Circle K Serves The Community One Project At A Time

Service, leadership, and fellowship are the three main principles of the collegiate service organization Circle K International founded in 1934 by the Kiwanis Club, which is the parent organization of the Key Club.

Since then, Circle K has expanded to 17 different nations and acquired over 13,000 members. However, there was not a Circle K chapter at an HBCU until 15 years ago when a chapter at Howard was chartered.

The Howard University chapter is comprised of about 85 members and continues to grow daily. The chapter is filled with dedicated, ambitious, and motivated students who want nothing more than to better the community.

The service initiatives that Circle K takes part in vary. Members do whatever the community needs which had included participating in walks, helping at food banks, and mentoring.

"I really enjoy seeing everyone coming out to the D.C. AIDS walk each year," Dudley Gilbert, a proud member and junior business management major, said. Wherever Circle K members are needed, they go, and their service chair, Greta Foster, keeps members abreast of the opportunities to serve by sending out weekly emails about different events taking place.

One of the great things about being a member of Circle K is never having to do service alone. For members, doing community service is not just helpful to the community. It is beneficial for participants; serving feeds their souls as well.

"My mother instilled in me at a very young age that service is the route to success and she used to say that 'if you can't take the time to bless other people, then God will hesitate to bless you'," Natalie Neilson, a senior finance major and president of the Howard chapter of Circle K, said.

Circle K also has a family-like atmosphere; they do not look down on those who can't make it to every event. Unlike other service organizations, Circle K does not require its members to do a minimum amount of work or fill a quota. Whether a member attends every event or only completes one hour of service, as long as they are helping, it doesn't matter.

"We understand that all of our members can't attend every service project. We are students first, but when members do participate and encourage friends to come, we're always happy to see them," said Amber Logan, a senior international business major and vice president of the chapter.

Circle K has helped with several projects this year. The chapter sponsored a children's coat drive with WHUR radio and raised $700 just by getting people to donate spare change. They have also visited the Ronald McDonald House. There, members donated food and prepared bagged lunches for the visiting families, as well as decorated Build-A-Bear boxes for the children.

Circle K members always remember to enjoy the moment at every event. "We laugh, joke, and grow closer with every event and meeting. Service isn't merely an early Saturday morning but a chance to give with your new family," said Austin Edwards, a senior political science major.