What is Circle K?

Circle K International (CKI) is the premier collegiate and university community service, leadership development, and friendship organization in the world. With more than 12,600 members in 17 nations, CKI is making a positive impact on the world every day.

Circle K clubs are organized and sponsored by a Kiwanis club on a college or university campus. CKI is a self-governing organization and elects its own officers, conducts its own meetings, and determines its own service activities.

CKI blends community service and leadership training with the opportunity to meet other college students around the world. Projects such as the Six Cents Initiative, CKI’s International fundraiser that aims to provide water to the 2.2 billion children worldwide who lack safe drinking water, bring CKI members together to make a difference in the world. Circle K rests on three tenats: Service, Leadership and Fellowship.

Service

Service has been integral in CKI since the very beginning. It’s not just the first of the three tenets mentioned; it’s first in the hearts of club members everywhere. In his keynote address at the 1963 Circle K International Convention, Trustee John H. de Boisblanc asserted,

“As we begin this convention, let us relegate to a lesser position the clamor for larger membership… Let us make our all-prevailing consideration the desire to improve our ability to render service. Let this convention go down as the convention which renewed our faith in service… This concept of service of unselfish devotion to others is among the most noble of human endeavors.”

Leadership

Leadership is one of the three tenets of Circle K International. Do you show leadership by holding an office in your club, or are you a leader simply because you chose to join CKI? Is leadership about the skills you can receive to become a better leader, or the ways you can teach others how to become great leaders? We think it’s all of the above. To instill a strong sense of leadership in all its members, CKI has made it a mission to afford members the resources and tools needed to become great leaders.

As a CKI member, you’ll have experiences that help you fulfill your potential. You’ll find friendships that last a lifetime. You’ll even establish a network of professional contacts. In so many ways, CKI membership will bring you the satisfaction of serving and working with others.

Make a Difference

Whether you’re working with local industry or mentoring a child, you’ll make a long-lasting impact.

Develop Leadership Skills

Every CKI member has the opportunity to serve the club as an officer, committee chairman, project chairman, district officer, or international representative.

Put Lessons to Work

With CKI, you’ll apply what you learn in the classroom. You’ll also develop skills and collect experiences that increase your post-graduation marketability. Through Kiwanis, you’ll even build a network of professional contacts.

Form Friendships

CKI membership is an opportunity to befriend students from 18 nations—and all walks of life. At division, district and international conferences and conventions, you’ll encounter a wide array of ideas, concerns and perspectives.

Fellowship

Circle K International has a rich and vibrant history steeped in tradition. Its rituals, ceremonies, and social activities reflect a commitment not only to service, but to its members as well. Fellowship is such an important tenet of this organization that it is written into the official objectives of Circle K International.

Over the course of more than 50 years, Circle K has changed and evolved, yet fellowship remains a natural by-product of the group service it provides. Bonds have formed between Circle Kers that span space and time. Lifelong friendships have etched themselves into the history of this organization. Circle K has helped shape the personal lives of countless members since its inception.

Every CKI member describes fellowship in his or her own unique way. To one, it’s a shy smile from a child learning to read. To another, it’s an enthusiastic hug from a friend made at a convention more than a year ago. Indeed, fellowship means something different to everyone—but in the end, the stories have a common thread: Friendships. Bonds. Trust. Companionship.

Whether a CKI member is mentoring a child, networking with a business professional, or laughing with members during a convention, he or she is developing social skills, meeting new people, and strengthening relationships.

For more information visit:

CircleK.org