UPJ Circle K Service Projects 2008-2009

UPJ Circle K

Service Projects 2008-2009

April

Earth Day: Earth Day was April 22, 2008. Circle K put up signs and information about how to better the environment on recycled paper.

MS Walk: The MS Walk was held at Richland High School. This year was the first year we helped with the walk. Some members helped hand out beverages to walkers while others helped with registration. Also, we helped set up and clean up. It was a fun new volunteer opportunity that we are looking forward to continuing in the future. To get more information on the MS Society click here.

September

OCM: The Officer's Club Meeting was held for Circle Ker's all over Pennsylvania. UPJ Circle K was asked to hold this event this year. We held the event at the Grove in Westmont, PA on September 27, 2008 from 10-3. We played games, ate some pizza, made our own t-shirts, completed a service project, and learned more about Circle K around Pennsylvania. The theme for the event was the Going Green Olympics. We split into groups and had a triathlon of going green games. The winning team won a special prize. The event was a success as well as extremely fun.

Chili's Social: Although it does say social, it was a service project as well. Every year, the UPJ Circle K goes to Chili's for the St. Jude's Children fundraiser. Chili's holds one night every year when all the profits made are donated to the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Many Circle Ker's come out to enjoy a delicious meal while helping the community. This year was no different. On September 29, laughs and good food were exchanged among the many in participation. We are excited to keep this tradition alive. To learn more about the organization or to donate to St. Jude's Children's Hospital click here.

October

Light the Night: A favorite among all members, Light the Night was held at UPJ on October 4th. This walk from the UPJ campus to the nearby Wal-Mart raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Anyone can participate and all are welcome to join in the very successful walk. In 2007, Light the Night in Johnstown raised approximately $85,000. This year we exceeded that by raising an astonishing $115,000. We are proud to help in any way possible for this event. Some of our duties included: set-up, welcoming, food tent, merchandise table, getting a petition signed, lighting the luminaries, and clean-up. This event is always well attended and held with high spirits. To learn more about the Light the Night walk click here or about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society click here.

Reverse Trick-or-Treat: Another favorite among members is our annual Reverse Trick-or-Treat at Richland Woods Nursing Home. We dress up in our costumes, go to the nursing home and hand out candy and a craft to the residents. It is a fun time had by all. The residents are very welcoming and love to see our costumes. This year the event was held on October 22nd at 6:30pm.

Unicef: During the last two weeks in October, our club collected change for the Unicef fund. Our goal was to raise $107.50. In 2007, the UPJ Circle K raised $78. This year we surpassed our goal and raised $110. We are very proud of our members for contributing to this worthy cause. To learn more about Unicef click here.

November

Junior Miss Pageant: This year we helped out our sponsoring Kiwanis with their annual Junior Miss Scholarship Pageant. The 51st annual program was held at Greater Johnstown High School from October 31- November 2. Seventeen girls from across the state came to Johnstown to vie for the honor of representing the Keystone State in the national Junior Miss Scholarship Program. The UPJ Circle K was able to help the Johnstown Kiwanis in running the program. Three Circle K'ers from our club volunteered to help in the back room where the girls get ready for their performance. Our duties included: hair, makeup, tidying the back room, helping the girls dress, and fixing any wardrobe malfunctions. It was a pleasure to meet such dedicated individuals with such talent. We helped at dress rehearsal, the preliminaries, and the finals.

Gobble Gobble: This event is held annually by the IUP Circle K. It is a chance for Circle Ker's in the area to get together and have fun. This year it was held at IUP on November 8th from 10am-4pm. It was fun to get to know other Circle Ker's while participating in awesome service projects. One of the service projects was cutting up old t-shirts and braiding them into dog toys for the local ASPCA. It was an awesome time and we look forward to sending more members next year.

Activities Fair: Whenever UPJ holds an activities fair, you can be sure Circle K is there. We have a table that explains a little about our club. We have members sit at our table so if any student has a question they can answer. We also display items such as our scrapbook. It is a great way to get the Circle K name out. This fair was held on November 14th for high school students that have been admitted to UPJ and coming to check out the college. During this fair, we also were asked questions about campus life.

Wellness Fair: This particular fair was dedicated to health and wellness. Circle K sponsored a table that displayed information on how community service improves your health. We also had information about Circle K displayed. The fair was held on November 20th in the Cambria Room of the Student Union.

Nursing Home visit: On Monday, November 24th, we visited the Richland Woods Nursing home for a Thanksgiving visit. We made Thanksgiving themed door hangers for each resident. During the visit we stopped to talk to many residents on their Thanksgiving and holiday plans. They were, as always, very welcoming and happy to see us visit.

December

Salvation Army Bell Ringing: Each year the UPJ Circle K helps with the Kiwanis sponsored bell ringing at the local Wal-Mart. Several members braved the cold weather and rang the bell with holiday spirit. The event lasted from10am-5pm with members taking shifts throughout. One member even stayed from 1pm-5pm! It is a blast to get to know our sponsoring Kiwanis members while singing carols to Wal-Mart shoppers. If you want to learn more about the Salvation Army click here.

Book Drive: New this year, we held a Better World Book Drive to collect used books for people in Africa. We were concentrating on used textbooks since that is what most students own. We had a booth outside the Cambria Room in the Student Union the week of finals. This book drive was VERY successful. So far, we raised over 530 books!! We are going to be continuing the drive in January as students return to school with the hope of even more success. To learn more about the Better World Book Drive click here.

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