Penn State New Kensington sophomore Caitlyn Cody, an information sciences and technology major and secretary of the Student Government Association, is one of three current recipients of an Alle-Kiski Society scholarship.
Bowl-a-thon is top agenda item
Proceeds benefit campus scholarships
The Alle-Kiski Society will hold its regular monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 17, at the Elks Club on Sixth Avenue in Tarentum. Friends, parents and alumni of Penn State are encouraged to attend and reconnect with the campus.
Top agenda item is the society’s annual Alumni Bowl-a-thon, set for 1 p.m., Sunday, March 30, at Wildlife Lanes in Lower Burrell, Pa. Proceeds from the 12th annual event benefit campus projects and the Alle-Kiski Society Endowed Scholarship, which funds yearly awards to campus undergraduates.
The entry fee is $20 and includes three games and shoe rental. Four- or five-person teams may sign up, or individuals may sign up and be assigned to a short-handed team. Commensurate with their 10-pin acumen, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to roll a few “turkeys" (three consecutive strikes) or “buzzards” (three consecutive open frames) to raise dollars for the society's scholarship fund.
Lane sponsorships are the backbone of the fundraising effort. With varying perks, the sponsorships are available on two levels, “Big Ten” for $100 and “Nittany Lion,” for $50. Businesses and individuals are encouraged to invest in campus students by taking advantage of sponsorship opportunities.
“We represent more than 7,000 alumni living in the Alle-Kiski Valley,” said John Spadaro, a director on the society’s board and chair of the bowl-a-thon. “Our mission is to represent all current and former students and friends of Penn State through interaction and service to improve the New Kensington campus and the University.”
Last June, the society fulfilled its $26,000 pledge, a year ahead of schedule, increasing its scholarship from $51,000 to $77,000. At its February meeting, the society donated an additional $7,500 to the endowment, effectively upping the principal by 66 percent. Using the proceeds from the alumni golf tournament in August, the society, which is based at Penn State New Kensington, was able to give the New Kensington campus a total of $34,000 for student upperclassmen scholarships, ballooning the scholarship principal to $85,000.
For the current academic year, the society awarded $3,600 in scholarships to three New Kensington campus students -- Joshua Swinehart of Spring Church; Jennifer Phillips of Vandergrift; and Caitlyn Cody of Leechburg. Since 1998, the Alle-Kiski Society has awarded $36,000 to 45 students. Besides fundraising, the Alle-Kiski Society engages in various campus projects throughout the year, interacting with former and current students by sponsoring social events and other networking activities.
In the past four years, the society has donated more than $45,000 to the campus. In addition to its scholarship largesse, the alumni organization, which comprises Penn State graduates from the New Kensington and University Park campuses, made a $10,000 gift to campus athletics for equipment for the cardiovascular fitness room. The society also sponsors a reception for more than 100 campus students and their families for their accomplishments at the annual Academic and Student Achievement Awards ceremony.
“Penn State New Kensington students are the beneficiaries of the Bowl-a-thon proceeds,” said Spadaro, who attended the campus before completing his bachelor’s degree at University Park.
For information on the bowl-a-thon, contact Bill Woodard at 724-334-6049 or uxw1@psu.edu
To download the registration and sponsorship forms, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Information/News/45792.htm#NEWS45792
For more about the society, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Alumni/alumorg.htm