| Dear Mount Holyoke College Class of 1974,
I hope you’ve noticed that I have kept my word about no more than 3 Presidential email blasts per year…thus far. 😊 But now, things are cooking within the MHC Class of 1974, as we reach our 9 month countdown to our grand 50th Reunion next May 16-19, 2024…and you’ll hear from me more often!! REUNION PLANNING WORKSHOP: August 15th, Class Volunteer Leaders will be attending a virtual Reunion Planning Workshop from 7 to 8:30p. If you were thinking of volunteering for anything related to the Reunion, please join us! Reach out to me at boldcolorlife@gmail.com and I’ll send you the registration link. Reach out to Gail LaRocca for further information after the workshop at gailalarocca@gmail.com.Gail and I are already in regular contact and all sorts of exciting things are being planned. More information along the way…. ACTIVE NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Our full Nominating Committee (Class elected representatives–Chair Carole LaMond, Nancy Marks Arcieri, Beth Connor Gibson…joined by new Presidential appointees Cynthia Polk-Allen and Susan Moch) will meet for the first time on August 21st to begin to put together a ballot for our leadership team for 2024-2029. DEVELOPMENT TEAM: Our full Development Team (over 50 classmates) are invited to attend 1974’s 50th reunion Gift Committee Meeting in South Hadley at our beautiful Alma Mater…or virtually…on October 4-6. If you were thinking of joining the development team, please reach out to Jane Zimmy at janezimmy@gmail.com. This industrious team brought in awesome results this past fiscal year: 88% of those who made gifts in fiscal ’22 also made a gift in ’23. Slightly below our goal of >90% repeating. 50th Reunion Results Total 5-Year Participation Rate as of 06/30/2023: 68.4% Dollars raised for the Mount Holyoke Fund: $1,298,342 (including pledges through 6/28) Comprehensive total (Mount Holyoke Fund + gifts to Endowments, Capital Projects and Documented Bequests): $3,324,003
ACTIVE MINI-REUNION COMMITTEE: The Mini-Reunion committee has been meeting to help bring Denise McLeod Thomas’s vision to reality. REPLY NOW with this form if you are interested in attending by sending a text to our host, Denise McLeod Thomas (678) 570-1878 or email to dmthomas524@gmail.com. Deadline: September 5 WHO is invited: all MHC 1974 classmates and loved ones WHEN: December 29, 2023-January 1, 2024 WHERE: The historic port city of Wilmington, NC, nestled between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean WHAT: the perfect way to end 2023 and welcome 2024 withbeloved classmates at your side A. Saturday, December 30th, an interactive bus tour of Wilmington with a renowned, award-winning tour guide who is a native son B. Sunday, December 31st, an annual noon performance of music, dancing, singing and storytelling, celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation, by the Gullah Geechee people at a local church C. New Year’s Eve dinner together is in the works, as well as contiguous lodging options for the long weekend D. Open time can include: Wilmington’s National Register Historic District; Riverwalk lined with cafes, shops and galleries; horse-drawn carriage rides; cruise along Cape Fear waterfront; visits to the Airlie gardens or many museums, etc. More detail can be found on this link on our MHC Class of 1974 website: ACTIVE MEMORIAM COMMITTEE: The Memoriam Committee has developed a template for slides for the presentation and booklet and gathered the information about each deceased classmate in a folder accessible to committee members. The group is preparing the slides, the booklet, and soliciting estimates for materials for the rose ceremony during which classmates will be remembered at our reunion. SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR: Our Facebook page and Class of 1974 Website page would love to post events in which classmates are involved to encourage participation by other classmates and recognition of all the great things that we are doing. Please send along notices to ljaverill@gmail.com Many thanks to Laurie Averill for pursuing the techies who finally fixed the links to our class website! Do tune in to both these sites regularly, as things WILL emerge regularly. Wishing you the luscious last moments and memories of summer, Melissa L. Thornton |
