Circle of Sharing Volume 25, Issue 2, Summer 2020

VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 2 | JULY/AUGUST 2020

THE CIRCLE OF SHARING THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WISCONSIN UPPER MICHIGAN CIRCLE K DISTRICT

Club Officer Retreat Recap _____________________________ CKI Next Recap _____________________________ Sustainable Dialogue Event _____________________________

Table of Contents 03: Meet your Bulletin Editor 04: Important CKI dates 05: Member Spotlights 06: Farewell, Tana 07: Summer Service 08-09: Kiwanis Kard Making 10-11: Key Club Senior Night 12-13: CKI Next Recap 14: CKI Week 15-16: Club Officer Retreat 17-19: Sustainable Dialogue Event 20: District Directory 02

Meet Your New Bulletin Editor: Makenna Mueller Hello all!

My name is Makenna Mueller and I am so excited to be serving on the 2020-2021 Wisconsin-Upper Michigan Circle K International Board as the Bulletin Editor. In the fall, I will be a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh majoring in Nursing.

Eventually, I hope to earn a master’s degree with a Clinical Nurse Leader emphasis.

Throughout college, I realized I wanted to meet people who had a passion for serving and helping others. I found that Circle K was a great place to do this. While I am new to the organization, I am eager to learn more and be an involved member.

Outside of Circle K, you can find me constantly studying, working as a Patient Care Technician at a hospital in Oshkosh, tutoring others in human physiology, and going on various hikes throughout Wisconsin. I enjoy being able to spend time with people and try new things!

In the future, I am looking forward to attending the District Convention. I know it will be a great experience to meet many Circle K members within Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. I will strive to uphold my duties as the District Bulletin editor where I will be creating and publishing district bulletins and updating social media accounts.

Additionally, I will promote and help to achieve the goals that the District Board sets.

I am looking forward to a year full of service, leadership, and fellowship.

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Save the Date!

Kiwanis Family Baseball Game - CANCELLED CKI Week- October 12-17, 2020 Membership Awareness Conference (MAC) October 16-18, 2020 - Camp Wawbeek, WI Dells.

This year's theme is Barnyard Palooza.

Kiwanis One Day- October 24, 2020 Kiwanis Family Hockey Night - Winter District Convention - February 26-28, 2021 - Green Bay. The theme for DCON will be Jungle/Safari! *All events are subject to change due to COVID-19

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M E M B E R S P O T L I G H T S

Club officers choose an outstanding member from their club to spotlight each month. These are the Member Spotlights that were submitted from the months of May, June, and July!

Shannon Gegare and Mia VilanovaCarthage College Maggie Ollmann, Sierra Nordquist, and Dayna Porter- Edgewood College Clare LaLonde and Douglas ArnettArnold-Michigan Tech Olivia Groenewold, Abigail Hejmanowski, and Anton MaslowskiSt. Norbert College Carley Hlava, Myah Fraundorf, and Grace Bartow- University of WisconsinLa Crosse Joseph Rinaldi, Kevin Jacobson, and Angel Yang- University of WisconsinMadison Sophia Thibert, Julia Shurtleff, and Mikayla Cann- University of WisconsinOshkosh Luke Neumann, Gavin Lloyd, and Brooke Steeno-University of Wisconsin-Platteville Joanna Carman- University of Wisconsin- Whitewater Thank you to everyone for all of your hard work. You are greatly appreciated!

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Farewell from our Trustee, Tana!

Hello everyone!

Serving as the International Trustee to the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan district was a life-changing experience. I’m so proud to have been able to serve you all this year and represent you on the international board.

From creating recruitment kits, to receiving a Tomorrow Fund Grant to make adapted planters, WUM continues to set the bar high, and be a trendsetting district.

Thank you for inviting me to your district convention, I was so inspired by the energy from everyone in your district and the kindness that put southern hospitality to shame!

I’m excited to pass the torch to your new trustee, Hannah Spargur, I know she’s going to have a fantastic year with you all. Thank you and have a great year! -Tana Early

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Summer Service Opportunities During these unpredictable times, it is important to get creative when it comes to virtual service or volunteer opportunities. Below are examples of service that can be done virtually or within the comfort of your own home: Make cards for healthcare providers.

