Chairman for the New Jersey District

of CKI, I was also the charter club president and

club representative on the District Board for Mon-

mouth University.

This past February, I had the opportunity to visit

you Capital Crabs at your district convention in Ar-

lington, Virginia. I had such an amazing time getting

to know so many of you and see the great service

that each of you complete on a daily basis in and

around your college campuses.

I would be so happy to get to know each and every

one of you through online communications, forums,

chats, and district events. My role as your Trustee

will allow me to be your source of information re-

garding our individual Sub-Region and CKI as a

whole.

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Throughout this next year-. To stay in-

formed- join the CKI SUBREGION F

Facebook group! This group is updated

quite frequently and will keep you up to

date with coming happenings .

I encourage each of you to stay in touch

with me this year via my e-mail

(acerra.cki@gmail.com) or facebook

(facebook.com/robacerra)...Iam always

available to answer questions, get invited to

events, read an e-mail, or just talk. Please

feel free to add my to your club mailing list

or invite me to your club's facebook page. I

am also not a stranger to showing up to

many events around the subregion.

To conclude, I thank you all for your dedi-

cated service to CKI and thank you for

taking the time to read my article and the

entire Capital Courier. I hope to hear/meet

you all soon. Thanks again for all you do!

Yours in serving the children of the

world-

Rob Acerra

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HEADER HERE . HEADER HERE . HEADER

Hello! My name is Josephine Lukito and I am hon-

ored to be serving you this year as your Circle K

International President. I have been a proud mem-

ber of CKI for four years, serving as a Lieutenant

Governor and, later, as the Immediate Past District

Governor to New York.

In Circle K International, the 2012-

2013 year brings a lot of new ex-

citing opportunities and ideas. As

an International Board, we hope to

continue the success of the 2011-

2012 and find new opportunities

to serve you. Our revived Ad-Hoc

SPICE Committee will find “hot”

ways to “spice” up your meetings,

while our CKI TV youtube channel

will provide your club with new

videos to promote CKI.

We hope to also strengthen the

leadership development of every level in CKI by

creating an all new Resource Library,,

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CKI September "FREE RICE" Subregion Competition!!!!

The International Board has noticed that many subregions are extremely competi-

tive...because of this monthly Subregion Competitions will be held with a specific

theme in mind each month. Obviously...Subregion F will take home the gold

month after month!! Since September is National Rice Month- Freerice.com will be

used for the September Competition.

The competition begins on Saturday, September 1st and runs through Sunday,

September 30th! Please be sure to promote to your membership at your first club

meetings and ensure that the most rice is donated through our CKISubre-

gionF account.

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Hello from INTL President Jo Lukito!!

a collection of district resources available on the

Circle K International Website.

To me, CKI is more than an organization, it’s a

family. I hope that, this

year, you will all join me

in making sure that Cir-

cle K International re-

mains the biggest, best

collegiate community

service organization in

the world!

Yours in Service, Leader-

ship, Fellowship & CKI

Love,

Josephine Lukito

2012-2013 International President

president@circlek.org

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All Around Capital

Do’s and Don’ts for the New School Year!

By: Bob E.C. Bison (official mascot of Howard University

As the new school year begins, I thought I’d share some special tips on how

to excel this school year!

DO: Be nice to freshman!

Remember that time you got lost on campus?! Well extend that olive

branch you wish you had! If you see a new comer looking lost, offer to

show them around campus and in-

vite them to your next CKI meeting.

DON’T: Procrastinate.

Instead of waiting until Tuesday

night to plan Wednesday’s CKI

meeting and write that seven-page

essay, plan out your week on Sun-

day afternoons. By planning early,

your week will be easy, breezy …

and beautiful!

DO: Branch Out.

Continue to make your club the best

Circle K club in the district, but don’t

forget everything else your campus

has to offer! From international

clubs to Greek organizations be sure

to branch out and truly experience

your university. You never know, you

may meet some potential CKI members!

DON’T: Forget that School Comes First!

Always remember you are a student and your studies come first! Be

sure to study before your CKI meetings and seek a tutor if you need ex-

tra help. Propose to your club that on a short meeting date you all

can have a mini-study session and help each other with homework!

I hope these tips will benefit you when the new school year starts! Continue

to spread the CKI word and come visit me, Bob E.C. Bison, at Howard Univer-

sity some time!

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Summer VTCKI Service!

