SUNY Oswego - Alumni Association - September E-Newsletter

September 2010 • Vol 6 No 6

Volunteers Will Make Sesquicentennial Reunion Memorable

SUNY Oswego’s 150th birthday is coming in 2011, but there won’t be a party without volunteers.

Join us for the Sesquicentennial Reunion Celebration in 2011!

Oswego’s Sesquicentennial Reunion Celebration is slated for June 10 to 12, but the Oswego Alumni Association needs the help of class planning volunteers now to make it a memorable celebration.

Support by organizers for the biggest annual SUNY Oswego alumni event is a crucial part of keeping our campus community vibrant and our graduates engaged, said Betsy Oberst, associate vice president for alumni relations and stewardship.

More than 1,200 alumni, family and friends attended more than 63 events during Reunion 2010.

“We expect even greater interest and participation in this year’s extra-special reunion,” Oberst said. “It only comes along once every 150 years!”

Reunion Class Volunteers help plan activities for the weekend, including special events for their graduation year or group. With the help of volunteers networking with their classmates and friends, the attendee list and anticipation for the Sesquicentennial Reunion Celebration will grow.

There are many opportunities to get involved, no matter where volunteers live or how much time they have to give. With e-mail, fax and phone, volunteers can contribute ideas even if they live too far away to make it to planning meetings.

Every graduate who has ever graced the halls of Oswego is invited to celebrate the college’s noteworthy milestone at June’s Reunion. There will also be special events planned for milestone anniversary reunion classes, including 1936, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2007. In addition, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Beta Tau Epsilon, Delta Chi Omega/TKE, Delta Kappa Kappa, Phi Lambda Phi, Pi Delta Chi, Sigma Gamma and Theta Chi Rho already have special events planned as well.

To add your group to the list of Sesquicentennial Reunion Celebration groups, contact the Alumni Office by Nov. 1. Sign up to volunteer online or call the Reunion Hotline at 315-312-5559 by Oct. 1.

— Shane M. Liebler

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Oswego Alumni Association, Inc. • King Alumni Hall - SUNY Oswego • Oswego, NY 13126
315-312-2258 • 315-312-5570 (fax) • E-mail: alumni@oswego.edu • Web site: oswego.edu/alumni

Who doesn’t want to save the world? Michael Kite ’02 does that for a living through World Wildlife Fund.

As marketing specialist for one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, Kite and his team of three work to raise more than $5 million each year. The majority of that money comes from licensing partnerships and promotions with the likes of Barnes & Noble, Gap, Hewlett-Packard, Dial and Coinstar.

Retail partnerships help WWF spread its message to the general public and raise funds for its conservation work around the globe. For example, Bank of America contributes $100 for every special Visa account opened and Nabisco is supporting WWF’s “Year of the Tiger” initiative with special packaging and a $100,000 donation. The new CVS Green Bag Tag program rewards reusable bag-toting customers, and generates five cents for WWF for each tag sold.

All support WWF’s mission of protecting the future of nature, down to the finest details, Kite said.

“We like to see that the product is made from recycled material and is recyclable itself, and somehow ties into our mission,” Kite said. The Green Bag Tag, for instance, is made from a corn-based material and features a 100 percent recycled silicone lanyard.

As a broadcasting major at Oswego, Kite got involved with WRVO-FM and WNYO-FM.

“I think it gave me a lot more confidence in talking to people,” he said. It was an important part of his early career in broadcast sales and remains an important piece in the message he “sells” today.

“The best part of my job is seeing a product in the store with the WWF logo after months of working with a company to launch it,” said Kite, who joined the organization in 2006. “It’s rewarding to give people a fun, unique way to protect our planet.”

— Shane M. Liebler