On Nov. 2, at 6:30 pm, InterPACK weekend began. Around 70 students from Circle K clubs throughout the district of Pennsylvania attended the event. The focus of the weekend was community service events, as well as meeting fellow PACK (Pennsylvania Circle K) members. Over a dozen members from West Chester University’s Circle K made the four hour trip to attend InterPACK weekend.
PACK members arrived at Laurel Lodge on Friday night. Members spent the evening at the lodge, making cards and wrapping gifts for Caitlin’s Smiles, an organization which creates “Bags of Smiles” (filled with coloring books, crafts, games, and more) and cards for chronically ill children. Members also used old T-shirts to create dog toys for local animal shelters.
On Saturday, the Circle K members broke off into groups to do a variety of projects. One group went to Highland Park and another to Tuckahoe Park. At the parks, they cleaned up fallen branches from Hurricane Sandy. At Highland Park, an entire tree had fallen during the hurricane. According to a local resident, the park was closed to children, due to concerns about injuries and liability. Grateful for the help, she and another local resident came back to the park with Dunkin Donuts coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts for all of the volunteers.
At Golden Living Center Hillview nursing home, a group of Circle K members played card games, chatted with, and helped serve lunch to the elderly. Another group spent a few hours helping Habitat for Humanity. They helped put the finishing touches on a house by painting the doors, windows, and deck.
After returning to the lodge and resting up, the Circle K members continued to make cards and dog toys. Because the weekend had a “Clue” theme, that night, members of the PA Circle K District board dressed up as Clue characters and led the group in an informative mystery game to find the missing Circle K mascot, Leroy the Rabbit. The board members informed everyone about the various clubs involved in the Kiwanis family (Builders Club, Key Club, Aktion Club, K-Kids, Circle K, and Kiwanis). Leroy was, in the end, discovered to be helping with the Eliminate Project (a Kiwanis and UNICEF initiative to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus) in China. The night winded down with a viewing of the movie Clue.
The next morning, InterPACK ended with announcements. By the end of the weekend, Circle K members had created over 100 cards and dozens of dog toys. Over 500 service hours were completed over InterPACK weekend.
Theresa Kelly is a first-year student majoring in English literature secondary education. She can be reached at TK780615@wcupa.edu.