Hampton Roads Chapter. Hampton Roads Chapter. Penn State Alumni Association LinkedIn: Hampton Roads Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association

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1 psuhr.org Winter Hampton Roads Chapter WE ARE alumni and friends of Penn State living in Hampton Roads, VA Website: facebook: Penn State Hampton Roads Hampton Roads Chapter Penn State Alumni Association LinkedIn: Hampton Roads Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association Editor, Writer: Kathryn Barrett Publisher: Donna Bell Photography: Jim Arend & Kathryn Barrett Letter from the President Dear Fellow Alumni and Friends, Our Hampton Roads Chapter begins 2015 with more than 120 paid members which is good compared to many chapters, but could be so much better! Membership chair Lisa Smith is fired up and is planning a new membership campaign. Our goal is to reach out to more alumni and find new ways to support our University, current students and local alumni in the coming year. New events were a hallmark for our Chapter in Several local alumni attended the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland. At home, we had a tremendous turnout of 100 local fans at a Kegs 'n Eggs TV tailgate at the Virginia Beach Tennis and Country Club. What was billed in advance as Penn State s bowl game as the team started its third year of NCAA sanctions, had a favorable outcome (Sam Ficken s field goal attempt- IS GOOD!), and was upstaged just a little over a week later when bowl sanctions were lifted. We watched the Pinstripe Bowl at another fun TV tailgate that bookended a great season of football watching parties. Our Williamsburg Winter Weekend will go down as one of the most creative and ingenious events a chapter could organize. It started with an interest in holding a joint event with another alumni chapter, an idea that originated at the Alumni Leadership Conference attended by board members last summer. When PSU Libraries communicated with vice president Becky Burley its interest in presenting a talk to our chapter, board member Sandie Fishbein suggested we hold it in Williamsburg in conjunction with the Central VA chapter. With the help of volunteers, the weekend grew to include nine events with overall attendance of 100 people from three chapters and fellow alums from as far away as Pennsylvania and Georgia! Board of Directors PRESIDENT Don McCall, Virginia Beach ( 77) president@psuhr.org V. PRESIDENT Becky Burley, Suffolk ( 03) vicepres@psuhr.org TREASURER Donna Bell, Yorktown ( 83) SECRETARY treas@psuhr.org Lisa Smith, Virginia Beach ( 80) secretary@psuhr.org BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE Allie Allen, Norfolk ( 06) Fred Cornell, Chesapeake ( 90) Richard Freet, Yorktown ( 70) Miriam Hartman, Portsmouth ( 69) Michael Heckenberger, Hampton ( 80) Andrew Ronemus, Portsmouth ( 95) Sandie Fishbein, Virginia Beach ( 87 ) IMMED. PAST PRESIDENT (Cont. on page 2) Kathryn Barrett, Virginia Beach ( 79) Annual Meeting and Spring Fling 2015 May 2, 2015 Reserve your spot now! See page 3 for details!

