International Convention!

Hello Everyone!

I would highly encourage everyone to go register for International Convention that will be held in Birmingham, AL this year! The newsletter with all of the information you would ever need to know is found here: http://www.box.net/shared/2j4aydemz7. Also, there are t-shirts available for purchase! Please e-mail me if you are interested!

Go to www.circlek.org/convention for more information. I hope to see you there!

Gators, Snakes, and Bears OH MY!

Hello Sub-region C!

I would like to extend my greetings from Sub-region G as I am currently in the Everglades for a third time in a year. The weather is great (just a little humid and rainy, but it is still great!) and the people are even better. I am taking my time as an intern in the Everglades and turning it into a time for volunteering. The Naples Zoo (only 30 minutes away) is where I will be compiling PowerPoints for the Director to use at his leisure for talks about the Zoo and I am also trying to look up grants to go towards the transportation of local children from school to the Zoo and back.

Just because you might be on an internship in an unfamiliar state or have a job that takes up a lot of time, please remember that there are still some places you can help out with and continue the CKI spirit during the summer.

If you have any questions about what I am doing here in South Florida (FPNWR) or about CKI and the CKI CONVENTION then e-mail me at subregionc@circlek.org.

THANKS and have a great day!

Finals and Paint

Hello Sub-region C!

So this past month has been a full month!

A CKI Board Meeting, finals, papers, presentations, relaxation, paint, and summer work outs!

I have been continuing to work on the CKI Boys and Girls Club Teen Room and you can access the information about the CKI Board Meeting by going to the CKI Sub-region C Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/ckisubregionc. You should also add yourself to the list so you can receive updates as they come!

So, another thing you should be thinking about is... INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION! This is going to be in Birmingham, AL April 5-9, 2009! This will be a great time and we have a lot of workshops that will help you and your club become an even better service organization! You can access the online registration at www.circlek.org/convention. Registration is due July 1st, but the money is not due until August 1st (how cool?)!

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at JJSCKI@gmail.

Board Meeting this week!

Hey Sub-region C!

I will be at the April CKI Board Meeting from TODAY until Sunday. If you want me to bring anything up, please shoot me an e-mail as JJSCKI@gmail.com and I will make sure that everything is covered. I'm not shy when it comes to speaking up, even if it does get me into trouble sometimes :o).

Hope to hear from some of you!

Have a great weekend and I hope your Easters were fruitful with chocolate eggs!

JJ

I was the Easter Bunny

Hey guys!

So I just got back from a nursing home and I was their Easter Bunny! This is the second year that we have done this where an organization on campus hosts an Easter egg hunt where I am the Easter Bunny and then for doing that, I get to borrow the costume for the nursing home. So, keep in mind that you can always collaborate with organizations like this example to make both events go over great!

In CKI news:

• The newly elected governors are in Indianapolis, IN for their Governors & Administrators Training Conference (GATC) and they will be back to share with you all of the great things they learned!
• The next International Board meeting will be held on April 16-20th. This is a time where all of the International board members come together and discuss the organization and how we can make it better. Please let me know your thoughts on it!

A great service project!

Well today was our co-service project with Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity! We had chapter members from Illinois College and Illinois State University show up and we got a LOT accomplished. One chalkboard is demolished, the walls are completely white, one door has one coat of paint, one coat of paint has been applied for the logo, and plenty more ideas are flowing for what the final look of the room will be like!We had 4 ISU APO members, ~6 IC APO members, and 7 IC CKI members. These were not the numbers we were told when we were planning projects, but we still got a lot accomplished.

This goes right back to the love that CKI has for helping the children in our community. I hear great things about reading days, carnivals, safety checks, and dressing like the Easter bunny and I just think, "What would the children (or the community) be like without CKI?" Think about it and the impacts you make on children. Think...... think..... wow. All of those service experiences that you had wouldn't have happened with you... OR that child. Where would that child be right now? Makes you think... makes you wonder... makes you want to do a service project, right?

Happy April!

Hey Sub-region C!

It's now officially April 1st, which means that the 2008-09 boards are done and the 2009-10 boards are just getting started! Please keep in mind between now and the end of school, this is a transition time where the "newbies" should get help from the "Immediate Pasts" or "IPs." Nothing is scarier than doing something that you don't know exactly what to do, so help them out. If you had a great year, make sure they know your success strategies. If you can see ways of improvement, let them know too!

New officers bring about new ideas and change and that's what we strive in CKI for... moving forward!

I went to my district's District Convention and it was great! Great leadership was elected and new ideas were set in place. I have heard great things about other District Conventions and I am sure that Beth, Becky, Kacy, Kenzie, and Amber will do a GREAT job!

Until next time! Let me know if you need anything... PS- Florida was GREAT!

This was the view I had from my porch! Yes, that is the Caribbean Sea!Sunset at Key West! You are looking at nothing but ocean!

If you want to see more, go to my Facebook page!
JJSCKI@gmail.com
JJ

Gone to Florida Keys

Hey guys!

I will be in the Florida Keys fulfilling my laboratory portion of my Marine Biology class. It's my spring break and I cannot wait! I'm going to the Refuge that I have interned at for the past 2 breaks and will be able to show the class where I intern while they are home at break.

If you need to get a hold of me but it is not urgent, please e-mail me at subregionc@circlek.org. If it is urgent, please e-mail President Kristen at president@circlek.org or call me and leave a message. I am able to receive phone calls, but since I will be snorkeling a lot I will not have the best response time.

Happy Spring Break everyone!

First Service Projects of the Semester!

Hey Ya'll!

Well I have been pretty busy with CKI and school work that I haven't gotten around to updating this, but I just wanted to chime in with the two projects I have been up to:

• Ronald McDonald House: This is where you go and cook a meal for the residents of a Ronald McDonald House. This housing is available only to those families who have children in the hospital and live so far away from the hospital. It is a cheap place to stay and be close without the high prices of a hotel. We cooked hand-made chicken nuggets and a potato cassarole. It was AMAZING and the families were very grateful!


• Valentine's Day at the Convalescent Center: This year as Service Chair, I am doing something different by finding the contacts and scheduling the dates and having someone else plan the event and get volunteers. In CKI we pride ourselves that we develop leadership and by having someone else plan the service project, they grow more and get more as a CKI member.

What else has been going on.... The CKI Board Meeting was held in Chicago, IL during Holiday Embrace and was a swell time! Also, my next newsletter will be coming out in NO time just in time for the transition between February and March so that the Districts can focus on DCON! And with DCON, I highly recommend EVERYONE going! It is one of those events that you meet a lot of people and take home some neat suggestions. By being an International service organization, we have the ability to work with others and take some time to get some new ideas!

Just to pass time, here is one picture of a Ghost Orchid that I took this past summer break! And as always, please don't steal ;).