stony brook university spring 15 newsletter

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editor’s Note 7

New E-Board 8

Monument Quilt 14

CSC Fashion Show 14

LIRR Cleanup 15

Hobbs Farm 16

Veteran’s Dance 17

Bake Sales 18

Paper Cranes 20

Relay For Life 22

More Photos 24

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theEXECUTIVEEXECUTIVEEXECUTIVEEXECUTIVEBOARD

Leah Liu Fundraising

Sadqa Jamal Kiwanis Relation

Norman Piatek Sergeant-in-Arms

Jake Fogel Service

Li Yi Yu Media

Stephania Catarino Public Relations

Tasnia Islam Fundraising

Hareem Ahmed Kiwanis Relation

Helen Zhao Sergeant-in-Arms

Amanda Tam President

[email protected]

Cora Man Vice President

[email protected]

Katie Lim Secretary

[email protected]

Lissette Singh Treasurer

[email protected]

Aprille Abuan Editor

[email protected]

Nicole Chan Executive Assistant

[email protected]

Edgar Hu Lieutenant Governor

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H ello! My name is Aprille, and

I am the Editor for the 2015-

2016 service year of Stony

Brook University’s Circle K. Welcome

to this year’s spring issue!

I am starting off

this service year

w i t h b r i g h t

colors, looking

forward to a fun

and fulfi l l ing

year. The cover

highlights our

new club t-shirt

design, created

by yours truly,

so please look out for our members

sporting the new design throughout

the newsletter. One of my goals for

SBU Circle K is to push forward a

simple, minimalist and professional

aesthetic that can provide an eye-

catching sense of organization. New

year comes with old and new faces,

with fresh new goals so I hope that

this newsletter wil l bring an

atmosphere of unity and love for

service, leadership and fellowship.

On the following pages, you will see

the events we have done for the

month of April and May. The spring

brought forth warm weather which

meant LOTS of events, service projects

as well as bake sales! I hope you have

fun reading the articles written and

photos taken by our members We got

some awesome, inspiring, fantastic

people in our club and I will not

hesitate showing them all off.

This new year also brought us quite a

refreshing Executive Board. You will be

seeing some old and new faces so let’s

welcome them with open arms. We

have some exciting goals for the year

and we are looking forward to spread

our passion and love for Circle K to

everyone.

I have created a new website for our

club, so please check it out! I started a

blog within the site that highlights

some of the special moments that

have had happened during meetings

and events. It is a bit informal

compared to the newsletter but I

believe a blog would be a good way to

show we are inspired individuals who

seek to spread our passion as a

unified club.

Enjoy!

Aprille Abuan

SBU Circle K Editor

EDITOR’SNOTE

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EXECUTIVE MEET THE NEW

BOARD

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EXECUTIVE

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Amanda Tam

PRESIDENT

Nickname?

Mom, Mama Tam, Tam-Tam, Teacher Tam

Year?

Sophomore

Major:

Social Welfare

Favorite song of 2014-2015?

Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding

Favorite Circle K moment ?

“Deafening Cora every time I hit the bell and… at the CSC's

Fashion Show, I talked about Circle K in front of everyone and

you guys cheered for me :')“

Summer Plans?

“Working as a Conference Housing Assistant at Stony Brook

and volunteering at the Ronald McDonald Family Room in the

hospital“

Fun facts about yourself?

“I haven't seen any episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I

love whipped cream and I am addicted to chocolate.”

Favorite Superhero?

“Superman or Spider-man”

Goals for Circle K?

“Increase dues-paid membership while maintaining high

levels of retention. Set up funds for future service years

through USG. Raise enough money to help pay for people to

attend conferences! Have multiple members of Stony Brook

CKI be part of the District Board. My overall goal, above all

else, is to create a sense of fellowship and family while

increasing service hours and generating a sense of

community to encourage everyone to become leaders.“

Cora Man

VICE PRESIDENT

Nickname?

KK

Year?

Junior

Major:

Health Science


Sugar by Maroon 5

Favorite Circle K moment?

“Times when everyone laughs at Amanda”

Summer Plans?

“Summer classes and shadowing a physician“


“I can lick my elbow and I can’t sleep without my dolphin.”

Favorite Superhero?

“My main man Iron Man”

Goals for Circle K?

