Service Leadership Programs Tips of the Month

Greetings CKI Leadership!

As part of promoting Service Leadership Programs throughout the Kiwanis Family, the CKI Marketing and Kiwanis Family Relations Committee will be promoting a different aspect of Service Leadership Programs every month. Please feel free to forward to all of members in your respective bulletins, emails and other various publications. Additionally, please feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions for future Service Leadership Programs Tips of the Month!

In Kiwanis Family Spirit,

The Marketing and Kiwanis Family Relations Committee, Circle K International

January 2006 Tip of the Month
New Relationships

January is characterized as a time for making New Year’s resolutions as well as renewing friendships and rekindling relationships. And in this spirit of new beginnings, January also marks the rebirth of Service Leadership Programs Tips of the Month.

Take time this month to write to your sponsoring Kiwanis club, thanking it for its support and letting its members know how much you value them. Let members of Key Clubs, Builder’s Clubs, Aktion Clubs, and K-Kids clubs in your area know that the friendships you’ve made among them are ones you wouldn’t trade.  

This month you also should plan some extra-special projects for the year that will keep the Kiwanis-family bond. The time is now to plan the long-term, regular projects and activities with the neighboring clubs. Contact your local schools to find out meeting dates and times, and visit the younger members of the Kiwanis family.

Resolve to build relationships within the Kiwanis family, to “foster compassion and goodwill toward others through service and leadership” to the impressionable minds of Key Club, Builder’s Club, K-Kids and Aktion Club. Then take the step to make your New Year’s resolution come true.

There are numerous ways to make sure this resolution sticks. For starters, make a monthly commitment to conduct at least one service project and one social each month with a different Service Leadership Program. Embrace the fact that you are still a kid at heart, and take fellow members of Service Leadership Programs to the “kid” places like Chuck ‘E’ Cheese as a reward for their work.

Go out, and make your New Year resolutions come true.

Happy New Year!

February 2006 Tip of the Month
Love is in the Air

The month of February is usually known as the month of love because of Valentine’s Day. However, that isn’t all February has to offer. How about Circle K International Awareness Week, February 5-11, 2006? This year, why not build your awareness of Circle K to the Service Leadership Programs. Everyone enjoys having role models, why not be that excellent role model to the rest of your family members? There are tons of fun projects you can do during this month. Just take a look

Kiwanis Family Outing

Contact your local Builder’s Club, Aktion Club, K-Kids, or Key Club for a day of fun. Take club members out on different outings or do a service project together. A service project could be as simple as making Valentine’s cards together for their family members, letting them know they care. Take a younger Kiwanis-family member to the park for some fun, as another example.

Scavenger Hunt

Plan a scavenger hunt in conjunction with the local Service Leadership Program. A scavenger hunt is a great way to teach members about how much fun the group can have together, and about the values of the Kiwanis family, including Circle K International.

Cook-ins

Plan an exciting, but safe, cook-in with the local K-Kids club, Builder’s Club, Aktion Club, or Key Club. Get together at a Circle K members’ apartment or house with a kitchen, and make cookies, brownies, cakes--whatever you’d like. Spread that Valentine spirit by making some heart-shaped cookies with “Circle K International” or the CKI logo iced on them.

Random Acts of Kindness

Take time to plan a calendar of “random acts of kindness” you can do with your local Service Leadership Program. These can be fun-filled events of not just service to the community, but service to each other. For example, take a club out to lunch one day, leave a note for them, or you can even give them a random “Thinking of You” phone call. Everyone likes to be known they were being thought off.

Chalk Box – Service Project

Make chalk boxes for the elementary school kindergarten class or for the children in the Head Start program. The box of chalk is made with an old cigar box or shoebox. Paint the outside of the box with bright colors and the lid of the box with chalkboard paint. The inside of the box can be painted or left in its original condition. Place several pieces of colored chalk and a sponge in the box. Place the lid on the box. The kids now have a handy little chalkboard with supplies enclosed. They can use it to practice writing the alphabet and numbers.

