We Are Family
Alumni Association and Parents Association Work Together
When the Breck Alumni Association went through its recent strategic planning exercise, one of the goals that emerged was to increase the opportunities for Breck alumni to come together in service activities. And when the Breck Parents Association wanted to evaluate
Their collaboration is bringing alumni and parents closer
conclusion that it could use some more volunteers.
opportunity to meet Breck alumni,” says parent and Parents
its Family Community Outreach activities, it reached the It was the most natural of alliances.
“We’re all here working together for a common goal,” says Parents Association President Adrienne Oesterle. “We’re supporting the mission, and bringing the community together. None of us can do it alone!”
Adds Alumni Council Treasurer and Service Committee
Co-Chair Jimmy Beltz ’94, “When we started thinking about what it would take to create our own service events, we
realized pretty quickly that it made a lot of sense to use the infrastructure the Parents Association had already set up.”
The idea took hold last school year, when alumni served as greeters at the annual Special Olympics Poly Hockey tournament at Breck.
This year, however, the groups plan to work together even
more. For the first time, the Alumni Association has repre-
together in many ways. “I’m not sure I would have had the
Association committee chair Farida Korallus. “But it’s such a
natural fit and an evolution from student to alum to parent.” “We’re all trying to teach our kids about service and make sure that they get the mentality that the world’s not all
about them,” adds Beltz. “It’s so important that they learn about making an effort and giving their time.”
It’s an education for the parents as well. For example, says Korallus, she had no idea that it was the alumni who
planned and volunteered for Homecoming. And Beltz says he didn’t realize how extensive the Parents Association opportunities for involvement were.
The Parents Association’s Oesterle says it was all part of her
master plan. “My big word for the year is collaboration,” she states with characteristic enthusiasm. “And the more active the collaboration, the better.”
sentatives on the Family Community Outreach committee, and it is already planning for some significant alumni
presence during the first service opportunity of the year, the Fall Leaf Raking event on November 5.
Teams of alumni and their families will join teams of current parents and students as they work to rake leaves and
perform other simple maintenance activities for local area senior citizens.
“Maybe we’ll distribute special t-shirts for alumni and parent
groups,” Beltz proposes only partially in jest. “Or we’ll get some kind of competition going to see who can fill the most bags!” Later in the year, alumni will take more active roles in the Special Olympics event at the end of January, the second
annual Pancake BreckFest in March, and the Art 4 Shelter art sale that benefits Simpson Housing Services in May.
Chocolate chip pancakes are part of the BreckFest celebration.
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