Circle K originated as a fraternal society in 1936 at Washington State University and was transformed into a service-oriented organization in 1947 with the first charter of a Circle K club at Carthage College (IL). Current membership of Circle K International (as of 2023) is 13,835 students on college and university campuses in seventeen nations across North and South America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and West Africa. Circle K is a co-educational service, leadership development, and friendship organization, organized and sponsored by a Kiwanis club on a college or university campus. It is a self-governing organization and elects its own officers, conducts its own meetings, determines its own service activities, and establishes its own dues structure. The mission of Circle K International is to develop college and university students into responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commitment to serving the children of the world.

The Minnesota State University, Mankato Circle K is a recognized student organization that supports Kiwanis’ goals and service initiatives. As of 2023, the club meets weekly during the academic year and provides members volunteer opportunities on and off-campus.

The Minnesota State Mankato Circle K is sponsored by the Mankato Kiwanis Club and is part of the Minnesota-Dakotas District of Circle K. The Minnesota-Dakotas District includes Circle K clubs in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Claire Faust was the Kiwanis advisor to the MSU Circle K club from its inception in 1978 until 2009. Other advisors who worked with Claire over the years include Carl Clavedasher, Harley Mohr, and Daardi Sizemore Mixon. Membership typically ranges from 15-30, averaging around 20 students per year. The club and its students regularly accept district and club awards for their efforts, such as the “Volunteer of the Year” award. Club members regularly attend District and International leadership events.

Since Kiwanis clubs sponsor local Circle K’s, the two entities share a similar hierarchical structure and are quite interconnected.

(Information obtained from Daardi Sizemore Mixon, faculty advisor, Claire Faust, Kiwanis advisor, this collection, Wikipedia and www.circlek.org)