Alumni volunteers recognized at annual Celebration of Volunteerism
Gretchen Douglass, BFA ’98, (left) and Jen Jones Donatelli, BSJ ’98, accept the Cutler Outstanding Chapter Award on behalf of the Los Angeles Alumni Chapter.Photo by Meagan Hall, BSVC ’20
The OHIO Alumni Association honored a number of deserving alumni volunteers during On The Green Weekend’s annual Celebration of Volunteerism Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 18.
Joe Becherer, BFA ’87, MFA ’89, chair of the Association Board’s Awards Committee; Ron Teplitzky, AB ’84, chair of the Association Board; and David Bambrey, interim assistant vice president for alumni relations and executive director of the Alumni Association, presented awards to alumni groups that had completed notable volunteer work on behalf of OHIO at the state, national and global levels.
Alumni leaders gather under the illuminated dome of Walter Hall Rotunda for the 2018 Celebration of Volunteerism.Photo by Ellee Achten, BSJ ’14, MA ’17
“Thank you,” Bambrey said to the alumni volunteers. “Thank you to each and every one of you for taking on these important volunteer jobs in support of the singular place we call OHIO.”
As part of the annual Alumni Leadership Conference, the awards ceremony also drew special guests President M. Duane Nellis, First Lady Ruthie Nellis, and Vice President for University Advancement and President and CEO of The Ohio University Foundation Nico Karagosian.
The Association connects more than 237,000 OHIO alumni with assistance from the alumni volunteers who lead 31 regional groups, 7 academic-based and 15 special-interest societies. According to Bambrey, out of the 302 events that the Association supported in 2017, 192 were hosted by alumni volunteer groups.
“The Alumni Association calls on chapters and societies to do more than connect alumni and students,” Bambrey said. “We also ask these groups to engage in meaningful service to their communities.”
The Awards Committee selects recipients of the awards from OHIO societies and chapters. A total of six awards were presented during the celebration: the Templeton Networking Award, the Lindley Student Networking Award, the Alden Community Service Award, the Glidden Innovation Award, the Konneker Volunteer of the Year Award and the Cutler Outstanding Chapter Award.
Bambrey presented the Templeton Networking Award to the Middle Tennessee Chapter and the Ebony Bobcat Network of Cleveland. This award calls attention to groups that dedicate time to connecting alumni.
The awards ceremony’s photo booth saw plenty of action Friday night. Photo by Ellee Achten, BSJ ’14, MA ’17
The Southern Ohio Chapter and the Ebony Bobcat Network of Cincinnati/Dayton both were then awarded the Lindley Student Networking Award for their efforts of linking alumni to current students in innovative ways.
The Pittsburgh Chapter and the Ebony Bobcat Network of Columbus were presented the Glidden Innovation Award. The Pittsburgh Chapter received this award for their annual holiday party at the Carnegie Museum, and the Ebony Bobcat Network of Columbus for its Author’s Luncheon.
The Alden Community Service Award for impressive community service initiatives was awarded to the Nation’s Capital Chapter and the Ebony Bobcat Network of Columbus.
The Los Angeles Chapter won the Cutler Outstanding Chapter Award, for its role in the connection of OHIO to more than 4,000 alumni living in the greater Los Angeles area.
To close the night, Marilyn Allen, a 1958 graduate of The Patton College of Education, was awarded the Konneker Volunteer of the Year Award for her dedication to promoting OHIO as a whole.
The award is named after Wilfred R. Konneker, a revered OHIO alumnus and the only person to be named a Lifetime Trustee of The Ohio University Foundation.
“Marilyn has been a tireless volunteer on behalf of the Central Ohio Chapter and the Patton College,” Teplitzky said. “She has been engaged with OHIO’s alumni chapters and societies since graduating from OHIO 60 years ago.”