Free Rice: donate rice to those in need by playing a quiz game.

Free Kibble: donate pet food by answering trivia.

Write letters to senior citizens who have had to isolate during COVID-19.

TED translators: subtitle global TED Talks.

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When I ran for District Governor this past February, I told everyone that I wanted to improve our Kiwanis Family Relations throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. This is something that I have been working towards since.

As a part of this process, with the help of the rest of our Kiwanis Family branch leaders, we launched the ‘Kiwanis Family Kard Making’ initiative (yes, we did spell ‘Kard’ with a ‘K’ because I thought it was cute since we’re the K-Family).

Throughout the months of May and June 2020, each of our Kiwanis Family Branches - K-Kids, Builders Club, Key Club, Circle K, Aktion Club, and Kiwanis - worked together to make cards for community members. The goal of the project was to brighten someone’s day through a small act of kindness: a personalized card. Members throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan made both physical and virtual cards that were handed out/distributed in a variety of settings; some cards went to neighbors, others senior community members, some to essential workers, and still others to old friends. The list goes on. Together, we were able to make 2,157 cards. That’s 2,157 smiles! I’m so happy and proud to be a part of an organization of members who were willing to make this happen.

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The Kiwanis Family Kard Making initiative was more than simply making cards and logging service hours. It was an opportunity for us to spread cheer and joy amidst a pandemic while also allowing our branches to come together, to connect, and to serve together. I couldn’t ask for any more, especially as we work to improve our Kiwanis Family relations this year.THANK YOU so much to anyone and everyone who participated in this project! We really could not have done this without you! I’m excited to see the connections that were made because of this project grow and for us to continue to work with one another throughout the future. If you have any ideas of what we can do next, please do not hesitate to reach out to me because I would LOVE to hear them!

By: Katelyn Van Buren (WUM CKI District Governor)

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Key Club Senior Night Each year, WUM Circle K visits WIUM Key Club's DCON and hosts a special Senior Night for their Key Club Seniors to get introduced to our Branch in the K-Family. With the cancelation of Key Club's DCON this year, we knew that we still needed a way to connect with these up and coming Circle K-ers. Thus began the creation of our first ever virtual Senior Night!

Before the event took place, we connected with Key Club Seniors from all over the Wisconsin and Upper-Michigan District, reaching out to hear more about their future plans and how we can be of assistance.

We were counting down the days until we could meet with everyone!

When it came time for the night, we had a blast! There was time for fellowship and bonding, learning about Circle K, and even a moment to congratulate and recognize these Seniors and all the hard work they've put into Key Club. It was so special to have an evening dedicated to these students, and we loved connecting even more with our fellow Kiwanis Family members.

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One of the best aspects about our organization is the Kiwanis Family.

From year to year, our organization grows with its members, allowing everyone to experience Kiwanis through a different lens, no matter what stage of life. We are thrilled to welcome these Seniors into the Circle K Branch of the K-family, and we know that they will feel right at home when they join us.

To all of the Seniors that joined us for Senior Night, thank you! We can't wait to work alongside many of you in upcoming years, and we know just how much you have to offer to us over here at Circle K. College can seem like a daunting next step in life, but here in Circle K we are prepared to offer you a little piece of home wherever you go to school.

No Circle K club at your school? That's okay! We can work with you to charter a new club and help spread our message of service even farther around the state. We are excited to see you all this fall, but for now, enjoy the rest of the summer!

By: Grace Bartow (Kiwanis Family & Outreach Chair)

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CKI Next While CKIx did not occur in Las Vegas this year, we were still able to have CKI Next virtually on July 18th-19th. This was an incredible free opportunity for all to attend that included various speakers, workshops, service, and awards!

The event included an alumni panel where we were able to hear from former Circle K members who spoke on the impact CKI had on both their lives and careers. Additionally, the event held several different workshop sessions, from learning how to develop a club newsletter, learning to set goals, and understanding recruitment tactics for gaining new members.

