 
|
|
President's Message
|
|
As our long-term members and friends review the list of events for the coming season, they will notice that there is something missing. We have not scheduled our annual Scholarship Fund Raising dinner. Let me assure you that the Cornell Club of Eastern Florida scholarship efforts continue in force. This year we have a dozen students benefitting from our scholarships. The scholarships are funded each year by our endowed fund, which is invested along with the University's endowment. The income generated each year by the fund is what enables us to offer scholarships to our students. By add-ing to our endowment each year, we are able to assist more needy students, and cover more of their needs.
For the last several years we have relied on our gala Scholarship Fund Raiser dinner to build upon our endowment. Featured Cornellians have included Dick Schaap, Janet Reno, Knight Kiplinger, Bill Nye and Henry Heimlich. With their help, and your participation, we have been able to grow our endowment. This year we have decided on a different approach. Rather than a single large fundraiser, we will have a series of smaller events, which we hope will appeal to a broader segment of our alumni population. Currently in the planning stages are wine and cheese parties, cocktail receptions, small dinner parties, BBQ's, boat rides and more. Some events will be priced at levels that will attract younger alumni, and others will be more expensive, upscale events. Our goal at each event is to raise $500 to $2500 for our scholarship fund. We need to hear from anyone who would like to host an event, or who has an idea for an interesting event. As events are scheduled we will be notifying all alumni. (If you are not on our email list, send me your email address and we will add you!) We are once again planning a full schedule of events. As you review the schedule, plan to join with us at those events which interest you. We try to offer a variety of activities to appeal to as many alumni as possible. Some events are repeats of successful activities of past years, others are new events for the coming year. The schedule is fluid, and I urge you to look for updates and to participate! Your board is always looking for new members. We meet five or six times a year with our meetings rarely lasting more than 90 minutes. We currently need someone to head up our public relations efforts. Let me know if you are interested in joining our board. Included in this announcement is a membership form. (Please note that on the membership form is a space for you to make a gift to our scholarship fund.) I encourage you to join the Cornell Club of Eastern Florida and I look forward to greeting you at a club event in the near future.
Richard H. Marks |
|
|
