DC Aggie News for June - 15-Jun-10: General article: contact Simon Smith

A Call for Volunteers:

One of the goals for the DC Aggies in 2010 is to enlarge our outreach presence in the local DC community through activities and partnerships with charities, service groups and non-profit organizations. As a new and significant focus area for the club we are seeking your help to get this initiative off the ground. Over the next 45 days we will be forming a DC Aggies Community Outreach Committee to help brainstorm ideas, establish new relationships, and plan Club outreach events up to and including a planned “Big Event” this fall. We are looking for anyone interested in joining this committee or who can participate in any capacity. In addition we are looking for somebody who has a particular passion for this work who would be willing to become our Outreach Chairperson for 2010. Please contact Neal Grabarkewitz at nealcgrab@gmail.com if you like to join the outreach committee, help as a volunteer, or if you are interested in the Outreach Chairperson position. We sincerely appreciate your support. -Neal Grabarkewitz ‘95 – President DC Aggies

Scholarship Endowment

Last year, the National Capital Texas A&M Club (NCTAMC) began the process of working towards an endowment. Texas A&M University Association of Former Students allows organizations who are recognized by the university to apply for an endowment. Having an endowment provides the organization with guaranteed funding every year. The NCTAMC must raise at least $25,000 dollars in order to officially obtain the endowment, which will return back 4% of the total endowment amount annually.

Every year, the NCTAMC awards a $1,000 scholarship to an outstanding student living in the DC metroplex area who has either just been accepted to Texas A&M or currently attending Texas A&M. It is common practice for us to raise the money every year for the scholarship, but this limits us in how many scholarships we could potentially award. Because we want to significantly help more students financially, it is a goal of the NCTAMC to raise the $25,000 as soon as possible. The endowment will ensure that at least one student will definitely receive some type of financial assistance that is significant in covering college expenses, and it will also provide us with an opportunity to increase the number of scholarship winners.

As your fellow Aggies, we ask that you please thoughtfully consider donating whatever you can to the endowment fund. Any dollar amount donated is a step closer to helping someone else indefinitely. Once the endowment is established, it becomes self-sufficient, always continuing to award scholarships to students even if the NCTAMC were to become non-existent.

You will be hearing more about the endowment throughout the course of the year, and you will also have many opportunities to donate to this great cause. If you would like to make a donation online, please visit the following web address: http://www.dcaggies.com/en/donations/add.asp. Be sure to also indicate in the “comments” section that you are donating to our endowment. For further questions, please contact Emmanual Guillory at eguillory@gmail.com.

Be an Aggie who makes a difference. DONATE TODAY!

Welcome to a new year of DC Aggie Membership!

The DC Aggie Membership year is now 1 May 2010 to 1 May 2011 and we are excited about the new benefits of being a Member of the DC Aggies! Become a Member of the DC Aggies and receive discounted tickets to club events and functions, like Aggie Muster and Summer BBQ. Members receive a free DC Aggies' T-Shirt for individuals and 2 are included with family memberships. Your membership dues make a direct financial contribution to scholarships for local students attending Texas A&M University, while also supports the contribution and active outreach that DC Aggies make to the local community. Being a Member of DC Aggies also provides you with the right to vote for officers and directors of the club, and also provides you the right to hold office. Remember, supporting your local DC Aggie Network promotes and represents the Aggie Spirit and Pride in our Nation's Capital! For more information and to join, go to http://www.dcaggies.com/membership/.