Circle K International
Circle K International is an international collegiate service organization that is a service leadership program of Kiwanis International. It promotes service, leadership, and fellowship. It has over 13,000 members.
Organization
Circle K International is a service organization formed to help the community through various service projects. It is part of an umbrella of organizations led by Kiwanis International. Circle K International also aims to build fellowship and create leaders within the membership.The organization raises funds for various causes. The major initiative is: “Focusing on the Future: Children” which aims to help children of ages six to thirteen. In 2007, Circle K partnered with the U.S. Fund to help raise $500,000 for UNICEF in efforts to help children around the world who do not have access to clean drinking water. This is called "Saving Lives – The Six Cents Initiative." It got its name from the cost in U.S. funds, to purchase one pack of rehydration salts to purify a day's worth of drinking water. Their service partners include UNICEF, Students Team Up to Fight Hunger, March of Dimes, Better World Books, Junior Chamber International, and the St. Baldrick's Foundation.
In 2017, Circle K International partnered with UNICEF to adopt the five-year signature project WASH. Circle K International aims to provide education, awareness, and funding to supply clean drinking water and sanitation education to schools and children in Haiti to target Haiti's emergency needs to reach 200,000 people in cholera-affected areas with a complete WASH response package.
Pledge
"I pledge to uphold the Objects of Circle K International, to foster compassion and goodwill toward others through service and leadership, to develop my abilities and the abilities of all people, and to dedicate myself to the realization of humanity’s potential."History
In 1936, the "Circle K House" at Washington State College was established by the Kiwanis Club of Pullman, Washington. Organized as a fraternity, Kappa Iota Phi served men who needed financial aid to attend college. Kiwanians also wanted to provide collegiate students leadership opportunities for their future careers and work service projects to better their communities while having a sense of fellowship. In 1947, Circle K changed from a fraternity to a service organization. That year, the first Circle K club was chartered at Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois. In 1949, two more clubs were added, and by 1955 there were 147 clubs, at which point Circle K received official endorsement from Kiwanis International. Circle K International adopted the Kiwanians beliefs by establishing the three tenets of Service, Leadership, and Fellowship to bring a sense of purpose to the organization.The Kiwanis International Board of Trustees accepted a proposal to allow the establishment of Circle K Districts on February 22, 1957. The very first Circle K District to be officially recognized was the Texas-Oklahoma District. The second Circle K District was Kentucky-Tennessee which was closely followed by Michigan. Four more Districts were added in the 1957–58 administrative year: Missouri-Arkansas, California-Nevada-Hawaii, Ohio, and Alabama.
In 1971, delegates at the International Convention voted to allow women into the organization. The move was initially met with resistance by Kiwanis, which must approve all changes to the Circle K governing documents. After nearly two years of debate, the Kiwanis International Board of Trustees approved the change on February 6, 1973 and Circle K became the first co-ed organization in the Kiwanis Family. In 1984, Susan E. McClernon was elected the first female International President of Circle K International.
In 1975, Gregory Faulkner from the New York District was elected to the position of International President. Faulkner was the first African-American International President. Faulkner's election and the admission of female members was symbolic of the new level of maturity and responsibility Circle K International had assumed over 20 years of service, growth and development.
At the International Convention in 1987, the delegates approved the use of the initials CKI as an official name of the organization. That same year, Kiwanis International voted to allow women into Kiwanis clubs. Key Club had gone co-ed in 1977.
As of the end of 2005, membership consisted of over 13,250 college students in 17 nations around the world. Most of the Circle K membership currently resides in North America, in 30 Districts recognized by Kiwanis International. Twenty-seven districts are entirely within the United States, while three districts are international representing Canada and the Caribbean. These three Districts are the Pacific Northwest, Western Canada, and Eastern Canada and the Caribbean. Districts-in-Formation exist in Eastern Canada, Central and South America, Australia, and the Pacific Rim.
Circle K International celebrated its 50th anniversary at the 2005 International Convention in Greensboro, North Carolina. The International Convention's theme was, "CKI's 50th Anniversary: 50 Never Looked So Good".
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the 2019-2020 International Board announced on April 22, 2020 that the upcoming convention in Las Vegas was canceled. The event was rescheduled for July 18, 2020 - July 19, 2020 as the organization's first free virtual conference and had over 955 registered attendees. The International Council will convene for a virtual meeting on July 21, 2020 to elect officers for the International Board and to consider amendments to the bylaws and policy code.
