Alumni Conversations: Let's Get Personal

Alumni membership continues your relationship with Western
Deborah DeWees

If you’re like me, you have a stash of rewards and membership cards from a slew of companies, from grocery stores and coffee shops to gym memberships and online retailers. Another day, another card. So why should you join another membership program to support Western?

Simply put, it’s not just about the benefits and discounts. Sure, it’s nice to save money on food, entertainment and travel, have access to Lakewood and the Student Recreation Center, but those are just bonuses.

For Western it is personal. Membership continues the relationship you started as a student; it says “I want to keep it going.”

Membership is an easy way to raise your hand and say, “I still care about Western and want to do something to help.” That’s what more than 700 alumni did when they signed up during our March Membership Month.

Here’s what those memberships have done: This year, the WWU Alumni Association provided an all-time record $107,000 in scholarships to students through the WWU Alumni Scholarship fund. Those memberships make a powerful impact in the lives of the deserving student  recipients.

Your membership challenges us, the WWU Alumni Association, to be active in our relationship with you: Whether it’s providing the opportunity to reconnect with former faculty, network with fellow alumni, come for a campus visit, or mentor a current student, the Association will help you make it happen.

I invite you to make it personal. Raise your hand and do something for Western through a WWU Alumni membership. That small gesture says a lot and says it loudly. Visit alumni.wwu.edu to learn more.

The Association and I look forward to serving you into the future.

Go Vikings!

Deborah DeWees

Executive Director, WWU Alumni Association

PS: If you signed up during March Membership Month, thank you! Post a picture of you with your Viking socks, mugs or WWU hammock. Use #WWUAlumni and I’ll be sure to see it. 

Deborah DeWees is executive director of the Western Alumni Association