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Welcome!
The Cornell Club of Arizona serves the Cornell alumni community of Phoenix and the surrounding cities through gatherings and networking opportunities. For the Tucson area, please see the Cornell Club of Southern Arizona website.
Please join us for Zinck’s Night!
> Wednesday, October 10th, 2012
This fun happy hour will be celebrated by Cornellians around the world on October 18. We will be at brat haus, next door to Salty Senorita in the former Oregano’s location. We will be at the high tables at the back of the patio.
Brat haus has only been open for a few months but is already getting rave reviews. And what better place to spend an October evening?
Look for the EVite in your inbox. Hope to see you there!
Annual Volunteer Event at St. Mary’s Food Bank
> Wednesday, September 5th, 2012
Please join Stanford, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and Ivy-Plus alumni as we pack emergency food boxes. The food will eventually be distributed to Phoenix-area homeless shelters, senior centers, and rehabilitation centers. If you’d like to help keep the food bank’s shelves stocked, feel free to make a tax deductible monetary donation online at www.firstfoodbank.org or bring non-perishable food items to donate.
Family members age twelve and older are welcome to participate.
Saturday, November 24 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving), 2012
8:00 - 11:00 a.m.
2831 N 31st. Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
602-352-3640 (food bank)
www.firstfoodbank.org
Please RSVP to Tracy Jaffe at tracyjaffe@stanfordalumni.org if you’d like to participate. Volunteer space is limited.
Holiday Party
> Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Join us for a belated version of the Cornell Club of Arizona holiday party on Saturday evening, February 4!
Rodo and Susan Sofranac have kindly offered their home for this event. We’ll take advantage of our late-winter timing with a white elephant gift swap. After all, didn’t everyone receive at least one oddball present this holiday? Please bring a wrapped gift — we’ll engage in a Yankee Swap so you’ll have an opportunity to trade your “treasure” for something even more delightful.
We’ll provide wine and a main course; please bring a side dish or mixer to share and indicate your planned culinary contribution in your RSVP so we can minimize duplication. We look forward to toasting 2012 with you!
See the EVite that was sent out for driving directions and time, and to RSVP. If you did not receive it, please contact us at info@cornellclubaz.org.
Thanksgiving Volunteerism at St. Mary’s Food Bank
> Thursday, September 1st, 2011
It’s once again time to plan our (6th Annual) Volunteer Morning at St. Mary’s Food Bank. Please join Stanford, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Cornell and Ivy-Plus alumni as we pack emergency food boxes. The food will eventually be distributed to Phoenix-area homeless shelters, senior centers, and rehabilitation centers. Please bring non-perishable food items to donate. Family members age twelve and older are welcome to participate.
Saturday, November 26, 2011 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving)
8:00 - 11:00 a.m.
2831 N 31st. Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
602-352-3640 (food bank)
www.firstfoodbank.org
Please RSVP to Tracy Jaffe at tracyjaffe@stanfordalumni.org by November 12 if you’d like to participate. Volunteer space is limited.
Sincerely,
Cornell Club of Arizona
2011 Happenings
> Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Dear Cornellians,
Welcome to 2011! I’m writing to let you know of a few upcoming events we have scheduled for this spring, as well as to solicit your input on other events you’d like to see us plan.
March 3 – Open House at CWLIFE Photography
Please join your fellow alumni at a photography open house. Connie White is a local Cornell University Hotel School alumna that has opened her own photography studio in Old Town Scottsdale. She is hosting an open house from 4:00 - 7:00pm on Thursday, March 3 and has graciously extended an invitation to the Cornell Club of Arizona to attend. Alumni can then join the Thursday night Art Walk in Old Town if they wish. No RSVP necessary.
CWLIFE Photography
4237 N Craftsman Court, Ste 203 (upstairs above Craftsman Ceramics)
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
602.653.9722.
There is a parking lot attached to the building and also a public parking lot behind the building. They are between 3rd and 5th Avenue on Craftsman Court.
http://www.cwlifephotography.com (wedding/engagement)
http://www.cwlifefamily.com (family)
http://www.cwlife.com (real estate / business headshots)
April 16 – Hike and Picnic at Pinnacle Peak/Troon North
Please save the date for a hike at Pinnacle Peak, then refuel at a picnic to replenish all those calories we just burned! The club will meet at the trailhead for the hike, then go to a private park at Troon North for a potluck picnic. This is a family-friendly event, but pets are not welcome on the Pinnacle Peak Trail. Please join us for the hike, picnic, or both. More details will be sent out as we get closer to the event.
