The Official Blog of the CKI Rep for Sub-region A

Results of 2009 Proposed Amendments to the CKI Bylaws

2009-08-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

In case you all are wondering, here are the results of the 2009 Proposed Amendments to the CKI Bylaws. Please note that the ones that passed in the House of Delegates are subject to Kiwanis International Board approval before they officially become effective.

Proposed Amendments #1 and #2: Passed as a block
Proposed Amendment #1 would reduce the membership minimum requirements for existing CKI clubs to sustain club retention.

It would go from 20 members to 15 members for 4-year institutions and 15 to 10 for 2-year institutions or 4-year degree granting institutions with less than 1,000 students enrolled.

Proposed Amendment #2 would reduce the membership minimum requirements for clubs in the chartering process.

It would go from 20 members to 15 members for 4-year institutions and 15 to 10 for 2-year institutions or 4-year degree granting institutions with less than 1,000 students enrolled.

Proposed Amendment #3: Passed

This would allow students from local institution (s) to become members of a CKI club that's already chartered provided that the institutions affected and the bylaws of the CKI club provide permission.

Proposed Amendment #8: Passed

This would allow districts to collect dues on a per member basis (the way it is now). This will continue for the upcoming dues cycle beginning on October 1, 2009 and the future dues cycle on October 1, 2010.

Proposed Amendment #6: Passed

This would allow districts to collect member fees for total amount of members in a particular CKI club, even if it exceeds the International club fee. Please keep in mind that the International club fee doesn't come into effect until October 1, 2010.

Proposed Amendment #5: Failed

This would have re-implemented the half-dues structure in the CKI Bylaws.

Proposed Amendment #4: Failed

This would have added a section for the iBoard to review district policy codes.

Proposed Amendment #7: Not brought to the floor because Proposed Amendment #8 passed

This would have allowed districts to collect club fees for every club.

Report on 2008-2009 CKI Sub-region A Goals

2009-08-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone! I hope you are looking forward to the weekend. I know this might be the last school-free weekend for some while it might still be summer vacation for others. Therefore, I hope you look at what we have done as a Sub-region since last August in terms of our goals. While we fell short on meeting three goals, I still proud of what we have achieved. I know when the 2009-2010 Sub-region A Goals come out, you will accomplish each one. All of you have the passion to serve those in your respective communities, your clubs/districts, and beyond.

2008-2009 CKI Sub-region A Goals

Complete 7,500 Service Hours

We completed 10,571.58 service hours, which was 3,071.58 hours above of this goal.

Raise $2,000 (USD) for the Six Cents Initiative

We raised approximately $1,270.05 (USD), which was 64% of this goal.

Have 850 Members

We have 759 members, which was 89% of this goal.

Build, Maintain, or Reactivate 45 Clubs

We have 33 clubs which was 73% of this goal.

*The numbers tallied for each goal are from August 1, 2008, to July 31, 2009.

**Information compiled as of August 19, 2009.

***International Representative Lauren and Your District Governors will meet sometime in the upcoming weeks/month to discuss the 2009-2010 CKI Sub-region A Goals.

Cheers!

~Tracy

2009-2010 CKI Board of Representatives

2009-08-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

ICON planning and the event itself definitely took time from me sharing the results on this blog. Plus, paying for internet access plays a factor.

Here are the 2009-2010 CKI Board of Representatives. Please note that those individuals mentioned were elected in the House of Delegates on August 7th (President) and August 8th (Vice-President and Representatives). Vacancies should be filled by now.

President
Jason Stewart, College of Wooster, Ohio District

Vice-President
JJ Sadler, Illinois College, Illinois-Eastern Iowa District

International Representative for Sub-region A
Lauren Delana, The College of Idaho, Utah-Idaho District
**She is your International Representative!!**

International Representative for Sub-region B
NO NOMINATIONS

International Representative for Sub-region C
Tim Pritchett, Purdue University, Indiana District

International Representative for Sub-region D
VACANT

International Representative for Sub-region E
Michelle Clemens, Mercyhurst College, Pennsylvania District

International Representative for Sub-region F
NO NOMINATIONS

International Representative for Sub-region G
VACANT

Congratulations to everyone!

What's happening these days?

2009-07-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

With me not having to deal with schoolwork anymore - that's what I get for graduating from college/university - I am facing the task of balancing family, work, and CKI. This is nothing to me, but I feel like it is for some reason. Maybe it's because I know my term as International Representative for Sub-region A+ is coming to an end in about a month. Maybe it's because summer is here and the weather in the Seattle, Washington, area is nice. Who knows?

While I am almost done being International Representative, I continue to do all I can to ensure that things are getting accomplished not only for Sub-region A but also for CKI. Here's what I have done since my last blog post.

