Supporting the community
Community service club collaborates with other organizations, students develop outside connections
Kendra Salgado, left, and Colby Pfost build tree guards for vulnerable trees in the Palouse area as part of a volunteer event for the Circle K International club. These guards are created to be stronger than the plastic ones originally in place.
October 30, 2017
Circle K International, a community service club, works on projects for the community and allows members to build strong connections.
Circle K International is a college branch of the larger community service network of Kiwanis, which includes Key Club for high school students, Builders Club for middle school students and K-Kids for elementary students.
President Diana Bergstrom said Circle K International is like a family to her.
“Who else can you call at 3:30 a.m. and ask to make a Walmart trip for service projects?” she said.
Vice President Serena Ranney said the relationships have helped keep her involved.
“Our motto is join for the service, stay for the friends,” Ranney said.
Ranney said she enjoys the Kiwanis Easter egg hunt the most because she gets to work together with the other branches of the club including Kiwanis, Key Club and Builders Club.
The Kiwanis Easter egg hunt happens in the spring at Kruegel Park. The club helps to facilitate the event by setting boundaries for the separate age groups and hiding eggs Ranney said.
Circle K International works with the Backyard Harvest program in Moscow to pick fruit. The fruit is donated to afterschool meal programs, senior centers, food pantries and families in need, Bergstrom said.
Club Treasurer Anthony Tuong said being a part of the club made him realize strength comes in numbers.
When picking fruit with Backyard Harvest, about 15 or 20 people picked 300 to 400 pounds in a couple of hours, he said.
“A group of people can do a lot of things in a couple of hours that would otherwise take one person all day,” Tuong said.
The club gives students the opportunity to meet others across all majors and ages.
“We know so many people in Pullman from being in the club,” Ranney said. “I never thought I would consider people in their 50s and 60s my close friends.”
Tuong said his favorite event is when the club collaborates with Washington Trails Association to build and maintain fences in the Spokane area.
Some other community service projects include fundraiser walks such as the March for Babies in Silverdale and NEDA Walk in Spokane raising awareness of eating disorders.
Last week, the club hosted a bake sale for UNICEF that benefitted the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) program, Ranney said.
“There are so many events … and we’ve learned of so much going on in the community from being in the club,” Bergstrom said.
The clubs’ next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 in CUE 418.