Become involved!
We need your help! The Cornell Club of Arizona has several spots open on the board: notably Treasurer, Vice President, and Young Alumni Chair. In addition, we are always open to new general board members to assist in planning events. The board meets every third Tuesday at noon, at 24th St. and Camelback Rd in Phoenix. Please let me know of your interest.
Lastly, the board strives to plan events that are of interest to our wide variety of alumni in the Valley. Please feel free to suggest events and we will do our best to accommodate your interests.
Best Regards,
Leslie Tax ‘94
President, Cornell Club of Arizona
leslietax@hotmail.com
Mobile: 602-999-0575
Cornell Club of Arizona Welcomes You to 2010
> Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Dear Cornellian,
These are just a few of the events we have planned for you in the 2010 season; be sure to mark your calendar! For more detailed information on attending these and many other events, please be sure to check our website and watch your email inbox.
- February – Habitat for Humanity event
- April – Piano concert by Seth Kaufman
- May – Faculty Event
- October – Olive oil pressing at Queen Creek Olive Mill
We have many new and updated events in the planning stages, so please remember to check our website often for up to date information. Join us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter!
Reduced membership dues for 2009-2010 are $10 for all alumni, and FREE for classes 2007-2009. To renew or become a new member, you can pay via Paypal at our website and fill out a membership form with your contact information. Alternately, send your contact information and a check made out to Cornell Club of Arizona to:
Neil Rosekrans
11383 E Greythorn Dr
Scottsdale, AZ 85262
To make a tax-deductible donation to our club’s scholarship fund (which benefits local students), Please click here or send a separate check made payable to Cornell University indicating the “Cornell Club of Arizona Scholarship Fund” in the memo line. Send it to:
PO Box 223623
Pittsburgh, PA 15251-2623
If you have any questions on any of the above, please contact Leslie Tax ‘94 at 602-999-0575. Many thanks for your support and we hope to see you at one or more of our events this year!
Leslie
Change is in the air!
> Saturday, August 8th, 2009
By all measures, change is in the air!
Today change permeates the newscasts, smacks our industry walls, absorbs deep into our skins. The Cornell Club of Arizona is navigating this new world awash in profound changes. As you’d expect, we are adapting and responding to these outside forces.
Our group is in the midst of making some positive changes for the new calendar year.
Changing of the guard:
I am passing the torch after two years as President. It has been an honor to connect with the member base in the Phoenix area. It meant a lot to me to have the privilege of working one-on-one while deepening my relationships with my fellow board members. All the board members are special people that make our club great!
There are no plans to “disappear” from the Cornell scene. Rather, I plan to transition my role to supporting the alumni family and expanding the base of support through recruitment of new members. I plan to be among our people and “catch ‘em while they’re fresh on scene” as a result of relocating to the Valley of the Sun. My new role will be comprised of highlighting the benefits of belonging to our local alumni club and reiterating the benefits that local students (sourced from our very own neighborhoods) receive as a result of our combined efforts.
Our diligent Treasurer, Leslie Tax Dos Santos, will be stepping forward to lead the group as President. Over the last several years Leslie has “maintained the books” and kept our financials square for the Arizona Corporation Commission and The Cornell University Alumni Affairs Department. She will now be moving front-and-center to lead our team forward in the new 2009-2010 calendar year.
Those who know Leslie appreciate her dedication and consistency to both our club and the students and families served through CAAAN (Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network). Leslie has been on the board quite a while and will have the innate feel for the annual calendar flow, events that work, and can be counted on to see things through. Please welcome her to this new post as she has quietly earned it over the last decade.
Changing of the Tune:
Our club is about making the choice to belong to a unique place and experience that helped shape our lives. Our awesome University, set atop a gorgeous lake in upstate New York is unlike any other place to study and grow. This opinion compels us to gather, to reminisce and to share how our common bond of education can help the world. When we choose to participate in local events and engage eager students and willing families, we put our real impact in motion for others to sample; to consider for their own future. This is why the CAAAN movement is central to our purpose!
Changing of the Seasons in Life:
Many of us are experiencing changes in our personal lives right now. Indisputable facts are borne out by our personal stories and real life conversations. One of the nice things about our club is that at the core, it resembles an extended family. We can walk through the seasons of life knowing that we are all in this together and cared for.
