LovePit

January 19th, 2013

The Michigan District of Circle K has, as you know, four awesome district events throughout the Circle K year, and the third one is just around the corner! On January 19th in Mason, MI, LovePit will be a day full of service, fellowship, and fun! This year's theme is "old school fun & games" so participants will be playing games like PacMan, Tetris, and hopscotch!

Winter Mass Meeting

January 24, 2013

What does a new semester mean? A chance to meet new people and to make more friends. We’ll be having our Winter Mass Meeting in the Anderson Room in the Union. Although we are freezing our butts off here in cold Michigan, we will be having a beach theme, so get your bathing suits out and that bikini body ready!

Humane Society Monthly Project

Finally! A project where CKer’s get to work with animals. This year we are starting up a monthly project with the Humane Society! We’ve been struggling to find an ongoing project with animals because of 1) the amount of training involved and 2) it being important to the organizations to have animal friendly volunteers. Starting soon, every month a group will go and help out with the animals by playing, cuddling, taking walks, etc… Adorbs!

First EVER Alternative Winter Break

New York City, NY

December 28, 2012 - January 5th, 2012

This was Circle K’s first ever AWB! Five students drove all the way to NYC to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. They worked with the organization God's Love We Deliver to help prepare and deliver nutritious meals to HIV/AIDS clients.

Christina Pu, who organized AWB shares her experience!

I believe that one of the most important tenets of volunteering is taking into account when people need help, and not simply when we are free to give help. Sometimes, during our crazy schedules as university students, it can be easy to forget that disasters and crises don’t choose the most convenient time to occur. They just happen, and if we as Circle K volunteers are really dedicated to helping people in their most destitute moments and bringing them hope, we must put others’ needs before our own. This is why four other volunteers and I decided to give up part of our winter break to restore houses and deliver meals in New York after Hurricane Sandy. I personally knew that I had to set up this AWB when I saw pictures of my high school in New York City, Stuyvesant High School, submerged in water and with no hope of reopening anytime soon. If my high school was like this, I could only imagine that my former classmates and friend who lived close to the school were similarly affected, and I felt that it was my responsibility to help people like them in this time of desperation.

The path to making the trip possible was not easy. We had just over a month to raise over $600 to cover trip expenses, and I found myself bucketing at times like right before my final exams or when my friends had asked me to hang out with them. Getting people to join the service trip was also a huge challenge, because most people preferred to stay with their families or go on vacation during winter break. However, while I understood people’s desires to see their families, I also thought about the Hurricane Sandy victims who need us more during the holidays. Without the non-profit organizations in New York and the volunteers who work there, it is possible that they would be cold and hungry on the holidays.

Even after the fundraising was done and we had arrived in New York, not everything went smoothly. On the first day, our car got towed, and we lost the extra $200 that we had raised. In addition, the church in which we were staying was not prepared for our arrival and did not have any volunteer work for us to do. However, during the next few days, we cleaned the church, restored houses at a “muck out” at the Rockaways, and delivered meals to clients. We worked with the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew and God’s Love We Deliver to brighten up the holiday season at least a little bit for Hurricane Sandy victims. During our free time, we visited famous New York City landmarks such as Times Square and Central Park. In the end, I felt that the trip was a worthwhile experience, even through all of our struggles and difficulties. Stressing about trip planning may have forced me to make many sacrifices such as grades and social life, but I still take pride in the fact that I planned all aspects of this service trip by myself, and was able to make a difference in people’s lives when they needed it the most. Even though I am just a university student, I have the power to follow my passion and, through my time and effort, help solve social justice issues in our country. I have taken the first step to being the change I want to see in the world.

Inductions

November 15th, 2012

Inductions were spectacular as usual. Unlike previous years in Rackham, Inductions took place in the Keunzel Room in the Union (Circle K’s normal meeting space)—a.k.a nice and homey. 94 new members, dressed in business casual, were inducted after listening to an inspiring speech given by John A. Vasquez (Assistant Director of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program at the University of Michigan as well as Leadershape leader). He talked about the importance of having a passion and following it. The ceremony which included the presentation of the Circle K pins and certificates was followed by the annual froyo social at Amer’s. We had so many people join us for the yummy social which really allowed for conversation and getting to know one another.

Winter Formal: Night in the Spotlight

December 7th, 2012

The Night in the Spotlight featured great music, ballroom dance lessons, the crowning of a formal king and queen, along with auctioning off dances with Leadership Team members! And you know what’s even better? The proceeds went to support the Eliminate Project which hopes to eliminate maternal/neonatal tetanus. Just the tickets at $10 a piece were able to save the lives of 5 mothers and her future babies!