Circle K International, a new club welcomed onto Samford’s campus this year, is set to be active starting at the beginning of the next academic year.
The service-based organization was started on campus by Dillan Alcorn, a sophomore from Tuscola, Illinois. The club focuses on developing college and university students into responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commitment to service.
Circle K serves as the collegiate branch of the Kiwanis International family and allows members to leave college with a network database of thousands of members on campuses across the world.
This also gives members the opportunity to actively advocate their skills of service, leadership and passion for sensitive issues such as childhood development, environmental justice and food insecurity.
President Alcorn shares why he brought this new club to campus and how the process of getting it charted at Samford has been a journey.
“I was trying to find my place here at Samford and since I’ve been involved with Kiwanis clubs growing up, I wanted to see if they had a college version and I found that UAB and Miles College had clubs in the Birmingham area, so I went to work getting it charted on campus,” said Alcorn.
With the new club currently being in provisional status, a period where the club is active on campus and can hold meetings and advertisements but is not allowed to hold any official events on campus, Alcorn speaks on how long this journey has taken.
“I started this whole process last year and with there being no time throughout the school year to get the club grounded, we had to wait, and so this year I’ve hit the ground running and so far it’s been successful,” Alcorn said.
The success acquired by the new club was seen at the first meeting held on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in Russell Hall, where an information session and networking opportunity took place.
Although the university could not promote the first meeting, Alcorn said he tries to spread the news of the club by word of mouth and social media.
With the organization being centered around a service-guided mission and activities, Alcorn explains why this organization is important to him and how it has helped his educational experience.
“I’ve been a part of the Kiwanis family since I was a little kid and I loved serving. My major is business management, but I have a concentration in nonprofit because I hope to work at a non-profit in my future, so I can continue to help people and help communities out,” Alcorn said.
Alongside Dillan’s passion to serve and help others, the organization provides numerous opportunities for its members to get involved and help out with service initiatives.
Currently, the organization is raising money for UNICEF USA’s WASH program to support clean and safe drinking water in Haiti.
As the provisional period concludes this April, the Circle K International club is excited to share future activities such as division-focused events, service projects and fundraisers for the communities surrounding the Birmingham area.For those interested in joining Circle K, the form can be found online in the Bulldog Central portal or they can be reached through their Instagram, @Samfordcki, for further information or questions.
