On stage with the 12-13 Circle K President at the 2013 Banquet of the Phoenixes

I would not have been the Chloe I am now if it was not for Kiwanis International, a service nonprofit dedicated to "changing the world, one child, and one community at a time." As President of KIWIN'S Club in high school, the shy little Chloe had to step in front of a crowd and do what she feared most: speak. Through this organization, I both cheered my heart out and met the most interesting and capable youths. KIWIN'S pushed me to extremes that developed my spirit, my confidence, and most importantly, my voice.

As the Lieutenant Governor of the nine colleges/universities in the Foothill Division of Circle K International (CKI), I had three main objectives: to develop club continuity, to instill unity, and to organize personally-connected service projects. We had a 55% overall growth in membership, a 40 member attendance increase to monthly divisional council meetings, and a quadrupled attendance to the largest district events in CKI history. With strong administrative and managerial efforts, Foothill rose from being the underdog division to the strongest in the district.

As part of this transformation, I was eager to establish Foothill's personality and what it uniquely stood for. My secret mission was to was to fulfill the last line of the Circle K Pledge: "To dedicate myself to the realization of humankind's potential." I sought to provide a spark in the lives of others to instigate their dream-chasing.

I coordinated 173 volunteers at the largest Asian-styled festival in the United States - the 626 Night Market. The event was a huge success in that Foothill received endless words of acknowledgment from the 626 staff, Yelp reviews, and Facebook comments. As a long-term result, CKI gained massive visibility in the community and earned the opportunity to collaborate with other branches and organizations. A couple of members also got job offers from the night market. What was most rewarding was that our members got to see the differences they made in their community.

The next big project was coordinating the first ever Foothill benefit show- Phoenix Café Night. Here, we showcased the diverse talents of instrumentals, voice, spoken word, a cappella, and beat-boxing. I fulfilled my life-long passion for youth empowerment through performing and visual arts by encouraging members to challenge their stage fright and take on the stage. The goal was to create a comfortable space for people to show their most vulnerable sides through art while also raising funds for Project ELIMINATE. Phoenix Café Night became a memorable evening members were proud they participated in.

I think my greatest accomplishment was that I transformed the mindset from being "not good enough" to being "one of the best". I took risks to challenge Foothill to go after what seemed impossible, and pulled through. The attitude shift in realizing the potential of Foothill was key to making the term revolutionary. It was a privilege to lead impact the volunteers of my community as Lieutenant Governor.

--
January, 2014
Chloe Shih

[In progress]

Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN'S Club | 32nd District of Key Club International
Cal-Nev-Ha Circle K International | Kiwanis International

It all began in high school. KIWIN'S was the time the once shy little Chloe was given a chance to cheer her heart out and meet the most interesting and capable people. Being the KIWIN'S Club President of Glen A. Wilson High School pushed me to extremes that developed my spirit, my confidence, and most importantly, my voice. I developed the need to think big, to do more, and to speak out. I realized my potential. Since then, serving, leading, and loving my community became my way of living. In college, I continued in the Kiwanis Family onto Circle K International.

After the Awards Ceremony with my home division - Goldstone!

I knew I wanted to engage myself at the divisional level right off the bat. I began my first year as an Executive Assistant of our division - the Foothill Division - which comprised of 9 colleges/universities located between Glendale and Claremont. At the time, we were considered the underdog division averaging around 5-20 attendees at our monthly Divisional Council Meetings. These really were humble beginnings.

Nearly 20 Foothillians at Fall Training Conference 2012!

During that first year, I fell in love with the last lines of the Circle K Pledge: "To dedicate myself to the realization of humankind's potential." For the first time in three years, I became the first elected Foothill Division Lt. Governor. I started off my term with three main objectives: to develop club continuity, to instill unity, and to organize personally-connected service projects. My secret goal, however, was that very last line of the pledge - it was to get people to realize what they had in them. I wanted to spark something in the lives of others to begin their own journeys of dream-seeking.

On stage with the newly-elected Executive Officers of the Cal-Nev-Ha CKI District Board at DCON 2012.

With my weekdays filled with e-mails, board meetings, and endless promotions, my weekends were booked with service events, fundraisers, divisional council meetings, officer training and just so much more. In the midst of this jam-packed schedule, there were several events that really made my term uniquely my term.

One of those events was the 626 Night Market, which is the largest Asian festival night market in the United States. In July 2013, the Foothill Division hosted a service event helping out the second 626 Night Market held at Pasadena City Hall. This two-day event was designed like a combination of a farmer's market and a street festival/fair except it was held in the evening -- an event reminiscent of the traditional Asian night markets. The 626 Night Market was not just an opportunity for community members to appreciate Asian culture and enjoy a festive evening , but it also served to raise awareness and support for causes like Helping Janet (registering bone marrow donors to help Janet and other patients fight Leukemia) and the 626 Movemeant (supporting youth empowerment through art and entertainment). 

