Virtually Welcoming New Members By ELIZABETH LONGABERGER
F
or many years, the New Member Brunch has been held in-person at Columbia Center in August or September. This year was different. The New Member Committee had planned to follow through with an in-person brunch that would be socially distanced, but just a few weeks before, the League decided it would be best to hold the event online. Luckily, one of the Co-Chairs this year, Catherine Eifrig, had been running events for work since the beginning of the pandemic and felt very comfortable implementing the same tactics to welcome the League’s fifty-eight New Members. The event took place on August 22, 2020 and lasted a little shorter than usual given the circumstances. The Chairs included a fun icebreaker to kick off the event. Following the welcome and introduction by our President, Sarah Rieger, active members spoke about their experiences with the League. Sustainer Member, Cinnamon Polly; Active Member, Leslie Touassi; and First Year Active Member, Sunny King Fisher; all shared their personal experience as League members. This helped the New Members feel more of a connection to the League, even though it was from their homes. For the conclusion of the event, the Committee utilized the Break-Out Room feature on Zoom to gather in small groups to meet with
their Advisors. The Chairs received very positive feedback from many, including New Members. It is a difficult situation to handle and theCommittee nailed it—and the League hopes to meet all the New Members in-person very soon!
Screenshot of New Member Brunch
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