What is a Kapers-Mini: A Kapers-Mini is a short issue of Kapers that is packed full of information from the District and International level to help you and your club grow.

Florida District Kapers—Mini Edition 1

November 2, 2008

FLORIDA DISTRICT CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL

Florida circle k

apers

CKI: A History 2

The Three Tenets 2

CKI Facts 3

CKI Service Partners 4-5

Focusing on the Future: Children

6

District Convention 7

Letter from the Editor 8

Inside this issue: Hello Florida District!

When deciding what my Governor’s Project would be for this year, I wanted to make

sure to pick something that not only I was passionate about. I took a little over a month to decide

between two issues I am very passionate about, poverty awareness and prevention and literacy. I

wanted to create a project that every member of this District felt connected to and could stand

behind. Ultimately, I realized that literacy is something that has shaped each of us. It has guided

us to the college or university that we currently attend. It has provided us with a future. Some of

us may have a friend or family member whom they have watched struggling to learn to read. Oth-

ers may have worked with programs that promote literacy. All of us, however, understand its im-

portance.

Building Blocks: Foundations For Florida is a project that embodies literacy for everyone,

and therefore a better future. Literacy is a growing issue around the country, and we can certainly

do our part to change that in Florida. Here are some literacy statistics:

• More than 20% of adults read at a fifth grade reading level, or lower- far below the level

needed to earn a living wage.

• 44 million adults do not read well enough to read their child’s book.

• Children who have not developed basic literary skills by the time they enter school are 4 times

more likely to drop out.

• 15% of 4th graders read at no more than 74 words per minute, a pace at which it becomes

difficult to keep track of ideas as they are developing in the reading.

By helping children today to improve their reading level, we are helping to ensure a place

for them in our growing society. We are helping to provide them with a future, unreachable with-

out the ability to read. We can also help adults to better their lives, and their children’s lives, by

working with their literacy levels. Changing just one facet of an individual’s life can improve

many.

Literacy is one of the greatest gifts that one can give another and one that is truly the

foundation of an individual’s education and future. It is a gift that we, as the Florida District, can

give to those in need throughout Florida in a variety of ways. Tutoring programs, book drives,

building libraries, creating books, creating a pen pal program, and many others can be wonderful

ways to support this project.

I greatly appreciate your work on the Governor’s Project and look forward to hearing

about all of your amazing experiences!

Best of luck,

Kadie Hayward Florida District Governor

Kadie Hayward Florida District Governor

Circle K International

CKI began in 1936 as a Kiwanis club service project to provide an opportunity for capa-ble, ambitious, and worthy young men to acquire a college education by assisting them, where necessary, with their financial problems, by means of a scholarship fund, if available, or securing part-time employment. Soon after the concept of CKI was recognized and accepted, the element of community service was introduced, thus creating an appealing outlet for collegians around the globe. Today, as the largest collegiate service organization, CKI boasts a membership of more than 11,000 collegians on more than 500 campuses worldwide. CKI is a student-led organiza-tion with an International Board of Representatives elected by its membership each year. Em-bodied by its tenets of leadership, fellowship, and service at the club, district, and International levels, CKI continues to grow through service to the world's campuses and communities

P A G E 2

CKI: A History

The three Tenets

Service Service is the heart of CKI. Collectively, CKI members perform more than 1 million hours of service on their cam-puses and in their communities every year. Without service, CKI would be just another campus activity. Through service, college students are making the world a better place.

Leadership The potential of CKI lies in its ability to positively influence members of society who are facing ultimate personal decisions and those who will one day create the vision of mankind for generations to come. Leadership opportuni-ties afford CKI members the resources and tools needed to become active citizens. Members can assume leader-ship responsibilities at all levels of the organization and through various experiential training conferences.

Fellowship CKI members experience fellowship and develop lifelong relationships with fellow collegians, advisors, Kiwanians, and citizens in their communities every single day. Whether a member is mentoring a child, networking with a businessman, or bowling with members, he or she is developing social skills, meeting new people, and strength-ening relationships.

F L O R I D A D I S T R I C T K A P E R S—M I N I E D I T I O N 1

P A G E 3

Mission Developing college and university students into a global network of responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commitment to service.

Pledge I pledge to uphold the Objects of Circle K International, to foster compassion and goodwill toward others through ser-vice and leadership, to develop my abilities and the abilities of all people, and to dedicate myself to the realization of mankind’s potential.

Objects The objects of this organization shall be:

To emphasize the advantages of the democratic way of life;

To provide the opportunity for leadership training in service;

To serve on the campus and in the community;

To cooperate with the administrative officers of the educational institutions of which the clubs are a part;

To encourage participation in group activities;

To promote good fellowship and high scholarship;

To develop aggressive citizenship and the spirit of service for improvement of all human relationships;

To afford useful training in the social graces and personality development; and

To encourage and promote the following idealsidealsidealsideals:

• To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life;

• To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships;

• To promote the adoption and the application of high social, business and professional standards;

• To develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship;

• To provide through Circle K clubs a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service, and to build better communities; and

• To cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism, which make possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism and goodwill.

Vision To be the leading global community-service organization on college and university campuses that enriches the world one member, one child and one community at a time.