2 President s Letter (Cont. from page 1) Because of all we do in support of our community and Penn State year-round, our chapter was designated the new Chapter of Distinction, Laurel Level, one of only 22 chapters and alumni interest groups within the entire Penn State Alumni Association to receive this level of recognition. Well done! I look forward to seeing you at the Spring Fling on May 2, This is the year we re going to increase membership, add professional networking, bump up our psuhr.org website, focus on families with young children and welcome new members and fresh ideas. Make 2015 the year you join our chapter! For the Glory, Don McCall 77, President, Hampton Roads Chapter ANNOUNCING THE WEBSITE TRANSFORMATION thanks to Rich Freet with support from Kevin Freet. Check it out if you haven t! Contact is rfreet@cox.net. Submit content to Kathryn Barrett kathrynjbarrett@yahoo.com Our Student Sendoff made the back cover of the summer 14 issue of The Penn Stater! ANNOUNCING THE E-NEWSLETTER! We re going paperless! Our chapter newsletter can be downloaded from our website or our facebook page! If you need a paper copy, we ll custom print one for you! Just opt-in by contacting Donna Bell at psu.hr@cox.net and provide your name and snail mail address. Community Service for the Foodbank Bags! Boxes! Bundles! That s what we re all about when it comes to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. Our community service focused on helping the hungry. At the Foodbank, 31% of clients are children, 11% are seniors 65 and older and 4% of those served are currently in the military. We collected contributions of canned goods and other non-perishable items at two events- our Student Sendoff Picnic and the Big Ten Kickoff get together. Both were held in August. The BIG 10 Alumni Tailgate Food Drive alone brought in 300 pounds of food and $50.00 in donations. According to Foodbank COO and Penn State alum Renee Figurelle, that equals 406 meals for our neighbors in need. The real hands-on day came when 31 of us gathered at the Foodbank HQ in Norfolk. We sorted donated items into 780 individual grocery bags to be distributed by the Foodbank s mobile pantry sites, which include many churches in Hampton Roads. Half of our volunteers worked on the ever-popular task of sorting and repackaging potatoes donated by farms! All told we sorted 13,110 pounds of food, enough to provide 10,925 meals. Click here to register on the Foodbank website Join us Saturday May 30, 2015! Foodbank of Southeastern VA 9 am-12:00 pm. Registration in advance is necessary on the Foodbank s registration page. 2

3 Annual Meeting and Spring Fling 2015 Guest Speaker: Cheryl Nelson, PSU 02 Meteorology, an Emmy-nominated TV meteorologist, Mrs. Virginia International 2014, board member of the PSU College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and national spokesman for natural emergency preparedness. Her recent appearances include The Weather Channel and The Real in LA! Spring Fling and Annual Meeting Reservation Courtyard by Marriott, Downtown Norfolk, May 2, pm cocktails; 7 pm Dinner A Super Silent Auction Raffle- Election of Officers Payment deadline April 24, 2015 Name: Address: Mailing Address: Home Phone Number: Cell: Dinner Reservation - Members ($40) x Total Enclosed $ Dinner Reservation - Non- Members ($50) x Total Enclosed $ Make checks out to: Penn State Hampton Roads Chapter Download the reservation link online completed eform online to: psu.hr@cox.net Or, mail a printed copy to: Penn State Hampton Roads Chapter c/o D. Bell (Treasurer), 107 Hearthstone, Yorktown, VA Questions? Contact Event Chair Sandie Fishbein sandiefish757@gmail.com or Sports Support In March, chapter members met at Scope to watch the Norfolk Admirals take on the Hershey Bears in American Hockey League action. Talk about a clash of loyalty! PSU football season kicked off with an Erin go Bragh Kegs n Eggs chapter TV tailgate. We had an outstanding turnout of nearly 100 people for a buffet breakfast, beer and Irish whiskey at the Virginia Beach Tennis and Country Club to watch the season kickoff game played in Ireland. We had a very active season of TV tailgates, two of which included chapter sponsored appetizers and one- the Illinois game on the Peninsula- featured a Sign the 409 rally. Sandie Fishbein created one for us to sign and that was sent to the Restore the Wins organizers in State College. By the end of 14, we were already looking forward to cheering on the PSU women s tennis team at ODU, CNU, and William and Mary. We also plan to support our PSU football coaches when they come to ODU this summer for a youth camp. Contact Andy Ronemus at ajrpsu@cox.net. 3