“Double the members. Double the service projects. $1000

fundraising goal. Win all the awards at DCON”

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Katie Lim SECRETARY

Nickname?

none

Year?

Freshman

Major:

Psychology


Hero by the Family of the Year


“Times when everyone is laughing together”

Summer Plans?

“Fun.”


“I like cleaning and doing chores. Grey’s Anatomy is life.”

Favorite Superhero?

“Starfire from Teen Titans (lol)”

Goals for Circle K?

“I hope that we all get closer and become more like a family

and have more service projects and more events.”

Lissette Singh TREASURER

Nickname?

Liss or Setty

Year?

Junior

Major:

Health Science


Trap Queen


“Jars of stars for Make-A-Wish”

Summer Plans?

“Traveling across the country.”


“I watched the entire series of The Office about 50 times

and I have three tattoos and seven piercings.”

Favorite Superhero?

“Batman.”

Goals for Circle K?

“More $$$$$. I'm excited for new fundraisers and getting

rid of dues early so we can donate to new causes and

dedicate more time to community service.”

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Nicole Chan EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Nickname?

none

Year?

Freshman

Major:

Health Science


“Probably a kpop song…”


“Relay for Life luminaria ceremony”

Summer Plans?

“Working. Adventuring Funning.”


“I used to work at the Hall of Science and dissected cow

eyes and played with liquid nitrogen.”

Favorite Superhero?

“Captain America!”

Goals for Circle K?

“More events, projects, involvement and happiness!”

Aprille Abuan EDITOR

Nickname?

Jencel, April, Mom, Ape

Year?

Sophomore

Major:

Health Science


Riptide—Vance Joy


“The group animal handshake ice-breaker”

Summer Plans?

“Summer classes. Volunteering. Video games. Sleeping.”


“I run a tumblr about superheroes and I also taught myself

how to draw and play the piano :>“

Favorite Superhero?

“It’s like asking me what my favorite food is, so no.”

Goals for Circle K?

“Make our club look mad fresh. Get mad money. Get mad

members. Get mad awesome by starting awesome events.”

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EVENTS

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MONUMENT QUILT

CSC FASHION SHOW

LIRR

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O n April 11, 2015, an early Saturday

morning, a few of the Circle K members

trekked along Circle Road to help out

Commuter Services with their event, the LIRR

Clean-up. Upon arriving, we lined up to sign in

and receive our free “What’s a Seawolf” t-shirt.

After putting on our shirt, we also layered on top

a bright orange vest, some gloves, and grabbed

a couple of trash bags, ready for work. Our job

was to pick up anything that we found along the

Long Island Railroad station and separate it into

actual trash (straws, wrappers, and napkins)

and recyclables (cans, bottles, glass). Besides

the general things that are usually found we

also found some unusual discarded items such

as a printer, an unopened Pure Leaf

Unsweetened Ice Tea, and a miniature scepter

that we later used to help us reach things that

our arms couldn’t get. Although we were

picking up trash it was a lot of

fun, it was kind of like playing I

Spy and we would really have to

pay attention to any things that

were hidden. Having to

maneuver through bushes and

branches to be able to reach

things was also entertaining,

despite the smell of some of the

trash. The most memorable part

of the event was probably when

Janice Lin, Circle K member, got

into a fight with a pole, and lost (she really just

hit her head because she wasn’t careful). We

finished picking up trash rather early and we

then helped out to plant. We were left to our

best judgment to pick places where the plants

would look aesthetically pleasing and placed

them there. Overall, it was a very rewarding

experience. It was a pretty big turn out and it

was especially nice to see how many people

cared and wanted to help. The help wasn’t just

limited to Stony Brook University students but

also people that lived nearby as well. This

event was a way to give back directly to our

community by showing respect for the train

station that we, as Stony Brook students use as

well. The clean-up also serves to benefit the

community environmentally, or even

emotionally by looking at a more aesthetically

pleasing station.

LIRRCLEANUP NICOLE CHAN

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HOBBSFARM

V olunteering at Hobbs Farm was definitely not easy but the experience was so worthwhile.

The 11 acre farm managed by a family is dedicated to growing food that’s almost entirely

donated to soup kitchens and food pantries. Volunteers come and help keep the farm

growing and donations provide the farm with the dirt and other necessary materials. It was a

beautiful sunny Saturday when we went and even though it was freezing because of the wind,

we got hard to work. We shoveled dirt and planted cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts

for nearly three hours straight.

