Saturday morning came far too early for me as Friday was a long & full day! Breakfast & Power Session Two: AOII Half Time Report kicked off the day.
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| AOII presented the Arthritis Foundation with a check for $229,000! |
After the check presentation, the Arthritis Foundation gave a brief presentation - showing how far we have come in the treatment of arthritis. It was very inspiring to see all the changes & hear the stories of how children with Juvenile Arthritis are no longer restricted to wheel chairs. It made me proud to be part of an organization that holds philanthropy in such high regard.
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| Quick selfie with sisters at breakfast |
After breakfast & the half time report it was time for alumnae presidents, officers & network specialists to hop on a bus and head to our beautiful headquarters in Brentwood. As we were off participating in the alumnae learning track, collegiate sisters & advisers stayed at the hotel to more power sessions & learning tracks aimed for their needs.
Alumnae Chapter Presidents, Alumnae Officers and Network Specialists of Alumnae:
Leadership
Institute 2014 will play host to the first ever Alumnae Chapter Track
to celebrate the vision of alumnae and to focus on the unique education
and opportunities available for AOII alumnae chapter members! Taking
place at AOII International Headquarters, this full-day training for
alumnae chapters is sure to inspire!
Culture...In Focus
AOII
is a living breathing organization, and the culture of the Fraternity
leads it to act, live, and communicate in ways defined by our members.
In this session, alumnae chapter leaders will explore their perception
of AOII's current culture as well as define their dream for the future
of AOII.
Alumnae Chapter Operations
As
alumnae chapter officers, you have a lot of opportunities for
programming, social activities, education, ritual, and much more. With
these opportunities comes the responsibilities of your role as an
officer. AOII is trying to make those responsibilities a little easier
through their updated Alumnae Chapter Operations Manual that provides
ideas, training, and step-by -step guides. Hear the updates, share
ideas, and ask questions about this resource and managing an alumnae
chapter.
Collegiate Relations
Things were
so different when I was in college! Whether you graduated 5 or 50 years
ago, collegiate life is changing rapidly. From the way collegians
communicate to their technology and learning styles, generations of
students are having a different experience than you had. But luckily
there are easy ways to relate to these young women. Find out how you
can engage collegiate members, support them, and find ways for them to
connect with your chapter sisters to lay a foundation for lifelong
involvement in AOII.
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| Photo of the grand staircase on our way out. |
Alumnae Just Wanna Have Fun...For A Lifetime!
This interactive session will explore the different alumnae engagement initiatives available for alumnae and for chapters. Through
the sharing of alumnae engagement programs, best practices, and open
discussions, sisters will leave this session with a better understanding
of how they can be involved for a lifetime and have FUN doing it!
RITUAL!? Who's got time for Ritual!!
In
this highly interactive hour of union, we will remind, remember and
review to de-mystify Ritual. We will discuss "The Top 5", "The Big 10",
the Secret Behind the Grip and the adult definition of ALAM. Most
importantly we will use real world scenarios to help us keep it relevant
for ourselves and our chapters. {description of the day taken from the AOII website}
This was the first year for the alumnae track and I really enjoyed it. It was a great chance to learn more but to also exchange ideas about events & things that work well for chapters. I took SO many notes that day.
Once we got back from headquarters, we had a short break before dinner began. I decided to do a bit more shopping, because why not?! The jeweler was there, which was a very popular table. I was able to pick up the Alumnae President ring, I love this ring as it reminds me of my pin I wore during my new member period. (I really didn't like having to turn that pin in.)
A picture with our founders, there were lots of stand ups like this available during Leadership Institute.
Soon it was time for dinner, this final dinner for Leadership Institute is called the Awards Dinner. Chapters & individuals receive recognition for several different accomplishments - let me just say it is motivating & inspiring to experience!
While the Las Vegas Alumnae Chapter did not receive an additional awards that night we were recognized for achieving Ruby Level for Standards of Excellence. And we were one of 8 alumnae chapters that held a Strike Out Arthritis events! I am very proud of our chapter for achieving Ruby Level & holding a Strike Out event.
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| How could we NOT take a picture with a boa wearing panda? |
After the awards dinner we had AOII After Hours - there was a DJ & dancing, shopping at the Emporium, photo booths & giant game of Twister to play. It was a really enjoyable evening. I spent most of the time talking with sisters in the photo booth room.
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| Tamara & I in the photo booth |
The Emporium remained open for the AOII After Hours.
A shot of the emporium, there were so many adorable shirts to choose from! I already put several on my Christmas list ;)
The second day of Leadership Institute was packed from morning to night with activities. It was an amazing & slightly overwhelming day. I met so many more sisters & learned
