Are you ready to get into the HoLUdays spirit?
ýƵ alumni in regional communities across the country are hosting festive gatherings of Lawrentians now through January. Dubbed “HoLUdays” celebrations, the regional gatherings are meant to connect ýƵ alumni during the holiday season.
"When I miss ýƵ, I remember I have LU family here in Colorado,” said Breanna Skeets ’12, who will join Emily Hoeft ’21 and Nilmni Hecox ’98 to host a January HoLUdays get-together. “I'm grateful to have a place we can gather, create warmth, and have an LU hug this holiday season."
Irene Strohbeen ’78, a member of the Board of Trustees, is organizing a gathering in the Fox Cities along with John O’Boyle ‘68, Ken Melchert ‘73, Mike Wysocki ‘88, and Chuck Erickson ’02.
“Here in the Fox Cities, I'm looking forward to gathering together with local alumni to share the warmth of fellowship, especially as the weather turns cold and we all prepare for winter,” Strohbeen said. “Our HoLUdays will be a special event because it's been so long since we've connected, plus we will have the extra excitement of including any students and alumni faculty who will be in town. A real ‘hullabaLU’ to be sure.”
HoLUdays is an idea first launched by members of the Connecting Alumni Committee of the ýƵ Alumni Association (LUAA) during the winter seasons of 2012, 2013, and 2014. These events were opportunities for Lawrentians across the country to enjoy a relaxing moment and reconnect with or meet new alumni during the busy holiday season. The events ranged from happy hours to gatherings in a fellow Lawrentian’s home.
ýƵ is now taking a holistic approach to reengage with our Regional Communities by working collaboratively to build alumni advocacy, engagement, and philanthropy, according to Matt Baumler, associate vice president of Alumni and Constituency Engagement.
“One of those strategies is hosting events, and what better way than bringing back HoLUdays to spread cheer during winter,” Baumler said. “HoLUdays are more than gatherings—they are opportunities to build connections between alumni and ýƵ; and between each other.”
Alumni volunteers in seven Regional Communities will be hosting events. The events include ice skating, happy hours, attending a holiday concert, and holiday cookie decorating. Here is the list of events planned:
Fox Cities Regional Community
Hosts: John O’Boyle ‘68, Ken Melchert ‘73, Irene Strohbeen ‘78, Mike Wysocki ‘88, Chuck Erickson ‘02
Date: December 12; 6-8 p.m.
Location: Fox River Mills Community Room
Activity: Gathering and fellowship
Chicago Regional Community
Host: Peter Gillette‘05 and Keegan White ’06
Date: December15; 6:30 p.m. pre-show gathering, performance at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago
Activity: Chicago Sinfonietta Holidays of Light performance
Tickets:
Twin Cities Regional Community
Host: Sam Driver’22
Date: January 12, 2024; 6-8 p.m.
Location: Memory Lanes Bowling Alley, 2520 26th Ave. S, Minneapolis
Activity: Bowling
Madison Regional Community
Host: Christine Seeley’12
Date:January 17, 2024; 6-8 p.m.
Location: Prost! MSN, 401 E. Washington Ave, Madison
Activity: Happy hour
San Francisco Regional Community
Hosts: David Eddy ’81,Ryan Sun ’10,Chiao-Yu Tuan‘14
Date: January 18, 2024; 5:30-7 p.m.
Location: Novela, 662 Mission St., San Francisco
Activity: Happy hour
Milwaukee Regional Community
Hosts: Alison Guthrie ’86 and Emily Niles ’09
Date: January 27, 2024; 12:30-2 p.m.
Location: Eble Park Ice Arena, 19400 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield
Activity: HoLUdays Ice Skating
Colorado Regional Community
Hosts: Mike ’97 and Jen Schuster Tryggestad ’97
Date: January 27, 2024; 2-4 p.m.
Location: More details to come
Activity: Decorating cookies and enjoying hot chocolate
Questions? Contact Nora Robinson '21 at nora.e.robinson@lawrence.edu
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at ýƵ.
