The T-O Today - Issue 3

December & January 2013

The T-O Today Put a little T-O in your day.

Texas-Oklahoma: Shining Bright Since 1954

Letter from the Editor Hey T-O Circle Kers!

Are you ready for DCON?

Table of Contents

District Convention Invitation

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DCON Testimonial

………..2

Governor’s Update

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If you aren’t already registered to join your district board at District Convention March 7th-9th in Rockwall, TX, then get ready, because we are going to be talking about it non-stop till you do get registered!

This is Texas-Oklahoma’s 60th DCON! Since it’s such a big deal, you can bet it’s going to be the best DCON yet. We will also be offering the Weekend Officer Workshop at DCON this year, so if you’re planning on being a club officer, you might as well come, get some training, and experience the greatness that is DCON! I’m excited.

You should be too!

I’ll see you there!

Kiwanis Family Update

….…….4

Leaving a Legacy in your CKI Chapter

…….....5

Briana Smith District Public Relations & Marketing Chair editor@txokcki.org Texas-Oklahoma District Circle K International

Your Formal Invitation to District Convention It’s formal, so I’d be rude to refuse!

Join Texas-Oklahoma Circle K International at the 60th District Convention March 7th-9th, 2014 Rockwall, Texas Bella Harbor Hotel

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Why Should I Be At DCON? If you even need a reason.

As a new member in Circle-K, I had no idea what District Convention was. At first, I was hesitated to register, what was it anyway? I had no idea how much fun I was going to end up having, all of the new friends I would make, and how much I would learn that weekend–I am so glad I decided to attend DCON. This organization brings out the hardest working people I know! At the end of the year, after all of the service, the meetings, the socials, it all comes down to this one celebration. At convention you get to participate in contests, attend an array of forums, elect you leaders for the next year, and so much more. DCON brings together people from all across Texas and Oklahoma, and I was lucky to meet so many incredible friends at last year’s convention. Not only was it an incredible experience, but I learned so much from the forums and from other clubs that I was able to bring back to my home chapter. This year, with Officer Training taking place at District Convention, there’s even more reason to attend!

Whether this is your first DCON, or you’re coming back for more, I invite you out for a weekend filled with laughter, new friends, and fun March 7-9th in Dallas! I hope you can join us as we celebrate 60 years of CKI and 60 years of serving communities in Texas and Oklahoma.

-Otto Sanchez & Brian O’hara District Convention is such an amazing event to come together as a district and celebrate the service, leadership and fellowship we've experienced within our home chapters and the district as a whole. My fondest convention memories include sitting through awkward caucusing sessions, seeing the smiles on the faces of district award winners, and dancing the night away with friends at the after-banquet dance! I've met new friends and reunited with best friends at convention, voiced an opinion as a delegate on the tough choices that we as a district face, and enjoyed a variety of workshops that have helped me to grow into the leader I am today. With so many opportunities to be involved at district convention, it's hard not to get a CKI high from the weekend! This will be my sixth and final district convention as a CKI member, and I hope you will join me as we celebrate 60 years of service, leadership and fellowship, Texas-Oklahoma style! :) -Allison Prisco

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Governor’s Update How to get involved this last semester!

Howdy T-O! It can be a rough start for clubs coming back after winter break spent away from your chapter. Perhaps your chapter members are feeling sluggish due to the colder weather and an outside project is out of the question. The colder weather months are a great time to get into a soup kitchen or your local food pantry! Providing a warm meal to those in need, or packing a box of hot cocoa powder into a food box are just a few ways to bring warmth to your heart and to those you are serving! Teaming up with your local Kiwanis family branches for these projects is the ideal situation for any CKI chapter! This is also the perfect opportunity to get involved with one of our service partners, Students Team Up to Fight Hunger, which is also my governor’s project for the year.

