Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association NEWSLETTER

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1 Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association NEWSLETTER Winter 2014 [email protected] 2013 Volunteer Award Honorees Bert & George Maragakes Bert & George Maragakes were presented with an engraved Nittany Lion desk statue as our Volunteer Award recipients. Bert & George were honored with our Chapter Volunteer Award at our annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner on December 9 held at The Drafting Room. Dave Hoffritz gave a brief summary about how much Bert and George have contributed to the success of the Chapter over many years. Dave met Bert at a local supermarket doing product sampling. She saw Dave s PSU hat and they began talking. She said how much her husband, George, loved Penn State and Dave invited them to come to a meeting. One thing led to another and they joined the Chapter. Bert, with her product sampling connections to local supermarkets, began asking for gift card donations that could be used to offset the cost of beverages for our Sendoff Picnic. Each year Bert obtained over $100 in gift cards from various food stores. George would go and get the beverages and store them at their home until the picnic. Over many years, this practice saved a major expense for the Sendoff Picnic. George was also a regular at our Chapter meetings. He is the one who came up with the idea to get food items donated for the picnic. Along with beverages, we now have vendors who donate the burgers and hot dogs, thanks to George s recommendations. George s bigger claim to Chapter fame is his ability to sell our Football and Scholarship Raffle tickets. He has sold more raffle tickets than anyone else and each year has had at least one winner from the tickets he sold It is for these reasons and more that we honored Bert & George with our 2013 Chapter Volunteer Award. Florence R Hoffritz, Newsletter Editor

2 Chester County Chapter Newsletter Chapter Events in 2013 Were you part of them??? Volunteering at Cradles to Crayons, Habitat for Humanity & our Annual Sendoff Picnic Social Events at The Philly Pops, Lincoln Financial Field Tour, Phillies Fireworks Night Penn State Icer s Night, Football Bus Trips, Marching in the Homecoming Parade New York Bus Trips Volunteer Recognition Dinner Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association 2

3 Chester County Chapter Newsletter A Message From Our President As we begin 2014 our Chester County Chapter has grown to more than 300 members. We are an active chapter and welcome new members, especially recent graduates who want to stay connected to their alma mater. Our chapter marches in the Penn State Homecoming Parade, we sponsor the Annual Sendoff Picnic each August and plan networking events for alumni. We provide bus trips leaving from the Penn State Great Valley campus in Malvern to all Big 10 home football games as well as June and December bus trips to New York City. Our website, posts a football ticket exchange for the purchase or sale of game tickets and shows all of our coming events. Looking ahead... Plan to join us... This summer we have tickets for the sold out Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Fireworks game on Friday evening, June 27. We are in the process of arranging a Wells Fargo Center tour to get a behind the scenes view of the Sixers and Flyers home. Our chapter gives back to the community by volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity home building project in Coatesville as well as helping underprivileged youth at Cradles to Crayons in Conshohocken. View our website at and our Facebook page at facebook.com/psuchesco to keep updated on announcements for upcoming events. Wishing all Penn Staters a healthy and extremely happy 2014 Ann Mau, 76 Chapter President The following events are being planned for your enjoyment: City Lights Programs presented by the Penn State Alumni Association. These programs require pre-registration and have fees attached. There are 2 programs in the Philadelphia area, 1 in NYC, 1 in Harrisburg and 1 in DC. For details and registration go to Cultural Arts and Community Events at the Penn State Great Valley Campus. Go to their website to see what the programs are and to register to attend. Just go to and click on EVENTS. Our Chapter is a proud co-sponsor of these programs. Our Semi-Annual New York City Bus Trip is scheduled for Saturday, June 7th. A reservation form is on page 5 of this newsletter. This trip sells out quickly, so reserve your seat today. A tour of The Wells Fargo Center is being planned for late spring or early summer. Watch your for further details on how you can join us for this awesome tour. Phillies Fireworks Night is set for June 27th. A limited number of tickets have been reserved for our Chapter. Look for an notice in April for your opportunity to order your tickets. The Chapter s Annual Sendoff Picnic will be Sunday, August 3rd at East Goshen Park. We are already in the planning stages. We will be inviting over 800 Chester County High School Class of 2014 graduates heading to Penn State to attend with their families. We will need your help What do we need??? Volunteers will be needed to help with set up, registration, grilling, scooping Creamery Ice Cream, talking to parents and new freshmen, purchasing food items, getting door prizes donated, clean up at the end. If you think you can volunteer for any phase of the picnic, please let us know by ing the Chapter at [email protected]. It is a wonderful afternoon and a very rewarding experience for the parents, the students and the Chapter volunteers. We also need current Penn State students and recently graduated Penn Staters to talk with the incoming freshmen. If you know of someone who would be interested in doing this, please that information to the Chapter at [email protected]. The Summer Newsletter will be out in July and in it will be your opportunity to join or renew chapter membership, order your Football and Scholarship Raffle Tickets, order your Penn State Creamery Ice Cream, make tax deductible donations to our Scholarship and Cultural Arts Endowments and sign up for our football and NY bus trips. So when you receive it, please respond. We always appreciate your support. Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association 3