A few members of the Virginia Tech Circle K stuck around

Blacksburg for the summer and have been working on continu-

ing to make a difference in the community. The local Lyric movie

Theater in Downtown Blacksburg is a nonprofit theater that serves

the community with very cheap movie showings (sometimes

even free) and all of their nightly box office and concession

stand workers are volunteers. VTCKI has had a partnership with

the Lyric for many years now to have

members sign up to help with them vol-

unteering shifts. This summer, Lacy Grind-

staff, Kevin Ryland, and Rob Kuczmarski

have been taking multiple shifts a week

to help fill the void in volunteers left when

a lot of other students who volunteer reg-

ularly went home for the summer. This has

been a great opportunity to not only par-

ticipate in service during the summer, but

to meet lots of people in the Blacksburg

community, both from people coming to

see movies at the theater and from meet-

ing the other volunteers. There is a lot of potential to spread

awareness about Circle K as well, and opportunities to try

and recruit members in some of the other student volun-

teers as well.

Additionally, the three of us (Kevin, Lacy, Rob) have start-

ed a new partnership for VTCKI this summer with Downtown

Blacksburg, another nonprofit organization in the commu-

nity that works to put on lots of great events and festivals

for Blacksburg residents in the

downtown area. VTCKI also re-

served a spot on campus to set up

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YOLO in NOLA: A Look at ICON and LSSP, Crab

Style!!! ICON

ICON was a blast. We elected a new

International Board, passed amend-

ments, and attended great work-

shops! Check out the quotes on the

page to see what you missed! Also

check out circlek.org to see all the

official business.

A smiling Steven Spriggs

saying "remember, not only

do you YOLO; you also

YODO" (YODO = You

only die once) - Kim Bond

I loved ICON! - Chel-

sea Stallworth Loved the Capital Dis-

trict Ghost Tour on

Bourbon Street!!- Nicole

Tardif and Amsley Pie-

tranton

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LSSP Hi Capital!

LSSP in the NOLA was a

great experience! My team

the “Rowdie Penguins” was as-

signed to projects sites at

Ronald McDonald House and

Habitat for Humanity. At the

Ronald McDonald House, the

Rowdie Penguins worked

alongside 2012-13 CKI Board

Counselor and Kiwanis Interna-

tional Trustee Jane Erickson.

Our team cleaned and orga-

nized the facility as well as

decorated for the Fourth of Ju-

ly! As an added bonus we had

the opportunity to cook dinner

for the residents. At Habitat for

Humanity the Rowdie Penguins

worked alongside other LSSP

teams in the New Orleans heat

at a build site. Many team

members spent the day paint-

ing the exterior of the house. It

was great to see the transfor-

mation of the property. LSSP fo-

cuses on the important tenet of

service that is the core of our

organization. See you at next

year’s LSSP in Vancouver!

-Natalie Szemetylo

GWU, Member and

District Committee Member

LSSP and ICON were wonder-

ful experiences. I'm so glad

that I got to meet so many

people who care about CKI!! -

Tameka Glover

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Kiwanis Family Relations

Message from the Kiwanis Governor-Elect Carolyn Richar

What a summer! I hope you all have had as much fun as I have so far this

summer! The heat has been a great excuse for Starbuck’s iced coffee and

lots and lots of ice cream! It was great fun to share New Orleans with the CKI

ICON and to see so many great Capital District CKI’ers take home awards

and honors (not to mention a few Bourbon Street souveniers!)

By the time you read this, many of you will be back on campus/in class with

fall just around the corner. I hope that each CKI club will have a full schedule

of service and fun planned. We know that the economic pressures so many

are facing are leading to more and more children living in poverty. It is now

estimated that at least 20% of children go to bed at night

without having had enough food that day – here in the

USA. As we work together to make the world a better

place – one child and one community at a time – please

remember the children who need your help for food, for tu-

toring, for play, for medical care, for a brighter tomorrow.

Thank you each for your dedication to the EliMiNaTe pro-

ject! I look forward to the “parade of checks” that will be

held at the CKI district convention next year. It is great to

work with you each to eliminate this terrible disease that kills

so many babies every year.

Please keep your sponsoring Kiwanis club in the loop about

your year of service – what projects we can join you at, what issues you are

having where we might be a resource – and how we

can get together sometimes just to have fun!

Let’s change our world together!

Carolyn Richar, CKI Has been and Kiwanis Governor

Elect

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Staying Connected to the Kiwanis Family By: Samah McGona

Our goal as a committee is to expand the interac-

tions between all members of the Capital District Ki-

wanis Family. With that in mind, here are some tips

on ways your CKI club can strengthen relations with

other branches of Kiwanis Family in your locality:

Create a Kiwanis Family Calendar Plan accordingly and ask your local Kiwanis, Key Club, Builders, K-Kids, and/or Ak-

tion Club to add their upcoming social and service events to one large Kiwanis Fam-

ily calendar. (You can do this every semester!)

