A Message from Our Chapter President
Chris Jennings '96
It is a great time to be a
Tidewater Hokie! The chapter continues
to grow and renew itself through new and exciting events like our Hokie Happy
Hours and Football Game Watching Parties.
We are now also a regular stop for VT celebrities like Bill Roth.
We have been able to raise our
level of giving to $16,500 towards scholarships in 2005 because of the
generosity of our corporate sponsors and Hokies like you. We ask that you check out our Sponsors page to see
all the companies that support the chapter and ask that you consider them in
the future.
Our Board of Directors and
Committee chairpersons are doing a great job and keep the chapter running very well. Our Board members continue to be a valuable source of experience
from which to draw and our Committee Chairs and Members continue to do great
work executing events and programs.
Our chapter also received the
Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award at last years Chapter Officers Forum in
Blacksburg. We continue to be a vibrant
Chapter moving in the right direction and it is only through your continued
donations of time and talent that we can maintain this level of success. In the coming year, our primary goals remain
increased participation and increased service.
Increased Participation
There are now roughly 6,300 VA Tech
Alumni living in Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and parts of
North Carolina. One reason the chapter
exists is to provide a forum to continue the great times we all had while
attending VA Tech. Our participation
rates are snowballing as the word gets about the Chapter. You would be surprised at the amount of
Hokies that don't know we even have a chapter.
The Chapter Email list and
Blacksburg Email List, along with our two flyers per year, continue to be our
main sources of communication and marketing.
Those modes along with word of mouth are a big reason for our
success.
Another reason is our rather
advanced web site. Chris Mizelle, our
web master, has done a superb job of increasing the functionality of the
site. Check out our Annual Plan or Events Calendar to see
what is going on in the Tidewater Hokie Nation. We have anywhere from 50 to 125
Hokies at each event and those numbers continue to rise.
Service
Ut Prosim - "That I May Serve" - This is the other primary reason the alumni association
exists. The chapter not only provides
scholarships for many local area high schools seniors attending VA Tech but
also provides many philanthropic opportunities as well. We continue to give back to the community
through various philanthropic events throughout the year. Events like the Hokie Bird Fights Hunger
campaign, Hokies for Higher Education, and the annual WHRO Pledge Drive will
help to boost the University's prestige in the community. If you haven't already signed up as a
Chapter Volunteer, please do so clicking the "Get on List" link.
To Sum Up!
I love
being a Hokie and associated with such a fine group of people. I look forward to meeting more of my fellow
Hokies in the coming months and years.
We all have special talents that are only good if we use them. The best thing about it is that we are using
them to help others in our community.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the
Chapter or an upcoming event. See you
all very soon! Go Hokies!
Sincerely,
Chris Jennings '96