CKI Awareness

During CKI Awareness Week (or anytime during the month), plan a program with the local Key Club to educate its members on Circle K International. Invite them to a project, or even to a meeting. Help heighten the awareness of Circle K International. Speak to the Key Club about how to locate a club at the colleges they are considering. Tell them about the great opportunities to actually build their own Circle K Club, or the rewarding experience of helping sponsor another local Key Club, Builder’s Club, K-Kids club, or Aktion Club.

The words of wisdom have been sent out; it is up to you put them to the test.

Happy February!

March 2006 Tip of the Month
Spring into Service

It’s hard to believe it is time to spend a few “difficult” weeks leading up to the wonderful, week-long Spring Break. As you make plans for Spring Break, remember to keep the Kiwanis family in mind.

Beach Cleanup

As you’re heading to the sandy beaches, spend part of your day beautifying a beach. Contact a local service leadership program, to help get the job done.

Spring Break Alternative

If you’re not heading to the sandy beaches, find a service project around you: Head Start, women’s shelter, local hospital. Take a Key Clubber, Builder’s Club member, K-Kids member or even Aktion Club member to a local animal shelter to play with the animals. A job well done deserves a treat. Get into the Spring Break spirit with some ice cream as a reward.

Saint Patrick’s Day History

St. Patrick’s Day is a mainstay of March. Visit a local K-Kids club to educate its members on the history of St. Patrick. While you’re at it, educate them about the wonderful world of Builder’s Club, Key Club, and, of course, Circle K. Along with teaching them a little history about the Kiwanis family, spend some time together making some green Jello, cake, cookies--green anything.

Conventions

This is around the time many Key Clubs host their district conventions. Plan early, contact your Key Club governor, and volunteer to help out with a workshop. Spending time doing service at the district convention shows Key Club how much you really do care. Along with Key Club, locate the nearest Aktion Club, K-Kids, and Builder’s Club near you. Invite them to come along. The more the merrier.

I wish you a great Spring in your step from Springing in to Service.

April 2006 Tip of the Month:
Showering the future

We’ve all heard the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” This tip of the month showcases how some Circle K clubs have “showered” the future. Use these ideas from fellow Circle K clubs to create your own Kiwanis-family inter-club.

Skip-A-Meal

Skip-A-Meal is an event that different clubs take on every year to help raise funds for Kiwanis-family programs. This year, Skip-A-Meal week is April 23-29, 2006 (though, in reality, there are three weeks from which to choose). During this week, forego a meal with your fellow Kiwanis-family members.

Visit neighboring Kiwanis-family members during the week to collect funds, and send the money in together. Don’t forget to let the Kiwanis International Foundation know you’re committed to this event. Call 317-875-8755 (worldwide). Clubs taking part receive a Skip-A-Meal banner patch. For more information, click here.

Members of Concord University Circle K club in Athens, West Virginia (West Virginia District), was among participants in the 57th birthday celebration of the Princeton Senior High School Key Club, its sister club through the Princeton-Athens Kiwanis club, during spring break. A variety of Kiwanis-family members attended the fun-filled evening of service, leadership, and fellowship, including  Circle K, Key Club, and Builder’s Club members. As we approach the end of the school year, do some research and find out when your neighboring clubs were founded. Spend some time celebrating their birthdays, as a Kiwanis family.

Members of Central Region of the New Jersey District got to hear the talents of Aktion Club members while helping them raise money. The members of Hamilton Aktion Club performed at an open mic/poetry reading at the Hamilton Barnes and Nobles, while Circle K members handed out fliers to customers designating a percentage of their purchase would to to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Showcase the Kiwanis-family talent and help other Service Leadership Programs raise money around you.

Kiwanians, Circle K’ers, and Key Clubbers gather Sunday morning of the Kiwanis Family Rally in the Carolinas District each fall, at Paramount's Carowinds (a big theme park near Charlotte straddling the border between North and South Carolina) to visit booths from different committees and organizations (such as District Service Project, Circle K, etc) and hear a motivational speaker in the amphitheater. After that, everyone heads to the picnic pavilion for a tasty lunch, followed by a free reign on the park the rest of the day. Roller coasters, shows, movie-themed rides, and shops are always favorites! Finally, after a long day and lots of roller coasters, everyone heads off, free T-shirt and memories in tow. Go celebrate a day of fellowship!

