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QUEENS COLLEGE CKI IN ACTION Volume 5 Issue 1 March 2012

Hello all!

We made it! Congratulations to everyone for

making it to the end of the 2011-2012 service

year. This past year has been amazing with the

progress of the club and the many

accomplishments we have made. The 2011-

2012 eboard gave this year their all and it paid

off, we have become an extremely large club

with members of all kinds and braught together

the number of people who care about the

community and the world to one place.

Although throughout the year we had our ups

and downs as a club, we really did an awesome

job working together to build ourselves up to

where we are. Give yourselves a round of

applause! Even though the service year has

come to an end, we must continue moving

forward and continue being the strong club we

have worked so hard to become. I hope you all

are excited to continue doing service for the

2012-2013 service year, theres lots more to things

to learn, service to do, and people to meet!

Channie

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SERVICE!

On Saturday, March 3, four amazing members, clad in workout clothes of their choice, journeyed to Woodside on the 7 train in order to attend the Zumbathon Fundraiser at P.S. 11. After an epic journey involving being led on a roundabout route that encompassed literally walking the entire perimeter of two blocks by a subpar GPS app, the members joined the excitement that was ZUMBA! There were lots of giggles to be had! These attendees, some who were doing Zumba for the first time, had a blast reveling in the beat and tune of the music and following along to the dance moves of others present at the event. In addition to the money raised by the admission, there was Gatorade, bracelets, and jewelry for sale.

Cher Armstrong

The KPTC fundraiser walk was something new and different for me. It took place in the gym of Long Island University. Never have I ever walked for a cause in a school gym and I was wondering, wouldn’t we get tired of walking around in circles in a gym? Well, my expectations were completely different from what really happened. The event was more than a walk; it was a place where students of colleges, high school, parents and children came to enjoy a night of fun activities while raising money for the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center. At the event there were tons of activities from running on the elevated track to hula hooping and playing with that giant colorful tarp. I truly felt like a kid again as we danced to cotton eyed Joe, played musical chairs, tug of war, ninja and ran under the huge tarp trying to avoid getting caught under. We were being so immature yet it made us so happy to have fun like kids again. That was one of my favorite events just because of all the immature childish things we got to do and letting go of the college stress that seems to overcome us at times. I hope to go to another event like this sometime soon, it was simply a blast! And I must say QC has a really fun group of KIDS!!!

Channie

Zumbathon

KPTC Walk

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College always seemed extremely daunting to me for the simple fact that I didn’t know where I was going to end up fitting in or if I would even find somewhere to fit in. My friend Cher told me about Circle K and invited me to a meeting. I was beyond thrilled to try it out because I was a Key Club member in high school and it was something I had always enjoyed. As soon as I walked into the room I was welcomed by everyone in a way I never had been anywhere else on campus. My first event with Circle K was the Eliminate Show. Not only did we have amazingly talented performers (and really, really good cookies that were baked by many of us to raise money), but it was a chance for us to feel happy because we were raising money to make people’s lives better and safer. To me, this event symbolized what college life really is. It’s not about partying and drinking and becoming the most popular; it is so much more. It’s about loyalty, trust, concern, pride for yourself and your friends and most of all doing everything in your power to make the world a better place. I’ve tried numerous clubs on campus in my past year and a half at Queens College and finally I can say the search has ended. Being at the Eliminate Show proved to me that there are good people in college that are just like me and support the same causes. Circle K has become my family and, because of them, I’ve found my home.

Jessica Klett

The EliMiNaTe Show

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Hello to all Queens College Circle K members! Just this weekend, I and 17 other members attended the 50th Annual District Convention (commonly shortened to DCON), held at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. As you all know, Circle K is built around three tenets- service, leadership, and fellowship; those attending DCON can expect to learn about, and even experience, the second tenet- leadership.

This convention focuses mostly on elections for district board positions, and on saying farewell to the current board. I will admit, I found myself a bit lost at times while listening to the speeches- I never realized just how highly organized Circle K is. On that note, though, it’s great to know that there are so many ways in which people can help lead this organization, whether it be as District Secretary or Treasurer, or even as a Committee Chair. DCON gave me more insight into how Circle K uses its structure, from its members to its leaders, to get its goals accomplished.