Our very own, Katelyn VanBuren, held her own workshop focusing on what makes a successful club.

CKI Next allowed for times of fellowship, another important component of Circle K. It provided us all an opportunity to meet many new people and make lasting memories!

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CKI Next CKI Next had several different awards sessions. As a district we had many members receive various awards throughout the event.

The following awards were received at CKI Next: Distinguished District - Wisconsin Upper Michigan Distinguished District Governor - Cole Nelson Distinguished District Administrator - Justin Hahn Distinguished Lieutenant Governor - Jessica Wells Distinguished District Chair - Gavin Lloyd Distinguished District Chair - Katelyn Van Buren Top Fundraising District for WASH - Third Place Outstanding Club Achievement - University of WisconsinMadison

Congratulations to all!

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CKI Week

October 12th-17th will be CKI Week! This week will be full of all things CKI. Each day of the week will have its own theme.

More details to come...

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COR Recap How do YOU spend your weekends in the summer?? WELL, your club officers dedicated the weekend of July 24th to focus and prepare for the success of your club this year at the firstever Club Officer Retreat (COR). Pretty cool, huh?

As an approved replacement of our annual Membership Education and Recruitment Program (MERP), COR was planned to be a weekend of camping, bonding, and learning for all of our club officers. However, with the current pandemic, the event was converted to a virtual format and condensed into two days.

Throughout this time, officers participated in ice breakers, learned about interpersonal development skills, received position-specific training, and attended workshops on the Kiwanis Family and preparing for the fall semester. Clubs had the opportunity to share ideas and help each other out, all of which contributes to the strengthening of our District. The connections made and the knowledge obtained throughout this event will be brought back to your schools and hopefully implemented into your clubs-I cannot wait to see this happen!

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COR once again proved that online events CAN be successful! This gives us hope for this upcoming fall semester as we transition back to school (in a multitude of formats) and work to build up CKI across campuses. I know that this year will look different than any other, but I have hope that we can take advantage of our situation and really move our organization forward. As long as we keep a positive attitude and persevere, there’s so much that we can accomplish!

I do hope that next year COR will take place under the stars and around a campfire. However, the event put on this summer was one for the history books, and I am so happy with the way that it turned out (if you’re curious enough, recordings of the sessions can be found on our website). I am so proud of our club officers, and I am excited to see what this year holds. Next time you see the leaders of your club, thank them for the time that they put into their positions!

By: Katelyn Van Buren (WUM CKI District Governor)

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Sustainable Dialogue Recap Diversity. Equity. Racism. Privilege. Power. These are words that we hear everyday but many of us don’t know how to define them or how to even start a conversation with others about them. Thankfully for the K-Family members of the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District, Circle K was ready and willing to provide a space for education, conversation, and questions. On July 7th, Governor Kate facilitated the session “Sustainable Dialogue: Identity, Race, Current Events and Ethnicity, and its part in the Kiwanis Family.” This session, which was held over Zoom, provided an opportunity for members in Circle K, Kiwanis, and Key Club from all areas of the United States and the world to come together and discuss.

Kate started out by establishing some ground rules and asking attendees to define their visible identities (i.e. what do people see when they see me?) as well as an invisible identity (i.e. what experiences do I have that impact my view of life that other people would not know?). As you can imagine, the visible identities fell into ranges such as “white, female, lesbian” or “old, male, straight” – identities that can come with a lot of baggage. The invisible identities brought us to a deeper space as we heard things like “I grew up in extreme poverty and was homeless,” “I have anxiety disorder,” “I hate speaking in front of people – even on Zoom!” Needless to say, we found out so much more about one another than we ever would at first glance – and found out that there are a lot more introverts in Circle K than one would guess!

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After introductions, all attendees were challenged with a set of questions to consider and discuss: -How do we as individuals and leaders define diversity? Do we believe, with the definitions we came up with, that our clubs are diverse?

-Have we as individuals ever experienced a situation where our race or identity seemed to contribute to an uncomfortable situation? If so, what did we do to overcome it?

-In what ways do we recognize systemic racism still at play in our society?

-Why do we think a movement like Black Lives Matter is important? Do we think it’s what is needed to reach a point of racial equality in our community?