University of Arkansas-Fayetteville in the Missouri-Arkansas District hosts a Winter Social each year. The Circle K members travel to all the surrounding Kiwanis clubs in their division, kidnapping gavels and performing service. To get the gavels back, Kiwanis clubs either must attend their winter social or come to another event during the semester. There are door prizes given away at the social and a silent auction. Expand this project to not only incorporate Kiwanians, but also Key Club, Builder’s Club, K-Kids, and Aktion Club members.

These are just a few of many outstanding Kiwanis-family inter-clubs that take place each day across the wonderful world of Circle K. Think about some of the wonderful Circle K inter-clubs in which you participate. (The Day of Service with New York University and Pennsylvania State University Circle K clubs, divisional sleepovers like those thrown in the Metro Division of the Wisconsin Upper Michigan District, are two that come to mind.) Expand these wonderful inter-club ideas to include local Key Club, Builder’s Club, K-Kids, or Aktion Club members and Shower the future.

May 2006 Tip of the Month: May Flowers

This past month, we showcased several outstanding inter-club activities to do with your local Sponsored Youth organizations. Here are a few more. Keep these inter-club ideas in mind as you plan activities for the summer and upcoming school year.

Kiwanis Family Food Drive

The Pennsylvania District Kiwanis family came together and conducted a Kiwanis Family Food Drive. Working with local Kiwanis-family branches, the groups across the state collected canned food items that would later be donated to a local food bank. Many Circle K's met up with branches of the Kiwanis family they didn't know existed. The result: Nearly 50,000 canned food items were collected. The biggest success story came from Indiana, Pennsylvania, where every branch of the Kiwanis family worked together to collect nearly 6,000 items on their own! It was a great way to do service all together across the state and to get to know the Kiwanis family!

Total K Day

300-plus Key Clubbers and KIWINS joined with 100-plus Kiwanians of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District at the Children's Hospital of Orange County for a carnival for hospital children who weren't allowed to leave the hospital.

The Kiwanis family provided the games and prizes and the Circle K'ers organized Key Clubbers and KIWINS to pair of with the hospital children to make sure they all got the prizes and played all the games.

Study Day

Get together with your Sponsored Leadership Programs clubs and spend some time studying. You are almost done with finals, but they may just be starting. Help them pave that excellent path to the future of their academic career. Round

Up in the Park!

As each of your schools are letting out for the summer, keep in mind that local Sponsored Leadership Programs may still be in school until the end of this month. After helping them study, “round-up” your local Key Club, Builder’s Club, K-Kids, and Aktion clubs and take them for a nice day in the park to play games and just enjoy. Give them a reward for completing an excellent year.

Big Circle K

Create a mentoring program between your club members and your local Key Club, Builder’s Club, K-Kids, or Aktion club members. Set up a plan for the upcoming year to pair up groups within the Kiwanis family. Spend some time together at different district and club events. Let them see what Circle K International and the Kiwanis family are all about.

No matter the project, the Kiwanis-family Sponsored Leadership Programs can help; you just have to give them the opportunity. Give them the chance to show you the May flowers the Kiwanis family is creating.

Visit any of the Sponsored Leadership Program Web sites: K-Kids, Builders Club, Key Club, Aktion to locate one nearest you. As you come up with these fantastic ideas, don’t forget to post them on the In Action portion of the Circle K International Web site.

When you post, you give the opportunity to Circle K clubs all over the world to get ideas. Keep a look out for all those amazing May Flowers!

June 2006 Tip of the Month: Builder’s Club Inter-clubs

The month of June is dedicated to Builder’s Club. There are so many stories about wonderful Kiwanis-family inter-clubs with Key Club and Circle K, with Kiwanis and Circle K, even with K-Kids and Aktion Clubs and Circle K, but not as many as we’d like with Builder’s Club. The wonderful thing about the Kiwanis family and service and fellowship is that just about any activity can “cross borders” and include any Service Leadership Program.

How many of you remember those wonderful middle school dances? Well, have you thought about being a chaperone? I’m sure teachers and other school staff would love that break. Members of the Circle K club of Minnesota State University-Mankato in the Minnesota-Dakota District chaperone Builder’s Club dances.

