October 2009
Chapter Team
Don't Forget
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The Chapter Newsletter is a communications tool between the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and its chapters.
If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to your chapter liaison. If you have problems with viewing the newsletter, please contact Melissa Vidmar (Communications Director), Denise Royal (Communications Coordinator), or view it online.
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Dear Chapter Volunteers,
We had a wonderful turnout for our Chapter Officers Forum this month, with 180 participants representing 43 chapters. The chapter volunteers who traveled the longest distance were from the San Francisco Bay Area chapter in California! Thank you to all who attended. We were also honored to have several Alumni Association Board Members with us:
- Kevin Leclaire, International President, from the National Capital Region Chapter
- Greg Merritt from the National Capital Region Chapter
- Kendley Davenport from the Chicago Chapter
- Dwight Holland from the Roanoke Valley Chapter
- Nick Moga from the Alleghany Highlands Chapter
We presented a record 46 Outstanding Chapter Awards to deserving chapters who all received $350 towards their scholarship fund. All of the award winners are listed below. In one of the highlights of the weekend, nearly 50 scholarship students joined us for an Ut Prosim community service brunch, where we completed a hat
sewing project for children with cancer. Our chapters are performing some wonderful acts of community service in their area and we were thrilled to have some of them share their experiences with us.
Football season is in full swing and the holidays are quickly approaching. You should have your holiday party and bowl watching party scheduled and on the print schedule; if you do not, please complete your mail/e-mail request form as soon as possible.
We are thrilled to welcome our newest chapters in Idaho and Oklahoma. With some upcoming football watching parties being scheduled for the upcoming games, we look forward to celebrating with them!
Let us know what we can do to help you with your upcoming events and keep up the great work!
Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations
Award Winning Chapters Announced at Chapter Officers Forum in September 2009
Outstanding Chapter Awards
Alleghany Highlands
Amherst-Nelson
Annapolis
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Central Florida
Central Pennsylvania
Central Virginia
Charleston
Charlotte
Chattanooga
Cincinnati
Coastal Carolina
Columbia
Danville
East Tennessee
Emporia/Roanoke Rapids
First State
Franklin County/SML
Fredericksburg
Grand Strand/Myrtle Beach
Jacksonville
Knoxville
Loudoun County
Middle Tennessee
Minnesota
National Capital Region
NC Triad
New River Valley
Palmetto
Pittsburgh
Prince William
Research Triangle
Richmond
Roanoke Valley
Rockbridge
San Antonio
Shenandoah
South Florida
Southwest Virginia
Tampa Bay
Tidewater
WilliamsburgChapter Achievement Awards
- Chicago
- Hilton Head
- Houston
- Iowa
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Northeast Ohio
- Orange County
- Pinehurst
- San Diego
- Savannah
- Seattle
- Tri Cities
Chapter Superlative Awards
- Outstanding Event/Activity: Shenandoah Chapter, VT Memorial Garden
- Outstanding Community Service Events: Atlanta Chapter Blood Drive and Shenandoah Chapter Blood Drive
- Outstanding Fundraising Event: New York City Chapter, Maroon Effect 2009
- Outstanding Golf Tournament: Charlotte Chapter, 10th Annual VTAA Golf Classic
- Outstanding Website: Charlotte Chapter
- Outstanding Chapter Volunteers: Dorothy Long, Grand Strand/Myrtle Beach Chapter and Lauren Lakdawala, Pittsburgh Chapter
- Most Improved Chapter: Amherst-Nelson Chapter
- Outstanding New Chapter: Columbia Chapter
- Outstanding Chapter Officers: Randy Rose, Alleghany Highlands Chapter and Bruce Wilson, Shenandoah Chapter
- Hall of Fame Volunteer: David Stanley, Charlotte and New River Valley Chapters
Chapter Officers Forum 2009 Presentations Available
If you weren’t able to attend the forum or would like to review the presentations again, we have made them available on our Chapter Resources page at http://www.alumni.vt.edu/chapters/chapters.html.
Back row, against the wall: Greg Fansler, Debbie Day, and Jack Hutcheson
Front row, against the railing: Betty Lee, Patty Foutz, Ginny Ritenour, and Josh BurnheimerStaff Highlight – Chapter Team
Your Chapter Team consists of six chapter liaisons: Josh Burnheimer, Debbie Day, Greg Fansler, Patty Foutz, Jack Hutcheson, and Betty Lee, as well as Ginny Ritenour, Chapter Support Coordinator.
Each chapter is assigned to the liaison covering their area. Liaisons are available to work with chapters to get them started, develop events and fundraisers, arrange meeting speakers from Virginia Tech, or increase volunteer participation. Ginny is available to provide your chapter with event giveaways, scholarship information and reports, chapter rosters, and help with any other questions your may have.
Let us know how we can help you!
Spotlight on Community Service Breakfast: Ut Prosim Breakfast with Scholarship Recipients
During our 2009 Chapter Officers Forum, Josh Burnheimer hosted an Ut Prosim Community Service breakfast to highlight events held by both alumni chapters and student groups. Through the Hokie Nation Serves initiative, the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors encourages all alumni to commit to service hours beyond their normal commitments, particularly during the month of April. This demonstrates to the world the power of Hokie Pride, Hokie Spirit, and Hokie Tradition. Chapter officers and scholarship recipients who were in attendance actually participated in a community service project during breakfast by making fleece hats for cancer patients at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The project was sponsored by VT-ENGAGE and the new Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships (CSECP). .
Community service projects highlighted during the breakfast included:
- Austin, TX Chapter:
Habitat for Humanity project in November and four different project each week in April, including the Austin Asthma Walk and Austin Food Drive
- Atlanta, GA Chapter:
April Blood Drive in collaboration with LifeSouth Community Blood Bank where they collected over 180 pints of blood! The chapter also participated in the ACC Relay for Life.
- Cincinnati, OH Chapter:
Build the Walls project with Habitat for Humanity with over 400 volunteers.
- Shenandoah, VA Chapter:
Virginia Tech Memorial Garden in honor of the 32 victims on April 16, 2007 was created on land donated by the Frederick County Department of Parks & Recreation by dozens of volunteers with donated materials.
- Virginia Tech Relay For Life:
The largest collegiate Relay for Life in the world raised over $500,000 with 5300+ participants! Their 2010 goal is $750,000.
- The Big Event:
A student government program where 5,000+ volunteers give back to the Virginia Tech community by volunteering at over one hundred job sites throughout the New River Valley.Chapter Spotlight: Chicago Chapter Hosts the Virginia Tech Business Alliance
The Chicago Chapter has created an exciting networking program for area Hokies called the Virginia Tech Business Alliance. Meetings are held quarterly and are open to alumni and friends. Alumni are encouraged to join fellow Hokies and business associates for an evening of networking, education and fun. Their mission is to provide an engaging opportunity for local Hokies to build and strengthen their professional relationships. We encourage other chapters to provide these opportunities as well; in today’s challenging job market, there’s never been a better time for Hokies to come together to support and encourage one another.
Football Festivities and Chapter Events
Be sure to check out our Football Festivities and Calendar of Events pages and submit your information to Melissa Vidmar, Communications Director, at vidmar@vt.edu.