Finished finalizing service projects for ICON 2009.
Finished Service Fair 2009 Message for the Governors and OTIC (On-To-International-Convention) Chairs
Finished writing a preview of what all service activities ICON attendees should expect this year from the iBoard and the Service Committee.
Created a forum for the Sub-region. I saw this as another opportunity for the Sub-region to interact with each other.
Have done some research on my "surprise" to this year's ICON attendees from the Sub-region A.

Here's what I still need to do within the next few weeks.

Organize Sub-region A files for the next International Representative.
Copy and past all files so I can take a look at them after my term as a resource/reference.
Work on my issue for the Sub-region newsletter.
Prepare articles for District Bulletins.
Take time to sit down and look at notes pertaining to the Sub-region's Three-Year Strategic Plan. (Note: I plan to still work on this along with tweaking it after my term ends.)
Take time to sit down and refine the Sub-region's Three-Year Strategic Plan.
Continue updating the Sub-region's website.
Continue finalizing logistical details for the service activities/projects at ICON.

That's all I have for now until next time!

Updates from the International Representative

2009-06-22T18:49:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer vacation so far. For me, this is the second week of my summer vacation. Final exams ended on June 12th. June 12th marked a special occasion in my life. That's the day I graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelors of Art degree in History. Since my days as a college student have ended, I have been busy catching up with various CKI-related tasks.

Here are some of things I have been doing recently.

I am making strides in finalizing service projects/activities for the Service Fair at ICON 2009.
I am close to officially making final logistical details with the additional service projects during the Blood Drive.
I am in the process of contacting various hospitals and other places for the one or two additional projects for the remainder of ICON.
I finished the fifth issue of Sub-region A's newsletter, Northwestern Connection (Volume 2, Issue 5: May/June 2009). It will be distributed to members of Sub-region A once I place it on the Sub-region website.
I am trying to find ways to "revamp" the Sub-region website, and making time to update it.

Other Information for members of Sub-region A ONLY:

Sub-region A T-shirts: This year, we will have Sub-region T-shirts. If you especially want one, please be sure to fill out the survey. The deadline is June 24, 2009. The link to the Sub-region T-shirt survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PE4P734uosF16yY6DesYhg_3d_3d. If you want a T-shirt but have difficulties filling out the survey online, I would like for you to send me the following information via e-mail.

Name

District

Mailing Address

T-shirt Size (S,M,L, XL, 2XL, etc.)

Will you be attending ICON? (Yes, No, or Maybe)

Colors of T-shirt/Colors of Design (Maroon/White, Navy Blue/White, Black/White, Light Blue/Black, Purple/White)

**Please note that you may need to pay International Representative Tracy $5 to $8 USD to help cover some of the cost. **

** The purpose of establishing the deadline is so an approximate number of T-shirts can be ordered. Those who have filled out the survey or have provided the necessary information to me via e-mail will have higher priority in getting a T-shirt versus those who don't provide me any interest in getting a T-shirt for this year. **

Sub-region social/dinner at ICON. Please fill out the survey, especially if you're going to ICON. I would like a head count of who all is going. Click or copy and paste the link to view the survey. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=T7BCEbf4nLsuDvvI0WcmNQ_3d_3d Again, if you are having difficulties filling out this survey, please provide me the following information via e-mail. The deadline is July 16, 2009.

1) Will you be attending this year's ICON in Birmingham, Alabama? (Yes, No, or Maybe)

2) If you answered Yes and Maybe, please provide me the following information. Otherwise, please put "Not Applicable" in all the categories.

Name

District

Special Dietary Needs/Food Allergies (Yes, No/None)

3) If you have indicated "Yes" to special dietary needs/food allergies, please explain below.

4) Please tell me what you would want to have at this year's Sub-region Social/Dinner. (Example: Pizza). Please note that International Representative Tracy will do her best to accomodate everyone's food needs.

My e-mail address is tracymeyer.cki@gmail.com.

Busy Times Ahead

2009-05-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I have intentions to graduate in June with a Bachelor's Degree in History at the University of Washington. While I am excited about graduating, I am trying to stay motivated for the next two to three weeks. I am doing my best to fulfill my responsibilities as International Representative for an awesome Sub-region and for CKI! Although I may be stressing out about schoolwork, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will whatever I can to help. However, please be patient with me.

Thank you for your dedication to your clubs, communities and districts!

Interesting Information Obtained from Traveling

2009-04-13T19:21:00.001-07:00

Wow! It has been a really long time since I last put a new post here. My apologies for not updating this on a regular basis.

I originally wanted to put recaps of each District Convention (DCON). However, I have decided to give you a link for you to view.

http://www.ckisubregiona.org/Northwestern%20Connection_%20-_Mar,Apr_%202009.pdf

Once you click on this link, take a look at page 5. Please note, Montana CKI had its DCON in late March so my recap of that convention will be featured in the next issue of Northwestern Connection, Sub-region A's newsletter.