Combined, Circle K and Key Club brought about 173 volunteers to this large-scale event. Both youth groups had a ton of fun meeting one another and working together at the event. I'm very thankful for all the advisers and administrators who helped with the paperwork and, of course, all those who came out to volunteer. 

Although the 626 group had very little budget to prepare for their event, they took great care of us, providing us with pizza, water and lychee drinks, a table, a commercial-grade and fire retardant tent, a fire extinguisher, and 626 volunteer T-shirts. We've also received endless words of appreciation and acknowledgment from the 626 staff, Yelp reviews, and Facebook comments: 

Yelp: "‎Also, it made me happy to see all the high school-looking-aged kids with the red 626 night market t shirts. They always had tons of energy and looked like they had a lot of fun keeping lines in order and taking pictures." 

Yelp: ‎"What amazed me the most were the volunteers in red shirts who actively helped keep the line management in check while allowing passers by a chance to actually read what the vendors were selling without appearing to "cut" in front of others."

626 Staff Coordinator: "I can't tell you all, not only how happy I was to have you all help us, but incredibly proud. Not only has your enthusiasm, initiative, and professionalism been raved about on Yelp, but through the mouths of our vendors, guests, and Facebook wall. This just proves once again that the K-Family not only just brings quality service, but spunk, spirit, and a sense of rambunctiousness that just makes it so much fun for anyone to be around you guys.

Thank you again for helping our night market make such an incredible comeback."

626 Staff Coordinator: "I still can't get over how awesome the volunteers were..."

Though I've personally received many positive remarks about how unexpectedly successful the event went, I don't think I deserve that credit. All I've done was sent a bunch of e-mails to the right people to ask for help. The real work was performed by the volunteers themselves. I'd like to give special thanks to the chaperons, who've made it possible for the Key Clubbers to attend, and the lieutenant governors that helped me with all the behind-the-scenes work. As one of the organizers of the event, seeing both Kiwanis family volunteers and Online Inquiries volunteers (just other volunteer groups) really made me realize how much more passionate the K-family is about service in our community. At a place where so many of us were gathered to help out, I saw so much youthful spirit and positive attitude that I felt I was losing in the midst of my own administrative work. I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but I mean it. This was refreshing. 

The 2nd ever 626 Night Market by JLieu Photography.

The third 626 Night Market happened in October 2012 at the Santa Anita Race Track. This time the division coordinated volunteers and a Phoenix Funnel Cake Booth. Preparing for a food stand was not, by any means, an easy task. In the end, the team made it through the shifts and Circle K raised a whopping $2000 that went towards our future charity projects and donations. 
Talk about 3rd 626 Night Market here... (started the Phoenix Funnel Cakes)

The Phoenix Funnel Cake crew at the 3rd ever 626 Night Market.

Fall Training Conference is a district event where members gather in the mountains of Sonora, California for a weekend of workshops, speeches, campfire skits and talent acts, awards and light ceremonies, a fashion show, a dance dance, and insane cheer-offs. This is the second largest district event in the history of Circle K International and it is where new members get to see what Circle K at the district level is really about. As mentioned above, we had almost 20 members at FTC. In November 2013, we had 70 total attendees from 8 out of our 9 clubs. 

A few years ago, Foothill underwent a "Golden Age" led by past Lt. Governor Nitt Chuenprateep. Before his time, the division wasn't doing so well. The division went from the "Foothill Fatties" to the "Foothill Rocks". Nitt transformed it to the Foothill Phoenixes.  A few years later, my predecessor, past Lt. Governor Christian Tolosa, wanted to bring back that time and led the division as the "Rebirth of the Phoenixes". In my year, I emphasized the theme: "The Phoenix Rises". This, indeed, is a reference to "The Dark Knight Rises", but it represents a single entity making a significant world-changing comeback. The theme demonstrated unity and growth. I'm proud to say that at FTC that year, the Foothill Phoenix did rise.

The Foothill Phoenixes at Fall Training Conference 2012!

The Foothill Division is famous for one large event, which is GO WEST. As an annual social-benefit-service event,  GO WEST is primarily hosted by Pasadena City College Circle K and serves to bring members from all over the district (in California, Nevada, and Hawaii) to help decorate the Kiwanis Rose Floats and to help with neighboring community events (ie. the Kidspace Children's Museum). This video (by 13-14 CNH Circle K District Governor Sean Dylan Nguyen) sums up what the Kiwanis Rose Float section of GO WEST is all about:






Since the Cal-Nev-Ha district is so incredibly large (with approximately 2,563 members in 54 clubs), hosting district events is quite the task. Unlike other district events, GO WEST is hosted during winter vacation leaving students stress-free and happy to inter-mingle. The first night, which easily is my favorite, is the traditional massive broomball social.

CNH at the largest broomball social in CKI in Pasadena, CA!

Since I was the founder of Club Cafe [link will be provided soon] in high school, I wanted to host larger benefit concerts. In February 2013, the Foothill Division hosted 
Read about the ELIMINATE Project or watch a video about it here:

There is plenty more I want to talk about once winter break begins! 

Until then! 



--Spring, 2014
Chloe Shih