-In what ways can we, the Kiwanis Family, help in support of the movement or the fight for racial justice?

While some of the questions and concepts laid heavily upon us, attendees were able to express themselves openly, ask clarifying questions, come up with ideas and strategies, and most importantly, listen and learn from one another.

Participants had ranges of perspectives on what diversity meant, some saw it as differences in age, others saw a difference in skin color or gender, but what we all agreed upon is that diversity is more than just what people look like; diversity is a blend of the differences we all possess-our visible and invisible identities. Many struggled with determining whether their clubs were considered diverse (or diverse enough), and we discussed ways we could make our spaces more welcoming to people who have different backgrounds and viewpoints than us. We asked questions (like what can my club do?) and asked questions some more. We confronted our own personal biases and started to recognize the role we all play in changing the world.

There was never a lull in conversation – ideas came rushing out one after another like a flowing river after a heavy rainfall. It was evident that we could’ve spent hours discussing not only these questions, but so many more that were brought to the table. When the session had to end, we were all faced with one last question: what now?

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The answer to that varied for everyone attending. Some wanted to tap into the resources available from Circle K International, some wanted to build their libraries and read books such as How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, and others wanted to continue the conversation with their families, friend circles, and club members. Governor Kate provided some wonderful resources for attendees to continue their path of learning and leading and reminded everyone that she is planning to schedule additional sessions throughout the year.

Now, if you’ve spent the time reading this, you may be asking yourself the same question we all did that evening: what now? Remember that learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion is never-ending and can feel like a large, mysterious task for many of us. Remember that the work you do on educating yourself and others is important and there are countless resources available for you to reference.

Remember that the district board is here to support you and your members and know that there will be continual conversations about this throughout our district.

We want all of our clubs to be diverse and all members to feel valued, included, and heard; in order to get there, we will have to do some reflection and may have to have a few difficult conversations.

As the late, great, James Baldwin said, “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.�

By: Lena Scheibengraber

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District Board Directory District Governor Katelyn Van Buren wumcki.governor@gmail.com

District Secretary Brooke Steeno wumcki.secretary@gmail.com

District Treasurer Annika Hentz wumcki.treasurer@gmail.com

920-557-1475

920-609-7857

608-566-4606

Capital LTG Gavin Lloyd wumcki.ltg.capital@gmail.com

Chippewa LTG Ella Dykstra

Lakes LTG Meagan Ebertz wumcki.ltg.lakes@gmail.com

715-370-7484

wumcki.ltg.chippewa@gmail.com

920-238-3970

Metro-Southeast LTG Jonathan Totsky

Superior LTG Douglas Arnett-Arnold

wumcki.ltg.metrose@gmail.com 262-894-7195

wumcki.ltg.superior@gmail.com 906-396-5525

District Convention Chair Maddy Dimeo wumcki.dcon@gmail.com

Assistant DCON Chair Angel Yang

920-517-1844

Awards, Regs, History Chair Luke Neumann wumcki.arh@gmail.com 414-881-0867 Kiwanis Family Outreach Chair

wumcki.dcon.assistant@gmail.com

Grace Bartow wumcki.kfam@gmail.com

608-477-6141

920-860-0254

920-306-5690

Membership, Development, & Growth Chair Joanna Carman wumcki.mdg@gmail.com

Service Chair Trevor Ciebell wumcki.service@gmail.com

Special Events Chair Maggie Ollmann wumcki.events@gmail.com

608-921-0090

715-281-0235

Assistant Administrator Lena Sheibengraber lena.wum.cki@gmail.com

Assistant Administrator Ann Pilot ann.wum.cki@gmail.com

414-418-9779

262-939-1614

920-460-5138

District Administrator Justin Hahn wumcki.districtadvisor@gmail.com

414-510-1609

Assistant Administrator Rachel Leader leader.rachel@gmail.com 952-240-9481

District Bulletin Editor Makenna Mueller wumcki.bulletin@gmail.com 920-382-9608

Webiste: wumcirclek@weebly.com Facebook: Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District of Circle K International Instagram: wumcki

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