When Connor Watts ’18 and Trang Le ’18 set out to raise money for the community service club Brown Circle K, their thoughts immediately jumped to Krispy Kreme. “Krispy Kreme is not found in this area,” Trang said. “It’s a staple in most places, but since Krispy Kreme is an hour away from campus, no one has the time or capacity to get there.”
The two devised a plan that would allow students to place Krispy Kreme orders on campus and have their donuts delivered one week later.
Watts founded Brown Circle K last spring, and the Krispy Kreme fundraiser is the club’s first big initiative. Donut deliveries are scheduled for this weekend.
The fundraiser’s first goal — which the club has already met — was to raise the $600 necessary to receive an official charter from Circle K International, Watts said.
Circle K is a collegiate community service organization led by Kiwanis International, its adult service counterpart.
With national recognition, Brown Circle K will receive “lots of benefits that come with being an officially recognized club,” Watts said. The perks range from the ability to vote at conventions hosted by the organization to increased access to various Circle K charities, such as UNICEF and March of Dimes.
Brown’s Circle K chapter focuses primarily on community-based service, such as volunteering in local soup kitchens and making cards for patients at the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center.
To fund these initiatives, the chapter must raise money throughout the year by organizing fundraisers like the current Krispy Kreme initiative.
The club’s first crack at fundraising has already proven successful. “We got so many orders as soon as we put the Facebook event up,” Wang said. Over 1,000 donuts have already been ordered, and the club expects more last-minute additions before the fundraiser officially ends Saturday.
“Bringing Krispy Kreme to campus was such a good idea,” said Tyler Johnson ’18. “As soon as I saw the (fundraiser’s) event on Facebook, I started reading about it.”
Watts and Le plan to put funds raised beyond the $600 goal toward the chapter’s in-house service projects. “We’re planning to do things like make fleece blankets to donate to a local children’s hospital,” Le said.
With the momentum from the fundraiser, Brown Circle K looks to raise awareness on campus. “We’re hoping the publicity from the fundraiser will attract new members, but our biggest goal right now is to get a charter and become an official club first,” Watts said.