4 Chester County Chapter Newsletter Scholarships & Endowments Students & Community We are proud to be the 1 st alumni Chapter to fund a Trustee Matching Scholarship of $50,000. T h e T M S p r o v i d e s a n n u a l scholarship money to one or more Chester County PSU students, based on financial need, regardless of which campus the students attend. Our chapter s a w a r d i s m a t c h e d b y t h e University Trustees at 5% per year based on the principal of the TMS. As the principal grows, so does the amount of earnings and thereby more scholarship money is awarded to students. Our 2 nd Endowment provides Scholarship money to one or more Chester County students in financial need who attend the Penn State Brandywine Campus. This Endowed Scholarship will also award more scholarships as the principal grows and earns more interest. How did we fund these scholarships and how will we continue to increase their value With your help, of course Your membership dues each year c o n t r i b u t e $ 5 t o w a r d o u r scholarships. Also, people donate additional monies earmarked for our General Scholarship Fund or for our Tax Deductible Trustee Matching Scholarship Endowment a n d / o r o u r Ta x D e d u c t i b l e Brandywine Endowment. These o p t i o n s a p p e a r o n o u r Membership Form in the Summer Newsletter. We raise funds through our annual Scholarship Raffle. Each ticket sold is $5 and all proceeds go directly to our Scholarship Fund. If you have been on our NY Bus Trips, you, too, have helped our Scholarship Fund as all proceeds f r o m t h e s e t r i p s g o t o Scholarships. We will continue to request donations for these scholarships to grow our principal which will, in turn, raise the amount of revenues available to be awarded each year. Each endowment--the TMS and the Brandywine--issues a 5% s c h o l a r s h i p b a s e d o n o u r principal. This can then be awarded to one or more recipients who meet the qualifications for our Chapter s scholarships. All students who have filed a FASFA form are considered for the Chapter scholarships. Recipients must be residents of Chester County and are selected solely by the Penn State Office of Student Aid. We are in the 3 rd of 5 years of funding the new $25,000 Cultural A r t s & C o m m u n i t y E v e n t s Endowment. This endowment helps provide the Chester County community with quality, free, cultural events at the Penn State Great Valley Campus. Send in tax deductible donations that will directly benefit our Scholarship Endowments and the Cultural Arts & Community Events E n d o w m e n t. M a i l y o u r t a x deductible donation check, payable to CCC PSAA to the Chester County Chapter PSAA, 39 E Swedesford Road, Malvern PA Indicate TMS, Brandywine or Cultural Arts in the Memo Line. Our 2013 Scholarship recipients are: Nancy Le ~ a sophomore at University Park Campus majoring in Division of Undergraduate Studies. She is considering a major in either Marketing or Broadcast Journalism. Nancy is also actively involved in THON. Nancy is a 2012 Great Valley High School graduate. Katherine Vazquez ~ a freshman at University Park Campus majoring in Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. Katherine is a member of the Pre-Vet Club, Animal Volunteers and will be a part of THON with ATLAS THON. Katherine is a 2013 graduate of Octorara High School. Scott Schmoyer ~ a senior at the Brandywine Campus majoring in Information Sciences & Technology with a special interest in Software Development as it applies to phones, tablets and other mobile devices. Scott is a graduate of Downingtown West High School. Please see a full article about Scott on page 7. Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association 4

5 Chester County Chapter Newsletter NEW YORK CITY HERE WE COME JUNE 7, 2014 The Chapter s semi-annual bus trip to New York is set for June 7 th. We will depart from the Penn State Great Valley Campus at 7:15 a.m. You have the entire day in NYC to do whatever you like: Tours, Museums, Theater, Shopping, Dining. Our bus departs NYC at 6:45 p.m. Refreshments are served on the ride up and back. Reservations are required. Chapter members $50; non Chapter members $55. Use the form below to make your reservations. CHESTER COUNTY CHAPTER New York Bus Trip Saturday, June 7 th Sign me up for The New York Bus Trip Bus leaves the Penn State Great Valley Campus at 7:15 a.m. Reservation Deadline: May 11, 2014 Names Address City State Zipcode Phone Cell Phone Address Chapter Members x $50 each Non Chapter Members x $55 each Total Payment $ Make checks payable to CCC PSAA and mail this form with your check to: Chester County Chapter PSAA, 30 East Swedesford Road, Malvern PA Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association 5

