Eta Lambda Summer Update letter

[Mike Irwin]

Greetings Eta Lambda Alumni Brothers,

We hope that everyone is enjoying a wonderful Summer 2015 so far.  We want to take a moment to update everyone on a few topics since we last saw so many of you at our successful Spring Alumni Banquet this past April 24-26.

The Undergrads recently faced a cash flow crunch regarding making the June and July rent payments to the Alumni Board. As some of you may recall, the house has barely been half-full to capacity in recent years, and combined with trying to secure rent from Undergrad Brothers during the quiet Summer months, we managed to deal with the temporary crisis. With effort from the Undergrad Treasurer and Rene speaking with the bank, we've currently bridged the gap until August when Undergrads return and we'll have a Full-to-Capacity chapter for the first time in about 5 years. We're working with the Undergrad Exec Committee on plan to avoid a "closed for the Summer" situation next June/July, including requiring summer months' rent to be paid in advance by House brothers before departing in mid-May.

On the list of Positives, we're happy to report that the Spring Alumni Banquet in Blacksburg was a huge success, with National President Dick Elder in town as our weekend guest and Spring Banquet Keynote Speaker. And he didn't disappoint!  Next year's version will include some improvements to both the format and the hotel venue -- so make your plans NOW to attend the 2016 Eta Lambda Spring Alumni Banquet during the last weekend of next April.

Breaking News: Theta Chi National Fraternity has just awarded our Eta Lambda chapter its first National award in several year -- the 2015 Phil S. Randall Recruitment Award, which recognizes outstanding chapter growth.  This past academic year, our chapter pledged and initiated THIRTY -- that's right, 30 -- new brothers!  And again, the Chapter House is now FULL for the first time in years, with many of these new 30 brothers getting in line to live in the House in school year 2016-2017. The future of Eta Lambda is truly bright, and getting brighter.  Come back soon and see for yourself!  

 

Speaking for coming back, Virginia Tech Homecoming is the weekend of October 23rd-24th.  We will hold a very important Alumni meeting at the House on Saturday morning, with items on the docket such as election of new Alumni Board officers for Eta Lambda.  Those interested in positions on the board should contact Rene Weber via email (weber...@msn.com) or telephone (540-815-4466).  Duke is the Homecoming opponent, so tickets and reservations should be made early.  A follow up correspondence will be sent to all brothers in early August.

Despite all the great news, the mortgage and the growing list of house fix-ups continue to be a burden on the brotherhood. We are currently exploring all of our options for permanently solving this challenge, including launching a world-class capital fundraising over the next few years, which would pay off debtors (Brother Patrick Devlin!), the mortgage, and raise significant funds for fixing up the House to the point where we're building a waiting list every year for Undergrad brothers who really want to live in a showcase house that we can be proud of. With a growing Eta Lambda Alumni base of almost 1,000 brothers strong, we're told by some folks associated with National that we could be prime to launch a successful campaign, if the brotherhood has the will and commitment.  More to come on this topic. 

 

Meanwhile, contributions of any monetary size are always welcome. . .please forward them to: The Eta Lambda Alumni Association of Theta Chi Fraternity, LTD,  P.O. Box 21382,  Roanoke, VA  24018.  In the immediate future, we will be focusing on making the house more livable with improvements such as:  replacing worn out appliances, securing reliable cleaning tools such as vacuums and floor polishers, and rebuilding and repainting worn and damaged wood and door frames.

Finally, and on an unfortunate and sad note, at the time of this writing we were just informed that Eta Lambda brother Graydon Elliott (class of 1987) passed away peacefully in his sleep in Plainfield, NJ this past weekend. A graveside service will be held at 11am this Friday 7/17 at the Parklawn Memorial Park in Hampton, Virginia. Several brothers and Theta Chi little sisters will be in attendance to pay our respect as Graydon has passed onto the Chapter Eternal.

Fraternally,

Mike Irwin, Chapter Advisory Board Chair; and Rene Weber, Alumni Board President