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Regional clubs offer alumni a variety of experiences
When Maura Collins Matthews '97 decided to make the move from her native Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia in 2000, her strong Holy Cross ties—the daughter of John Collins '68, she is married to Steve Matthews '95, son of Jim Matthews '70—inspired her to get involved in Philadelphia's Holy Cross club.
A family friend who had been serving as the Philadelphia club's president, the late Tom Short '70, was moving from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., just as Maura was making the reverse move. He thought Maura and Steve would be perfect to revitalize the region's club, which includes alumni in the greater Philadelphia area, Delaware, Southern New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania. He was right.
Since 2000, Maura has served as president and secretary, and Steve has served as vice president and treasurer. Together, the couple has gradually built up club activity so that now there are multiple events throughout the year, including a summer picnic, football tailgates, trips to minor league baseball games, and even spur-of-the-moment gatherings such as meeting at a local pub to watch a Holy Cross basketball game on TV.
"It's not like New York or Boston where there are lots of Holy Cross alumni," says Maura, "so people seem eager to get together and meet other Holy Cross people."
In October, a dozen or so club members participated in Philadelphia Cares Day, a citywide initiative to help the city's school system. Volunteers spent the day sorting old textbooks and painting at a local school. Maura notes that what helps keep up the club's momentum is the willingness of a newly formed board of about 15 individuals to champion events. Kerry Skowron '99, for example, is planning a cultural excursion for the club to a local theatre company.
Maura is proud of the healthy attendance at events, as well as the mixture of classes represented. "Being involved in the club has helped me remain connected to Holy Cross and meet great people," she says.
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One of six clubs in New York State, the Holy Cross Club of Eastern New York covers a large geographic area and draws alumni and families from the entire Adirondack region, most of the Catskills and the northern part of the Hudson Valley. As club President Elaine Dimase '84 says, "We are fortunate to have a large critical mass of graduates in the area." Members have shown generous commitments of time, talent and resources to make the club thrive.
The most popular event for this club, which boasts close to 700 members, is the President's Reception, held each year in May. Other successful activities have been lectures by Holy Cross faculty such as David O'Brien, Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies and professor of history, and Rev. William Clark, S.J., of the religious studies department. Recently, the club co-sponsored the one-man show, "Father Joe: A Hero's Journey," by renowned storyteller Jay O'Callahan '60.
For sports-minded alumni in the area, ample opportunities exist to cheer on the Crusaders as they compete in a variety of contests against colleges in the Capital Region. Whether it's hockey at Rensselaer or basketball at Sienna College, club members and College supporters will likely meet each other—if not at an organized pre-game reception, then surely on the sidelines.
A late summer golf tournament has become instrumental in raising money for the club's scholarship fund. Elaine reports that the fund has awarded or committed a total of $35,000 to eligible high school seniors from Eastern New York. Club members also share their personal perspectives of Holy Cross when they accompany admissions counselors to local high schools in the fall. And for those students who choose Holy Cross, the club hosts a reception in August.
Elaine and her board welcome all Holy Cross alumni, young and old, and their families, their ideas, and their energy to enrich further this regional club.
For more information concerning the GAA's regional clubs, go to www.holycross.edu/departments/alumnidev/alumni and click on "Regional Clubs."
Maura Fredey '94 and Janine Clifford-Murphy'79 are members of the GAA's communications committee.
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