Another good way to get the energy back up in your club is to recruit some fresh faces into your chapter family! Tabling and chalking may be your club’s strong point; maybe you have creative members who make amazing club fliers and marketing resources. Whatever your chapter’s strengths are, implementing them into your spring recruitment strategy is the perfect way to attract new members! Need some new ideas for recruitment and retention? Check out the recruitment and retention resources on the CKI website for tips, tricks and ideas to implement this semester during spring recruitment! Let's get those membership numbers up across the mighty T-O District! http://www.circlek.org/Resources/ Membership/RecruitmentRetention.aspx With Valentine’s Day approaching, I challenge each chapter to host one Valentine’s Day themed fundraiser for The ELIMINATE Project. Part of the “Show Your Love, Save A Life” campaign, Circle K International’s Valentine’s Day themed fundraisers are a sure fire way to reach the district goal of each chapter raising $300 for The ELIMINATE Project this year. This is another great opportunity to team up with your Kiwanis Family branches in your area and host a fundraiser together! Please check out the resources at the link provided below for step by step resources on how to host a larger scale fundraising event and ideas for smaller yet just as effective fundraisers that may be more practical for your chapter. Also, reach out to our very own T-O District K-Family Relations and Membership Development & Education Chairwoman Jennifer Tuggle-Hinze, who is also serving as the CKI SLP representative on The ELIMINATE Project committee! She has fantastic ideas and tricks to help your club get started on your fundraising efforts! http://sites.kiwanis.org/Kiwanis/en/theELIMINATEproject/SLP/ Showyourlovesavealife.aspx With District Convention approaching, that means the end of the CKI year is near! I have thoroughly enjoyed the year up to this point, and I can’t wait to celebrate our successes and triumphs with you all at convention! Hope to see you there! :D

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Yours in service and a smile, Allison Prisco T-O District Governor 2013-2014

Kiwanis Family Update Discover what the K-Family is all about!

As some of you are aware, Kiwanis One Day is an annual event to unite all branches of the K-Family together for one cause. This is year Kiwanis One Day is on April 5th, 2014.

It's important to plan in advance to decide on a project and get all of the branches in your area informed about the event. Projects can range from a tree plant to a park cleanup to a benefit for The Eliminate Project. For some more resources, tools, and tips feel free to check out http://www.kiwanis.org/kiwanisone/serve/kiwanis-oneday#.UuwWkmyYbcs If your chapter or Kiwanis club has a great idea, feel free to enter the Kiwanis One Day contest by March 15th, 2014. If you win, you receive a professionally made video detailing your project and its implementation. T-O could be represented at Kiwanis International Convention, on the Kiwanis International website, and more. SUPER COOL! Check out https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VCNWRZR to apply!

Jennifer Kay Tuggle Hinze Kiwanis Family Relations & Membership Development Chair kfamily@txokcki.org

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Leaving a Legacy in Your CKI Chapter A quick tip from the pros!

I love the word legacy. I like how it rolls off of my tongue and creates a vivid mental image of creating something that will stay forever. In thinking about a CKI legacy, I’m saddened to realize that the home club I loved so much as a CKI member no longer has a chapter. So I thought that it would be interesting to get other thoughts on this concept of “legacy”.

I asked some alumni from around the CKI world (ok, mostly the US) about what advice they have on leaving a legacy in one’s chapter. I liked the responses so much I thought I would share their insights. All of these great individuals are Kiwanis leaders now – and though some are friends from my CKI days, others I have met as I began my journey back to Kiwanis. 

If you are the best leader you can be while in Circle K, you will leave a "legacy" with your home chapter.

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Not so much a "legacy", but get a program in place that encourages development over the summer and recruitment for the Fall semester. Ensure a club legacy much like how the boy scouts treat nature: leave it in better shape than when you got it. Add members, make admin structure changes, create a fun project or make something happen that is easily repeatable year after year. That being said, our exec board is why our year was successful. A VP that kept the committees organized and communicating, Treas that made sure we were maximizing our dollars and paying our bills, Sec that worked to keep our records and contacts in line, and an editor that worked every month to put out a message and recap that people wouldn't just throw away. Want a good legacy? Have a great board.

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The best "legacy" one can leave is the development of future club leaders. So many clubs get huge then die off because they are based off of one good leader, and when that person graduates, the club dies.

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would have to say that leaving something behind to detail the year is also important. Too often clubs, districts, etc. are forgetting what has come before and face the same issues. Forgetting history and repeating it.

What will your legacy be to your chapter? Whether you are an officer or a member, your input and actions can make an amazing difference in your club. There are legacies (which have now been put to rest with my original home club) that are seared in my memory – ones that helped me realize the amazing organization I joined during my first semester of college.

What are the memories that you’re creating?

Carol Clyde

Follow T-O CKI! -Carol Clyde Texas-Oklahoma Circle K International

txokcki.org Texas Oklahoma CKI

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Put a little T-O in your day.