Here are interesting information I have learned from visiting each district (may not necessarily related to CKI).

Western Canada (We-Can): On the third Monday in February, it is known as Louis Riel Day in the Province of Manitoba while it is known as Family Day in the Province of Alberta. The weather in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is really really cold. Thanks to everyone making sure that I was bundled up. I also got a chance to ice skate on a river. Susan [Fung] and Ali [Grotkowski] were helpful in ice skating. I hope to tour other parts of the district (eg. Edmonton, Calgary) in the future as a tourist - though it would be nice to make one for another CKI event there but that's to be determined.
Pacific Northwest (PNW): This is my home district, but I manage to learn something new. The Kiwanis Family definitely has a place in my heart. The 2009 DCON theme was "Once in the K-Family, You're in the K-Family for Life". Because We-Can's DCON was earlier in the week, I flew to Spokane once I made it back to Seattle. Unfortunately, I became sick to the point where I nearly lost my voice. I appreciated everyone's efforts in making sure I got plenty of sleep and drank lots of water/juice. Despite being sick, I was really happy to meet someone from the University of Alaska Anchorage CKI Club. I want to visit Alaska one day!
Utah-Idaho (U-I): This district had its 49th Annual DCON in Caldwell, Idaho, just outside of Boise. I was recovering from my illness at this point. I got the opportunity to meet Carrie's [Johnson's] parents. Her parents are friendly and funny. I also managed to get Starbucks Coffee with Carrie [Johnson].
Montana: I made my first-ever visit to the district from March 27th-29th. The weather there is interesting. I got to see snow before I left the state. I hope to make another visit to this state/district in the future whether it's for CKI purposes or for leisure.

That's it for now. Take care. =)

Upcoming Travels

2009-02-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

One of my duties as International Representative is to make visits to the Districts in my Sub-region. I am excited about traveling to a few places within the next several weeks. Here is a list of where I will be going.

February 15-17, 2009: Western Canada's District Convention in Winnipeg, Manitoba
February 20-22, 2009: Pacific Northwest's District Convention in Spokane, Washington
Feburary 27-March 1, 2009: Utah-Idaho's District Convention in Caldwell, Idaho
March 27-28, 2009: Montana's District Convention in Butte, Montana

Previously, I made my first visit to Salt Lake City, Utah, for Utah-Idaho's District Large Scale Service Project from January 30-31, 2009. It was the District's first-ever event, which focused on having a Health and Safety Fair. There was a good turnout there! I had a great time. :)

Greetings

2009-01-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It has been a really long time since I have posted a blog entry. Now it is time to get back in gear with school and CKI.

School: So far, Winter Quarter 2009 is off to a great start. Here is a list of classes that I am taking.

HSTEU 490: Topics in European History (There is a course focusing on German history - post-war, politics, etc.)
SOC 240: Social Psychology
B A 471: Fundamentals in Marketing (This course is for non-business majors.)

CKI: During the holidays, I spent time working on a lot of things. I have been updating the Sub-region website (www.ckisubregiona.org). I worked on the third issue of the Sub-region newsletter, Northwestern Connection. I also developed a tentative list/schedule of service projects for International Convention (ICON).

Right now, I am in Chicago for the CKI Board Meeting.

Have a great weekend!

Being Thankful

2008-11-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

Since November 27th is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, I thought I take time out of the holiday to reflect on what matters to me the most.

I am thankful for...

My Family - A lot has happened in my immediate and extended family this year. Yet, I manage to see my family get through obstacles. I am happy that we are all in good health.
My Friends - Most of the friends I have made in college are in CKI or were members of the service organization. I do have some friends outside the organization - these are the ones I met during my time in high school as a student or a member of Key Club International or the ones I met as a student at the University of Washington (in Seattle).
My Life - It is not always easy to accept disappointment or failure. However, I have learned that things don't always go according to plan. Each day I do my best to just "go with the flow" and see where my life will take me.

My family and friends have been very supportive of my active involvement in CKI and for that, I am very grateful.

Going Places

2008-11-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

The past several weeks have been very busy for me as International Representative. Here are some things I have been doing in CKI.

On Halloween I participated in the service project known as "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF". This service project was really fun because I got to hang out with a couple of club members during the entire time.
Last weekend I made my first visit to the Utah-Idaho District. I had an awesome time there. I see a few clubs that can be built in this district. I took lots of pictures and hopefully they will go on Facebook soon. I want to give a special thank you to Carrie Johnson, Immediate-Past CKI Representative for Sub-region A, and Lauren Delana, CKI District Governor, for their hospitality! Carrie picked me up at the Boise Airport and gave me a tour of Downtown Boise before the District's Fall Trainer began. Lauren (and her parents) allowed me to spend one night at their home. Lauren also drove me back to the airport. Both Carrie and Lauren made time to take me to Starbucks for coffee. :)
In a few hours, I will be taking three members from my home club to Corbett, Oregon, for PNW's Fall Conference. I am really excited to go there!

