Author: saturn500f

Several officers and chairs of our alumni board attended the annual Alumni Assoc leadership symposium at the Fawcett Center on Sept 24-25. The association leaders presented numerous new programs and options for all of the alumni clubs and societies in attendance. Much more support is available to us now, both financial and with personnel (increased staffing), from the Association.

Highlights of the event included the awards luncheon on Friday, where the Franklin County alumni club was one of 10 groups awarded Outstanding Club status, and where our own Jessica Kohlschmidt was also awarded with a Best Buckeye.

One of the new programs rolled out at this event is for all clubs to have an opportunity to reach various status levels which will result in a variety of awards, both financial and administrative. The levels are Carmen, Gray, and Scarlet. Carmen is the most basic level, while Scarlet is tops. Fortunately, your Franklin County Club already performs annually at a Scarlet level, so we just need to maintain most of our usual events in order to qualify for these awards. These requirements include holding at least two board meetings per year, a game watch type of event, a scholarship fundraiser, and 5 of what they call “category 1” events (student engagement, networking, special interest, arts, lifelong learning, and fundraising). By meeting these requirements, we can earn up to $2000 for our club. We will also qualify for additional funds, to be able to hold events without charging for attendance.

Staffing at the association has also improved. Where there was one person previously in charge of all clubs, there are now 6 people, who divide the clubs geographically. They have also offered to do mailings for some of our events and provide us with better information to find local alumni.

Thru the coming months your Franklin County club officers and chairs will work on finding ways for us to take advantage of these great new opportunities.

Based on changes with the OSU Alumni Association, our membership year is now aligned with the calendar year. Membership dues can be paid any time early in the calendar year and are good thru Dec. 31 that year.

New feature available! Similar to the Association’s plan, if you choose instead to donate $75 directly to our Franklin County Alumni Scholarship Endowment Fund, your membership dues for our club are waived for the following year! To contribute to the scholarship fund, contact the Endowment office directly at www.giveto.osu.edu/igive/onlinegiving or 292-2141 and use the fund number #600137.

One great benefit of keeping your membership up to date is that you are eligible for sporting event tickets that we provide throughout the year. Note: Dues are required before any football/basketball tickets can be requested!

Click here to join/renew online

Click here to print join/renew form for mailing in a check

Anyone can join our club! You do not need to have graduated from OSU or live in Franklin County. Associate memberships for those who did not attend OSU are available for $25/single and $30/family.
Please contact Jerry Vance, jerry.vance@yahoo.com or 316-0852 if you have questions

The Social committee will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 6 pm, at Gallo’s Tap Room on Bethel Road, to continue planning Fall events – Wine tastings, the Charity Tailgate, even the holiday events are starting to be planned. If you would like to join this active committee of volunteers, please get in touch with Mary Hemmer, 459-5752. The committee meets about three or four times per year to focus on details of these and other events.

Everyone is welcome to attend and assist with any of our events!

Tailgate for Charity, a fun, free event, was held on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Flannagan’s in Dublin, before and during the OSU vs. Indiana football game. Raffles, tailgate games, and a game watch party are part of the activities, along with appearances by former Buckeye football players CJ Barnett and Jordan Hall. Local Food Trucks such as The Burrito Bus and Buckeye Donuts will be present. This charity event is a fundraiser for Dress for Success, an organization that helps women who are re-entering the workforce.

For more information, visit the sponsoring organization’s website: www.outreachpromos.com.

Ron Kenat and Marsha Calloway represented our club at the 3rd annual Tailgate for Charity event on Oct. 3. This event was hosted by Outreach Promotions and was a fundraiser for the Dress for Success organization. The event included raffles, appearances by former Buckeye football players, and other activities. Attendees gathered at Flannagan’s in Dublin to watch the football Buckeyes beat Indiana and Marsha won a door prize!

It’s Book Club time again! The university and the alumni association are once again sponsoring an opportunity for alumni to read the same book as the incoming freshmen are required to read, and then to participate in discussions with students which foster interaction, for the purpose of engaging students with alumni.

The book for the 2015-2016 year is The Good Food Revolution by Will Allen. The son of a sharecropper, Will Allen had no intention of ever becoming a farmer himself. But after years in professional basketball and as an executive for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Procter & Gamble, he cashed in his retirement fund for a two-acre plot just outside Milwaukee’s largest public
housing project. The area was a food desert with only convenience stores and fast-food restaurants to serve the needs of locals. Despite financial challenges and daunting odds, Allen built the country’s preeminent urban farm, now a food and educational center that produces enough produce and fish year-round to feed thousands. Employing young people from the neighboring housing project and community, Growing Power shows how local food systems can help troubled youths, dismantle racism, create jobs, bring urban and rural communities closer together, and improve public health. Today, Allen’s organization helps develop community food systems across the country. An ecoclassic in the making, The Good Food Revolution is the story of Will’s personal journey, the lives he has touched, and a grassroots movement that is changing the way our nation eats.

The university has provided us with copies for our members who want to commit to reading it and participating with the student discussions this Fall. If you want to participate, please notify Jessica Kohlschmidt ASAP at osustatalum09@yahoo.com or 614-946-2614. Jessica is organizing a discussion group with students on Monday, October 5, at 6 pm in the Baker Hall East Rec Room.