International Conventions (CKIx)
| Year | Number | Location | Theme | Dates | Attendees | Refs |
| Madison Square Garden, New York City | – | |||||
| Carthage College, Carthage, Illinois | – | |||||
| Des Moines, Iowa | – | |||||
| 1st | Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | – | ||||
| 2nd | Denver, Colorado | – | ||||
| 3rd | Huntsville, Texas | See You at Sam Houston State Teacher's Cow-llege | – | |||
| 4th | Delaware, Ohio | – | ||||
| 5th | Toronto, Ontario | – | ||||
| 6th | St. Petersburg, Florida | Fun in the Sun in '61 | – | |||
| 7th | San Diego, California | Si! Senor—San Diego | – | |||
| 8th | Norfolk, Virginia | Y'all Come | – | |||
| 9th | Chicago, Illinois | By the Lake Shore in '64 | – | |||
| 10th | Miami Beach, Florida | Let's Meet in Miami Beach | – | |||
| 11th | Dallas, Texas | See You in Big D | – | |||
| 12th | Ottawa, Ontario | Circle K in Canada | – | |||
| 13th | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | – | ||||
| 14th | Portland, Oregon | Northwest in '69 | – | |||
| 15th | New Orleans, Louisiana | – | ||||
| 16th | Chicago, Illinois | – | ||||
| 17th | Denver, Colorado | – | ||||
| 18th | Miami, Florida | By the Sea in '73...1,000 to Miami Beach | – | |||
| 19th | Los Angeles, California | By the Shore in '74 | – | |||
| 20th | Toronto, Ontario | Climax in Canada | – | |||
| 21st | Washington, D.C. | Come to the Capital Convention | – | |||
| 22nd | Muehlebach Hotel, Kansas City, Missouri | Get Your Muehle Bach to Kansas City. It's No Bum Steer | – | |||
| 23rd | Orlando, Florida | Circle K's Magical Meeting | – | |||
| 24th | Marriott Hotel, Chicago, Illinois | Have a Great Chicago | – | |||
| 25th | Phoenix, Arizona | Celebrate the Silver | – | |||
| 26th | Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Philly Feeling | – | |||
| 27th | Fort Worth, Texas | Lone Star and You! Fort Worth '82 | – | |||
| 28th | Atlanta Marriott, Atlanta, Georgia | Atlanta's the Place to be in '83 | – | |||
| 29th | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Catch the Spirit – Milwaukee '84 | – | |||
| 30th | Seattle, Washington | Celebrate Service – 30 Years of Caring – Seattle, WA '85 | – | |||
| 31st | Boston, Massachusetts | A Declaration of Commitment | – | |||
| 32nd | St. Louis, Missouri | Gateway To New Horizons | – | |||
| 33rd | Orlando, Florida | Celebrate a New Beginning | – | |||
| 34th | Cincinnati, Ohio | WCKI in Cincinnati: Rockin' to the 90's | – | |||
| 35th | Anaheim, California | 35 Years...and the magic continues! | – | |||
| 36th | Baltimore, Maryland | Anchors Aweigh for Circle K | – | |||
| 37th | San Antonio, Texas | Sharing One Vision | – | |||
| 38th | Nashville, Tennessee | A Celebration of Service | – | |||
| 39th | St. Louis, Missouri | Envision Excellence | – | |||
| 40th | Phoenix, Arizona | Expanding Horizons, 40 Years of Service | – | |||
| 41st | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Service: Foundation For Our Future | – | 966 | ||
| 42nd | Chicago, Illinois | Moving on the Winds Of Change | – | 998 | ||
| 43rd | Ocho Rios, Jamaica | Oceans of Opportunity...CKI in Reggae Land | – | 922 | ||
| 44th | Houston, Texas | Saddle Up for Service | – | 972 | ||
| 45th | San Diego, California | Catch the Wave of Service | – | 1076 | ||
| 46th | Buffalo, New York | Lighting the Way to the Future: Service on the Edge | – | 944 | ||
| 47th | Carib Royale, Orlando, Florida | Service in the Sun | – | 1039 | ||
| 48th | Omni Severin Hotel, Indianapolis, Indiana | The Kiwanis-Family United in Service | – | 701 | ||
| 49th | Union Station Hyatt Regency, St. Louis, Missouri | A Family United in Service | – | 589 | ||
| 50th | Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons Greensboro, North Carolina | 50 Never Looked So Good | – | 636 | ||
| 51st | Boston Park Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts | Navigating the Seas of Service | – | 555 | ||
| 52nd | Red Lion Hotel on the River, Portland, Oregon | Planting Seeds of Service | – | 525 | ||
| 53rd | Adam's Mark Hotel, Denver, Colorado | Reaching New Heights | – | |||
| 54th | Sheraton Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama | Birmingham. Be there! | – | |||
| 55th | Washington University of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri | Meet us in St. Louis | – | |||
| 56th | Virginia Beach Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia | Come for the fun, stay in the sun | – | |||
| 57th | Westin New Orleans Canal Place, New Orleans, Louisiana | Big Service in the Big Easy | – | |||
| 58th | Westin Bayshore and Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver, British Columbia | – | ||||
