Happy autumn from the Connecticut Alpha Alumni & Volunteer Corporation (AVC)! It’s been a busy few months for the chapter and AVC, and we want to share a few quick updates since our last newsletter.
CT Alpha LinkedIn and Alumni Survey
In an effort to better keep our alumni and undergraduates connected with each other, the chapter and AVC are: (1) revitalizing our LinkedIn group — if you haven’t already, join the group today, and (2) conducting a short survey (honest, it’s short!) to better understand your fields of study, industry, and job title, and to gauge your interest in participating in CT Alpha career-coaching activities.
Founders’ Day of Giving
On November 1, Sigma Phi Epsilon will celebrate its 121st birthday. Each year on Founders’ Day, the SigEp Educational Foundation raises money for SigEp’s Leadership programming. Funds raised on Founders’ Day support staple programs for CT Alpha, including the Grand Chapter Conclave, the regional Carlson Leadership Academies, Ruck Leadership Institute, and the Tragos Quest to Greece. CT Alpha undergraduates directly benefit from this fundraising, as dozens of our members participate in these programs each year. The support from SigEps across the country helps make these experiences possible. In the past few years, CT Alpha has repeatedly placed in the top 15 chapters nationwide for number of donors and for amount raised, and we hope you’ll consider helping us produce another stellar performance this year! You can learn more here. We look forward to seeing CT Alpha on the leaderboard this November 1!
Biennial Fall Reunion Recap
On September 17, 100+ alumni (and spouses) and undergraduate brothers gathered at Wickham Park in Manchester, CT. The brothers in attendance, spanning from the 1960s through the 2020s and traveling from as far as California and Florida, renewed friendships, formed new bonds, and enjoyed a spectacular performance by CT Alpha’s own Sabbs Brothers Band. At the event, alumni also celebrated the inaugural inductees to the CT Alpha Alumni Hall of Fame: George Zitnay ‘60, John Santa ‘64, Mike Baldassari ’88, and Ralph Hedenberg ‘89. You can read more about the impressive accomplishments of these alumni here.
Representatives from SigEp’s national office also attended to posthumously bestowed the Exemplary Service Award to the late Ed Kaplan ’88 in recognition of his lifetime of dedication to SigEp and presented Van Augur ’20 with the Outstanding New Volunteer Award.
The AVC expresses a special thanks to Bob and Francine Flynn, Larry and Kathy Carboni, Tom Birmingham & Amy Killeen, Vinny Piscelli, Steve Chaneles, Angelo Tebano, Bill Gunn, Michael Gordier, and Jerry Dallas for their hard work in helping execute the event! Pictures from the event can be found here.
Annual AVC Business Meeting
Pursuant to our bylaws, the AVC holds an Annual Meeting each year to provide updates on the state of the Corporation and to elect directors to the CT Alpha Alumni & Volunteer Board. This year’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 7:00 PM ET over Zoom. The link to the Zoom meeting is https://yale.zoom.us/j/94547256988, and you can find more information in the official meeting notice here.
Alumni Updates & Lost Brothers
Have exciting news to share about yourself? Recently married, kids, moved, new job or retired? Send updates and any CT Alpha Alumni Hall of Fame nominations to speaconn@gmail.com, and we’ll feature it in our next newsletter!
We’re also in search of updated contact information for a number of our alumni. Right now, we’re missing complete contact information – a good address and email address – from 74% of our Connecticut Alpha alumni! For our more than 1,110 alumni, we have 37% of their email addresses and 85% of their mailing addresses. If you know how to get ahold of any of the brothers listed here, please submit any contact info you may have! Spending just a few minutes of your time will help us engage alumni for future events!
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or stories!