By Amanda Fritts, Emporia

During my freshman year of high school, one of my teachers convinced me to join Key Club.  He told me that this would be a club that I could really get involved in.  I had never heard of the club before, but I decided I would give it a shot. Looking back, I see that it was the best decision I could have made.  Getting involved in Key Club helped me to shine in my leadership abilities and helped me to become more confident in myself. I served as our club historian my junior and senior years, and attended three district conventions and three international conventions.  These experiences helped shape the person I became during high school, and made me realize what a passion I had for service.

I knew that after I graduated, I would lose the club that had become so much a part of my life during high school.  I didn’t want to give up on community service, so I decided to join Circle K when I went to college at Emporia State.  I was a little nervous about starting all over again after I had become so involved in Key Club, but knew that it was something I wanted to do. During the activities fair, I saw the booth for Circle K and signed up.  I even talked one of my roommates into joining with me! I had taken a break over the summer, but knew that I was ready to start doing community service again.

So far, Circle K has been everything I thought it would be.  It is so great to be involved in an organization where everyone is so focused on helping others.  I have attended the meetings and participated in several activities, including a campout where I met members of Circle K from different colleges around the state.  I am so excited to have taken the next step into the Kiwanis family, and look forward to continue to serve with this great organization.