Nick Schiavetti, Genesee Valley Region Interim Alumni Advisor
March 3, 2016
The region alumni program has two basic purposes: 1) to acknowledge the previous contributions of alumni in the region and 2) to encourage continued participation of alumni in the region activities. This year’s Alumni Day addressed both of these purposes as a good opportunity to recognize our alumni for their prior service and to re-engage them with region patrollers and activities. We hope to build on this successful contact with the development of expanded region alumni opportunities in the future.
The 2016 Genesee Valley Region Alumni Day was held on February 26 at Hunt Hollow Ski Club. We had great weather and 60 alumni and guests attended the event. The skiing was better than expected with a fresh coat of overnight powder on top of well groomed slopes on a sunny day. We had a very enjoyable day of reunion and camaraderie among current and retired patrollers in attendance. As usual, no one went home hungry! The Hunt Hollow caterer did a repeat performance of providing a bounteous buffet luncheon and a group of generous patrollers, guests, and alumnae, including Carolyn Schiavetti, Nancy Cleveland, Bonnie Andre, Merrily Hoover, and Marcia Mundrick baked a table full of scrumptious desserts. A new bonus this year included a cake provided by the Skip and Niki Millor with the NSP logo emblazoned in color on the frosting! In addition, we were fortunate to have wines provided by Deer Run Vineyard that added a measure of class to the luncheon. Ted Hershey (our sole Frost Ridge alumnus present) did a magnificent job of managing registration and the 50/50 and Door Prize raffles. Lots of great prizes went out to alumni as a result of Ted’s efforts on our behalf. Several Hunt Hollow patrollers generously donated lift tickets, including Jerry Sherman, Bob and Bonnie Andre, Marcia Mundrick, Jim and Marilyn Nickerson, Chris Ebmeyer, John Lawson, and Bob Hanson.
We were successful in recruiting new alumni members in the region again this year, despite the difficulties encountered with the new on-line registration system. We hope that the region, division, and national efforts expended to correct the system will result in a smoother re-registration procedure in the future and keep our alumni numbers and budget strong. A healthy membership and a balanced budget are the primary goals for the future of the region alumni program as participation in this event continues to grow.
Keep your eyes and ears open for breaking news when the plans are set for next year’s Alumni Day in 2017. We look forward to seeing our fellow alumni gather together again to celebrate their many years of contributions to the Genesee Valley Region and the skiing public and renew their old friendships.