The next step is to attend the meetings, service projects and social events on the

calendar. Send out reminders in advance and take the opportunity to truly get to

know the members of the other Kiwanis Family branches.

Coordinate a Networking Night and/0r Key to College Event

Key to College: Fall is when most high school students begin applying to schools

and truly thinking about college. Key to College is a great fall event that allows your

CKI club to interact with high school students and provide them with first hand infor-

mation about college life. Your local Kiwanis Club would be a helpful resource when

your club is planning this event and attendees could be recruited from your local Key

Club. More information can be found at http://www.circlek.org/Leadership/

KeyToCollege.aspx

Networking Night: Networking night is an event that allows your club members to inter-

act with your sponsoring/local Kiwanis club members. Recruit Kiwanians to share career

tips and various other real life skills with your club members. Who knows this event

could lead to internships or even jobs! Most importantly, Networking Night will help

your club members build their networking skills and bond with Kiwanians.

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DUES UPDATES!!

The international club fee will be $600 for four-year institutions with

student enrollments of 5,000 and more. The international club fee will

be $450 for two-year institutions and four-year institutions with fewer

than 5,000 students enrolled at the institution.

Current district dues are:

Capital District- $7

Eastern Canada District- $20 (Canadian Dollar)

New England- $6

New Jersey- $8

New York- $8

The minimum club membership is 15 members for four-year institutions

with student enrollments of 5,000 and more. The minimum club mem-

bership is 10 members for two-year institutions and four-year institu-

tions with fewer than 5,000 students enrolled at the institution.

Dues are paid by logging into the Membership Update Center online at

circlek.org. Your club should be send login information through your

faculty advisor during September. Contact Governor Mikail if this is not

the case.

District Events! Our district is the loving home to the Capital Crabs! To get to know each other a little better (since we are all over DC, MD, VA

and DE) we have special events you can attend! In October, get ready to retreat to the beautiful Front Royal, VA with trees as far as the eye can see! You and your friends who aren’t in CKI yet can come! So make sure you bring your roommate or BFF and learn leadership skills/attend informational work-

shops! We also have a District Large Scale Service Project (LSSP)/Total K Day which is open to members and non-members. This is a joint service project in November when all levels of Kiwanis participate. Location varies depending on the service project, in years past it has been held in Baltimore, MD and Fairfax, VA!

If you haven’t paid your club dues yet, do it ASAP! District Convention (DCON) is one event you don’t want to miss that is exclu-sively for CKI members! There are a variety of Circle K International, Leadership workshops as well as fun workshops like Yoga. It is held a February weekend and it’s the perfect time to show your capital spirit & obtain your well deserved club awards after a semes-

ter of hard work. In March, Spring Officer Training Conference is open to anyone that wants a leadership filled weekend with the upcoming club offic-

ers! This is the perfect event to plan your club’s future and get to know imminent board members!

International has its own events that we shouldn’t miss. International Convention (ICON)/Large Scale Service Project (LSSP) are In-ternational’s version of DCON! Members can attend in June to meet other CKI-er’s from all over the world. The location of both ICON/LSSP varies each year; in 2013 both events will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). Leadership Academy is an-other international event that is open to everyone and held in July/August. Meet and make friends with people from all over the

world in Morgantown, Indiana! Want more CKI resources for your club? Email the Membership and Development Education Chair: mde@cdcki.org!

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Upcoming Events!

UMW Kickball Tournament

When: Sunday, September 30th at UMW, Ball Circle Time: 12:30 PM

UMW's CKI is having an Eliminate Kickball Tournament on September 30th at 1pm. A team of 6-9

people only costs $20. There will be free food and prizes to give away! It will be taking place on Ball

Circle and Jefferson Square. All proceeds are going to the Eliminate Project. If you are interested or

have any questions message me or email us a mwcirclek@gmail.com. Thanks for your support!

District Large Scale Service Project (DLSSP)/ Total K Day When: November 3rd Where: James Madison University -Harrisonburg, VA (Go-Go Presidential!) Theme: The Amazing Race: ELIMINATE Edition

Description for DLSSP: Every year the district tries to hold a large scale service project. This year we will be having an Amazing Race competition. At each station, we will be completing ELIMINATE-themed service projects, like baby blankets or boo-boo bunnies. Description for Total K Day: Service and Fellowship with Key Club and Kiwanis! Fall Metro-RVA Divisional

When: Saturday, November 10th @ TBA-pm

Where: Richmond, VA

Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/363350553735781/.