The bulk of Saturday was dedicated to workshops, which covered various subjects, such as the way to effectively stage fundraisers, the importance of the international level of Circle K (yup, it’s true- not only is there a world out there beyond our QCCKI, there is a world out there beyond NY CKI, too), and even how to communicate the Circle K pledge using sign language. Of course, no one needed help remembering the other tenets- two sections of the weekend were dedicated solely to fellowship (breaking out of our comfort zone to meet and work with other members to solve puzzles) and to service projects, such as creating labels for glass (thus reusable) bottles, and braiding strips of cloth for dog toys.

Overall, I quite enjoyed DCON, despite the fact that the weekend seemed to pass at lightning speed. Truthfully, I wish the workshops were longer- I still need to practice signing the CKI pledge! Let’s not forget, though, that service, leadership, and fellowship each stand alone; for example, the workshop on fundraising helped me realize that anyone with a great idea and a little help can act as leader of a service or fundraising project. Regarding fellowship, I had the chance to talk with many other members and leaders; DCON squeezes in only some room for such communication, though, so I hope to meet these people again at future conventions, such as New York Speaking. Not only did DCON give me a chance to see just how big Circle K is (and this was just the district!), it also gave me the chance to get better acquainted with our own Queens College members- the journey alone can be a valuable experience, especially if that journey is by bus. :^)

District Convention!

Kiran Tak

DCON (Cont.)

DCON “Sock hop to Service” On the weekend of Friday March 23 to Sunday March 25 2012 Circle K’ers from all across NY gathered in Albany, NY for NYCKI’s 50th annual District Convention, this year themed “Sock hop to Service.” Upon registration all attendees were given a hectic yet productive schedule, all of us excited to participate in each event, in accordance with the 50’s theme of this year’s DCON, we were truly “all shook up!” The first night just boosted everyone’s excitement as we received our room keys and changed into our club gear for the first event of DCON …dinner!! We all ate our delicious dinners while tapping our feet to the music of the 50’s, and were given a few speeches by Circle K district board members, alumni, and our fellow Kiwanians that paved the way for the rest of the convention. However soon, dinner was put to a close as we all had to run to our rooms and completely shift gears, changing into business attire and preparing for caucus, were we would be introduced to candidates for the different positions on the district board. During caucuses, candidates would give their speeches and open the floor for questions. Every candidate had new ideas to bring to the board, and every question asked directly involved the growth of Circle K and how these potential board members would be prepared to keep Circle K and Kiwanis strong. Each club was putting so much into every decision they were making, even staying awake until the wee hours of the morning collaborating and discussing issues and candidates. Also during the weekend, attendees were able to participate in different workshops lead by Circle K members and Alumni. There were many options given…from a martial arts workshop headed by our club president Kelly Chan to how to effectively budget, all workshops were fun and interesting, and could not only be applied to our involvement within Circle K, but to many aspects within our lives. In all DCON emphasized one of the core values of Circle K, leadership, and through this also building service and fellowship. Throughout the weekend, we were able to meet with Kiwanians and Alumni who supported us and were right there by our side every moment, even during our 3am meetings. Throughout this weekend, our knowledge of Circle K grew, and we were able to see just how dedicated and loyal everyone was for Circle K. Through the workshops, caucuses and discussions we were able to build upon our strengths, as well as appreciate that everyone has valuable ideas and strengths, that when shared and applied, have a huge impact coming together for the greater good.

Lena Khouri

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Farewell by President Kelly Chan

To my extraordinary home club,

I will try and keep this as short and sweet as possible but chances are, I will not so forgive

me now but I have so much to say about this past service year. First off, thank you, thank

you, thank you and congratulations to each and every one of you who has made a

difference this service year. When I say each and every one of you, I mean it: to the

ones who only had a chance to come to meetings, to those who only came to events,

those who came to district-wide events, those who brought a friend in, those who made

it out to majority of events and meetings, those who baked for bake-sales, those who

helped us fundraise for such great cause, those who ran for officer positions and last, but

certainly not least, to my 2011-2012 executive board: VP Shabad Sarpal, Secretary

Darwin Eng, Treasurer Daniel Pierre-Pierre and Editor Chandanie Persaud for making all of

our phenomenal accomplishments possible.

