Circle K International Arrives at MBU

Circle K, a leading global service organization with more than half a million members worldwide, is starting a student chapter on campus, led by service-minded students with a heart for kingdom work.

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MBU has partnered with Circle K International, one of the largest  service organizations in the world, to create a club for students to share their devotion of serving people in the St. Louis area.

Circle K International, or CKI, is a collegiate service organization which aims to make a difference in the world through service projects while providing fellowship and leadership opportunities for students.

The service organization, a collegiate branch of Kiwanis, is active in 17 different nations and consists of over 12,600 student members, now including some of MBU’s students hoping to make a difference in the community.

Kiwanis International is the leading global service organization with nearly 600,000 members and 115 employees dedicating 18 million service hours a year to “Serving the Children of the World.”

Founded in 1916 by Joseph C. Prance and Allen S. Browne, Kiwanis, which is volunteer-led, focuses on serving the children of the world through community service.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, the organization was originally founded in Detroit.

This semester, the members of CKI hope to have an impact on the St. Louis area with service projects such as volunteering at Ronald McDonald House, Almost Home and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

CKI was brought to MBU by Rebekah Rutledge, a junior journalism major, and was spurred from her passion for volunteering and serving others.

“I wanted to bring Circle K to MBU because I really have a heart for service and I think that this community, this MBU campus, has a great heart for service as well,” said Rutledge. “I think that this is going to be a great opportunity, not only for me, but also for this whole campus.”

Susan Rutledge, a Kiwanis member, is the staff adviser of the newfound club.

“For the time that I have been a part of Kiwanis, our chapter has been trying to start a Circle K group at MBU and I am so excited that is actually happening,” Susan Rutledge said. “This group will be a really great attribute to the campus, students and community.”

As president, Rebekah Rutledge selected her board members: Vice President Katie Switzer, Secretary and Treasurer Hailey Townsend, Public Relations Chair David Long, Social Event Coordinator Stacey Biermann, Service Event Coordinator Anna Bertels and Recruitment Chair Daniel Hartman, to help her student-govern the organization.

“The reason I joined Circle K is because its whole purpose for existence is service,” said Bertels, freshman and CKI board member. “Service is so important in a young person’s life because it gives them that humbling perspective of the world. Serving the university, serving the people of St. Louis, is so important. Circle K is something that I didn’t want to pass up.”

Rutledge began the process of bringing Circle K International to MBU in March, and her hard work paid off as the club had its first official meeting on Sept. 3.

“Our goal is to complete one service project per month while focusing on creating and maintaining fellowship between members and the community,” Rebekah Rutledge said.

CKI currently meets Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and meetings are open to the public.

Currently, MBU’s Circle K group consists of 18 official members along with a number of pending applicants.

The newfound organization is overwhelmed by the amount of applications it has had, and it is still accepting more.

“It’s relatively easy to get involved with Circle K. You can just contact one of the board members, you’ll see us around campus all the time,” said Hartman, board member, adding that Circle K has a MyMBU Life page on MyMBU, called MBU Circle K. “There’s a bunch of people joining. Be a part of this.”

MyMBU is the university’s newest investment that provides an online social network for current MBU students.

If you are interested in joining MBU’s Circle K International, email mbucirclek@gmail.com or contact Rebekah Rutledge for more info.

–Dave Long contributed to this story.