Eagles Reaching Out
AMBASSADORS OF GOOD WILL Eagle Outreach members worked at the Brownwood Park Bike Rally to support youngsters in Atlanta.
New Alumni groups are now available
Since May, Amy Dietrich (’11) and a core group of Atlanta, Ga., area alumni have brought community service to a whole new level within the Eagle Nation. The dedicated group of 35 members has been meeting monthly to volunteer for various activities such as working at a thrift store to benefit a women’s shelter, stocking the shelves of a medical supply bank, assisting a Habitat for Humanity build site and helping out at Zoo Atlanta.
These ambassadors of good will represent the launch of Eagle Outreach, one of several new initiatives keeping alumni connected to the University through the Alumni Association.
“I reached out to fellow alumni who were passionate about community service and wanted to support Georgia Southern,” said Dietrich, who was an active volunteer with the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement and Eagle Entertainment as an undergraduate. Dietrich has successfully used social media to build the group, which is growing daily. “People are recruiting other people,” she said.
“It’s all about fostering connections,” said Wendell Tompkins, director of alumni relations and annual giving, adding that other new initiatives already underway include Alumni Networks, Young Alumni Networks and Southern Women. These groups are rapidly forming in six cities around the South, including Atlanta, Savannah, Columbus, Augusta, Macon and Jacksonville, with other locations planned.
The Alumni Network is the umbrella organization for all alumni activities in various communities in the Eagle Nation, and is a new and exciting type of programming for alumni, said Tompkins. “It is taking Alumni Relations in a whole new direction. No matter what a person’s interests are, the Alumni Networks have something for everyone.” Open to alumni, parents, friends and Georgia Southern students, the networks serve several purposes: first, to provide opportunities to network, socialize and support the Eagles, and secondly to offer support to Georgia Southern by working to provide scholarships and also assist in student recruitment.
“The Young Alumni Network is an opportunity for graduates of the last decade to get involved with the Alumni Association, meet fellow alumni and get reconnected with the University,” said Tompkins. Young Alumni Networks have already sprung up in various cities. “Our Southern Women groups provide social activities, professional development seminars and involvement in community service. Some of our alumni have hosted gatherings in their homes and we have also featured guest speakers at some of these events.”
Tompkins urges alumni interested in starting or joining an Alumni Network to visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/alumni. “Everyone had a unique experience at Georgia Southern, and these new initiatives provide a way to connect our alumni no matter where they live.”