Almost all of you were not here on April 1st when the 2011-2012 CKI year began so let me

take you back to that day. Other than Daniel and Channie, we had no one beside

myself who had any thoughts of devoting any time or effort into QCCKI. We had a few

of our friends who we were able to drag out to a few events from here and there, that

we do appreciate but it was nothing like what we have today. Majority of the events

were attended by solely Daniel, Channie, Chris Villa (our VP at the time) and myself. At

last District Convention (DCON), it was Chris Villa and myself who attended; this year we

have 18 including myself in attendance. Last District Large Scale Service Project (DLSSP)

and New York Speaking (NYS), we had 0 in attendance, not even myself. Channie even

admitted to me that when she ran for editor, "all I knew was that it was a position that

needed to be filled and the club was going nowhere...but I was wrong.” This is why I am

so proud of Daniel and her, for making this hopeless club into the newest big thing in

NYCKI and at Queens College.

W

E

Y

O

U

K

E

L

L

Y

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Farewell (Cont.)

Based on my prior K-Family experience from Bayside High School's Key Club, I knew

the value of making a difference and the self-rewarding feeling of giving back to others. I

knew that Ghandi's saying, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of

others” was absolutely true. My #1 goal when my term began was to instill this belief in as

many members as possible because again, without you guys, we could not possibly have

achieved everything we did this year.One, two or three members cannot complete over

1,300 service hours or fundraise nearly 2,000 for various causes. I hope to see all of you

continue to do amazing things and grow upon the servant-leaders you have become.

Watching so many of you grow, get inspired to do more and build such strong friendship's

with one another is what motivates me to continue to serve. It is all of you who make what

I do easy and worth doing.

I could go on and on but I will end here because while the 2011-2012 year is over, I

know that this is just the beginning of a new era for our club. I know that the 2012-2013

board will not let this club go anywhere but up and I am so eager to see what the new

year will bring. Believe in yourself and remember that “the ones who are crazy enough to

think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Ask me a year from today to

describe what I envision a year from that day and I would have never have imagined

something as epic as what we've become. I think that we exemplify the saying “anything

is possible” because of how we were able to bring this club up from the ashes. Also

remember to continue making a difference- whether it be vaccinating a mother from

MNT, cleaning up a park or simply putting a smile on one another's face. Selflessness is

priceless.

Congratulations and thank you for the best year a club president could ever ask for.

Finally, I would like address the 2012-2013 e-board- I challenge you to not just fill these

shoes but to stretch them out and to flood them, welcome to the 2012-2013 service year.

Members of the month!

September October November

December January February

March

Lena Khouri Madeline Monaghan Kiran Tak

Clark Kent Cher Armstrong Alison Cheung

Katie O’ Hara

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We will never forget that day we met late at night at Kelly’s house to hold a board meeting or the times we received hundreds of texts from Kelly reminding us to do various jobs. The 2011-2012 service year was definitely a challenge but we made through it with flying colors. We have grown as individuals over this time that we spent working hard to serve our community. Now that the service year is over, we look forward to the new year with great anticipation and as Sister Anne Marie stated in her speech at DCON, we shall live for today because the past is gone and the future is unknown so we will live now and do what we can now in the moment!

Goodbye Old E-board

Hello New E-board

Welcome New Eboard of 2012-2013

President Daniel Pierre- Pierre Upper Junior

Major in Linguistics and Communication Disorders dxdefinition@yahoo.com

1347-586-8276

Vice President Shabad Sarpal Upper Junior

Major in Phsycology and Spanish

ssarpal@qc.cuny.edu 516-366-8295

Secretary Cher Armstrong Grad Student

Major in Library and Information Studies

speedyhobbit@aol.com 631-764-2087

Treasurer Chandanie Persaud Upper Junior

Major in Economics minor in Math

cpersad1530@yahoo.com 347-355-2244

Editor Mariana Terranova Upper Junior

Major in Anthropology mterranova100@qc.cuny.edu

646-285-3434

Date Time Event Place

Sunday April 1 4:00 PM- 8:00 PM Light Up Globe

Autism Awareness

Flushing Meadows

park Unisphere

Wednesday

April 18

4:00 PM- 10:00 PM QC CKI Service

Fair

Student Union

Ballroom (4th Floor)

Saturday April 21 Kiwanis One Day-

Community

Garden Clean up

Glendale

Sunday April 22 Morning Alley Pond Walk A

Thon

Alley Pond

Environmental

Center (APEC)

Wednesday

April 25

12:15- 3:00 PM Bake sale Q Café

Saturday April 28 10:00 AM- 12:00

PM

Arbor Day Alley Pond

Environmental

Center (APEC)

Upcoming Events & Accomplishments

ACCOMPLISHMENTS This service year we have

completed 1,333.25 service

hours!

We have fundraised $3,477.81!

Completed 193 social hours

Check out the

calendars attached

in your emails for

updates & changes