Outstanding Local Collegian Honored by Kiwanis Club of St. Mary's County
by Glynnis Schmidt

(Lexington Park, Maryland) June 5, 2008 - The Kiwanis Club of St. Mary's County gave special recognition to an outstanding local collegian, Sara Rubinstein, by awarding her membership to the Carthage-Pullman Society on April 25, 2008 at a regional Kiwanis event in Waldorf.

Sara Rubinstein is a recent graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland (class of 2008) where she was an active member and former officer of the Circle K International (CKI) Club on campus. Carthage-Pullman Society membership honors Circle K students who have made an impact on CKI, and who have contributed unselfishly to the CKI program and fellow CKI members. In honor of Carthage College, the campus where Circle K began, and the Pullman, Washington, Kiwanis Club, which helped build the concept of a campus service club, the Circle K International Board of Trustees created the Carthage-Pullman Society. (Left: Sara Rubinstein (left) was presented with the Carthage-Pullman Society Award from the Kiwanis Club of St. Mary's County for her outstanding volunteer efforts in the CKI Club at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Kelli Hill (right) serves as the CKI Club President for 2008-2009.)

Sara has been a member of the Kiwanis family of clubs for the last eight years, first as a dedicated member of her high school Key Club at Magruder High School (Montgomery County, MD), and then as a member of the CKI Club at St. Mary's College from 2004-2008. She served three years as Key Club Treasurer, and as a member of CKI she served as both President and Treasurer. As a skilled CKI President in the 2005-2006 year, Sara she set a high standard for future club presidents.

Glynnis Schmidt is a member of the Kiwanis Club of St. Mary's County, and has served as the Kiwanis Advisor to CKI since 2004. As such she attended numerous CKI meetings, and got to know Sara well. "Sara is an exemplary young woman with many talents and a generous spirit. As Kiwanis Advisor, I watched while Sara led her CKI club at St. Mary's with consistent dedication and enthusiasm. She contributed hundreds of service hours to her campus and community, and was a skilled leader. She understood that leading by example is critical to motivating others," says Schmidt. (Right: In 2006, Sara volunteered to dress in period costume for the annual Spirits of Point Lookout Event, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. Spirits is the primary fundraising event for the Kiwanis Club to support a variety of programs for youth throughout St. Mary's County.)

Sara demonstrated that motivation can stem from just one member who is driven to see the club succeed. She was the first CKI President at St. Mary's College who was a former Key Club officer, and as such understood that Kiwanis and its sponsored Service Leadership Programs are a local, regional, and international network of clubs. Before she came, it was perceived that CKI existed as a service club at St. Mary's College only. Sara's leadership started the club on a trend that continues to this day because St. Mary's College in recent years has been an active participant in our local Kiwanis family, the CKI Metro Division, Capital District of CKI, and Circle K International.

In addition to her contributions to the community through service, Sara was an honor student at St. Mary's College of Maryland, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa (a National Academic Honor Society), and is a candidate for the Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships. She spent the Spring 2007 semester traveling abroad to New Zealand, and has been involved with cheerleading, drama, dance, and numerous other clubs and activities in both high school and college. "I don't know how Sara does all that she does with such excellence. She obviously is a skilled manager of time and priorities, but she is extra special because she is a positive source of energy to those around her - always smiling, never complaining, and she sees challenges as opportunities and meets them head-on. I consider myself honored to know her and to have worked alongside her during her time in CKI" says Schmidt.

Sara worked on numerous projects in St. Mary's County while a member of CKI. She helped on Kiwanis clean-up days at Greenwell State Park, supported the Spirits of Point Lookout fund raising event, worked a concession stand at the Oyster Festival to raise money for local youth programs, wrote cards to children with terminal illnesses through the Hugs for Hope program, and much more. Sara also was a volunteer mentor to the children in the Kiwanis K-Kids Club at Lexington Park Elementary School Boys & Girls Club. She said one of her favorite memories of CKI was helping the elementary students with their first-ever student officer elections for K-Kids. She helped guide them through the use of parliamentary procedure, elections, and their vote to approve bylaws to govern the K-Kids Club. Sara has also represented her club at CKI regional and district events, conferences, and conventions, and networked with many other high school, college, and Kiwanis members in the Washington DC area. (Left: Sara participated in many local community service events, including clean-up days at Greenwell State Park.)

"Students like Sara, who participate in the Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs, are contributing to their campuses and communities in so many ways, and they are what we in Kiwanis see as our best work. They are the future of Kiwanis, and future leaders of our nation. Sara is a wonderful example of a student who has matured in their leadership skills and developed a heart for service through Key Club and CKI" says Schmidt.