Thirty minutes into the first hour we were already

complaining about our legs and backs from all the

crouching and digging. But we soon forgot about

that as we were introduced to the tractor that eve-

ryone wanted a turn on. The three hours flew by

and afterwards, Circle K International along with

the Environmental Club were provided with a lunch

of heroes, coleslaw, potatoes and doughnuts. The

selflessness from the owners and the amount of

heart they put into their work and project is an in-

spiration to us all.

LI YI YU

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VETERANSHOMEDANCE TASNIA ISLAM

The 50’s- an era captured by the effortless

swagger of James Dean, classic rock n’ roll from

the likes of Elvis Presley, and style icons like

Audrey Hepburn. Some may think the 50’s vibe is

a relic of the past, but the End of Year Dance on

Thursday, April 30th at Long Island Veteran’s

Home right here on Stony Brook campus

transported everyone in attendance back to a

sock hop straight out of Grease. Organized by our

very own CKI President Amanda Tam as well as

Jess McKay and the wonderful Langmuir Hall

Council, the End of Year Dance was an evening

filled with great music, décor, and best of all, the

lively spirit of the senior citizens. Together, I along

with other volunteers from Circle K and Langmuir

Hall Council, worked to fill the recreation room

with festive black and pink decorations and seat

the senior citizens at tables. We truly invested in

the 50’s theme of the evening, with some

volunteers rocking their finest fifties attire, myself

included! Musical hits from Grease, the king Elvis

Presley, Frank Sinatra, James Brown, and many

others got us in the dancing mood, even

encouraging some of the senior citizens to join us.

The life of the party was Joe, a senior I had the

pleasure of singing “Sweet Caroline” with. With his

joy and contagious energy, one would have never

guessed that he was 102 years old! An already

amazing night was made even sweeter when we

made and served root beer floats to all of the

guests. As we wheeled the senior citizens back

their rooms and bid them goodnight, it could be

seen without a doubt that everyone, regardless of

age, had a perfect evening straight from the 50’s. I

know I’m not the only one when I say that I can’t

wait until the next one!

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F lowers are blooming, warmer days are

coming and students are slowing

reaching the end of their meal plans.

The sun is shining brightly but we all can't

forget the stress that comes in the end of the

year. Presentations, projects and papers are

usually due at this time of the semester and

students are looking for a few seconds to

breathe. Let's not even start talking about

finals.

Baked goods are always comforting and they

never fail to bring a smile to someone's face.

So Stony Brook University's CKI planned two

bake sales to

fundraise and bring

a little bit of

happiness to the

campus.

Planning for the

bake sales has

given us to the

opportunity to see

our skills in action.

A new service year

has

allowed us to create a whole network with a

new E-Board and new members. We sought to

make something memorable and sort of a

"brand" so the campus community can

recognize us more. Thus, the creation of Circle

K-ookies.

Circle K-ookies are chocolate chip cookies

made with an extra dash of Leadership,

Service and Fellowship. Along with these

cookies, we decided to make the best

brownies in the world, the cookie-dough, oreo,

brownie trifecta: slutty brownies.

Thank you again to all the members that

helped out to bake and sell. We started off

with a good public presence for this new

service year. We even got one of our members'

friend who bought 4 slutty brownies and more

people who wanted to come back for more

which gave more hype to our next bake sale

held on May 4th.

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BAKESALENow, this bake sale turned out to be more

fun than the last as one of our members,

Tasnia, pointed out that May 4th is also

known as Star Wars Day. We all decided to

make up Star Wars-themed names for our

yodalicious baked goods. (It was more like a

battle of who could make up the best puns).

For this bake sale, we made Chewie Cookies,

Death (by chocolate) Star truffles, Padme-

lines, and Republicakes.

The day was beautiful and many students

were out enjoying the sun so many members

took some of the goods to sell outside. What

even made this bake sale more meaningful

was the fact that proceeds went toward

disaster relief for Nepal Earthquake victims.

It was an unforgettable day, seeing many

faces light up when they heard that Circle K

was having another bake sale. We hope that

this feeling last for all our future projects.

For more photos of our bake sales and see

all the goodies, please check out our site

gallery!