The Elmira College Circle K club in the New York District spends Kiwanis Family Day four times a year with its local Builder’s Clubs. They pick different locations to do service throughout the community. These service projects include working at the food bank, the library, even taking graffiti off the walls of buildings.

Another great way to get involved, as mentioned before, is through the Terrific Kids Program as well as the BUG (Bring Up Grades) Program. Don’t forget, the current International Service Initiative on after-school programs, as of April 1, 2006, is “Turn off TV, Turn on to Life.” There is a wonderful manual available online here,  that details specific tasks that members can teach as alternatives to watching TV. Let’s take the time to teach our Builder’s Club, our future Key Club, Circle K, and Kiwanis members, that there is more to life than the TV.

Considering we are hitting the summer months, it’s never too late for any outdoor service projects, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call your local Builder’s Club. You can always clean a park or have a picnic, even hold a miniature carnival for the club. Let’s make the difference in our youth together.

July 2006 Tip of the Month: Aktion Clubs Provide Sleep

Most of us have comfortable beds to sleep on, or even couches, on a regular basis. However, there are some children around the world who are not as fortunate. Aktion Club has decided to do something about it.

Aktion Club has a brand new service initiative: Sleeping Children Around the World. Members will take part in an effort to provide “sleep kits” for children in developing countries who do not have bedding to sleep on. The very first, unofficial bed kit was provided to 50 children in India in 1970.

Here are the facts:

• The program was created by Mr. and Mrs. Dryden. One of Mr. Dryden’s hobbies was to photograph children sleeping. While traveling as a tourist in Asia, he noticed the large number of children sleeping on the ground without benefit of bedding, sleepwear, etc. The Drydens decided to focus their lives to helping children and created, “Sleeping Children Around the World.”
• A US $25 donation provides a bed kit that includes: mat or mattress, pillow, sheet, blanket, mosquito net (if applicable), clothes outfit, towel and school supplies. Each bed kit is created to fit the needs of the specific developing country. Every child is photographed with the bed kit, showing the donor’s name/country on a label. This photograph is then mailed back to the donor.
• Every sponsoring Kiwanis club is also encouraged to match Aktion Club donations going to SCAW to double the impact on the children of the world and distribute twice as many bed kits. To date, SCAW has raised more than $17 million to provide bed kits for more than 800,000 children in 31 countries.

Join with your local Aktion Club and sponsoring Kiwanis club and help them provide bed kits for children around the world. You might sleep better at night knowing that a child is sleeping better because you helped.

For more information about Sleeping Children Around the World, click here. Visit the Aktion Club Web site for updates on this Service Initiative.

August 2006 Tip of the Month: Summer ends; school begins

Technically, the northern hemisphere's summer doesn’t end until September. But it seems like it does because our summer vacations are coming to a close. During this month, many of you will be heading back to school. Don’t forget, as you’re heading back, so are our wonderful Kiwanis-family members. Below are some wonderful long-term and short-term service ideas to get involved in.

UNICEF Kits

UNICEF provides several kits, such as School-in-a-box, and recreation kits for the less fortunate.You can help by donating to UNICEF to supply these kits to students who aren’t able to go back to school because of not having the proper materials. Click here or here for more information on ways you can help.   

Adopt-a-Soldier

You may not know someone who is overseas serving other nations on behalf of the United States, but you’ll be surprised at how many friends and loved ones of our friends are soldiers.Adopt-a-Soldier Now is a program in which you, as the name suggests, adopt a soldier. The program serves as a bridge to connect deployed soldiers with people who understand their sacrifice and would like to lend them moral support. Soldiers need to know someone cares about and supports them in their extremely dangerous assignments abroad. This is not about the politics of war, but about loving the nation’s sons and daughters in service. Visit www.adoptasoldiernow.org or e-mail for more information. Start your club off with a great pen pal program with soldiers overseas. And encourage your neighboring Service Leadership Programs to join you.   

America’s Promise

Begin planning a safe place you can provide for your Service Leadership Programs to come to after school. At these safe places, encourage different activities, whether they are team-building activities, recreational activities, service activities, or even homework. For more information, visit www.americaspromise.org.

