Service Worth A Glance Issue 01 - September 2013 | Page 5

I truly believe that the meaning of

life is to make another’s life meaningful.

Which is why I want CKI to really push

for the Eliminate Project this year! We have

less than 2 years to reach our combined

goal of US $110M. The Eliminate Project is a

5-year project proposed by Kiwanis and UNICEF that started in 2010, with t the goal to immunize 100 million mothers from Maternal and Neo-Natal T Tetanus. Tetanus spores are located in soil everywhere, and c come into contact with open cuts during childbirth. For those who suffer w without health care, it’s extremely hard to reach out and immunize these i individuals. Tetanus kills mothers, and a baby every nine minutes. Newborns suffer from extreme sensitivity to light and touch, leaving mothers unable to touch or even see their children after birth. With a $1.80, three vaccines can be provided to a mother to help immunize herself and her unborn child. Clubs all over Circle K International have been contributing to this wonderful organization, spreading awareness, and donating thousands of funds to help protect the connection between a mother and her child from tetanus. Achieving CKI’s goal of $2 million by September 30th since CKI is only $67,555 away from reaching it. A mother deserves to touch and hold her child after birth. I come from a background where family is very important, and preserving the bond between a mother and her child is extremely significant to me. I feel blessed to have a loving family and siblings; being the ambassador for the Eliminate Project gives me the opportunity to preserve the family bond to families all over the world.

{ }

pc: the eliminate

project

SERVICE AMBASSADOR

byron montilla

Hey everyone! My name is Byron Montilla, and I’m a 3rd Year at the University of California, Irvine. I’m from the Cal-Nev-Ha district, and I’m so excited to serve as the Eliminate Project Ambassador this year! My major is International Studies with Linguistics minor, and my career goal is to either become a lawyer or an ambassador for a country. My favorite service project is anything that revolves around helping the underprivileged. I know what it feels like to be in a family that struggles to get through life. Helping others is what I truly enjoy doing. I believe that giving my time and effort to another family gives me a real sense of fulfillment. My hobbies include videography, tennis, and I love to spin poi! (Especially if it’s on fire!) I love sunny weather over the cold, and my dream is to travel the world doing what I love.

How exciting does it feel to be part of a worldwide campaign with a goal of eliminating a global disease? Together, we can work together to help the Kiwanis family and UNICEF to raise $110M by 2015 in order to rid the world of Maternal and Neo-Natal tetanus. You can use various resources located on the Kiwanis website as well as the official Eliminate website in order to help. They have various service project ideas for individual clubs, and also marketing resources such as campaign videos. Simply showing a video at a general meeting can be the first step to raising awareness about the Eliminate Project. Individual clubs have passed around “Baby Bottle” piggy banks and selling plushy syringes in order to raise awareness and raise money for the cause. Another method is to find bread donations from a local bakery, put out a donations jar and Eliminate flyers, and advertise that folic acid inside bagels can help support mothers in pregnancy, which is a great way to transition into talking about the Eliminate project! Another way to help promote this cause is to participate and advertise about Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF! You can set up competitions with local Key Clubs and other organizations to see if you can reach a combined goal. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to go door to door to ask for money, you can host a horror fest, pumpkin smash, or even a zombie walk! You can also find information about this on the official Eliminate website! I’m so excited about this upcoming year! Remember, we’ve got less than 2 years to finally eradicate this disease! If we all work together, we can most definitely be closer by the end of this year. Remember the wise words of Audrey Hepburn, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, “I’m Possible.” Thanks everyone! Lets do our best this year to preserve family connections everywhere!