APRILLE ABUAN

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MAKINGPAPER

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PAPERCRANES

O n our meetings on April 22nd and 29th, we folded

paper cranes to donate to the Children's Hospital

at Stony Brook University Hospital. They were fulfilling

days as members worked with each other, teaching

each other how to fold colorful origami paper into

beautiful cranes. By the end of these meetings, we

were able to fold over a hundred cranes, ready to

bring some color to children's and families' hearts.

On May 10th, our president, Amanda, went to the

hospital to give the cranes to the families:

A sister and mom came in to the room and I offered them a string of cranes and the sister took it very happily and said her sister would love it. She would love it because it looks like a rainbow. She came back in to the room later and said that her sister loves it! (Her sister is the patient). I gave her a string of them later on. A mom and son came in and I heard the son talk about the cranes hung on the refrigerator. I offered him a string of orange and white ones and then I gave his mom a string of orange, white, blue, white cranes (in that order). She told her mom passed away and her mom's favorite color is orange and the first crane at the top of her string was orange and she said her mom would have loved the paper cranes. And then she looked at her son's cranes and said oh my! And I almost started crying. I gave a dad a set of cranes for his daughter and he asked me to teach him how to fold one. He's going to give it to his sick daughter. He pointed to some flowers and said the nurses didn't allow flowers in his daughter's room, so the cranes are absolutely perfect. A mom was putting in some money in to the donation box and I said thank you! And she said of course!... I've been here three weeks already.. I shouted out "Wait!" as she was leaving the room and asked her which string of cranes she would like. She pointed to the one with a blue crane

and stared at it in wonder. "What are they?" "They're paper cranes!" "Thank you!!" Just as a mom was about to leave the room with a plate of macaroni and a bag of chips, she saw a news report about her son on the tv. Her son was hit by a baseball in the chest two days ago and his heart stopped working for 20 seconds. A bystander, a Long Island cop, shocked him back to life. She stopped and watched the news segment and I could see her shaking. I grabbed a string of cranes and asked if I could drape it around her shoulders and she said she felt like a princess.

AMANDA TAM

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Relay for Life is a walk to raise funds to

fight cancer. Team members take turns

throughout the twelve hour walk to take a

few laps around the track. This year, the

walk was at Stony Brook University’s soccer

fields and it ran from 12 PM to 12 AM on

April 25th! We all brought blankets and

made a giant picnic on the grass. The day

was oddly cold and windy, so everyone

wore Amanda’s jackets, scarves, gloves,

and hats to wear during the walk. Carmen

decided to look like a really messy ninja

and wrapped a blarf (blanket-scarf) around

her head. We never thought that we would

ever use our winter coats again until that

day.

The other thirteen of us got up a few times

to dance with the crowd and to participate

in the water balloon toss game. Norm and

Jake barely beat Amanda and Aprille, but

they ended in defeat when Norm dropped

the balloon after smoothly catching it.

This event was half fun and games and half

really touching. The first two laps of the

walk were called the Survivors Lap and the

Caregivers Lap. The father of a student at

Stony Brook was a keynote guest (a cancer

survivor) and led the pack with Wolfie.

Another memorable lap was the Lighting of

the Luminarias. The Luminaria bags were

lit during the Luminaria Ceremony that took

place after dark.

RELAYFORLIFE AMANDA TAM & APRILLE ABUAN

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The glowing bags were meant to remember

people we have lost to cancer, honor people who

have fought cancer in the past, and support

those whose fight continues. The Relay track

glowed as people silently walked the track. Many

walkers cried and others hugged them

throughout the walk. One particular member sat

down in front of a luminaria made for her

grandfather, whom she had lost to pulmonary

carcinoma last year and she was alone until

other members started to sit with her and

support her. The member said that she went to

Relay for Life last year alone, just three months

after her grandfather died and this year felt more

comforting now that she was with her fellow

Circle K members. Eventually, everyone gathered

together and sat in a circle and talked about the

loved ones that they lost to cancer, stories that

were sad and happy. It was a really touching

bonding moment that no one will forget.

At the end of the night, the committee chairs of

the Relay showed the total amount of money

raised and we all felt a united sense of

accomplishment that we are all closer to

defeating this horrible disease.

Shoutout to all members who stayed the whole

night!! We hope to do this again next year,

hopefully with more members and friends!

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Please visit out sbucirclek.wix.com/home for our blog and more photos!

stony brook university spring 15 newsletter

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