letter from the chair

Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, Where We’re Going: Summer Search Boston’s Growing Alumni Association
by Derrick Duplessy, Boston Alumni Board Chair, Summer Search Boston Board Member, Jeremiah E. Burke High School ’98, Bowdoin College ‘03

With over 500 Summer Search Boston alumni, numerous Summer Search events and programs, and a productive Summer Search Boston Alumni Board, it’s hard to imagine the Summer Search Alumni Association started five years ago by cruising in tiny boats on the Charles River. We’ve come a long way since then. Now we are looking forward to pushing the Alumni Association even further.

Your Boston Alumni Board is working hard to create a viable and powerful community for all Summer Search alumni. Our commitment as an Alumni Board is to make sure all alumni are aware of and using the Summer Search community’s resources to become the best leaders possible. The Alumni Board’s three committees (Outreach, Programming and Career Advisory Network [CAN]) are leading a host of activities to bring this commitment to fruition. CAN is conducting dynamic workshops helping Summer Search alumni head towards meaningful careers. The Outreach Committee is creating a mentoring program to support Summer Search alumni transitioning from high school to college this fall. Those of you who participated in last year’s National Alumni Summit in San Francisco know it was a historic moment for Summer Search. The Programming Committee is working with a National planning committee to make this year’s Alumni Summit even more outstanding than last year’s powerful event. Be on the lookout for upcoming CAN events, how to become a mentor to a Summer Search alum, and invitations to this year’s National Alumni Summit in San Francisco from August 1st – 2nd, 2008!

In order to continue strengthening the Summer Search Alumni Association and Summer Search, your participation as a Summer Search alum is critical. Did you know that if every Summer Search alum contributed just $22 to Summer Search, the sum of those donations would be matched by a gift of $40,000 from John Osterweis, founding Summer Search board chair, Sasha Kovriga, alumnus ’90 and current board member, and Warren Brown and Gina Falsetto, dedicated supporters of Summer Search.? If you haven’t already donated, please give back whatever you can!

Did you know that Summer Search alumni have gotten jobs just from being at different Summer Search events and talking to Summer Search Boston board members and donors? Did you know that as a Summer Search Young Professional (SSYP), you can provide internship opportunities for Summer Search alumni at your workplace? Did you know that just by updating your information in the Summer Search National Alumni Directory or calling the Boston office to check-in, you help raise money for Summer Search? It’s all true and you can make it happen. We encourage you to call 888-755-7714 (toll free), email alumni@summersearch.org, and learn about the great things you can do to make change continue for Summer Search alumni.