4 Williamsburg Winter Weekend Innovative and Spectacular! Where could you meet Jay Paterno, take a walking tour of Colonial Williamsburg, learn about the Penn State Libraries digital resources, enjoy a Taste of PA reception, tour a winery and brewery and dine in CW restaurants - all with fellow Penn Staters? At the original, incomparable PSU Virginia Williamsburg Winter Weekend! It grew from an idea to work with another chapter to include 9 events with overall attendance of 100 people at one event alone. Of the three chapters participating, 68% of attendees were from PSU Hampton Roads. The Central VA chapter supported the event with 24% participation and contributed a gorgeous event banner and several DC Professional Women s Chapter members attended. signing with Jay Paterno. Sandie Fishbein chaired the WWW and was a one-woman force of nature with her mad organizing skills. She procured group rates at Fairfield Inn and propelled the event into a first class weekend. Assistance came from hotel guest welcome bag creator Laura Kapsha. Kathryn Barrett initiated a book Thanks also to Becky Burley, Mike Heckenberger and Andy Ronemus - treats from PA, Debra Ianucci - Aleworks tour, Kathryn - publicity, Donna Bell - registration tables, Autumn Barnes book signing photos and Jim Arend- colonial walking tour photography. The tour guide leading us down Duke of Gloucester Street wearing his 1700 s finest was our own Revolutionary re-enactor and history teacher Andy Ronemus. Treasurer s Report (as of Dec. 31, 2014) Checking Account $3, Savings Account $4, Scholarship Contributions $1, Membership Level: 111 paid members 15 student members 4

5 Student Care Packages More than 130! That s the number of care packages we mailed in April and November to area students attending Penn State campuses. The packages arrived for finals week full of fruit snacks, hot chocolate mix, cereal, granola bars and other goodies to help them study. Helping hands are always needed and it doesn t take us long. We re quick! Our next care package date is Saturday, April 18, :30 am. Come on time! Stay for lunch if you like! Roger Brown s Sports Bar and Restaurant. 316 High St. Portsmouth, VA. Contact Care Packages Chairman Becky Burley at rmy109@yahoo.com Rose Marie Anderson Memorial Scholarship Thanks to the generosity of member donations, we awarded $ scholarships to two outstanding students from Hampton Roads who attend Penn State. Meet the 2014 Scholarship recipients! For more information contact Scholarship Chairman Donna Bell psu.hr@cox.net Danielle Wegman, 17 Double major in Marketing and Film/Video, Chesapeake, Indian River High School. Member of Penn State Network TV News Broadcast, the Student Film Organization, Telecommunications Club, club gymnastics and Gamma Phi Beta ritual chair, Thon. Danielle hopes to work in the entertainment industry at a large production company like Dreamworks or Universal Studios. Danielle wrote, This (scholarship) was a total surprise and I am honored to have received it. It will help so much with my tuition and for that I am grateful. Emily Delaney, 16 Animal Sciences, Minor in Equine Science. Bloxom, VA. Colleton Co. HS (SC). UP- Dairy Science Club, Reproductive Research Club, Thon. DuBois campus Delta Mu Sigma Honors Society, Blue and White Society, PSU Summer Leadership Conference, MLK Day of Service, volunteer at Gateway Humane Society and Intern at Elk Country Vet Clinic. Emily hopes to attend vet school following graduation and become a veterinarian. The support you have shown has given me the chance to meet my goal of graduating from Penn State and I cannot thank you enough, Emily wrote. download this form download this form 5

6 Student Sendoff Picnic 14 incoming freshman and their families and several current students were treated to a Sendoff by the Sea (Chesapeake Bay) attended by about 100 members. I had a great time and was able to meet other new students and we keep in touch, wrote Maria Murawski. (Yorktown, Peninsula Catholic HS). Thanks for doing that! Come to the next picnic to welcome incoming students and their families Sun., Aug 2, 2015 at 12:00 at the Paradise Beach Club (formerly the Ft. Monroe Officer s Club) in Hampton. Alumni Admission Volunteers In 2014, this committee grew to nearly two dozen alumni of all ages who volunteered for our alumni admissions committee and talked with students and parents who attended four college fairs in October. If you love talking about Penn State, this committee is for you. Commitment is minimal: do an online registration and training, attend one annual local training meeting and work one of the fairs. Some alumni also make phone calls to prospective students and make welcome baskets for new students! It s a great way to stay connected with PSU! Penn State Alumni Association Hampton Roads Chapter c/o D. Bell (Treasurer) 107 Hearthstone Yorktown, VA Address label 6