Motto Live to Serve, Love to Serve

Where are we? CKI operates on an international, district, and club level. More than 11,000 members make up about 500 clubs in 30 districts and 17 nations, including the Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Colombia, Philippines, Nige-ria, Ecuador, Malaysia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Antigua, Austra-lia, Suriname, and the United States.

F L O R I D A D I S T R I C T K A P E R S—M I N I E D I T I O N 1

Circle K International is proud of its partnerships with March of Dimes, UNICEF, Better World Books, and STUFH. By pairing with these powerful organizations, CKI members are able to reach more children.

March of Dimes

CKI members, along with the Kiwanis family and youth volunteers across the country, support the March of Dimes in its fight against pre-mature birth. Every day, one in eight babies born in the United States arrives too soon. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, prematurity, and infant mortality.

UNICEF

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, was created after World War II to provide emergency aid to children in Europe and Asia. Today, UNICEF works in more than 150 coun-tries and territories—supported entirely with voluntary contributions. Across the globe, wherever vulnerable children are struggling to survive, UNICEF is there with medicine, vaccines, clean water, and nutrition. Whatever vital help struggling children need, UNICEF will supply. Over the years, UNICEF has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s mission through education, advocacy, and fundraising in the United States. How does CKI help? At the 2005 Circle K International Convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, the International board of trustees passed a resolution supporting UNICEF. And at the 2007 International Convention, CKI announced the Saving Lives: The Six Cents Initia-tive, to supply clean water and sanitation to children worldwide.

CKI Service Partners

P A G E 4 F L O R I D A D I S T R I C T K A P E R S—M I N I E D I T I O N 1

Better World Books

Better World Books capitalizes on the value of the book to fund and support literacy initiatives locally, nationally, and around the world. Better World Books partners with more than 900 libraries and 1,600 college campuses across the United States and Canada, collecting unwanted textbooks and library discards in support of nonprofit lit-eracy programs. Better World Books has collected more than 11.4 million books since the spring of 2003, sending more than 1 million books to partner programs and saving more than 6,500 tons of books from landfills. But that’s only part of the story. Better World Books has raised more than $2.8 million for literacy and education non-profit organizations, including Books for Africa, Feed the Children, and Room to Read.

STUFH

Students Team Up to Fight Hunger (STUFH) is dedicated to linking food banks with local colleges and universities for two purposes: to collect food for those who need it most and to raise awareness of these needs upon the local student population. The main focus of STUFH comes at the end of a school year, when students move out of apartments and dorms. Rather than discard-

ing unopened non-perishable foodstuffs into trash bins as they leave, STUFH supplies food bins for students to donate these unwanted items. Since the pro-gram began in 1999 at Cornell University, more than 1 million pounds of food-stuffs have been raised for food banks to feed the hungry. It is the mission of STUFH to increase this gathering of food at college campuses throughout the country, which will link the hearts and souls of college students with their less

fortunate hungry neighbors. *Check out the NEW CKI website for more information on how to get involved!

P A G E 5

CKI Service Partners

F L O R I D A D I S T R I C T K A P E R S—M I N I E D I T I O N 1

The CKI Service Initiative is Focusing on the Future: Children. This initiative encour-ages members to address the issues facing children and to find solutions through service. There are three major emphasis areas of the Service Initiative, and these rotate every four months. The emphasis areas and dates are:

• After-school programs: Turn off TV, Turn onto Life, August 1 through November 30.

• Educating Children: Open a Book, Show Them the World, December 1 through March 31

• Health and Safety Issues: On Call for the Future, April 1 through July 31

For more information on anything in this issue please contact any mem-ber of the Florida District Board or check out the Circle K International

website at www.circlek.org.

P A G E 6 F L O R I D A D I S T R I C T K A P E R S—M I N I E D I T I O N 1

Once Upon A Time… Kings and queens, princes and princesses, peasants and serfs, mem-

bers and alumni of the world’s premier service organization came to-

gether to solve the world’s problems, and to celebrate 50 glorious

years of changing the world in the Kingdom of the Florida District…

How will the story end? Only you can help write the next chapter…

Announcing:

The Florida District of Circle K International’s

50th Annual Convention “CKI Goes Medieval”

Wyndham Orlando Resort February 19-22, 2009

Featuring: Dynamic Speakers,

Additional M

eals, Alumni &

Member Mixers, 5

0 Years of

“Little International”

For more information,

Contact

DCON Chair

Chris Roberts at Chriser@ufl.edu

Or

Assistant Administrator

Maggie Gunther at MaggieCKI@aol.com

P A G E 7 F L O R I D A D I S T R I C T K A P E R S—M I N I E D I T I O N 1

Hello Mighty Florida District:

I hope the new Kapers-Mini is something that will become a great resource

to the members of the Florida District. My goal is to create a short, monthly

publication dedicated to the education of our members, so that you all may be

fully educated and understand who we are, and what CKI has to offer. If you ever

have a question about something, please let me know. Odds are that someone

else has the same question, and then I can address the question in the next mini

issue. Thanks and I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

In friendship and service,

Timothy Wolfinger Florida District Editor

UCF Circle K

A letter from the district editor

We’re on the web:

www.floridacirclek.org