Photo courtesy of Angela Duduit

Circle K members Corrine Woods, Destiny Payne, Madison Dean, Grace Smith, Olivia Holsinger, Makayla Aiken, Alaina Collins, Carissa Link and Abigail Covault sort over 300 books for Cool Kids Read.

Shawnee State University students in the Circle K International Club use their time and talents to help others and support the community. The community service club, a sister organization to Kiwanis and Key Club, offers students a chance to make friends and do good for the community.

This semester, the group meets every other Thursday at 7 p.m. in Morris University Center (MUC) 215. The next meeting is scheduled Oct. 12. Meeting times change each semester depending on the schedules of the students involved. 

“I would describe Circle K as a student-led club that focuses on community service and bettering our community,” said Makayla Aiken, president of SSU’s chapter of Circle K. 

She added that the club offers several social benefits, including “finding a place where you feel at home, making new friends and networking with other clubs, faculty and Circle K members across the country.”

Circle K also allows students to get involved on campus, help less fortunate community members and earn community service hours.

“Circle K gives the opportunity to get a lot of service hours to build résumés, as well,” Aiken said. “Active members are also eligible for scholarships.”

The club organizes several outreach activities throughout the year. According to Aiken, Circle K is “currently doing a service project called Paws-4-A-Cause, collecting dog and cat food and toys to donate to Sierra’s Haven.”

Each winter, the club also orchestrates a coat drive to collect coats to give to SSU students for free. In the spring, Circle K does a big project they call Cool Kids Read. During this project, they promote literacy in second-grade students in the area by purchasing books for them. This spring, they will also be putting on a pageant. Aiken said the goal of the pageant is to spread “the positivity of community service.”

 “We are serious about doing good for our community, but we also have lots of fun along the way,” Aiken said. “You get to know people of all ages and make connections that may help you in the future.” 

Students interested in joining Circle K can contact Aiken at [email protected] or advisor Angie Duduit at [email protected] or message club leaders through their social media accounts.