October Minutes
Lexington Catholic Alumni Council
Minutes of Meeting
October 3, 2006
Present: Sandy Devers, John Hinkel, Susie Morton, Bob Mitchell, Tom O’Brien, Pam Schneider
Not Present: Todd Myers, Kathleen Quigley, Darryl Stith
The Alumni Council met prior to the Reunion Coordinators & Alumni Ambassadors Meeting. (RCAA meeting)
Pam led the group in an opening prayer.
Tom O’Brien reviewed the agenda he had prepared for this evening’s special meeting. The agenda outlined what we as the Alumni Council had been doing and what we were working on in the future. We went through each item and made suggestions and/or comments.
The attendance for the special meeting was limited but those joining us included:
Mary Carol Johnson, Class of ‘77
Debbie Tyler Schnurr, Class of ‘77
Steve Stewart, Class of ‘77
Erin Gish, Class of ‘94
Jamie Applegate, Class of ‘97
Tom began going through each item on his agenda and each Council member associated with a particular event explained what our goal was, how it was received and changes that might be made in the future.
For example:
John Hinkel spoke about the LCH Football reunion and reported that this event was in its second year and had been well received by the Alumni.
John and Pam both reported on the pre-game get together at BW3’s before the Trinity High School soccer scrimmage held August 18th in Louisville. Both John and Pam were pleased with the attendance and everyone seemed to have a good time. This was our maiden voyage with this event. We were trying to encourage all the Louisville Alumni to come out and catch up with some of their buddies from Lexington. If this becomes an annual event, it was suggested to send postcards to Louisville alumni inviting them to join us.
Pam reported on Hoagie Day which had just been held the previous weekend. It was a huge success and, once again, broke a record for number of hoagies made. Most of those in attendance at this meeting had, at one time or another, participated in a Hoagie Day and all agreed that it was an enjoyable experience.
Pam reported on Class reunions that had been held.
Now, for a look into the future:
Tom reported on the upcoming Homecoming pre-game get together being held behind the President’s House on Friday, October 6th. This was the second year we had organized this event. The school provides hot dogs, chips, sodas and dessert free of charge to all Alumni attending the football game. Alumni are encouraged to come, grab a bite and mingle before the game gets underway.
Pam reported that she is in the preliminary stages of organizing an Alumni Directory. The last one was printed in 2000. She is currently working with a company to put it together. A contract should be signed very shortly and publication is due by December 2007.
Pam reported that the annual Open House is slated for Thursday, November 9th from 6-7:30. The Open House is open to 6th, 7th and 8th grade prospective students and their families. She said she needed a minimum of 5 Alumni to help with this event. Alumni volunteers might be greeting the guests or perhaps directing them to particular places throughout the school. Several Council members immediately offered to assist her with this event.
Sandy Devers reported on the Annual Fund/Phone a Thon. The Phone a Thon is scheduled for November 13th – 16th. Sandy said that she needs between 6 and 10 participants each evening from 6 – 9. Each participant will be given a list of potential donors to contact. Monday and Tuesday evening is set aside for Alumni to participate and Wednesday and Thursday will be set aside for current student participation.
Susie Morton and Pam reported on Class reunions. Pam suggested a new approach to reunions. Beginning in 2007, she suggested that classes separated by increments of 5 years would select one weekend to hold their particular class reunion. For example, in 2007, all class years ending in either a 2 or a 7 (1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977 and so on…) would be encouraged to gather their classmates together for a reunion. Pam suggested using the weekend of the Spring Fling as an option. Susie Morton then reported that’s just what her Class of 1976 did this past spring. The school sponsored A Day at Keeneland on the Friday before the Spring Fling. They set up a couple of tents, cooked some hot dogs, opened up some chips, baked some cookies and, best of all, iced down some beer and sodas, all free of charge. Her classmates gathered at the tents, reacquainted themselves, ate a little, drank a little and then went in to make their “donations” to Keeneland. The only expense of the day was their admission and any betting they may have done. On Saturday, her classmates attended the Spring Fling. A price of a $10.00 ticket got you an open bar (thanks to the Class of 1977), plenty of food and music played by Matt Jaeger. And, we are able to catch up with other classmates from years before and after our class year. It was a wonderful weekend and it didn’t cost anyone a lot of money.
Pam said that each class could individualize their reunion by having a Mass said, by taking a tour of the school or any number of other options. She just thought by combining the years and having it on one particular weekend, it would alleviate some of the stress that comes with organizing a reunion. By going the Keeneland/Spring Fling route, a good deal of time and money can be saved and, thus a more enjoyable time might be had.
Pam and Tom then brought up the idea of establishing a business lunch for alumni to come and network with other LCH alumni. Perhaps held monthly or quarterly, it would give someone a chance to make a new contact for potential business. The Council thought this might be very helpful to those people just starting out in business without a large advertising budget. Plus, most people would rather pay someone they know and can trust. The lunches could be held at different restaurants throughout the city. Each person would pay for their lunch and have a chance to find out what other alumni are doing and how they might be able to take advantage of their particular trade. It was also suggested that participants drop their business cards in a hat and, at the end of the lunch there would be a drawing. The winner would have a short paragraph about their business, including contact information, put in the Knight Newsletter or on the website. There was a lot of discussion about this idea and it was agreed to discuss it further at our next meeting. It was also suggested that something be written up about this new idea and placed in the upcoming newsletter.
The last item on the agenda concerned recruiting new board members for next year. Tom asked those in attendance to consider joining the Council or think about someone they might know who would be a good addition to the Council.
An open discussion then followed with participants and Council members offering ideas and opinions on the topics discussed. The Council thanked those in attendance for their participation and the meeting was adjourned.
The Council will meet again on Monday, November 6th at 6 PM in the President’s house.
|