6 Chester County Chapter Newsletter Our Scholarship Raffle Drawing took place at our Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner held December 9 th at The Drafting Room in Exton. Those attending the dinner were asked to draw the winning tickets. 482 tickets were sold with all proceeds going to our Endowment Funds. Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets for this raffle. We also want to thank the following establishments for their generous donations toward our raffle prizes: Duling-Kurtz House, Exton The General Warren Inne, Malvern The Kimberton Inn, Kimberton Teca Restaurant, West Chester Additional gift cards and certificates were donated and used for our dinner raffle at our Volunteer Dinner. We want to thank the following restaurants for their generosity: The Mediterranean~West Chester; Olive Branch Tapas~West Chester; Seven Stars Restaurant~Phoenixville We encourage you to patronize all of these locations and thank them for supporting our Chapter Scholarship Fund. 1 st Prize: $300 AMEX Gift Card Susan & Walt Barry 2 nd Prize: $150 Gift Card to Duling - Kurtz House Kathleen & John Mraz $100 Gift Card to Marshalton Inn ~ Dean Dreibelbis $100 Gift Card to The General Warren Inne ~ Casey Interrante $100 Gift Certificate to Kimberton Inn ~ Bill Geigle $100 Gift Card to Teca Restaurant ~ John Mendell Look for your chance to purchase Football and Scholarship Raffle tickets in our Summer Newsletter. Do not miss out on your chance to win great prizes and support our Sendoff Picnic, Scholarships and Endowments all at the same time. Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association 6

7 Chester County Chapter Newsletter Meet our 2013 Brandywine Endowment Scholarship Recipient Scott Joseph Schmoyer Scott is a Senior at the Brandywine Campus majoring in Information Sciences and Technology. He is particularly interested in software development as it pertains to smartphones, tablets and other mobile devises. At Brandywine, Scott is the Microsoft Student Partner for the campus. In this role, Scott is tasked with increasing the Microsoft presence on Campus. To do this, he holds development workshops to demonstrate and teach students how to make software applications for Microsoft products, such as Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8; he holds movie nights on campus to demonstrate the features and capabilities of products such as Xbox 360. Scott s goal as the Microsoft Student Partner for Penn State Brandywine is to help other students become more aware of current Microsoft products and the services offered. Many students do not know of these services that are there to help them succeed. This is one of the major areas of his student partnership. Scott is a 2010 graduate of Downingtown West High School. We wish him success in all of his endeavors. Plan to join us at one of our events this year: City Lights in Philadelphia & Camden Cradles to Crayons Habitat for Humanity Phillies Fireworks Night Annual Sendoff Picnic Bus Trips to New York Bus Trips to Penn State Football Games Chapter Meetings We welcome Coach James Franklin to Happy Valley Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association 7

8 Chester County Chapter Newsletter 30 E Swedesford Road Malvern PA [email protected] NONPROFIT ORG U S POSTAGE PAID SOUTHEASTERN PA PERMIT 50 IMPORTANT INFORMATION INSIDE IN THIS ISSUE PAGE Volunteer Honoree 1 Events in President s Message 3 Plans for Scholarships, Endowments, Community Events 4 Student Scholarship Recipients 4 New York Bus Trip 5 Scholarship Raffle Winners/Endowments Brandywine Scholarship Recipient 7 Plan to join us 7 Welcome Coach Franklin 7 KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE CHAPTER Sign up for free at and be the first to know about our exciting events. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. us at [email protected] to Volunteer for a committee or suggest program ideas. Update your records with the Alumni Association at COMING EVENTS Watch your for notices of all Chapter events. City Lights Events - Feb 1 st - Kimmel Center & May 31 st Adventure Aquarium Camden, NJ. Blue/White Weekend - April Game on the 12 th in Beaver Stadium. Cradles to Crayons - May 17 th from Watch your for sign up information. New York City Bus Trip - Saturday, June 7 th. Reservation form and details on Page 5. Wells Fargo Center Tour - Date and time to be determined. notices will go out to register. Phillies Fireworks Night - June 27 th. Details will be available via to order tickets. Limited number available. Chapter Ice Cream Sale - July Order forms will be in the Summer Newsletter. Sendoff Picnic - Sunday, August 3 rd. Volunteers will be needed. Student volunteers also needed. Chapter Meetings - 2 nd Monday of each month, 7 p.m. at Lions Share Diner in Exton (routes 100 & 113). Everyone is welcome to attend. Volunteer to help at our events. Come out to a meeting and share your ideas. Chester County Chapter - Penn State Alumni Association 8