President’s Corner
Greetings fellow alumni. I hope you all had a good summer and are enjoying the cooler temperatures that fall has brung.
The Board of Directors of the Alliance College Alumni Association convened in Erie, PA the weekend of August 24 for its’ annual meetings.
Many of the Board members arrived early to enjoy the Summer activities in Erie. We took a road trip to the recently opened Riverside Brewing Company, built on the site of the legendary Riverside Inn. It is a beautiful place, a brewery that could fit in any major city across the country. It truly is a gem that Cambridge Springs should be very proud of. We enjoyed their delicious food and beer and shared some memories of the Riverside. We will try to incorporate the brewery into 2020 Reunion activities
First up on Saturday morning was a meeting of the Alliance College Alumni Association Foundation Committee. The Foundation Meeting covered current fund-raising efforts to build our scholarship endowment and plans on how the Foundation will roll out fundraising for next year’s Alumni Reunion. 2021 will be a special year as the Foundation announced a “Grand Tour of Poland” alumni trip is being planned for Summer 2021. The Foundation will release details as they become available. A highlight of the meeting was selecting the annual ACAA Foundation Scholarship award winner, Katherine Lewicki. Full details about Ms. Lewicki are forthcoming via press release.
The ACAA meeting followed and was well attended. People traveled from all over the country to attend. In all, there were 25 participants. Following a financial review, there was a spirited discussion around connecting with more alumni all over the country. A couple of brave alumni volunteered to reach out to local alumni in their states, bring them up to speed on ACAA activity and encourage them to attend future reunions. It takes a village! This meeting was also Les Rachocki’s last meeting at Association Treasurer. Effective October 1, Sally Day will be our Treasurer. Les’ many contributions to this Association are greatly appreciated. He is one of the pillars this group sits on. Without his effort, dedication and passion for our school, the ACAA might not exist. Les will remain on as Assistant Treasurer and will continue to be a vital part of our Association.
The “main event” of this meeting is the selection of the reunion location and timing for 2020. Our Secretary, Helen Dziob Tueffel, presented options to the group and we decided to return to Erie in 2020. The Sheraton Erie Bayfront hotel will be reunion headquarters. The group decided to switch the timing of the event to August 28-30 so we can take advantage of the beautiful weather. In fact, the Saturday evening dinner is tentatively planned to be outdoors. A Garden Party! Details to follow once the full weekend plan is set. Mark your calendars!
Following the meeting, Alliance alumni took advantage of some of the great events that took place during this weekend. The Tall Ships were in the Bayfront Harbor and were truly a sight to behold. The Zabawa Polish Heritage Festival at the Holy Trinity Church was a celebration of Polish culture, with delicious foods, Polish beer and lots of music and dancing. Reunion weekend in 2020 will be held concurrent with the 2020 Zabawa festival for those who wish to partake!
In all, it was a great weekend and another reminder of the special relationships and bond we have as Alliance College alumni. On behalf of the ACAA Board, I would like to wish everyone well this Fall and look forward to seeing you in Erie.