Alumni and friends throughout the country and world gather together to celebrate the Mountaineer spirit through special events, networking, athletic events, and community service. With more than 100 chapters and constituent groups, the West Virginia University Alumni Association is helping to keep graduates connected to and engaged in the life of the university.
And these volunteers are dedicated to giving back to their alma mater through service and philanthropy, including the Charlotte Chapter which recently pledged $25,000 to the University as part of A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University. The gift will be used to retire the debt of The Erickson Alumni Center, one of three priorities established by the WVU Alumni Association and WVU Foundation for the comprehensive campaign.
“The Erickson Alumni Center is a true home away from home for all Mountaineers,” said Mike Petruski, president, Charlotte Chapter. By making this pledge to the campaign, we are strengthening our commitment to the university that we love so much and to the home of which we can always be proud.”
Retiring the building debt is just one of the essential funding priorities the WVU Alumni Association ranked in conjunction with the WVU Foundation. These priorities will support alumni connections and their efforts to help recruit the most promising students.
The Charlotte Chapter of the WVU Alumni Association was established 25 years ago by Ralph Newbanks. The chapter has become an active and vibrant with more than 140 dues-paying members dedicated to bringing alumni and friends together for social events, networking opportunities, community service and other activities. Additionally, the chapter also raises money for two endowed scholarships (a book scholarship and an athletic scholarship), as well as assisting the National Alumni Recruiting Networking in helping to recruit the next generation of Mountaineers.
In addition to retiring the building debt, the WVU Alumni Association also identified two additional goals: create a building maintenance fund for the alumni center and establish an endowment that will assist in developing programs for national and international outreach, enhancing on- and off-campus programs, and assisting the Association’s constituent groups in engaging fellow alumni.
The $750 million fundraising campaign is being conducted by the WVU Foundation on behalf of the University and runs through December 2015. Alumni and friends interested in learning about giving opportunities to the WVU Alumni Association can contact Devanna Corley at 304-293-0971.
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CONTACT: Tara Curtis, WVU Alumni Association
304-293-0972, tecurtis@mail.wvu.edu
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