Balancing Act

2008-10-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, it has been a while since I last had a blog entry here. As a college senior (4th year undergraduate student) at the University of Washington in Seattle, I am dealing with what is supposed to be an exciting yet challenging path in my life. Since Fall Quarter 2008 began, I have been busy balancing family, friends, school, CKI and work. I already knew that my responsibilities as International Representative for Sub-region A[+] would take time away from my family and friends (those in CKI and outside of CKI). Yet, I manage to squeeze in some time to spend time with them. So far, school is going well. I went to meet with my History advisor to fill out some paperwork - to ensure that I can obtain Graduating Senior Priority status. After spending about 20 minutes with my History advisor, I have learned that the History Department is having a commencement ceremony for those graduating History majors on June 12th, 2009 - the last of finals for Spring Quarter; the University of Washington (Seattle) has its grand commencement ceremony on June 13th. The most important thing I need to do when it comes to school is show up to class, pay attention, study hard, and write well in class. Life in CKI is good for the most part. I am enjoying my experience as International Representative though at times it is not always easy. I have been very lucky to attend my home club's meetings and my home division's event, S3: Saturday of Service in Seattle. I had a great time seeing familar faces and meeting new people. Of course, I have to make sure that I keep myself in check because I am guilty of letting CKI consume my life. I have been told that I live for CKI. It is true. Sometimes I forget to eat because I am so caught up in doing CKI stuff. Now to work: work has been good so far. I had an issue at work, but it has been resolved so I am happy about that. I was going to work two jobs this quarter but it just didn't go through. Oh well. That's okay with me.

Well, I have to go for now. I have another History class that starts in about 10 minutes.

Take the Time to Gather Thoughts

2008-09-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

A few hours ago, I finally finished responding to the 2008-2009 CKI Committee Placement Survey. When I received the e-mail to fill this out, I didn't not think it would take me nine pages to address all the questions in this survey. I honestly thought this would take me three hours at the most. Instead, it took me several days to completely fill out the survey. I realized a lot of information came out from my head after reviewing my answers on the survey. My experience here taught me the importance to gather information so I can present it thoroughly. Although I know procrastination is not good, it somehow can spark ideas. Of course, I know this doesn't always work so it's important to set aside time each day to accomplish a task by a deadline. From my experience as a CKI District Bulletin Editor, "deadlines are sacred".

P.S. I want to thank Carrie Johnson, Immediate Past CKI Representative for Sub-region A, for giving me a Starbucks card!!!

Learning the Ropes

2008-08-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

Life as CKI Representative is good though I am still getting used it. Yes, I need to work on refining my letter of introduction. However, I am proud to say that I am ahead of the game when it comes to some things.

Here is a list of what I have done so far.

Created questions for survey
Sent e-mails to wonderful CKI members
Thought of ad-hocs I would like to see the International Board implement for this year
Established ideal times for office hours and online chats

Here is a list of what else I need to accomplish within the next few days.

Write articles for my home club's bulletin (aka. Dawg Tales) and for my home district's bulletin (aka. The PNW Post)
Submit these articles
Format layout of survey
Format layout of Sub-region newsletter (aka. Northwestern Connection)

I took time to sit down and learn how to complete the monthly report form with Carrie Johnson, my predecessor and friend. Carrie took time to go over what goes on these forms. She also gave me some input on the forms in general. Filling out a report takes time - probably about an hour.

Next month, it will be my turn to fill one out and submit it. I just have to make sure that I get done on the 20th.

I feel like everything needs to get done within 24 hours. Of course, I realize that I need to take things one at a time.

A Burst of Excitement

2008-08-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

It has been one week since I came home from the 8th Annual Circle K International Large Scale Service Project (LSSP) and the 53rd Annual Circle K International Convention (ICON) in Denver, Colorado. My time at both events was crazy, awesome, and wonderful. I reunited with the many friends I've made in this service organization. At the same time, I also made new friends.

It is an honor and privilege to serve as the International Representative of Sub-region A[+]. A special thank you goes to those who have supported me. I could not have done this without you.

I am very excited about my new role in Circle K International (CKI). I look forward to not only working with amazing CKI members in the Montana, Pacific Northwest, Utah-Idaho, and Western Canada Districts but also represent their views on the International level.

I know there are several challenges ahead, but I am definitely going to make the best of each situation.

To everyone in Sub-region A, continue to serve others and have fun!

"Live to serve. Love to serve."