Changing of Our Attitudes:
As the effects of the largest economic recession many of us have ever seen reverberates through the local economy, we are forced to ask a big question: Is an alumni/member who makes a substantial monetary contribution more important than one that regularly contributes to our group’s purpose with their time, energies and talents?
The truth is that we need everyone’s help to accomplish our goals. I assure you, your involvement in any form for The Cornell Club of Arizona is highly valued.
Change in Emphasis:
Prospective students and their supportive families are given a warm forum with Donnelly Nariss-Maysey’s strong CAAAN group of volunteers. Year after year, both Donnelly and Leslie have provided breathing room for students’ and parents’ concerns to be expressed and properly addressed. They have steered the CAAAN unit into a well-maintained system of pairing young people in our area with “real life” graduates (you) conveying testimonials of learning and living at Cornell. Imagine how difficult it must be for young people growing up in the desert to picture all that CU holds in store for them! This valuable volunteer-based process assists many high-school-aged students to bridge the natural gap in visualizing an Ithaca experience at our world-class university. Thank you for your help in this effort.
Overall, our club is a healthy one. I look forward to serving you through this next chapter of change. We do this together in Southwestern Cornellian style.
Thank you all and Go Big Red!
David Calvino ‘94
Director of Membership
Cornell Alumni Chandler/Gilbert Gathering June 2 - BJ’s Brewery at Chandler Mall
> Saturday, May 30th, 2009
Dear Fellow SE Valley Cornell Alum,
As you may know, some of the recent popular Cornell Alumni Club of Arizona events have been located in Central Phoenix, Scottsdale or Tempe. In an effort to bring together a “sub-chapter,” so to speak, of Cornell alums in Chandler and Gilbert, I am organizing an informal happy hour get-together at B.J.’S Brewery at the Chandler Fashion Center on Tuesday, June 2 at 5:30 p.m.
I would be interested in hearing any feedback on future events, ideas, etc. to help the Club grow and recruit more alums to the chapter. Currerntly, the Board may have some openings for the 2009-2010 year if anyone is interested in being considered.
We could make this a periodic gathering and move it around to other Chandler / Gilbert locations depending on interest.
If you can RSVP, that would be great. Otherwise, just show up if you can make it.
I do marketing and public relations with the City of Chandler Community Services Department and Recreation Division at Tumbleweed Recreation Center. If you haven’t been to this new facility (opened in April 2008) and are interested in seeing it, just let me know.
Please share if you know of any new Cornellians moving into the area. The list I had was about 20 alums in the Chandler / Gilbert vicinity. Thank you.
Regards,
Liam O’Mahony - CU CALS ‘96
Spring into Summer in Style with Local Cornellians…
> Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Welcome to your personal link to local Cornell University alumni!
We are an active group in the local Phoenix area.
We all know that Ithaca, New York is a distant journey from the deserts of Arizona (2,389 miles by car).
So join us for one of the fun events we have planned in your own backyard.
Relax, you are in the right place to stay connected with your fellow alumni. As the temperatures continue to rise in the valley, we have several outings designed to take the “edge off”.
Feel free to come along for a fun-filled outing in the near future.
Upcoming events include:
- Blue Martini Special Happy Hour: May 19TH
- Wine Flight School at Tapino’s Kitchen and Wine bar:
June 4THMid-Summer (Unfortunately Tapino is now closed so we are finding a new location. Stay tuned!)- Diamondbacks Game for the Board (Join the Board, come along!): July 23RD
Holiday Wishes from Cornell Club of Arizona
> Monday, December 22nd, 2008
~Happy Holidays~
Our club in Arizona is comprised of high-quality people working together to make a difference through education at Cornell University. The board members are doing a superb job of supporting our main goals of scholarship assistance, social events and caring outreach for the less fortunate in our community. Let’s keep up the good work in the year to come!
Now however, is a time for reflection. This time of year it is important to share meaningful time with those who are special to you. I hope that you get together during the holiday time with people you feel close to and share making new memories together. New memories shine brightly as we embark on change in a new year!
Thank you ALL for your involvement in our group. I enjoy knowing you and working with you in the Cornell family of alumni.
Here is to a great year together in 2009! Cheers!
With much care,
David Calvino & family