| 59th | Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee | Motto: The Sounds of Service | ||||
| 60th | JW Marriott and Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana | Kiwanis Centennial / Kiwanis 100 | – | |||
| 61st | Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto, Canada | Motto: Following the PATH to Service | June 22, 2016 – June 26, 2016 | |||
| 62nd | Grand Hyatt San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas | Motto: The Sun Never Set on Service | July 5, 2017 – July 8, 2017 | |||
| 2018 | 63rd | Marriott Magnificent Mile, Chicago, Illinois | Motto: The Best it's Ever Bean; co-hosted with Key Club International | July 4, 2018 – July 8, 2018 | ||
| 2019 | 64th | Disney's Contemporary Resort, Orlando, Florida | June 26, 2019 – June 29, 2019 | |||
| 2020 | 65th | Virtual Conference | CKI NEXT | July 18, 2020 - July 19, 2020 | ||
| 2021 | 66th | Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol, Austin,Texas | July 25, 2021 - July 28, 2021 |
Governance
CKI operates on a three-tiered system similar to Kiwanis International and Key Club International. The International Board oversees organizational policy, growth and international expansion. The International Board is elected at the International Convention held in a different city each summer. The CKI Board is composed of an International President, Vice-President, and eight trustees who represent assigned districts. The International Board meets in-person a minimum of four times per year.The 2019–2020 International Board
International President:Billy Hackett
International Vice-President:
Sara Al-Midany
International Trustees:
Trustee: Tana Early
Districts: Pacific Northwest, Kansas, Wisconsin Upper-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma
Trustee: Maria Landron
Districts: Rocky Mountain, Panama, Kentucky-Tennessee, Caribbean
Trustee: Racheal Fairley
Districts: California-Nevada-Hawaii, Utah-Idaho, Florida, Louisiana-Mississippi-West Tennessee, New England
Trustee: Jose Leoncio
Districts: Illinois-Eastern Iowa, Missouri-Arkansas, Colombia, New Jersey
Trustee: Steven Shaw
Districts: West Virginia, New York, Western Canada, Georgia
Trustee: Chelsie Higdon
Districts: Capital, Eastern Canada, Michigan, Nebraska-Iowa
Trustee: Hannah Negray
Districts: Ohio, Indiana, Southwest, Montana
Trustee: Don Nguyen
Districts: Carolinas, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Minnesota-Dakotas
International Committees
International Committee Chairs serve Circle K International by being experts in a particular field and running committees to complete tasks that directly affect the membership.Executive Committee: Billy Hackett, Sara Al-Midany, Jose Leoncio, Racheal Fairley
Kiwanis Family Relations Committee: Caitlin Poulk, Hannah Negray
Service Committee: Annamarie McGuire, Steven Shaw
CKIx Planning Committee: Eduardo Martinez, Don Nguyen
Global Development Committee: Maria Landron
Governing Documents and Awards Committee: David Su, Chelsie Higdon
Membership Committee: Mackenzie Steele, Tana Early, Racheal Fairley
Finance Committee: Joey Caine, Jose Leoncio
District and Club Boards
District Boards provide support and guidance to the Circle K clubs within their geographical area. All districts are headed by a Governor, who oversees the District Board members that often consist of a District Secretary, District Treasurer, District Editor, and Lieutenant Governors. Several Districts combine two District positions into a District Secretary/Treasurer. In place of Lieutenant Governors, a number of Districts have incorporated presidents Councils. District Conventions are held every year for member education, club officer training, and election of the next District Board. Districts are charged with implementing International policies within their represented clubs and otherwise enhancing the member experience. All District Boards are responsible for club building, Kiwanis Family relations, laws and regulations, membership retention/education, and planning District events for the membership.
Club Boards are an important aspect of CKI, second only to the club members, as they are the elected leaders who work within their community. Club Boards work with their District Boards on membership recruitment strategies, Kiwanis Family projects, membership retention and education, and social events. Also, Club Boards plan community service projects and social events for their members. CKI recommends all clubs to elect their new Club Boards before their District Convention.
April 1 marks the CKI New Year each year, when club and district leadership transitions to newly elected officials.