Presidential Divisional Event

When: November 10th , 11AM –4PM Where: Shenandoah National Park

Find more info by emailing Tameka Glover at presidential-ltg@cdcki.org

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Spotlight on ELIMINATE

District Goal: For the Capital

District of CKI to raise $12,600 for

the Kiwanis ELIMINATE Project,

saving the lives of 7,000 mothers

as well as their future babies,

through district events and club

donations by March 31, 2013.

$12,600

Current District Total:

$5465.01

Governor’s Project: Flowers for

ELIMINATE!

Flowers for Eliminate is a great way to fundraise

and to raise awareness for the Elimi-

nate Project on your campus and in your com-

munity. The felt flowers can be sold for a small

nominal fee or given away for a small suggested

donation of your choice. They can be used as

corsages, hair accessories, for home decor, and

much more. The tissue paper flowers can be

placed on recruitment tables and in dining halls

to raise awareness for the project. An awareness

card should be tied around all flowers, and you

can always add information to the awareness

card about your club.

Email Governor Mikail Clark, governon@cdcki.org or Ed-

itor Catie Dugan, edi-

tor@cdcki.org for more flower

making instructions! Tissue paper flower - instructions

Cut about 20 circles out of the blue and cyan

tissue paper (note: circles should all be the

same size)

Use hole punch or scissors to create two holes

(about ¼” apart) in the center of the tissue

paper circles

Pull pipecleaner through the holes and wrap

the remainder around the “stem”

Gently pull up each circle to form a tissue pa-

per flower

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Call to FMR: Flying Into Service!!!

The Deets!!! When: Oct. 5-6, 2012 Where: 4-H Camp In Front Royal, VA

Cost: $35 Includes: 3 meals, workshop materials, lodging, t-

shirt and donation to Eliminate

Registration: https://fs6.formsite.com/CapitalCKI/form4/secure_index.html , regis-

ter by September 25 to reserve your spot!!

Description: Prepare to "Fly Into Service" with the Superhero themed

event. Proceeds of the event will be going to ELIMINATE Maternal and Neona-

tal Tetnus! The event will be catered by our lovely Capital District Kiwanians.

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Member Spotlight THIS COULD BE YOU!!! Clubs should submit members they want to feature by email-ing a blurb and picture of the member to editor@cdcki.org once a month! There were no entries submitted this month, so enter by October 8th for the next issue!

Member Spotlight: Lacy

Grindstaff, VTCKI

Nominated by: Rob Kuczamarski

Lacy is the Membership (& Executive) VP of

VTCKI. In July, fresh off coming back from

ICON, she had lots of new ideas for mem-

bership recruitment and other things be-

yond her position. During the summer, she

is working an 8-5 job Monday through Fri-

day, taking and teaching dance classes in Ro-

anoke three nights a week, and taking two

online classes including Anatomy. With all

this going on, she has still found time to vol-

unteer some of her time at the Lyric movie

theater. At least two or more nights a week,

she can be found in the box office selling

tickets or in the concession stand helping people with

their order. She has a friendly personality that immediate-

ly breaks the ice with any co-volunteer on a shift with her,

and she has pitched Circle K many times to students and

community members alike (VTCKI has two prospective

members for next year coming from meeting in the con-

cession stand alone, and the new partnership in service

we have with Downtown Blacksburg was formed by talk-

ing to another volunteer in the concession stand who

works with them). Despite being constantly busy this past

month, Lacy has still been thinking continuously of how

to make VTCKI bigger and better in the fall and has con-

tributed some great service to the club and the commu-

nity.

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Member Spotlight THIS COULD BE YOU!!! Clubs should submit members they want to feature by email-ing a blurb and picture of the member to editor@cdcki.org once a month! There were no entries submitted this month, so enter by October 8th for the next issue!

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Contact the 2012-2013 District Board

Governor Mikail Clark

governor@cdcki.org

Secretary-Treasurer Ben Durham

Sec-treas@cdcki.org

Editor Catie Dugan

editor@cdcki.org

Battlefield LTG Stephanie Areizaga

Battlefield-ltg@cdcki.org

Del-Mar LTG (VACANT)

Delmar-ltg@cdcki.org

Foothills LTG Chelsea Stallworth

Foothills-ltg@cdcki.org

Metro-Richmond LTG Heidi Imperio

Metrorichmond-ltg@cdcki.org

NoVa LTG Amsley Pietranton

nova-ltg@cdcki.org

Potomac LTG Janelle Hope

Potomac-ltg@cdcki.org

Presidential LTG Tameka Glover

Presidential-ltg@cdcki.org

Tidewater LTG Kimberly Bond

Tidewater-ltg@cdcki.org

District Administrator Jennifer Wolff

administrator@cdcki.org

Assistant District Administrator Derek Dupuis

Asst-administrator@cdcki.org