Tutor

Go to your nearby schools to offer part of your time tutoring for students. Commit a few hours each week out of your time to offer your educational expertise to the other Kiwanis-family branches.

Summer Fun in the Sun

Hold a picnic or BBQ in your area to kick off the new school year. Invite all your Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids clubs, Aktion Clubs, and even Kiwanis club members in the area. You can easily use this as a recruitment tool to invite prospective students as well. Let future members know what the Kiwanis family is all about.

October 2006 Tip of the Month
October is Key to College Month

Did you know that October is Key to College Month? Well, it is! Key to College Month is designed to get CKI members thinking about this fantastic program.

So what exactly is the Key to College program?

The Key to College program is a CKI-created program designed especially for high school students who are interested in pursuing higher education. One of the most amazing things about this program is its flexibility. The Key to College program can be tailored specifically for your particular club’s strengths, or to the particular needs of the high school students with whom you might be working. The program is all about educating high school students about college life from the perspective of someone who is currently experiencing it.

So who are these high school students?

These students can be any high school students from surrounding high schools. They do not have to be Key Clubbers. In fact, if you do collaborate with your local Key Club to try a Key to College program, it would be a great idea to open it up to students who are not necessarily in Key Club.

What do I do with these kids?

The possibilities are endless! You could help students prepare their applications by hosting an application critique session. You could even bring out some faculty members from your college or university to go through some applications with them. You could take a different spin on it and do a session with the students all about things “I wish I knew before going to college.” You can allow them to ask lots of questions and fill them in about what it is really like to be a college student right now.

Another idea might be to invite these students to come out to your school for an evening. Meet at a location on campus, and then have each CKI member pair up with a high school student. Take them to your campus dining hall and have each CKI member treat the student to a meal point or swipe. Show them what campus dining is all about and spend the meal chatting with your paired-up student. This big-little situation can make it easier for students to ask questions about concerns they might not bring up in a large group. Then host a program afterwards to help them prepare for college.

So why start now in October?

Well, October is really the perfect month to start things! No matter what kind of program you’re going to do, it would be smart to think about it now. Many college applications are due for seniors between November 30t and February 15h. If you wait too long to conduct an application critique, it won’t be helpful to many students. If you are thinking of doing a program in the spring to help explain what college life is all about, you might want to start planning now! Talk to local high schools and find contacts now. The sooner you start, the more effective the program can be.

So, get out there and have fun showing future college students what college is all about. It also never hurts to put in a little plug for the world’s best college-based service organization – CKI!!! Click here to find the Key to College program outline and other great information about this program.

November 2006 Tip of the Month
New-Member Orientation Program

What is the New-Member Orientation Program?

The New-Member Orientation Program is an online course designed to educate members about Circle K International and the Kiwanis family. It provides basic information about the organization as well as benefits of being a member. The purpose of this orientation training is to provide you with an appreciation and understanding of what your involvement in CKI means to you and the club before you make a commitment to the organization.

What are the key features?

The program offers many features to make the training session most beneficial and informative. The features include:

• Animated presentations – Provide for an interactive session with audio effects to enhance the learning experience.

• Message board – Allows you to post comments and questions that can be shared with others around the world.

• Notes – Keeps your personal notes, ideas, questions, and personal reflections that can be printed for your use.

• Digital Library – Includes documents that supplement the information and can be printed at various times during the session.

• Quizzes – Helps you learn by providing quizzes are at the end of each section to solidify your understanding.

• Certificates – After finishing the course, a printable certificate can be downloaded for completion.

How do I access the program?

To access the program, click here and go to NEW USER link to register. You will need an access code that can be downloaded here. After the initial registration, you are able to log in at any time in the future to resume the training.

What are the benefits of the program?

The program offers members the resources needed to become well educated and informed members about CKI and the Kiwanis family. Learning more about the Kiwanis family will lead members to become more involved in different levels of the organization. Being informed members creates a better sense of belonging, which can be an asset in retaining membership.

The Kiwanis family has many benefits to offer its members. By completing the New Member Orientation Program, members take the first step in uncovering the treasures that the Kiwanis family provides members.