09/29/2015
The Official Alumni Group was established before knowing McLain had an alumni foundation which is a 501c3 that provides financial funding to the school. Once we were made aware, the Official Alumni Group changed our mission to focus on the alumni involvement, increase alumni involvement to the more than the few members of the foundation, and involvement within the school; the latter being the more success.
We’ve worked with other alumni social media groups to merge into one cohesive group to maintain "official" communications. This group started with zero funds. We implemented a VIP package for homecoming to assist with the cost of funding the social activities for the weekend.
The dance that has been held on Saturday’s has always been in the red due to small amount of attendees. Saturday’s dance was more for hospitality to the alumni so that we could have a weekend full of activities for our homecoming. All monies left over were spent to give the VIP a gift of appreciation for pre-paying to cover expenditures for the weekend’s event.
As a group, we have been volunteering and donating monies to the school for various events and activities at McLain’s request. Williams Company donated $20K to McLain for band uniforms and other items in Myra Walters name that McLain has yet to be able to validate expenses. McLain has reached out for donation monies to feed the athletes and other misc needs. We served as a support for the Sean Jackson Day with food and engraved items, spent over $1K to host mentoring program. We co-sponsored throw balls, flashlights and other spirit items to entice the alumni inside of the game. We co-sponsored the boyz to men mentor events, purchased a microwave for cafeteria (engraved plate saying sponsored by alumni on it), food for alumni tailgate host table to give away, open buffet for the entire dance on Saturday nights, ice sculptures, private security company, DJ expenses, welcome/thank you gift and dinner for the Ms. Harper and parent facilitator, banner, watches, athletic breakfast support, monogrammed flashlight key chains, care packages for cancer survivors or patients in attendance at that Saturday night pink affair, post office box, printing and a host of various other request the school has made to alumni group.
We will not donate to McLain so that they can spend the money any way they choose. Our intention is not and has not been to fund raise for the school, but to generate a momentum for alumni involvement. We will continue to support McLain with reasonable requests.
